Vol. XXIII Recent Literature. IOI 



1905 J 



the several alleged discoveries of the eggs of this species — in ground 

 nests — and showing that they cannot be taken as authentic, he proceeds 

 to describe the taking of three sets of eggs by Mr. Evan Thompson, in 

 northern Alberta, — one on June 16, 1903, in a deserted Robin's nest, 

 another June 9, 1904, in the nest of a Bronzed Grackle, and the third on 

 June 24, 1904, in the nest of a Cedar Waxwing. The second set was 

 unfortunately destroyed, but of the third set he says : "Mr. Thompson 

 was fortunate in shooting the parent bird as she flew from the nest and 

 thus identification is very complete and establishes the fact once for all, 

 that the Solitary Sandpiper does not lay its eggs in a nest on the ground 

 like other sandpipers, but takes possession of the nest of other birds, 

 built in trees, just the same as its Old World representative the Green 

 Sandpiper is known to do." The eggs are described as being entirely 

 different from those of the Spotted Sandpiper, but as bearing "family 

 likeness to eggs of the European Green and Wood Sandpipers, as might 

 be expected, but, of course, like the birds themselves, the eggs are much 

 smaller than those " of the two species of European Sandpipers men- 

 tioned. The separate of Mr. Raine's paper is accompanied by a photo- 

 graph of the two sets obtained, in situ in the nests, and also a memoran- 

 dum in pencil to the effect that set No. 3 is now in the collection of the 

 Hon. John H. Thayer of Lancaster, Mass. — J. A. A. 



Riley on the Birds of Barbuda and Antigua. 1 — This paper is based 

 "on a collection of 325 bird skins formed by Mr. H. G. Selwyn during 

 the late summer, fall, and early winter of 1903, recently acquired by the 

 United States National Museum," it constituting the largest single col- 

 lection ever made on these ornithologically little-known islands. The 

 collection adds several species new to the islands and one, Dendroica 

 subita, new to science. This species belongs to the D. adelaidce group, 

 but is quite distinct from any previously known. The total number of 

 species recorded from these islands is 51, respecting several of which 

 there is extended critical comment. The form of Butorides represented 

 is called B. virescens maculatus (Bodd.) ; the form of Little Blue Heron 

 found there is designated as Florida carulea carulescens (Lath.) ; the 

 Zenaida and Ground Doves are respectively, Zenaida zenaida aurita 

 (Temm.) and Columbigallina passe rina trochila (Bonap.) ; the Sparrow 

 Hawk is Cerchneis sparveria carib&arnm (Gm.), and a new subspecies, 

 C. s. loquacula, is described from Porto Rico; of the Mangrove Cuckoos, 

 three forms are recognized, one of which, Coccyzus dominica; Shelley 

 receives a new name, being called C. in. skelleyi, Shelley's name proving 

 to be preoccupied; and there are a few other modifications of nomen- 

 clature. 



1 Catalogue of a Collection of Birds from Barbuda and Antigua, British 

 West Indies. By J. H. Riley. Smithsonian Collections (quarterly issue), 

 Vol. XLVII, 1904, pp. 277-291. Published Nov. 9, 1894. 



