Ao6 Recent Literature. [^ 



Auk 

 Oct. 



basis. Abroad, the effect of conservatism lias been such, that, aside from 

 Garrod and Fiirbringer, Merrem's divisions, which had the sanction of 

 adoption bv Huxlej, have been ahnost universally retained, and even Gadow 

 in his Classification of the Vertebrata keeps the Tinamous in an order next 

 the fowls. We are therefore glad to see these birds placed by Mr. Pycraft 

 where we believe them to belong and where a strict osteological diagnosis 

 puts them. 



Mr. Pycraft uses the antithetical terms Palieognathre and Neognathie to 

 designate the two main groups into which he divides existing birds, the 

 former comprising the ' Ratite ' birds and Tinamous, the latter including 

 all other birds. 



The Neognathous type of palate is considered to have been derived 

 from the Palaeognathous, the Tinamous presenting a stage somewhat 

 intermediate between the two, and the palate of Rhea indicating how the 

 change may have been brought about; furthermore the legithognathous 

 and schizognathous types of skull are but modifications of the dromajog- 

 nathous, and the desmognathous a secondary modification of the schizog- 

 nathous. This last may, we think, be accepted without question, but the 

 former statement should at present be received with a little caution owing 

 to our exceedingly imperfect knowledge of early birds. It may not be 

 amiss here to say that the skull of Hesperornis, as shown by a specimen 

 in the University of Kansas, was devoid of basipterygoid processes and 

 that the arrangement of the bones of the palate appears to have been very 

 peculiar. 



The palteognathje are regarded as polyphyletic probably tri-phyletic, 

 while the neognathse have been derived as a diverging branch from that 

 stock which gave rise to Rhea, Dinornis and yiEpyoritis. DromtEUs is the 

 most primitive of living birds, with Casuarius not far distant, while Strti- 

 thio is perhaps derived from the same ancestral stock as these two and is 

 not far removed. Apteryx is looked upon as quite distinct from the others, 

 and Rhea as the most highly specialized of the large forms. 



Such are some of the conclusions reached by Mr. Pycraft, and we are 

 promised a discussion of the phylogeny of the Neognathje later. — F. A. L. 



Bangs on New American Birds. — During the last few months Mr. 

 Outram Bangs has described a number of new American birds additional 

 to those recently characterized by him in ' The Auk.' These include a 

 new Honey Creeper from San Miguel Island, Panama,' which he has 

 named Ccereba ceriiioclunis ; a new Pha'ethornis {P. longirostri's suxiirrans) 

 from the Santa Marta region of Colombia^; a new Ortalis [O. stnithoptis) 

 from San Miguel Island, Bay of Panama^; and a new form of the Red" 



1 Proc. New Engl. Zoological Club, II, pp. 51, 52. Feb. 8, 1901. 

 '^Ibid., pp. 63-65. July 31, 1901. 

 ^ Ibid., pp. 61, 62. July 31, 1901. 



