t88s..] Recent Literature. 20K 



National Museum ('Nomenclature of North American Birds'), but the 

 following may be noted : 



Astur atricapillus striatulus is not considered a "valid subspecies." 



The American Golden Eagle is not deemed separable from that of the 

 Palsearctic Region, and is therefore given simply as Aquila chrysaetus. 



Buteo borealis socorroensis is ranked as a species. 



Asturina nitida plagiata is given as A. plagiata. 



Elanus leucurus is considered as a subspecies of E. axillaris. 



Falco albigularis is given as Hypotriorchis rufig/ilaris, and Rhynchb- 

 falco fusco-cozrulescens is also referred to Hypotriorchis. 



Tinnunculus sparverius isabellinvs is treated as a species, while 

 sEsalon rickardsoni is reduced to a subspecies of sE. columbarius. 



Hicrofalco mexicanus polyagriis is given as Falco niexicanns, under 

 the subgeneric heading of Gennaia. 



Hiero falco gyrfalco obsolctus is recognized as a distinct species, Falco 

 labradoris, while H. g. isla?idus and H. g. candicans are also considered 

 specifically distinct, under the names of Falco islandus and F. candicans, 

 respectively. 



It is worthy of remark, that in the case of subspecies Mr. Gurney does 

 not use trinomials, the distinction from the species, so far as typography 

 is concerned, consisting only in the heading 'Subspecies,' and the prefix 

 '#,' or '£' (according to the number of subspecies) to the name. 



The classification adopted strikes us as being far more natural than 

 most of the more recent arrangements ; yet we regret to observe the as- 

 sociation of such radically distinct forms, structurally considered, as the 

 following: Herpetothercs and Circaetus; Micrastur and Geranospizias 

 with Accipiter and allied genera ; Elanoides, Rostrhamus, Ictinia, etc., 

 with Milvus, Haliastur, etc., and Harpagus with the true Falcones. A 

 perfectly natural classification of this most difficult group of birds is. 

 however, not possible with our present limited knowledge of their in- 

 t§rnal structure; and, as Mr. Gurney truly remarks, "'it is obvious that 

 a serial arrangement can only record with precision the connection of 

 each genus and of each species with two of the forms which are thus 

 grouped around it, and is therefore so far imperfect that it must of 

 necessity disregard other natural connections, the existence of which 

 cannot.be satisfactorily indicated by any method of consecutive linear 

 arrangement." — R. R. 



Newtons 'Ornithology.'* — The article on Ornithology in the new edi- 

 tion of the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica,' like most of the'articles on Bi-ds 

 in that great work, is by Prof. Alfred Newton, and could scarcely have 

 been entrusted to better hands. The article — complementary to that en- 

 titled 'Birds' in Volume III of the Encyclopaedia — is an elaborate historical 

 resume of the subject, critically tracing the progress of the science from 



* Ornithology. By Alfred Newton, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.S., F.L.S., Professor of Zool- 

 ogy and Comparative Anatomy in the University of Cambridge. Reprinted from the 'En- 

 cyclopaedia Britannica' [Ed. 9, Vol. XVIII, pp. 1-50] by special permission. Dec, 1884. 



