QA Recent Literature. fjan 



include a Quail-Dove, a Grouse {Dactylortyx), an Owl, lo species of Pas- 

 serine birds, of which several are given the rank of full species. — J. A. A. 



Oberholser on a New^ Wren from Texas. — Mr. Oberholser has 

 described \the Long-billed Marsh Wren of eastern Texas and Louisiana 

 as Telmatodytes palnstris thryopkilns, it differing from T. palustris in 

 smaller size, paler and graj'er coloration. — J. A. A. 



Hartert's 'Die Vogel der palaarktischen Fauna.' ^ — Mr. Hartert's 

 Birds of the Palsearctic P'auna is to comprise two volumes of about 650 

 pages each, to be issued in ten parts, at four marks each, and to be com- 

 pleted during 1905. Part I consists of an introduction of twelve pages 

 and the first 112 pages of the text, and comprises the families Corvidse, 

 Sturnidse, Oreolidse, and the first part of the Fringillidie, numbering 

 altogether 184 species and subspecies. In the introduction the author 

 clearly defines his attitude as regards 'lumping' and ' splitting,' and on 

 various questions of nomenclature; he takes Linnjeus at 1758, adheres 

 strictly to the rule of priority, and employs trinomials in the most 

 approved way for subspecies. These he recognizes with great liberality, 

 but displays much conservatism, in respect to genera. For example, 

 under Acanthis he would combine Cardttelis, Ckrysomitris., LinotUy 

 Spiniis, Astragalinus, and Hylocantkus, and similarly under Corvus^ 

 various allied groups that are often given generic rank. He emphatically 

 disapproves of the supposition that birds can change the color and 

 markings of their plumage without a renewal of the feathers, and in 

 other respects stands in the front rank of the new school.' 



Passing now to the systematic portion of the work, the higher groups 

 are briefly characterized, and under the genera there are keys to the 

 species, but, generally, not to the subspecies ; there is no generic synon- 

 ymy, and the citations under the species and subspecies are restricted to 

 the first mention of the names adopted, and their synonyms. The 

 characters of the species are quite fully given, with a brief statement 

 of their geographical ranges, manner of nesting, character of the eggs, 

 etc., and under the subspecies their distinctive characteristics and 

 distribution. 



The geographical scope of the work is sufficiently indicated by the title,, 

 but the southern boundary of the Palcearctic Region is not very sharply 

 definable. In general terms the region includes all of Europe, northern 



' Descriptions of a New Telmatodytes. By Harry C. Oberholser. Proc. 

 Biol. Soc. Wash., XVI, pp. 149, 150, Nov. 12, 1903. 



^ Die Vogel der palaarktischen Fauna. Systematische Ubersicht der in 

 Europa, Nord- Asian and der Mittelm.^erregion vorkommenden Vogel. Von 

 Ernst Hartert. Heft. I. Mit 22 Abbildungen. Berlin. Verlag von R. Fried- 

 lander und .Sohn. Ausgegeben in November 1903. Large Svo, pp. i-xii, 

 1-112. 



