Recent Literature. 115 



The text is by far the most satisfactory part of the work, and contains 

 much of interest, though, perhaps, too much space is given to the habits of 

 some species as observed in New England and elsewhere. The author 

 pleasantly describes his travels in search of birds, which resulted in the 

 addition of Phonipara bicolor to our Fauna ; and he gives well-written 

 descriptions of the scenery in different parts of Florida. Ammodromus 

 melanoleucus and Pipilo leucopis are given as new species, but they were 

 previously described as A. jnarithnus var. nigrescens, Ridg., and P. ery- 

 throphthahnus var. alleni, Coues. Objection may be made to the consider- 

 ation in this work of Passerculus princeps and Perisoreus canadensis, neither 

 of which have yet been taken within eight hundred miles of Florida, al- 

 though in the prospectus of the later numbers the author announces his 

 intention of adding an appendix which will contain the species which 

 occur east of the Mississippi River not found in the body of the work. 

 Certain changes are made in nomenclature and classification, notably rais- 

 ing the Kingfishers and Nighthawks to the rank of orders. 



Twelve species * are figured, and there are two plates of the heads, 

 sterna, and tarsi of several others. Plates I, II, III, and XII are passable, 

 being the best of the series, but the others are extremely poor, and for this 

 there is no excuse. [f] All ornithologists know what admirable colored plates 

 of birds have been published during the last fifteen years, and the time when 

 a bad figure was better than none has certainly passed ; the labor and 

 expense of preparing such might profitably be devoted to other purposes. 

 From the known habits of the Nuthatches, and from what the author 

 states in regard to the Brown-headed species, it seems inappropriate to 

 figure it (PI. VII) on a spray of smilax. 



Plate VII, in Part VI, has figures of sixty-six eggs of sixty-four species. 

 These can be identified with the aid of a list of the species, which is 

 printed on a loose brown-paper advertising-sheet that accompanies this 

 number, though we are unable to find in the text any mention of the rep- 

 resented fact that many Florida birds lay angular eggs. 



We have made the above remarks in no spirit of captious criticism, but 

 as our candid opinion of the shortcomings of the work, and in the hope 

 that the parts yet to appear will more worthily g've the results of Mr. 

 Maynard's known familiarity with the birds of a very interesting ornitho- 

 logical region. — J. C. M. 



* Rosthramus sociabilis, Phonipara zena, Passcrculus princeps, Pipilo leu- 

 copis, Ammodromus melanoleucus, Sitta pusilla, Dendroica dominica, Micropa- 

 lama himantopus, Empidonax acadicus (with nest and eggs), Virco philadel- 

 phicus, Phaeton Jiavirostr is, and Certhiola hahamensis. 



[t The author desires to have it stated that he is now having the plates re- 

 drawn, and that better ones will be soon sent out, without additional cost to 

 subscribers, to replace those already published. — Ed.] 



