Recent Ornithological Publications. 409 



just as the Penguins and Auks bear relation to families of the 

 Natatorial order. Thus the Notornis is a modified Coot. The 

 Ostrich bears the same relation to the Bustards. The extinct 

 Didus and Pezophajjs are most nearly allied to the Columbaceous 

 group of Rasores. Apteryx and the allied extinct Dinornis and 

 Palapterijx bear affinity to the Megapodial family of the Gal- 

 Una." But notwithstanding this, the forms just mentioned are 

 not included among the " sample families " previously spoken 

 of, and tiie words " Cursores " and " Cursorial " recur again and 

 again throughout the whole book, without any further explana- 

 tion of their use than that given (at page 13) — " In all the 

 Cursorial genera the sternum is devoid of keel." If we may 

 conclude from this that Prof. Owen's views on the systematic 

 arrangement of birds are still unsettled, the fact will no doubt 

 be consolatory to a good many ornithologists who have been 

 hitherto blaming their own stupidity only for being in a similar 

 state of mind ; but then, surely, it will also be an additional in- 

 ducement for them to persevere in their endeavours to get their 

 ideas on the subject crystallized into a somewhat tangible form. 



Harpactes hodgsoni. Himalaya. 



diardi. Malacca, &c. 



orescius. Java. 



reinwardti. Java. 



mackloti. Sumatra. 



Catrcus wallichi. Himalaya. 

 Dromolaea picata. Scinde, &c. 



The Seventeenth part of Mr. Gould's ' Birds of Asia,' published 

 in April 1865, contains the following species : — 



Saxicola capistrata (s. n.). 



leucomela. Altai, Dauria*. 



montana(s. n.). AfFghanistan. 



ati'ogularis. Sciude, &c. 



Pluvianus ffig)ptius. Palestine. 

 Budytes citreoloides. India. 

 Pipastes agilis. India. 

 opistholeuca. India. I Phyllopneuste tristis. India. 



Dromolcea opistholeuca is said to be distinct from D. leucuroides 

 and D. leucura. Saxicola capistrata is S. leucomela of Jerdon, 

 but not of Pallas ; S. atrogularis is S. deserti of Jerdon, but not 

 of Biippell. Touching Pluvianus cegijptius we may remark, since 



* We take this oj)j)ortunity of correcting a signal mistake we have un- 

 fortunately made in the ' Record of Zoological Literature' just published 

 (p. 73), where we said that this s[)ecies " does not appear to be really 

 Asiatic." Pallas gives the localities for it as above, and says it is " fre- 

 quentissima avis." 



