406 Recent Ornithological Publications. 



collection, two to Dr. Baldamus, and one to Herr Badeker. The 

 latter specimen has already been described and figured by Herr 

 Badeker in the 'Journal fiir Ornithologie ' (1856, p. 32, pi. 1). 

 While on this subject, it may be remarked, that we cannot 

 believe that any active Englishman going early enough to Swit- 

 zerland would have much difficulty in obtaining eggs of this 

 bird. We have never failed to see it in abundance during our 

 somewhat frequent visits to the higher Alps (for example, in the 

 upper valley of Lauterbriinnen, and on the Riffelberg near Zer- 

 matt), and we have been assured by the Swiss guides that it 

 breeds there eveiy spring, nesting in the Arven-trees {Pinus 

 cembra). In these localities it is so much devoted to the cones 

 of this Pine as to have obtained the name of " Arven-vogel." 



4. American Publications. 

 Mr. G. N. Lawrence has kindly furnished us with copies of 

 two ornithological communications to the Lyceum of Natural 

 History of New York, which have been reprinted from their 

 ' Annals.^ 



The first is a Catalogue of Birds collected along the Panama- 

 Railway route by Mr. M'=Leannan. It enumerates 142 species, 

 amongst which are several described as new. The occurrence of 

 a Barbet {Capito) so far north has not been previously recorded, 

 and we hail with pleasure the acquisition of a new and appa- 

 rently brilliant addition to the genus. Several species are also 

 noted that have been lately described by Mr. Cassin in his ac- 

 count of the birds collected during the Darien expedition by 

 Lieut. Michler. Mr. Lawrence having kindly offered to send us 

 a series of the species, as here described, for examination, we 

 hope to be able to give some further remarks on receipt of the 

 specimens. Taking this collection in connexion with that of the 

 Darien expedition and Dr. Hoffman's collections in Costa Rica, 

 which are now being worked at by Dr. Cabanis, we may soon 

 hope to arrive at a more perfect knowledge of the Avi-fauna of 

 the Central-American isthmus, which has as yet been left com- 

 paratively uninvestigated. 



Mr. Lawrence's second paper contains a description of two 

 new birds from Panama [Grallaria perspicillata and Polioptila 



