184 



Recent Li'terafiire. [April 



doubt, grounds upon which this view may be supported"; but then tiie 

 inconvenience of considering it a subregion of a primary circumpolar 

 region must be duly regarded ! 



Dr. Sclater's paper was prepared for presentation at last year's Interna- 

 tional Ornithological Congress, and forms one of the memoirs published 

 by the Congress; it also appears, as noted above, under a somewhat dif- 

 ferent and more explicit title, and "slightly modified," in 'The Ibis' for 

 October last. — J. A. A. 



Sclater and Shelley on the Scansores and Coccyges.* — Volume XIX 

 of the British Museum Catalogue of Birds treats of seven families of birds, 

 as follows : Rhamphastidse, Galbulidse, and Bucconidie, by Mr. Sclater, 

 and Indicatoridce, Capitonidse, Cuculidie, and Musophagidtt, by Mr. 

 Shelley. The number of species recognized is 448, of which only 3J 

 are not represented in the British Museum. The total number of speci- 

 mens belonging to these families in the British Museum collection is 

 9231, among which are 123 types of species, of which 73 are admitted as 

 valid. 



The work is similar in character to that of the preceding volumes, and 

 therefore calls for no special comment. One genus and five species and 

 subspecies appear to be here for the first time named, as follows: (i) 

 Urococcyx Shelley, gen. nov., p. 398 (type P/iceiticophcpus erythrognathus 

 Hartl.) ; (2) Xanfholcema intermedia Shelley, p. 97 ; (3) Capita salvini 

 Shelley, p. 119, pi. v, fig. 4; (4) Brachygalba fulviventris Sclater, p. 172; 

 (5) Coccyziis dominicce Shelley (subsp. of C. fninor), p. 306, pi. xii, fig. i ; 

 and (6) Centropus furpnreus Siieliey, p. 348, pi. xiii. 



In view of Mr. Shelley's treatment of Coccyzus minor , of which he rec- 

 ognizes two subspecies — way^rt/'i// Ridgw. and rfo;«/«/'c<s subsp. nov. — 

 we are surprised that he should lump all of the large Piayas under Piaya 

 cayana, considering the wide distribution of the group, and the great range 

 of variation in both size and color shown by specimens from distant 

 points in the common habitat. Doubtless the extremes grade into each 

 other through birds from intermediate localities, yet the birds from Mex- 

 ico, Guatemala, Cayenne, and southein Brazil present average differences 

 too well marked to be wholly ignored. 



The volume is a most welcome continuation of this long series of in- 

 valuable handbooks. — J. A. A. 



* Catalogue | of the | Picarite | in the | Collection | of the | British Museum. | | 



Scansores and Coccyges, | containing the Families | Rhamphastida', Galbulidse, and 

 Bucconidas, | by | P. L. Sclater, | and the Families | Indicatorida?, Capitonidas, Cuculi- 

 das, I and Musophagidse, | by | G.E.Shelley, j London: | Printed by order of the Trus- 

 tees. I Sold by I Longmans & Co., 39 Paternoster Row; j B. Quaritch, 15 Piccadilly; 

 Asher & Co., 13 Bedford Street, Covent Garden; | Kegan Paul, Trench, Triibner & 

 Co., 57 Ludgate Hill; | and at the | British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell 

 Road.S. W. I 1891. 8vo. pp. xii-l-484, pU. xiii.= Vol. XIX of the Catalogue of the 

 Birds in the British Museum. 



