Recently published Ornithological Works, 325 



manes, Troglodytes, and Anorthura, Mr. Oberholser gives an 

 '' analytical key "to the 15 species and subspecies of Thryo- 

 manes and proceeds to describe them. They are all forms of 

 T. bewicki, of which 1-3 are ranked as subspecies and 2 

 (7". insularis of Socorro Island and T. brevicaudus of Guada- 

 lupe Island) as of full specific rank. Seven of the subspecies 

 are now described and named for the first time. In the 

 ' Biologia ' we find most of these " subspecies " grouped 

 under one liead^ and we are not at all sure that this is not 

 the best way of treating them. We fancy that Mr. Ober- 

 holser would find it difficult to sort out examples of some 

 of his subspecies^ if he did not know their exact localities. 



53. Pycraft on the Pterylosis of the Owls. 



[A Contribution towards our Knowledge of the Morphology of the 

 Owls. By W. P. Pycraft, A.L.S., M.B.O.U. Trans. Linn. Soc. 2nd ser. 

 Zool, vii. part 6.] 



Mr. Pycraft has studied the pterylosis of some twenty 

 species of Owls, and in a well-written memoir of fifty pages, 

 illustrated by six well-drawn plates, he gives us the results 

 of his investigations on this important, but too little studied, 

 department of bird-structure. The pterylosis of Asio accipi- 

 trinus is fully described, and that of the other species com- 

 pared with it. The author does not deviate from the now 

 usually adopted division of the Striges into the two families 

 Asionidse and Strigidse, but indicates several minor altera- 

 tions in classification as desirable. For example, he would 

 relegate the Snowy Owl to the genus Bubo, and unite Speotyto 

 and Carine. An interesting disquisition on the variations of 

 the structure of the external ear in the Owls is illustrated by 

 two plates, and gives us a full statement of our present 

 knowledge of this subject. The structure of the neossoptiles 

 in Speotyto is also described. 



54. Rothschild on certain Parrots. 



[Notes on sonae Parrots. By the Hon. Walter Rothschild. Novitates 

 Zool. v. p. 509.] 



These remarks are upon some rare Eastern Psittacidae of 



