lOO 



Recent Literature. 



[Auk 

 Jan. 



Families of Oscines. 



Catamblvrhvnchidre.' 



Fringillid*. 



Tanagrid?e. 



Icterida;. 



Ccerebidte. 



Mniotiltidse. 



Motacillidae. 



Hirundinidiie. 



Vireonidae. 



Ampelidfe. 



Ptiliogonatidse. 



Dulidtt. 



Laniidre. 



Corvidie. 



Paiidse. 



Sittidge. 



Certhiids. 



TroglodvtidiE. 



Cinclidae. 



Chamreidie. 



Sylviidse. 



Turdidie. 



Mimidae. 



Sturnidte. 



Ploceidpe. 



Alaudidre. 



Of the :j6 families here given two are repi-esented only by introduced 

 species, namely, the Ploceidse and Sturnidae. The position of several 

 groups of doubtful affinities is briefly considered, and reasons given 

 for their present allocation. On comparison with the A. O. U. Check- 

 List, it will be noted that the Nuthatches and the Wren-tits have been sep- 

 arated from the Titmice, each group forming a distinct family. The 

 Thrashers and their allies are separated from the Wrens, forming a family 

 Mimidie, to which is referred the much classified genus Polioptila, which 

 seems to find a new resting place with each ' revision ' of its affinities ; and 

 Phainofepla is severed from the Ampelidae and referred to a family 

 Ptiliogonatidte. With most of these changes we are in hearty sympathy. 



Coming now to the family Fringillidte, the subject of the present vol- 

 ume, it is to be noted that several genera heretofore associated with 

 the Tanagrida% and admittedly of doubtful affinities, are referred to 

 the Fringillidae, as the finch-like genera Buarremon, Ar'remon, Pitylus 

 and Saltator. In fact, the line between the Tanagridte and Fringillidae is 

 still confessedlj' artificial and arbitrary. Also, Mr. Ridgway admits 

 his inability to satisfactorily separate the family into subfamilies, and 

 his criticism of Mr. Sharpe's ' subfamilies ' seems quite justified. He. 

 however, considers it expedient to separate the 69 genera treated in the 

 present volume into 18 groups, as follows : 



' Consists of the single species Cataniblyrhynclnis diademata Lafr., of the 

 northern Andes (Colombia to Peru), usually placed in the Fringillidie, but 

 raised to family rank by Mr. Ridgway. 



