,27'A Recent It/ published Ornithological Works. 



of the "Birds" of this important work, to the progress of 

 which frequent allusions have been made in our columns. 

 The last two parts issued contain the Index, the Title- 

 pages, and the Introduction. As completed, the "Birds" 

 of the 'Biologia' make four handsome volumes — three of 

 text and one of plates, which are 79 in number, drawn by 

 Keulemans and beautifully coloured. 



Mr. Godman's " Introduction" will be read with interest. 

 After Salvin's death, " which greatly retarded the issue of 

 the third volume/'' the help of Dr. Bowdler Sharpe and 

 Mr. Ogilvie-Grant was obtained, and the " Birds/' which had 

 been commenced in September 1879, were brought to an end 

 in November last. The supplement, at one time projected, 

 was wisely, as we think, abandoned. "The critical exami- 

 nation of the large amount of additional material that had 

 come to hand during the progress of publication, and the 

 analysis of the extensive literature on the subject issued in 

 recent years, could only have been dealt with satisfactorily 

 with the assistance of Salvin himself," and Mr. Godman " Mas 

 reluctantly compelled to leave this portion of the subject 

 untouched." 



"The 1413 species of birds included in this work embrace 

 representatives of 78 families and 539 genera. Out of the 

 twenty Orders given in the ' Nomenclator Avium Xeotropi- 

 calium' (1873), all but three (the Opisthocomi, the Stru- 

 thiones, and the Impennes) are represented. The other 

 Neotropical families wholly absent from Central America 

 are the Phytotornidne amongst the Passcres ; the Steator- 

 nithidrc, of the Macrochires ; the Todidae, of the Coccyges; 

 the Palamedeidre, of the Auseres ; the Carianridse and Pso- 

 phiidaa, of the Geranomorphae ; and the Chionididse and 

 Thinocoridse, of the Limicolse. To the Passeres belong- 

 rather more than half (741) of the total number of Central- 

 American species, this proportion being much greater than 

 that given in the ' Nomenclator ' for the Avhole of the Neo- 

 tropical Region, with 3565 species, where the numbers are 

 1976 and 1589 respectively." 



Out of the total number of 1413 species included in this 



