211 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



November last. It makes an excellent index to the ' Catalogue 

 of Birds/ containing in every case a reference to the volume 

 ulierein cacli species is described and its synonymy, to which 

 is added a concise indicatiou of i\\Q patria. ]5csides this, all 

 additional species characterized during the publication of 

 the Catalogue are inserted in their proper places ; while the 

 extinct forms (which were not mentioned in the former Hand- 

 list of 1809-71) are interpolated in their correct positions, 

 so far as these can be ascertained. The latter are mosth' taken 

 from J\[r. Lydekker's ' Catalogue of Fossil Birds' of 18'JI. 



In the present List Dr. Sharpe follows (nearly) the 

 classification Avhich he put forward at the Ornithological 

 Congress of 1891, and begins at the bottom of the Class. 

 This, we are well aware, is the modern fashion, but it is not 

 at all convenient, as until recent years all systematic writers 

 on ornithology have taken the opposite course. The volume 

 commences, therefore, with the Ratitse, and contains all the 

 lower Orders of Birds up to what ive call the Psittaci, 

 Picarife, and Passeres. These, we presume, wall be treated 

 of in the second and third volumes, to the issue of which 

 we look forward with great interest, as the 'New Hand- 

 list,' when complete, will be of surpassing value to all 

 ornithologists. 



So far as we can make out, only four new generic terms are 

 proposed in the present volume — Mezotreron for Ptilopus 

 dohertyi Rothsch., Pseuduria for Uria columha (Pall.), 

 Nannopterum for Phulacrocorax harrisi Rothsch., and 

 Psiloscop)S (ex MS. Coues) for Scops Jlammeola Kaup. 



The subjoined table (p. 215) gives the number of species and 

 genera recognized in the 33 Orders of Birds that are treated 

 of in the present volume. We have ventured to simplify the 

 name of the 24th Order of Carinatse by omitting one syllable, 

 because the correct genitive of " Cathartes " in Ijatin would 

 not, we believe, be ' Cathartidis.' 



