342 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



Phylogeny of tlie Pala?ognath;e (Ratitfe and Crypturi) and Neognathie 

 (CarinattJ). By AV. P. Pycraft. Trans. Zojl. Soc. xv. (19U0) \,\^. 109- 

 290. Price £3 10s.] 



Mr. Rothschild has uow produced his beautifully illustrated 

 ' Monograph of the Cassowaries/ for M'hicli he has been so 

 long amassing materials. He has, moreover, greatly in- 

 creased the value of his memoir by securing the assistance of 

 Mr. Pycraft, Avho has added to it an elaborate essay on the 

 Ratitse and Crypturi, or, as it is now proposed to rename 

 these two groups of birds when united, the '' Palseognathse.^^ 



Taking Mr. RothschikFs portion of the work first, we find 

 full descriptions and other particulars of all the forms of 

 Casuarius known, which are illustrated by a splendid series 

 of 18 coloured plates. The author arranges the Cassowaries 

 in three groups : — (1) The typical group, containing 2 species 

 and 7 subspecies ; (2) the one-wattled group, containing 

 2 species and 3 subspecies ; and (3) the Mooruks, without 

 throat-wattles, consisting of 4 species and 3 subspecies — 

 making altogether 8 species and 13 subspecies. 



These are illustrated by a figure of C. uniappendiculatus, 

 taken from Mr. Blaauw's living bird, and by 17 figures of 

 heads of the natural size (all drawn by Keulemans) of 

 the following : — 



C. casuarius, C. casuarius beccarii, C. casuarius salvadorii , 

 C. casuarius australis, C. casuarius vioUcoUis, C. casuarius 

 intensus, C bicarunculatus, C. uniappendiculatus, C. uni- 

 appendiculatus occipitalis, C. uniappendiculatus aurantiacus, 

 C. philipi, C. papuanus, C. papuanus edwardsi, C. picticollis, 

 C. picticollis hechi, C. lories, and C. bennetti. Two coloured 

 maps (pis. xl. & xli.) shoAV the geographical distribution of 

 the Cassowaries so far as it is at present known to us. 



Mr. Pycraf t's dissertation, which forms the second portion 

 of this important memoir, goes farther into the depths of the 

 pterylosis, osteology, and anatomy of the Cassowaries and 

 their allies than we are quite able to penetrate. But the work 

 is, no doubt, of a high character; and an authority, on whose 

 judgment w^e can place the utmost reliance, writes of it as 

 follows ; — 



