2\)0 Recent Literature. [April 



Hellmayr on the Ornithology of Western Colombia.'— While the 



bird life of northern Colombia is becoming fairly well known there is still 

 much to be learned regarding that of other parts of this interesting country 

 especially the southern and central portions. The present paper is a 

 welcome contribution covering as it does portions of the province of Choco, 

 including the tropical San Juan valley and the Pacific slope of the Western 

 Cordillera near its headwaters. 



The basis of Mr. Hellmayr's paper is a collection of about 700 specimens 

 obtained by Mr. Mervyn G. Palmer during 1908 and 1909, representing 

 201 forms. There are valuable critical notes and discussions of the details 

 of distribution of the various species as well as a chapter of ' Conclusions ' 

 in which it is shown that many species of this region are common to N. W. 

 Ecuador while a smaller number are Central American. Twenty-seven 

 are listed as peculiar to Western Colombia. Calospiza gyroloides bangsi 

 from Chiriqui, C. g. catharinae from S. E. Peru, Arremon aurantiirostris 

 occidentalis from W. Colombia and Myrmotherula surinamensis pacifica from 

 W. Colombia are described as new. — W. S. 



Berlepsch's Revision of the Tanagers.- — This is a valuable work of 

 reference for students of neotropical birds, especially since we have had no 

 monographic review of the Tanagers since Dr. Sclater's volume XI of the 

 Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum, published twenty-five years ago. 

 Count von Berlepsch lists 555 forms using binomial names for 403 and 

 trinomials for 152. The exact reference and type locality are given for all 

 accepted names and synonyms, and a full list of locaUties is quoted under 

 each species while type species are given for all generic names. Critical 

 remarks on many of the species are given as an appendix to the main text, 

 while matters of classification and nomenclature are dealt with in the intro- 

 duction. The author disagrees with Ridgway's action in removing the 

 Pitylinse to the Fringillidse and in placing Hemispingus with the Mnio- 

 tiltidae and prefers to keep them with the Tanagers, while Iridophanes 

 he would exclude from the latter group keeping it with the Coerebidse. 

 Calyptophilus he regards as a member of the AmpelidiE. In matters of 

 nomenclature he finds himself unable to adopt such generally current forms 

 as Calospiza nigriviridis nigriviridis preferring the binomial for the 

 typical race, nor does he follow original misspellings of geographical 

 names. — W. S. 



Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia.' — Under this title appears the first 



> A Contribution to the Ornithology of Western Colombia. By C. E. Hellmayr. 

 Proceedings Zoological Society of London, 1911, pp. 1084-1213 (published Decem- 

 ber, 1911). 



2 Revision der Tanagriden. Von Hans Graf von Berlepsch. Sonderabdruch 

 aus: Bericht uber den V. Internationalen Ornithologen-Kongress. Berlin, 1910, 

 pp. 1001-1161. 



3 Revista Italiana di Ornitologia. Edita da: Ethore Arrigoni degli Oddi, 

 Pilippo Cavazza, Francesco Chigi, Alessandro Chigi, Giacinto Marlorelli, Tomasso 

 Salvadori. Anno 1. Num. 1-2, Luglio-Settembre, Ottobre-Decembre, MCMXI. 

 Bologna, Novembre, 1911. 



