336 Recent Literature. [ju"iy 



' The Birds of Australia.' ^ — Volume five of Mr. Mathews' great work is 

 to be issued in lour instead of three parts as previously announced and the 

 second of these is before us. It continues the treatment of the Raptores 

 covering the Kites, part of the Falcons and a few other species. The same 

 lengthy discussion of nomenclature characterizes this number, which has 

 figured in its predecessors. 



The genus Fako as presented in the A. O. U. Check-List seems to Mr. 

 Mathews to be a bad case of " lumping " and while he would admit that 

 Rhynchodon is perhaps a subgenus, he claims that Hierofalco, Tinmuiculus 

 and Cerchneis are perfectly good genera. 



We note Haliastur sphenurus sarasini, subsp. nov. (p. 169), New Cale- 

 donia, Lophastur subcristatus kempi, subsp. nov. (p. 220), Cape York, 

 Australia; and Falco longipennis samueli, nom. nov. (p. 232) for F. vielano- 

 tus White and Mellor, Flinders Island, Australia; as new names. — W. S. 



Cassinia, 1915.2 — The proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological 

 Club for 1915 show a continuation of the remarkable vitality that charac- 

 terizes this organization. An average attendance of 24 at the 16 meetings 

 held during the year is reported, and no fewer than 53 observers submitted 

 migration records. Upon the material contained in these reports is based 

 Dr. Stone's annual resume of the spring migration. That of 1915 was 

 characterized by abnormally early arrival of species coming in April or 

 earlier and irregular occurrence of the later migrants. Dr. Stone contrib- 

 utes also another of the series of biographies he has published in 'Cassinia,' 

 the present being that of Titian Peale. Other articles include 'Nesting 

 birds of Pocono Lake,' with excellent illustrations of the nests of 2 species, 

 of Empidonax, by J. Fletcher Street; 'Days with the Blue-gray Gnat- 

 catcher and the Prothonotary Warbler' bj' Geo. H. Stuart 3rd, in which 

 no locality is cited, a protective measure no doubt, yet even a county 

 record would have added to the scientific value of the article; 'Eggs and 

 Nestling Destruction' by Julian K. Potter, showing an average loss of 

 40 per cent, large yet less than some other studies have brought out; 

 and 'Mortality among birds at Philadelphia, May 21-22, 1915,' by Delos 

 E. Culver, an account of migrants striking the City Hall. This issue of 

 ' Cassinia ' contains also a bibliography of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and 

 Delaware ornithology for 1915, and a list of officers and members of the 

 D.V. O. C— W. L. M. 



Bangs on New American Birds.' — A recent study of the Gallinules of 

 America convinces Mr. Bangs that Hartert's view that they are best re- 



1 The Birds of Australia. By Gregory M. Mathews. Vol. V, Part II. London. 

 February 29, 1916. 



• Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, 19, 1915 (March, 1916). 

 72 pp., 2 pis. 



3 The American Forms of Gallinula chloropus (Linn). By Outram Bangs. Proc. N. E. 

 Zoiil. Club, Vol. V, pp. 93-99. May 17, 1915. 



