I'lA Recent Literature. [April 



other than are the former to the Auks; in fact, so far as the skeleton goes, 

 the Loons are ten liinefc more nearly related to the Grebes than they are 

 to any other group. Dr. Shufeldt would arrange the Grebes, Loons, and 

 Auks in two 'suborders,' as follows : (i) Pygopodes, with two superfami- 

 lies — (^rt) Podicipedes, containing the Grebes, and (?)) Cepphi, for the 

 Loons; (2) Alcie, with the following four families — Fraterculids, Phale- 

 ridte, Alcidse, and AUidre. Uria is the Alcadine form most nearly 

 allied to the Gulls. 



The Sheathbills {Ckionis) are considered as forming one of the links 

 between the Gulls and Plovers, having, however, their nearest living 

 allies in H(BmatopHS and Glareola, though also retaining characters re- 

 motely allying them with the Columbo-gallinaceous group. — J. A. A. 



Shufeldt on the Osteology and Classification of the North American 

 Pigeons, Woodpeckers, and Kites. — In recent papers Dr. Shufeldt has 

 discussed the classification of Pigeons, Kites, and Woodpeckers, from the 

 standpoint of their osteological structure. The North American Pigeons* 

 he considers as constituting two subfamilies, Columbinte, containing all 

 of the genera except Stariicenas, and StarncEnadinse, consisting of the 

 single genus Star>icenas. 



The North American Kites f he refers to a family Milvida;, with four 

 subfamilies — Ictiniinse, Elanoidinae, Elaninse, and Rofitrhaminae, the 

 latter adopted provisionally, the osteology of this form not having been 

 examined. Our Kites are found to differ "most markedly among them- 

 selves" in their osteological characters. Elanoides is found to share im- 

 portant skeletal characters with so distantly related a form as Pandion. 



The Woodpeckers J are considered primarily in reference to their 

 alleged saurognathism, of which he finds little evidence, to which is 

 added a 'Summary of the Chief Osteological Characters of the North 

 American Pici.' The Woodpeckers are held, in accordance with the views 

 of most recent writers, to be a group coordinate in value with the Pigeons 

 or the Parrots, and that they are more nearly allied to the Passeres "than 

 to any other existing suborder of birds." — J. A. A. 



Ridgway on New or Little-known Central American and South Amer- 

 can Birds. — Mr. Ridgway has recently described a new Whippoorwill 

 from Costa Rica§ under the name Antrostomus rufomaculattis, resembling 

 A. vociferiis in size and proportions, but more similar in coloration to 



*On the Comparative Osteology of the United States Columbidte. Proc. Z06I. 

 Sec. 1891, pp. 194-196. (2) Notes on the Classification of the Pigeons. Am. Nat., 

 Feb. 1891, pp. 157. 158. 



tSome Comparative Osteological Notes on the North American Kites. The Ibis 

 April, 1891, pp. 228-232. 



JOn the Question of Saurognathism of the Pici, and other Osteological Notes upon 

 that Group. Proc. Z06I. Soc, 1891, pp. 122-129. 



§Description of a New Species of Whippoorwill from Costa Rica. By R. Ridgway. 

 Proc. U.S. Nat. Mas., XIV, 1891, pp. 465, 466. 



