172 Recent Literature. \j^\ 



A Flying Trip to the Tropics.' — In this pleasantly written journal 

 the author gives us an account of a trip which occupied fifty-four days. 

 Leaving New York June 11, 1892, with his wife and brother, he visited 

 the Island of Curasao, journeyed by boat up the Magdalena in Colombia 

 as far as Yeguas, travelled by train to Honda, and thence proceeded 

 over the mountainous Bogota road as far as Guadas, returning over the 

 same route. 



We cannot expect that so hurried a reconnaissance should yield much 

 that was new from a naturalist's point of view, but the autlior proves 

 conclusi\el\' that in comparatively few weeks we can visit lands which 

 seem permanently bejond our horizon and make the acquaintance in life 

 of at least the more characteristic forms of tropical bird-life. Indeed, 

 to the naturalist the peculiar value of the book lies in the fact that the 

 writer had no time to make a special study of anything. He found an 

 abundance of material on every side, and his daily record of common- 

 place sights and incidents evidently forms a well-balanced picture of 

 town, roadside, and riverside bird-life. 



From Curasao he records 23 of the 39 species of birds known from 

 the island, while his list of Colombian birds includes 91 species or 

 perhaps one-sixth of those which inhabit the region passed through. 

 In view of the limited time available for field-work he may feel proud 

 of the 210 bird-skins which figure among the material results of his trip. 



Few books of travel are more adequately or handsomely illustrated. 

 The numerous maps, half-tone cuts, and drawings of animals admirable' 

 supplement the text. Naturalists will welcome the colored plates by 

 Keulemans, and black and whites by Keulemans and the late Gustav 

 Miitzel ; while the extended bibliographical appendix will be of value to 

 future workers in the same field. — F. M. C. 



Shufeldt on the Osteology of Cranes and Rails.'' — After reviewing 

 the recent classifications of the Paludicoke, Dr. Shufeldt presents a 

 synoptic table of the osteological characters of Porznna Carolina, which 

 are said to agree in the main with those of the genera Crex and Ralhts, 

 and also with those of the Coots {Ftilica) and the Gallinules. In another 

 table is given a comparative synopsis of the osteological characters of 

 Rallus longirostris, Aramus giganteus, and Grus amcricana, from which 



' A Flying Trip to the Tropics. A Record of an Ornithological Visit to the 

 United States of Colombia, South America, and to the Island of Curagao, 

 West Indies, in the year 1S92. By Wirt Robinson, Second Lieutenant, 

 Fourth U. S. Artillery. Cambridge: Printed at the Riverside Press, 1895. 

 Sq. 8vo., pp. i-x, 1-194, 108 illustrations. 



^ On the Osteology of Certain Cranes, Rails, and their Allies, with Remarks 

 upon their Affinities. By R. W. Shufeldt, M. I). Journ. Anat. and Phys., 

 Vol. XXIX, 1894, pp. 21-34. 



