°j3gc J Recent Literature. "^V"? 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



Sharpe and Wyatt's Monograph of the Swallows.' — This excellent 

 and most welcome monograph, begun in 1S85, has recently been completed 

 (the last parts bear date October, 1894), having been nine years in publi- 

 cation. It forms two quarto volumes, comprising 755 pages of text with 

 129 plates, of which 26 are maps showing the distribution of the various 

 genera and species, the remaining 103 giving colored representations of 

 the birds themselves. 



The total number of species recognized is 109, distributed in 12 genera, 

 and two subfamilies — Hirundinins, including 10 genera, and Psalido- 

 procninje, consisting of the two genera. Psalidoprocne and Stelgidoptervx. 

 Whv the last-named genus should be thus separated from the genei-a 

 placed in the Hirundininse is certainly not obvious, and no satisfactory 

 reasons are offered in the Monograph. 



Respecting the affinities and status of Swallows as a group, and par- 

 ticularly in their relation to Swifts, we may quote the following (p. xi) : 

 "When the 'rostral' system became somewhat exploded, thev [the 

 Swallows] were ruthlessly separated from their former companions [the 

 Fissirostres], until now, in due course of re-action, they seem to be recog- 

 nized as Passerine Birds of a somewhat Cypseline tendencj', or perhaps, 

 one might more truly say, the Swifts are Cypseline Birds with a Hirun- 

 dinine tendency. For the nine years in which this book has been in 

 publication, we entertained the hope that some competent anatomist 

 would enact such a comparison of the characters of the two Families that 

 we should have been able to summarize the results, and tell our readers 

 exactly how the Swallows may be differentiated from the Swifts in everv 

 point of structure. In default of this much-needed exhaustive essav from 

 our expei't brethren, we venture to define the characters of the Ilirun- 

 dinidpe as follows : — 



" A. Passerine Birds with nine primary quills. 



" B. Spinal feather-tract bifurcated. 



" C. A single moult in the year, executed, so far as we know from the 

 migratory species, during their residence in the winter home. 



"No Passerine Birds, we believe, present this triple combination of 

 characters, but further information is, of course, desirable." 



The conclusion reached is that Swallows are " Passerine Birds zvit/iout 

 any very close allies.'" 



' A Monograph | of the | Hirundinidas | or | Family of Swallows. | By 

 R. Bowdler Sharpe, LL.D., F. L. S., F.Z. S., Etc., | . . . . [ = 6 lines of ad- 

 ditional titles] I and | Claude W. Wyatt, | Member of the British Ornitholo- 

 gists' Union. | — | Volume I [-II] | — | London : | Henry Sotheran & Co., | 

 37 Piccadilly, W. | 140 Strand, W. C. | 1885-1S94. 2 Vols., 4to, Vol. I, pp. 

 i-lxx 4" 1-356, pll. i-liv ; Vol. II. pp. i-viii -(- 357-673, pll. Iv-cxxix. 



