Recent Ornithological Publications. 131 



less than 244 species*, of which four {Mitrephorus pallescens, 

 Vireo plumbeus, V. vicinior, and V. pusillus) are now described 

 as new, and a variety of Chrysomitris mexicana distinguished 

 by the agnomen arizona. The first of these is the bird which 

 the author in this Journal (Ibis, 1865, p. 537) provisionally 

 called Empidonax pygmcms ; and we must say we wish he had 

 not thought it expedient to change its specific name, since his 

 notice of it seems to us to have been sufficiently diagnostic. Dr. 

 Coues also founds three new genera — Micrathene with Athene 

 whitneyi as its type, Asyndesmus with Piciis torquatus, and Podas- 

 ocys with Charadrius montanus. 



If the paper last noticed gives the result of Dr. Coues's labours 

 in the field, the continuation of his " Review of the Family Pro- 

 cellariida" furnishes a renewed proof of the value of his studies 

 in the closet. The first and second parts of this carefully 

 worked-up paper, which by some mischance escaped notice in 

 our pages, appeared in the Philadelphia ' Proceedings ' for 1864 ; 

 the third, fourth, and fifth portions are contained in the same 

 publication for last year, and exhibit the same amount of patient 

 investigation of this difficult family. The whole essay almost 

 defies a reviewer to give within reasonable limits any satisfactory 

 account of it. Perhaps for ornithologists in this country it may 

 be most useful to mention that one of the results at which the 

 author has arrived is, that the generic name Thalassidroma must 

 be entirely suppressed, as being synonymous with Procellaria 

 proper ; and in its stead he proposes to use the term Cymochoren. 

 Several new species of the group are described, and a great many 

 rectifications in the synonymy of those that are known are sug- 

 gested. No person writing on the Petrels should fail to make 

 himself acquainted with this paper. 



4. Australasian. 



It is with extreme pleasure that in these our notices of recent 

 publications we have for the first time to appropriate a section 



* 245 species are actually enumerated ; but one, Certhiola fiaveola, is, 

 as we are kindly informed by Professor Baird, included 1)y mistake. 



k2 



