THE OSPREY. 



Literature, 



A NKW SvNOrsis AvuM. by Dr. Aljihonso 

 Dubois, is announced. Dr. Dubois is the keeper 

 (conservateur) of the Royal Museum of Natural 

 History of Beli;iuni. and the author of numerous 

 works and articles on zoolog^v. He has been en- 

 g-aged for more than 12 years in the preparation 

 of the new work. He skives the followinj;- data 

 coverintr the "form of ])ublication'" in French, 

 Enj^iish and German. 



"The Syiio/>s!S .Iziiiin will appear in quarterly 

 numbers, composed of 9b pages. The complete 

 work will consist of about 7 numbers, illustrated 

 by .several coloured plates representing new or 

 hitherto untigured species; one plate will replace 

 a sheet of text. 



"The price per number is fixed at 6 francs 

 (4 s. 10 d. = 1 dollar 20 cents); but after the Lssue 

 of the 3 I number it will be raised. /t>r tiezv snh- 

 scrihi-rs only, to ^ francs (7 s. 2 d. = 1 dollar 80 

 cents). 



"As the edition will be limited and also depend 

 on the number of subscriptions, those desiring" 

 to do so are requested to fill in. and address their 

 subscribers form [sicl] without delay, to one of 

 the inidermentioned booksellers; it will be to their 

 interest to subscribe from the commencement, 

 to avoid the later augmentation of the price"'. 



The generic names will be given (with syn- 

 onyms) and the species will follow in systematic 

 order preceded by a serial number (but without 

 duplications of generic names) with refer- 

 ences to some plates, and with designation of 

 habitat in a separate column. 



The "undermentioned bookseller" for the 

 United States is G. E. Stechert. 9 E 16th street. 

 N. Y. The new synopsis is essentially on the 

 same lines as the old Handlist of G. R. Gray (in 

 3 volumes) and the new Handlist of Sharpe 

 now passing through the press. 



The Birds of Soith Africa will be the first 

 published of a series to be entitled "The Fauna 

 of South Africa"". The series will be edited by 

 Mr. William L. Sclater, director of the South 

 African Museum of Cape Town, and published 

 by R. H. Porter, of London. Each volume 

 will be of 8vo. size and illustrated by woodcuts 

 in the text. 



Pests of the Wire are the subjects of 

 an article in the English Illustrated Magazine 

 and among the illustrations is one which 

 represents a "Woodpecker boring holes in tele- 



graph posts in Norway". As was long ago 

 observed, the Woodpecker is supposed to be 

 "deluded by the humming of the wires in the 

 wind like an Aeolian harp, and fancies that 

 there is a nest of insects inside the pole. To 

 reach them he toils for days, and pecks great 

 holes into the wooden posts, or even througii 

 and through them" To what extent have 

 similar movements been observed in this 

 country? 



Smithsonian Institition. Ignited States 

 National Museum. Proceedings of the United 

 States National Museum. Volume XXI. Wash- 

 ington: Government Printing Office 18W. [8vo. 

 xiii. '^33 p., 8') pi.] — In this volume have been 

 combined papers which have appeared from 

 November. 18'>8. to June 26. 18W. Three of the 

 articles relate to ornithology: A revision of the 

 Wrens of the Genus Thrvomanes Sclater, by 

 Harry C. Oberholser. (p. 42i-450); The Birds of 

 the Kuril Islands, by Leonhard Stegneger. (p. 

 2h'^)-2%; and The Feather-tracts of North Ameri- 

 can Grouse and Ouail. by Hubert Lyman Clark, 

 (p. 641-b53, pi. 47-49).— G". 



AvES Hawaiienses: The Birds of the Sand- 

 wich Islands. Bv Scott B. Wilson, F. Z. S., 

 F. R. G. S.. assisted by A. H. Evans. M. A., F. 

 Z. S. — London: R. H. Porter, 7 Princes street, 

 Cavendish Square, W. [4to]. It is a great satis- 

 faction to us to be able to announce the comple- 

 tion of Wilson and Evans" Aves Hawaiienses, 

 the concluding parts, vii and viii. having- been 

 received a short time ago. A more ext*^nded 

 notice of this important work will appear in our 

 next number. In this connection we may be 

 excused for expressing- the hope that Roths- 

 child's "Avifauna of Laysan"" may also be 

 brought to a happy conclusion within a short 

 time. — S. 



Naumann's Naturc.eschichte der Vogei. 

 MiTTEi.EUROPAS is l)eing published in a new 

 edition by F. E. Kohler in Gera-Untermhaus. 

 It is to be completed in 120 lieferungs. (the price 

 of each is 1 mark, I and 12 volumes. 45 liefer- 

 ungs had already appeared in March: these 

 formed 3 volumes, — ii, v and vi. Volume vi is a 

 monog-raph of the birds of prey. The great 

 classical work is being revised by a number of 

 ornithologists in difl^erent parts of Germany. 



