^"'ioif^'^] R^(^^^^'' Literature. 411 



The work should prove an important reference volume to ornithologists 

 and invaluable to the sportsman of South Africa. — W. S. 



Mathews' Austral Avian Record. No. 2.^ — In this number Mr. 

 Mathews gives brief diagnoses of 108 new subspecies of Australian birds 

 and descriptions of the eggs of 137 forms. A few questions of nomenclature 

 are also discussed: the proper name for the Broad-billed Sandpiper is shown 

 to be Limicola falimellus Pontoppidan, and the eastern race L. f. sibirica 

 is added to the Australian fauna. Vroeg's Catalogue comes in for 

 further discussion and Mr. Mathews adopts still another view as to how 

 it is to be quoted. He regards most of the names in the Catalogue as 

 nomina nuda but where possible quotes them from there rather than from 

 the Adumbratiunculse and credits them to Vroeg! ^ — W. S. 



Oberholser on the Edible-nest Swiftlets.' — In view of the large 

 number of additional specimens of Callocaliafuciphaga that Mr. Oberholser 

 has been able to examine since the appearance of his recent monograph of 

 the genus, he is able to recognize ten instead of four geographic forms of 

 this bird. Of these C.f. amechana, from the Anamba Island, C.f. cerophila 

 from Nias Island, C. f. mearnsi from Luzon and C. f. tachyptera from Guam, 

 are here described as new. — W. S. 



Clark on 'The Ontogeny of a genus.'* — In this timely paper Dr. 

 Clark emphasizes the fact that sj'stematists do not devote the careful 

 study to genera that they bestow upon species and subspecies and makes a 

 plea for careful analyses to determine " what genera are logical and valid 

 and what are mere artificial aggregations, brought together solely for the 

 sake of convenience." The origin and development of genera are then dis- 

 cussed as well as the effect of geographic and ecological barriers to theii 

 distribution. — W. S. 



Wright on Birds of the Jefferson Region.^ — This is a carefully anno- 

 tated list of 188 species based mainly upon the author's observations dur- 

 ing the past twelve seasons together with those of Mr. F. B. Spaulding. 



1 The Austral Avian Record. A Scientific Journal devoted primarily to the 

 study of the Australian Avifauna. Vol. I, No. 2. April 2, 1912. Witherby & Co. 

 London. Price Is. 6. 



2 Cf. ' The Auk,' April, 1912, p. 205. 



' A Revision of the forms of the Edible-Nest Swiftlet, Callocalia fuciphaga 

 (Thunberg). By Harry C. Oberholser. Proc. U. S. Nat. Museum, Vol. 42, pp. 

 11-20, March 6, 1912. 



« The Ontogeny of a Genus. By Austin H. Clark. The American Naturalist, 

 Vol. XLV, June, 1911, pp. 372-.374. 



5 The Birds | of the | Jefferson Region | in the White Mountains 1 New Hamp- 

 shire I [vignette] | by | Horace W. Wright | Published by | Manchester Institute of 

 Arts and Sciences | Manchester, N. H. | 1911. ( = Vol. V, Part I of the Pro- 

 ceedings of the Institutel, pp. 1-126. 



