228 Recent Ornithological Publications. 



has more or less claim to be answered in the affirmative, but he 

 finally aeclares himself in favour of a scheme which would di- 

 vide the Grallatores into six families: — (I.) Alectoridce, inclu- 

 ding Palamedea, Psophia, Dicholophus, and Otis ; (II.) Dididce ; 

 (III.) Charadriidce ; (IV.) Scolopacidce ', (V.) i/eroc?M, comprising 

 Ibis, Platalea, Tantalus, Ciconia, Anastomus, Dromas, Scopus, 

 Balceniceps , Cancroma, Ardea, and Grus ; and, lastly, (VI.) Ral- 

 lidce, with Rallus, Gallinula, Poiphyrio, Parra, Fulica, and Podoa. 

 A diagram follows, which shows that the Alectoridce and Rallid<2 

 are each allied to the orders Gallinacece and Nutatores respec- 

 tively, and Charadriidce to the order Columbina, each of these 

 groups last mentioned having a relation to Dididce, which, again, 

 has affinities to the order Cursores or Strut hionida. Individually 

 we do not agree with the decision at which the author arrives ; 

 but the paper (as might be expected from Prof. Brandt^s great 

 reputation) is a very able one, and bi'ings out forcibly several 

 characteristics of our old friend Didus ineptus which certainly 

 should not be overlooked, while the whole subject is treated with 

 much judicial fairness. 



7. American. 



Quickly following on Dr. Coues's South-Carolina * Synopsis,' 

 which we noticed in our last number [vide supra, pp. 118-120) 

 comes an equally good " List of the Birds of New England " 

 from the same unwearied pen *. Mr. Samuels, as our readers 

 will recollect (Ibis, 1868, p. 346), has recently been over the 

 same ground j but Dr. Coues remarks that the present list is 

 " perhaps more needed since than before the appearance of Mr. 

 Samuels's work -" and the remark seems to be true from various 

 inaccuracies therein which are adduced. The Doctor is through- 

 out critical (in the best sense of the term) of the labours of his 

 various predecessors, of whom at least fifteen are enumerated. 

 Of course the majority of his notes are chiefly of local interest 

 only ', but the following passage has a more general application. 



" Within the area of New England, as is well known to those 



* A List of tlie Birds of New England, by Elliott Cotjes. (Reprinted 

 from the Proceedings of the Essex Institute, vol. v. pp. 240-814.) Salem, 

 Mass. : 1868. 8vo, pp. 71. 



