^°'- ^^^1 Recent Literature. A.\'\ 



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such as stripe, ridges, pits, knob-like elevations, etc., are not frequent 

 enough when sufficiently small to produce grating effects, and in fact are 

 not normal occurrences." 



The colors of the feathers, he says, when observed without a microscope, 

 are evidently mixed colors. "The greenish effects are produced when 

 light strikes the broad surfaces of the barbules and is reflected with a 

 small angle of reflection. The reds appear only when light falls with a 

 large angle of incidence on the pigment granules of a margin or elevated 

 portion of a barbule. We seem to have a clear case of Newton's rings 

 where each pigment granule comes in contact with the outer transpaient 

 layer." 



This preliminary statement will be followed by a more detailed account, 

 illustrated with figures. — J. A. A. 



Mearns on Three New Birds from the Southern United States.' — These 

 are a new Grasshopper Sparrow {Coturniculus savannartim foridanus) 

 from southern Florida, where it is the resident form; the Florida Purple 

 Martin {Progne purpurea Jloridana), and a new Nuthatch {Sitta caroli- 

 nensis 7ielso7ti) from the southern Rocky Mountains. — J. A. A. 



Oberholser on New South American Birds.- — Mr. Oberholser has 

 described in the present paper one new genus and 13 new species and 

 subspecies of South American birds, mainly from specimens in the U. S. 

 National Museum, but in part based on material from the American 

 Museum of Natural History. Mr. Oberholser also expresses his views of 

 the proper arrangement of the Thryophilus leucoiis group, of which he 

 recognizes ten species and subspecies. — J. A. A. 



Oberholser on Birds from Paraguay.^ — The collection of birds here 

 reported upon "consists of 78 specimens, representing 65 species and 

 subspecies, several of which," says the author, "appear to be unrecorded 

 from Paraguay." Among these were seven species and subspecies which 

 Mr. Oberholser, in the paper noticed above, introduced to science as new, 

 and here redescribes in greater detail. Mr. Oberholser also discusses at 

 length the nomenclature and relationships of quite a number of the spe- 

 cies here under notice. — J. A. A. 



1 Descriptions of Three New Birds from the Southern United States. By 

 Edgar A. Mearns, Major and Surgeon, U. S. Army. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., 

 Vol. XXIV, No. 1274, pp. 915-926. 



« Some New South American Birds. By Harry C. Oberho'lser. Proc. U. 

 S. Nat. Mas., Vol. XXV, No. 1276, pp. 59-68. 



* List of Birds collected by William Foster in Paraguay. By Harry C. 

 Oberholser. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXV, No. 1281, pp. 127-147, 1902. 



