SSs.] Recent Literature. 207 



"inclined to consider all the Red Crossbills that I [he] has seen, from 

 whatever country, as races of Loxia curvirostra Linn." He recognizes 

 three races of American Red Crossbills, one of which {L. curvirostra 

 bendirci ) is described as new. In size it is larger than L. c. americana 

 proper and smaller than L. c. mexicana, "between which it may be 

 considered as being about intermediate, so far as size is concerned." Its 

 habitat is given as "Chiefly the western mountain regions of the United 

 States, from Colorado to Oregon and California; in winter not un- 

 common in Eastern United States (Massachusetts, Maryland, etc.)." In 

 North America the Red Crossbills decrease in size from the north south- 

 ward, from the small northern subsp. americana to the large, heavy-billed 

 subsp. mexicana of the southern border of the United States and Mexico. 

 The Japanese Red Crossbill, from the middle cr main island of Japan' 

 which has been referred to L. albiventris Swinhoe, is renamed L. c. 

 japonica, the name albiventris being preoccupied for a species of Munia. 

 There are also remarks on other races of Red Crossbills, particularly the 

 L. curvirostra and L. pityopsittacus of Europe. — J. A. A. 



Ridgway on Various American Birds. — Mr. Ridgway states that while 

 Mr. Cassin was right in separating the smaller North American Snow 

 Geese from the larger, he erred in giving a new name (albatus) to the 

 smaller form, which is identical with the Anas nivalis of Forster, "and 

 may therefore be called Chen (or Anser) hyperboreus nivalis (Forst.)."* 



Mr. Ridgway, in giving the results of a reexamination of the types of 

 Muscicapa fulvifrons and Coues's Mitrephorus pallescens, recognizes 

 three species of the fit Iv if rons group of Flycatchers, as follows: (i) Em- 

 pidonax fulvifrons (Giraud), from east of the Rocky Mountains (2; 

 E. f. pallescens (Coues), from west of the Rocky Mountain; (Arizona, 

 New Mexico, and probably portions of Mexico) ; and (3) E.f rubicundus 

 (Cab.), from Southern Mexico. t 



He also claims that the earliest name of the Mexican House Finch 

 {Carpodaaes h&morrhous) is Fritigilla mexicana Miiller and that the 

 species should be called Carpodacus mexicanus (Mull.), or, should inter- 

 gradation with C. frontalis be proven, C. frontalis mexicanus (Mull.).t 



As new subspecies are described§ (1) Parus atricapillus turneri (St. 

 Michael's, Alaska), (2) Psalfriparus minimus califomicus (California), 

 C3) Colaptes mexicanus saturatior (Northwest coast, Columbia 'River to 

 Sitka), (4) Myiarchus mexicanus magister (Western Mexico, north to 



* Note on the Anas hyperboreus, Pall., and Anser albatus, Cass. Proc. Biolog. Soc 

 Washington, II, pp. 107, 108. (Separates issued April 30, 1884.) 



t Remarks on the type specimens of Muscicapa fulvifrons, Giraud, and Mitrepho- 

 rus pallescens, Coues. Ibid., pp. 108-110. (Separates issued April 30,1884.) 



X Note regarding the Earliest Name for Carpodacus haemorrhous (Wagler). Ibid. 

 pp. no, in. (Separates issued April 30, 1884.) 



§ Descriptions of some New North American Birds. Ibid., pp. 89-95. (Separates of 

 this and the following issued April 10, 1884.) 



