370 Recent Literature. [£" t k 



from Mr. F. W. Urich, and by him gathered in the mountains of Vene- 

 zuela, near San Antonio, proved to contain a number of new forms, 

 which Mr. Chapman has described, as follows: (i) Setophaga -verticalis 

 pallidiventris, (2) Cklorospiiigus {Hemispingus) canipileus, (3) Mecocer- 

 culus nigripes, (4) Mecocerculus urichi, (5) Synallaxts striatipectus. Sev- 

 eral of these are very distinct from any species previously known. The 

 Synallaxts belongs to the 5. terresiris group, and is perhaps mostly 

 nearly related to .S. carri Chapm. from Trinidad. — J. A. A. 



Oberholser on Untenable Names in Ornithology. 1 — Mr. Oberholser's 

 paper treats of 36 generic names, and a few additional specific names, 

 which he shows to be untenable through prior use in other connections. 

 For 12 of these he is able to substitute other names already in existence 

 for the groups in question, but for 24 of the genera entirely new names 

 are here proposed. Fortunately only one of the challenged names 

 relates to North American birds, namely, Micruria Grant, recently pro- 

 posed for two species of Murrelets, previously currently referred to 

 Brachyrhamphus. For Micruria Grant (type, Brachyrhamphns hypo- 

 leucus (Xantus) Mr. Oberholser proposes EudomycJiura, the species thus 

 standing as E. hypoleucus (Xantus) and E. craveri (Salvad.). 



Lists of the species considered referable, respectively, to these 36 

 genera are given under the new generic designations. According to all 

 recent codes of nomenclature, these preoccupied names are strictly 

 untenable, and Mr. Oberholser has done good service in showing up 

 their real status and providing for them proper substitutes. — J. A. A. 



Farrington on a Fossil Egg from South Dakota. 2 — The specimen here 

 described was discovered in the Bad Lands, near Dakota City, South 

 Dakota, and is believed by the author to be "a petrified egg of an Ana- 

 tine bird of Early Miocene age." Three photographic views of the egg, 

 natural size, are given on pi. xx, showing its form and structure. The 

 egg measures 2.03 X 149 in., and is very well preserved, distinctly show- 

 ing the shell structure. The author has heard "of the finding of at least 

 two other petrified eggs at different times in the same region," but has 

 been unable to verify the reports or to see the specimens. — J. A. A. 



Gurney and Gill on the Age to which Birds Live. 3 — In 'The Ibis' 



'Some Untenable Names in Ornithology. By Harry C. Oberholser. Proc. 

 .Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1899, pp. 201-216. June, 1899. 



2 A Fossil Egg from South Dakota. By Oliver Cummings Farrington, 

 Ph.D., Curator, Department of Geology. Field Columbian Museum, Geology, 

 Vol. I, No. 5, pp. 193-200, pll. xx, xxi. April, 1899. 



3 On the Comparative Ages to which Birds Live. By J. H. Gurney, F. Z. S. 

 'The Ibis,' Jan., 1899, pp. 19-42. Republished, with some revision, in 'The 

 Osprey,' June, 1899, pp. 145-155. 



