192 o J Recent Literature. ouL 



Kirk Swann's 'Synoptical List of the Accipitres.' 1 — This useful 

 list is continued from Herpetotheres to Pernis in the present instalment, 

 completing eighty genera. We notice that our American White-tailed 

 Kite is regarded as a subspecies of the Australian Elanus axillaris. With 

 actual intergradation out of the question this disposition of the bird 

 must have been made upon the claim of overlapping of characters, but 

 we fail to find the claim sustained upon an examination of material at 

 hand, though it is interesting to note the resemblance between the two 

 species in connection with the arguments for a relationship between the 

 Australian and South American faunas which have from time to time 

 been published. 



This instalment of Mr. Swann's work contains an additional list of 

 ten species and subspecies omitted from the preceding parts, among which 

 we notice Spizaetus batesi W. Sclater, which we regard as identical with 

 S. africanus Cassin. — W. S. 



Dr. Shufeldt's Bibliography. — In the 'Medical Review of Reviews' 

 for January, 1920, 2 there is begun a bibliography of the writings of Dr. 

 R. W. Shufeldt prepared by himself, with a short introduction from which 

 we learn that since the appearance of his first paper in 1881, he has pub- 

 lished from twenty-five to thirty papers or books annually, the total at 

 the present time numbering considerably over 1500. The subjects while 

 largely biological, cover a wide range of topics. The present instalment 

 runs to the end of 1888 and carries the list to No. 201. The author's 

 papers, as is well known, are so widely scattered that a bibliography of 

 this sort will be a convenience to those who wish to consult them, and 

 surely no one is so well fitted for compiling the list as the author himself. 

 Our only regret is that the biographical portion is not more complete. — ■ 

 W. S. 



Stuart Baker on Egg Collecting and Its Objects. — It is very grati- 

 fying to have an article on egg collecting from one who is himself a col- 

 lector and yet who fully appreciates what is meant by the word science. 

 When the scientific ornithologist has attempted to point out the weak 

 points in egg collecting, he receives scant attention from the egg collector 

 who considers that he knows nothing about the subject, while many a 

 collector who claims to be collecting for "scientific" purposes fails to 

 show the slightest appreciation of the meaning of that term. 



1 Synoptical List of the Accipitres (Diurnal Birds of Prey) Part III. Janu- 

 ary 20, 1920, pp. 77-114. Price, 4 shillings. 



2 Complete List of My Published Writings. With Brief Biographical Notes. 

 (First Instalment.) By R. W. Shufeldt, M. D., Major, Medical Corps, U. S. 

 Army. Medical Review of Reviews, XXVI, No. 1, January, 1920, pp. 17-24. 

 Frederick H. Robinson, senior editor, 51 East 59th St., New York City, N. Y. 

 Price per number, 25 cents. 



