Recently publhhed Oi'iiitJioIogical JForks. 507 



recently received at Tring from the above-named collector 

 and others. Seven Papuan Pittas are recognised, of which 

 P. mackloti aruensis is anew subspecies. Ninety-five species 

 and subspecies of Psittaci are reviewed, and tlie following 

 forms are described as new subspecies : — Pitta mackloti 

 aruensis from Wokan, Lorius lory major from Waigiu, 

 Trichoglossus hcematodus intermedius from Kaiser- Wilhelm's- 

 Land, Nasiterna salvadorii from New Guinea, and Eclectus 

 pectoralis solomonensis from the Solomons. 



Many forms hitherto held to be good species are reduced 

 to the rank of subspecies by the present authors^ mode of 

 treatment. In fact two categories of forms are recognised — 

 [a) those with strong specific characters = species, and [b] 

 those with slight or undecided specific characters = subspecies. 

 The old notion, that subspecies were local forms between 

 which intermediate forms were to be found, is entirely 

 rejected. We fear that this system, if carried out, will lead 

 to enormous alterations in nomenclature. Besides, in many 

 cases, it is very difficult to decide whether a form should be 

 treated as " species " or a " subspecies." There is, in fact, 

 no rule on the subject. It is a matter of opinion. 



104. Salvadori on Birds from Patagonia. 



[Coniribuzloue all' Avifauna dell' America Australe (Patagonia, Terra 

 del Fuoco, Isola degli Stati, Isole Falkland). Per Tommaso Salvadori. 

 Ann. Mas. Civ. Stor. Nat. Geuov. ser. 2, xx. pp. 009-634, 1900.] 



In this paper we have an account of the collection of birds 

 made by an Italian expedition in 1881-82, under the com- 

 mand of Lieut. Bove, in Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and the 

 Falkland Islands. It contains .221 examples, referable to 7\) 

 species, and is now deposited in the Museo Civico of Genoa. 

 Our most recent authority on this subject is Oustalet^s 

 List, in the sixth volume of the ' Mission Scientifique du 

 Cap Horn' (1891), and the author here follows Ooutalet's 

 arrangement. The species are mostly well known, but two 

 of them, Phrygilus princetonianus and Geositta brevirostris, 

 have only recently been described by Mr. Scott, and two 

 others [Thinoconts orbignyanus and Sijermophila catrulescens) 



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