abstracts: ornithology 409 



I 



ORNITHOLOGY.— On the fauna of Great Salt Lake. Alexander 

 Wetmore. Amer. Nat. 50: 753-755. 1917. 

 Contrary to common belief, the Southern Pacific cut-off on Great 

 Salt Lake has not interfered with the free interchange of water or of 

 aquatic animal life between the portions north and south of this cause- 

 way. Brine shrimp (Artemia fertUis) and three species of alkali flies 

 of the genus Ephydra occur here in great numbers. Several species of 

 water-birds, chiefly Spagula clypeata, Marila afflnis, Clangula dangula 

 americana, and Nettion carolinense, together with Steganopus tricolor, 

 Lobipes lohatus, Recurvirostra americana, Himantopus mexicanus, and 

 doubtless other allied species were feeding on these small animals and 

 doubtless destroyed great numbers of both the shrimp and alkali flies. 



Harry C. Oberholser. 



ORNITHOLOGY. — A new cuckoo from New Zealand. Alexander 

 Wetmore. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 30: 1-2. 1917. 

 Representatives of Urodynamis taitensis (Sparrman) from New 

 Zealand differ from those of the same species from Polynesia. Since 

 the type locality of Urodynamis taitensis has been fixed as Tahiti, the 

 New Zealand bird is here named Urodynamis taitensis pheletes. 



Harry C. Oberholser. 



ORNITHOLOGY. — A new honey-eater from the Marianne Islands. 

 Alexander Wermore. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 30: 117-118. 

 1917. 

 The form of Myzomela rubratra (Lesson), from the island of Guam in 

 the Marianne group, is found to be subspecifically different from Myzo- 

 mela rubratra rubratra of the Caroline Islands, and is here described as 

 Mijzoynela rubratra saffordi. Harry C. Oberholser. 



ORNITHOLOGY. — On certain secondary sexual characters in the male 

 ruddy duck, Erismatura jamaicensis (Gmelin). Alexander Wet- 

 more. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 52: 479-482. 1917. 

 This paper records the discovery of a tracheal air sac in the male ruddy 

 duck, Erismatura jamaicensis. This sac and the peculiar internal 

 structure of the larynx of this species are described. The sac is absent 

 in the females, and functions in the males evidently as an aid in swell- 

 ing out the neck in sexual display. The discovery of similar structures 

 in other species of the subfamily Erismaturinae is forecast. 



Harry C. Oberholser, 



