66 Recent Literature. [^ 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



The British Museum Catalogue of the Picariae. — The "Order Picariae," 

 as treated in the 'Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum' (Vols. 

 XVI-XIX), consists of eight 'suborders,' as follows: (i) Upupae, (2) 

 Trochili, (3) Coraciae, (4) Halcyones, (5) Bucerotes, (6) Trogones, (7) 

 Scansores, (8) Coccyges. This arrangement is adopted tentatively, as 

 under the head of 'Order IV, Picariae' (p. 1) we find the following : "The 

 adoption of an 'order of Picarians' is at best a provisional measure, and 

 if this 'order' be thought to be inadmissible, then the divisions proposed 

 by Mr. Seebohm would have to rank as separate orders, and might be 

 arranged in a sequence more in conformity with what are, at present, 

 considered their natural affinities." 



The volumes treating of the Scansores and Coccyges appeared in 1890 

 and 1891, the Woodpeckers (Vol. XVIII) being by Mr. Hargitt (cf. Auk, 

 VIII, Jan., 1891, p. 92), and the remaining families of the Scansores and 

 the Coccyges (Vol. XIX) by Mr. Sclater and Mr. Shelley, respectively 

 {cf. Auk, IX, Apr., 1892, p. 184). Volumes XVI and XVII have recently 

 appeared, the former 1 embracing the Upupse and Trochili, by Mr. 

 Osbert Salvin, and four families of the Coracia:, by Mr. Ernst Hartert; 

 the latter 2 (Vol. XVII) contains the remaining families of the Coracia?, 

 the Halcyones, Bucerotes, and Trogones, by Mr. Sharpe and Mr. Grant. 



The 'suborder Upupae,' although comprising only about 15 species, is 

 divisible into two families, — the Hoopoes (Upupidse), with one genus and 

 /, species, and the Wood-Hoopoes (Irrisoridae), with three genera and 10 

 species. 



The 'suborder Trochili' includes 127 genera, as denned by Mr. Salvin, 

 and 482 species, represented in the collection of the British Museum by 

 8253 specimens, of which 161 are type specimens of valid species. This 

 large number of specimens includes "the two largest collections of Hum- 

 ming Birds that have been made hitherto, viz. those of the late Mr. J. 

 Gould and of Messrs. Godman and Salvin." The group is arbitrarily 



1 Catalogue | of the | Picariae | in the | Collection | of the [ British Museum. | — | 

 Upupae and Trochili, | by | Osbert Salvin. | Coracias, | of the Families | Cypselidae, 

 Caprimulgidae, Podargidae, and | Steatornithidae, | by | Ernst Hartert. | London : 

 Printed by order of the Trustees. Sold by | Longmans & Co., 37 Soho Square; | . . . . 

 [= etc., 4 lines] 1892. — 8vo. pp. xvi +, 704, pll. xvi.=Catalogue of the Birds in the 

 British Museum, Vol. XVI. 



2 Catalogue | of the | Picariae | in the j Collection | of the | British Museum. | — | 

 Coracire (contin.) and Halcyones, | with the Families | Leptosomidas, Coraciidse, 

 Meropidae, | Alcedinida?, Momotidae, Todidas, and Coliidas, | by | R. Bowdler Sharpe. 



I Bucerotes and Trogones, | by | W. R. Ogilvie Grant. | London : Printed by order 

 of the Trustees. | Sold by Longmans & Co., 39 Paternoster Row; | . . . . [=etc., 4 

 lines] 1892. — 8vo, pp. xi, 522, pll. xvii. = Catalogue of the Birds in the British Mu- 

 seum, Vol. XVII. 



