Recently published Ornithological Works. 207 



XVIII. — Notices of recent Ornithological Publications. 



26. Sennett on the Birds of the Lower Rio Grande. 



[Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Rio Grande of Texas, from 

 Observations made during the Season of 1877. By George B. Sennett. 

 Bull. U.S. Geol. & Geogr. Surv. Territories, vol. iv. pp. 1-66.] 



These notes give the results of a springes collecting in 

 Texas^ and show what may be done in a short time by an 

 energetic man '^ who goes south for the winter." In the 

 short space of two months some 500 birds were obtained, 

 three of which were new to the fauna of the United States, 

 and one to science^ and about 1000 eggs^ many of which 

 were new or rare, not to speak of mammals, reptiles, and 

 insects. 



The great prize was Parula nigrilora, Coues, a new species, 

 " entirely distinct from P. americana, and belonging to the 

 P.pitiayumi group," of which five examples were procured, all 

 males. Other interesting birds were Neocorys spraguii, Xan- 

 thura luxuosa,Geococcyx calif or nianus , Amazilia cerviniventris, 

 and Leptoptila albifrons, for which Dr. Coues has proposed 

 the new generic name y^chmoptila. We observe also that 

 Dr. Coues has resuscitated for M^Cown's Bunting the generic 

 name Rhynchophanes, originally proposed by Baird as a sub- 

 genus in 1858, being apparently of Bonaparte's opinion, that 

 it is no Bunting at all, but allied to the Finches of the Loxiine 

 group. 



Many interesting notices of habits and other particulars 

 are given by Mr. Sennett. His notes have been carefully 

 edited by Dr. Coues, who is likewise responsible for the de- 

 termination of the species. 



27. Merrill on the Ornithology of Southern Texas. 



[Notes on the Ornithology of Southern Texas, being a List of Birds 

 observed in the vicinity of Fort Brown, Texas, from February 1876 to 

 June 1878. By James 0. Merrill, Assistant-Surgeon U.S. Army. Proc. 



U.S. Nat. Mus. 1878, pp. 118-173.] 



This list, on the same subject as the last paper, includes 

 the names of no less than 252 species of birds, and is of 

 special interest, as it relates to the avifauna of the border- 



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