Recent Literature. 79 



Australian. In respect to North American species, the Raven (Corvus 

 corax) is not separated even varietally from the Raven of the Old World, 

 Mr. Sliarpe statin"; that the characters given by authors for their separation 

 do not hold good in his series of specimens. In respect to changes of 

 nomenclature among North American species, it may he noted that the old 

 genus Corvus is here much subdivided, so that our Fish-Crow stands as 

 Colocus ossifragus, and the Common Crow as Corone americanus; Nucifraga 

 (Brisson, 1760) appears in place of Picicorvus for the Clarke's Crow, and 

 Gyanurus is regarded as a synonyme of C'yanocorax, our Blue-Jay (C.cris- 

 tatus) being referred to the genus Cyanocitta. Nearly all of the numerous 

 forms of Western Jays (genera Perisoreus, Cyanocitta, and Aphelocoma), 

 recognized as varieties by American ornithologists, are raised by Mr. 

 Sharpe to the rank of species, two of which (Perisoreus capitalis and P. 

 obscurus) are figured. In this volume, in fact, very few "subspecies" are 

 recognized. 



We are sorry to see in Mr. Sharpe's third volume several instances of 

 the use of the same name in a generic and specific sense for the same 

 species, with such ridiculous results as " Pica pica" " Pyrrhocorax pyrrho- 

 corax," etc., which is not only opposed to good taste, to say the least, but 

 to a very generally accepted rule of nomenclature. Also that the value of 

 his very full bibliographical references is impaired by his not adding the 

 date of publication. This was very uniformly done in the first volume, 

 and to some extent in the second, and we sincerely hope he will see fit to 

 resume the practice in his later volumes. — J. A. A. 



Rowley's "The Pied Duck." — Mr. G. D. Rowley's monographic 

 essay on the Labrador or Pied Duck (Somateria labradoria) * is a timely and 

 exhaustive contribution to the history of a species believed to be rapidly 

 approaching extinction. Nearly all that relates to its literary history is 

 here brought together, the paper consisting largely of excerpts gathered 

 from the writings of all authors who have referred to the species. While 

 apparently of rather frequent occurrence along our Atlantic coast, as far 

 south at least as Long Island, New Jersey, and Delaware, fifty to thirty 

 years ago, it has of late been rarely observed and few specimens appear to 

 have been taken since 1868. Its last-recorded capture, as appears from a 

 letter from Mr. George N. Lawrence, published in Mr. Rowley's paper, 

 seems to have occurred " in the fall of 1874," when a specimen was ob- 

 tained by Mr. J. Wallace, from Long Island, from which source the same 

 gentleman had obtained four or five others during the previous five years. 

 All were females or immature males, and only one adult male is known to 

 have been taken in the last twenty years. 



* Somateria labradoria (J. F. Gmelin). The Pied Duck. By G. D. Rowley, 

 M. A., F. L. S., F. Z. S., etc., etc. Ornithological Miscellany, Vol. II, Part 

 VI, pp. 205-223, with 5 plates, 1877. London, Quaritch, 15 Piccadilly, \Y. ; 

 Trubner & Co., Ludgate Hill, E. C; E. H. Porter, 6 Tenterden St., Hanover 

 Square, W. 



