368 Recent Literature. LJuiy 



published a little volume under the above title describing the experiences 

 of ' Hardheart, the Gull ' ; ' Longtoe, the Gypsy Robin ' ; ' Jim Crow of 

 Cow Heaven ' and other similar celebrities, ten in all, into which he has 

 managed to incorporate a great deal of valuable suggestion regarding bird 

 protection without destroying the interest of the stories. The book should 

 prove a valuable one both as a story book and for school reading. — W.S. 



Mathews' 'Birds of Australia.' 1 — This attractive number of Mr. 

 Mathews' great work includes the Frogmouths, Rollers and part of the 

 Kingfishers, groups which the author prefers to regard as distinct orders 

 rather than as families of the Coraciiformes. We notice however that 

 through inadvertence the order heading for the ' Coraciiformes ' which 

 should precede the account of the genus Eurystomus has been omitted so 

 that this genus would appear to be included in the ' Podargiformes.' 



The accounts of the life and habits of the Frogmouths are very interesting 

 while the peculiar poses shown in the plates illustrate how much protective 

 coloration and rigidity of posture figure in rendering them inconspicuous. 

 We note the following new forms: Podargus strigoides centralia (p. 34), 

 Central Australia; P. s. capensis (p. 35), Cape York; Aegotheles cristata 

 tasmanica (p. 65), Tasmania; A. c. olivei (65), Cairns, N. Queensland; 

 A. c. centralia (p. 67), Stevenson's River; A. c. melvillensis (p. 67), Melville 

 Island; Alcyone azurea wallaceana (p. 94), Aru Isls.; A. a. distincta (p. 94), 

 Humboldt Bay, New Guinea; and Micralcyone pusilla yorki (p. 103) Cape 

 York. 



In considering the Kingfishers five new genera are proposed as follows: 

 Cyanoceyx (p. 96), type Ceyx lepida; Ceycalcyon (p. 97), type C. cyano- 

 pectus; Argyroceyx (p. 97), type C. argentata; Ispidella (p. 97), type Halcyon 

 leucogaster and Ceycoides (p. 98), type C. madagascariensis. The discussion 

 on the relative value of color patterns and details of structure is interesting 

 and the points brought out are well worthy of the attention of systematists. 

 It might be mentioned in this connection that a similar discussion based 

 largely upon the same group of species was published by the reviewer in 

 1912, in a paper which appears to have been overlooked by Mr. Mathews 

 (Journal Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol. XV, pp. 313-319).— W. S. 



Lincoln's ' The Woodpeckers of Colorado.' 2 — This little pamphlet 

 is published by the Colorado Mountain Club and is intended to give to 

 the layman concise information on the habits and appearance of the wood- 

 peckers of the state. A preliminary sketch of the habits and structure of 

 woodpeckers in general is followed by detailed accounts of the nine Colorado 



i The Birds of Australia. By Gregory M. Mathews. Vol. VII, Part I, pp. 1-112. 

 March 4, 1918. 



2 The Woodpeckers of Colorado. By F. C. Lincoln. Illustrated. Published by The 

 Colorado Mountain Club. Publication No. 6. Denver, Colorado. December 8, 1917. 

 pp. 1-22. 



