256 Recently published Oraithological Works. [Ibis^ 



Riley on neiv Neotropical Birds. 



[Three remarkiible new species of birds from Santo Domingo. By 

 J. H. Riley. Smithsonian Misc. Coll. vol. 66. no. 15, 1916, pp. 1-2. 



Two new Rallifurmes from Tropical America. By J. H. Ililey. Proc;. 

 Biol. Soc. Wash. xxix. 1916, pp. 103-104.] 



Dr. W. L. Abbott, the well-known traveller, wbo has done 

 so much collecting in the Malayan region, has recently been 

 able to reach the highlands of Santo Domingo, which forms 

 the eastern half of that hardly yet explored island of Hayti. 



He has sent, among others, three interesting new forms 

 to the U.S. National Museum : — Asia noctipetens, allied to 

 A. stygius, the Antillean Long-eared Owl ; Loxia mega- 

 plaga^ a resident form of the White-winged Crossbill ; and 

 Brachyspiza antillarum, a form of Song-Sparrow related to 

 the one found in Costa Rica. No representative of the 

 two last-named genera has previously been obtained in 

 the Antilles, 



In the second paper, Fulica americana grenadensis from 

 Grenada, West Indies, and Creciscus murivagans from Lima 

 ia Peru, are described as a new subspecies and species 

 respectively. 



Thorbnrn's British Birds. 



[British Birds, written and illustrated by TI. Thorburn, F.Z.S., with 

 ^ghty plates in colour showing over four hundred species. In four 

 volumes. Vol. iv. pp. viii+107. London (Longmans), 1916. 4to. 

 Price £6 6s. Od. net for the four vols.] 



Mr. Thorburn has now completed his task and his last 

 volume is before us. It contains the shore-birds and the 

 •sea-birds, and certainly maintains the high standard set in 

 the previous volumes. Perhaps of all the plates the frontis- 

 piece illustrating the Terns is the one which gives us most 

 pleasure ; but in this case the birds themselves are among 

 the most graceful and delicately-coloured of all the whole 

 class and lend themselves to form a beautiful picture. 



If we may criticize, it appears to us that the difference in 

 the length of the tails of the Common and Arctic Terns is 

 oiuduly emphasized, as well as the difference in colour of the 



