270 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



Chlamydodera, near to which I think that X aureus must 

 find its place. 



Also Signer Beccari, in his " Lettera Ornitologica " re- 

 cently published*, remarks that X. aureus, or Sericulus aureus 

 (as he calls it), has not the habits of the true Birds of Para- 

 dise. Who knows if, before long, avc shall not hear of its 

 building some kind of bower, like the true Bower-birds ? 



As regards the systematic position of X. aureus, I wish 

 to point out that while Mr. Elliot has very nearly approached 

 the truth by placing Sericulus xanthogaster w ith the Chla- 

 mydodera. Prof. Schlegel seems to have better seen another 

 side of the question, placing his S. xanthogaster in the same 

 genus with Sericulus aureus. 



In conclusion, I think we have good reasons to believe : — 

 1st, that the bird called Sericulus xanthogaster, Schleg., is 

 the young of Xanthomelus aureus ; 2nd, that X aureus does 

 not belong to the true Paradiseinai, but to the less typical 

 group of the Paradiseidae, which Mr. Elliot has called Tetro- 

 narchinse, and others call Ptilorhynchinse. It seems also 

 that Prof. Sundevall is of the same opinion, as in the last- 

 named group he includes the genus Sericulus, in which, I 

 suppose, he comprises Xanthomelus aureus. 

 Turin, March 18tli, 1876. 



XXV. — Notices of recently published Ornithological Works. 



Since the discontinuance of the "Index of Ornithological 

 Literature," begun in 1871 and continued for three years, 

 we have confined our notices of books to a great extent to 

 special ornithological works, to the exclusion of papers pub- 

 lished in current periodicals. We can fairly make an ex- 

 ception to this rule in the case of the extra number of the 

 * Jouj'nal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal," published in 

 August last, and which contains a " Catalogue of tlie jNIam- 

 mals and Birds of Burma"" by the late E. Blythf. 



* Anu. Mus. Civ. di Stor. Nat. di Gen. vii. p. 709 (187'J). 



t Journ. As. Soc. Beng. Part II. Extra Number, Aii^U!<t 1870. •■ Cata- 



