1S92] Recent Literature. I 7 *? 



A. sericeocaudatiia. It is based on a specimen from Volcan de Irazir, 

 collected bj Senor Anastacio Alfaro, director of the Costa Rica National 

 Museum. 



In a short notice of a collection of birds from the interior of Honduras,* 

 Mr. Ridgway has described two new subspecies {Platypsaris aglatcB 

 hypophceus and Pithys bicolor olivaceus) , and the female and young male 

 of Gymnocickla chiroleuca Scl. and Salv., and a joung male of Grallarta 

 giiatemalensis Pr6v., previously undescribed. He also records 13 other spe- 

 cies as of interest on account of the locality. He has also described as new 

 Thamnophilus albicrissa and T. trinitatis, from Trinidad,! ^"d published 

 remarks on Xiphocolaptes procnrvtts Cab., and X. albicollis'Lhcht.^X and 

 on Pachyrhamphus albtHUcha Burm.,§ which he makes the type of a new- 

 genus Xenopsaris. In a paper on Costa Rican birds, || he has given notes 

 on 10 species, including two described as new {Platypsaris aglaicE ob^curus 

 and Scytalopus argentifrons). Picolaptes gracilis Ridgw. is thought to 

 have been based on a young example of /*. compressus. 



He has also reviewed the genus Sittasomiis,^ of which he recognizes seven 

 species, two of which (6". ckapadensis and 6'. cBquatorialis) are described 

 as new. This is an addition of four to the three recently admitted by Dr. 

 Sclater (Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. XV, 1S90). Mr. Ridgway's review is 

 based on a series of 44 specimens, including tiie types of 5". olivaceus 

 Wied and 5. amazonus Lafr. 



Two other recent papers by the same author relate to North American 

 birds, one of them treating o( Porzaua Jama icef/sis cotur/iiculus Ba'ivd,** 

 which he finds is closely related to P. spilojiota of the Galapagos Islands. 

 He proposes to recognize it provisionally as a distinct species, under the 

 name Porzana cottirniculns. The original type of the species remains 

 unique. (C/". Auk, IX, p. 108.) The other paper describes a new Sharp- 

 tailed Sparrow from California, ft under the name Ammodratnus cauda- 

 cuttis becki, based on a single specimen from Santa Clara County. (C/. 

 Auk, IX, p. 108.) — J. A. A. 



Ridgway and Bendire's Directions for Collecting and Preparing Birds 

 and their Eggs and Nests. — In twenty-seven pages of Bulletin No. 39 of 



*Notes on Some Birds from the Interior of Honduras. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIV, 

 pp. 467-471. 



t Description of Two Supposed New Forms of Tliamnopliilus. Ibid., p. 481. 



X Further Notes on the Genus Xiphocolaptes of Lesson. Ibid., XIII, pp. 47, 48. 



§ Note on Pachyrhamphus albinucha, Burmeister. Ibid., XIV, pp. 479, 480. 



IINotes on Some Costa Rican Birds. Ibid., XIV, pp. 473-478. 



H Notes on the Genus Stttasomus of Swainson. Ibid., pp. 507-510. 



** Observations on the Farallon Rail {Porzana Jamuicensis coturniculus Baird). 

 Ibid., XIII, pp. 309-311. 



tt Description of a New Sharp-tailed Sparrow from California. Ibid.,X\.W, pp. 

 483,484. 



