84 Recent Ornithological Publications. 



4. American Publications. 



The ' Proceedings ' of the Academy of Natural Sciences of 

 Philadelphia for 1861 (of which we have received the sheets up 

 to p. 257) contain several papers relating to ornithology. 

 Mr. Cassin (p. 72) calls the attention of the Academy to a new 

 spcces of Goose [Anser rossii) from Great Slave Lake, allied to 

 the White Geese, A. lujperboreus and A. albatus, but smaller than 

 either, and about the same size as the IMallard {Anas boschas). 



In the ' Proceedings ' for July last (p. 170) we find a " Mono- 

 graph of the TringecB of North America " by Mr. Elliott Coues — 

 a name new to ornithologists, but not the less heartily welcome as 

 that of a recruit to our ranks, who begins by fighting his first fight 

 well, and against a very hard subject. In the latter part of 1860 

 Mr. Coues, being engaged in examining the collections made by 

 Messrs. Kennicott and Ross on Great Slave Lake, detected what 

 be believed to be a new Sandpiper allied to Tringa maculata and 

 T. bonapartii. In order to desciibe it properly he was induced 

 to undertake a monographic sketch of the section of the group 

 to which it belongs. Mr. Coues considers that the ScolopacidcB 

 may be most naturally divided into two subfamilies instead of 

 three, as most authors have preferred to arrange them. One of 

 these, the Scolopacince, embraces also the Tringa, whilst the other 

 is composed of the old genus Totanus with the toes webbed. In 

 these views we are inclined to agree with him. The subfamily 

 Scolopacina, then, as far as regards the American species, he 

 separates into two sections — the Sculopacece and the Tringece. 

 Of the North American species composing the latter of these 

 groups he has given a very complete and very pains-taking 

 account, dividing them into eight genera, namely Micropalama 

 and Ereunetes, com\i0^m^ section A, in which the toes have "a 

 decided basal web,'^ and Tringa, Calidris, Arquatella, Ancylo- 

 cheilus, Felidna, and Actodromas, forming the more typical sec- 

 tion B, in which the toes are cleft to the base, or show a very 

 rudimentary membrane. The first seven genera contain each 

 but a single North American representative; the last-named {Ac- 

 todromas) five, which Mr. Coues divides again into two sections. 

 The first of these, Actodromas, has the Little Stint of Europe 



