48 



THE OSPREY. 



suborders. 83 families (of which 12 are fossil), 63 

 subfamilies (of which 3 are fossil), 851 genera 

 (of which 110 are fossil, 7 are extinct, and 1, Tap- 

 ifiopi.s, is duplicated), and 3,717 species (of which 

 3o7 are fossil; 42 are fossil, but without specific 

 names; 13 are extinct — several others probably 

 belong' in this category; 8 are recent, but with- 

 out specific names; 2 are duplicated, and one is 

 nominal). 



In the preparation of this work Dr. Sharpe has 

 the co-operation of many active ornithologists, 

 to whom proof sheets (dated, unfortunately) are 

 sent f<ir correction. 



In spite of this effort to secure accuracy and 

 to avoid omissions, and as an evidence of human 

 fallibility, we notice the entire absence of the 

 suborder Palamedea-, family ^-4u/ti)iiiclce, with 

 its two genera and three species! Other cases 

 of omission are (iallhnila dioiivsiana A. Newton. 

 (Diet. Birds, pt. 3, 1894, .^'»(), footnote), Drvoliiii- 

 fias ahbotti (Ridgw.) (Auk, xi, Jan. 1894, 74), 

 and Pandiou ridgwayi Maynard (Amer. Exch. 

 and Mart, iii, no. 6, Feb. 5, 1887, 69). Some 

 lapses which occur are probablj' due to changes 

 made in the proof; thus we find Nyclanassa 

 credited to Reichenbach; Scops ida/iot^fisis on p. 

 288 is separated from Psiloscops fla»uiit'ola (from 

 which it is only subspecifically distinct) by 23 

 species and one g^enus; Pallas's Cormorant 

 occurs as Phalacrocorax perspicillafuH on p. 232, 

 and as Pallasicarbo perspicillatus on p. 235; 

 Tapinopus ellioti occurs in two places, pp. 112, 

 204; and the family name PandionidaL^ has been 

 omitted on pp. xxi, and 279. 



Several species of the A. O. U. Check-list are 

 not recognized, (e. g. : Larus barroi'ia?ius, C/iar- 

 adrius doiniuicns fuli'iis, Macrorhauiphus scolo- 

 pacens, and Plreunetes occidentalis); Ochtlwdro- 

 )HUS riijiiiuc/ius of the West Indies is also 

 omitted. On the other hand Colimis casfaueus 

 (Gould) is given a place, as is also Peristera pre- 

 tiosa Ferrari-Perez; although the former is 

 merely an abnormal plumaged variant of C. 

 t'irginiauns (one was killed in Virginia a few 

 years ag^o), and the latter is simply a new name 

 lor Peristera cinerea {Coluntba n'nerea, preoc- 

 cupied). These supposed species have no more 

 right to a place in the list than Tetrao niedius 

 (p. 19), which is noted as a hybred between P. 

 iirogallus and Lyruriis tetrix. The Wood Duck 

 is called Laviproni'ssa sponsa (p. 209). but incor- 

 rectly so, as A\x Boie, 1828, contained three 

 species, galericulata. falcaria and sponsa, no 

 type being indicated. In February, 1832, Swain- 

 son used Dendrouessa, specifj-ing galericulata 

 as the type. About the same time Wagler used 

 Lampronessa for sponsa and galericulata, but 

 this name cannot be used in any event, as both 

 Aix and Deudronessa are available. If the two 

 species are generically distinct they should 

 stand as Aix sponsa and Dendronessa galeri- 

 culata 



Several imfamiliar names for North American 

 species are introduced, such as Zenaida meri- 

 dionalis for Z. zenaida, and Surtiia [ulula] doliata 

 for the Hawk Owl straggling to Alaska. 



The Jamaican Petrel is called Q^strelata 

 jamaicensis (Bancroft), but Bancroft did not 



describe the bird and his name is pureU' a 

 nomen niidion. The proper name is Qt. caribbcea 

 (Carte). 



The Boat-bills are included with the Herons, 

 between Nycticorax and Ciorsachius, althoi^g^h 

 they are recognized by many as constituting a 

 perfectly distinct family. 



The new names professing to date from 

 this work are: IMezotreron, p. 56; Alopecoenas 

 (ex Finsch MS.) p. 90; Pseuduria, p. 131; (.see 

 Coues, Osprey, iii, no. 9, May [publ. June 10] , 

 1899, p. 144); A)negJiinia (vice /'scudolartts, vox 

 hybridal), p. 184; Anas benedeni {Anas Creccoides 

 Van Ben. nee King), p. 217; Pallasicarbo (ex 

 '•Coues MSS. 1898"), p. 235, (see Coues, Osprev, 

 iii, no. 9, May [June 10], 1899, p. 144); Nanno'p- 

 terain, p. 235; and Psiloscops (ex "Coues, MSS. 

 1898"), p. 289 (see Coues, Osprev, iii, no. 9, May 

 [June 10], 1899, 144). 



Several generic changes made by Mr. Ober- 

 holser, (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil., June 2, 1899, 

 pp. 201-216), but published too late for use in this 

 volume are the following: Micruria Grant (p. 

 201), should be Endo)nychiira Oberh.; Eu/iyas 

 Sharpe, p. 151, should be Zapterus Ohe:r\\.; De- 

 Jilippia Salvad., p. 148, should be Hemiparra 

 Salvad. ; Phyllopezus Sharpe, p. 168, should be 

 .{ctophilus Oberh.; Orthocneinus Milne-Edw., p. 

 112 should be Idiornis (_)berh.; 7\ipinopiisyii\i\e- 

 Edw., p. 112, should be Diatropornis Oberh.; 

 Peristera Swains., p. 82, should be Claravis 

 Oberh.; and Harpa Bp., p. 273, becomes Nesie- 

 rax Oberh. 



All working ornithologists will hail with joj' 

 the appearance of the remaining volumes of the 

 new Hand-list, which cannot fail to become-©*ie 

 of the most important works of reference of the 

 day. C. W. R. 



Dickey Downey. The Aitobiography of 

 A Bird. By Virg-inia Sharpe Patterson. With 

 introduction by Hon. John F. Lacey, M. C. 

 Drawings bv Elizabeth M. Hallowell. — Philadel- 

 phia: A. J. Rowland. 1899 [16o. 192, p. 4 col. pi.] 

 The object of the author of this little book is in- 

 dicated in the introduction. "Birds of beautiful 

 plumage are now threatened with extinction hy 

 the desire of womankind for personal decora- 

 tion. Audubon Societies are organizing a cru- 

 sade, and Mrs. Patterson's principal purpose in 

 this book is to direct attention to the wholesale 

 slaughter of the birds of plumage and song". 

 Under the guise of an autobiography, a name- 

 less bird is supposed to give its experience, and 

 that of other birds with which it comes into as- 

 sociation. The demands of "the pretty ladies, 

 the wicked ladies" are exposed. The four plates 

 are portraits of different birds printed in colors, 

 but have been taken from poorly mounted 

 specimens, and the colors are not true to nature. 

 One of the plates also represents another species 

 than that with which it is identified, the name 

 subscribed being "the Summer Tanager" 

 whereas it is the Scarlet Tanager. Doubtless 

 the work may interest some of the children for 

 whom it was written. 



