^°9o?T Recent Literature. 44C) 



The general plan of the work is excellent, the arrangement of names 

 being alphabetical throughout, with the genera distinguished from 

 species bv means of capital initials. At the end of the main list the 

 species are again grouped alphabetically under genera, where one ma}' 

 find at once all of the specific names used in combination with each genus. 

 Thus, under Psittacus, we find 265 specific names ; under Falco, 220, etc. 

 In the general list specific names are given as originally spelled, without 

 emendation or correction, followed by their respective generic terms, 

 together with a correct citation, with date of publication, of the work in 

 which they first appeared. Where a specific name is not new, but used 

 for the first time in combination with another generic name, this fact is 

 indicated by citing the original genus at the end of the reference. 



Preceding the general list is a bibliography, wherein are briefly listed 

 the titles of 1300 or more works handled by Mr. Sherborn in the prepara- 

 tion of the present volume, with important notes (too short, in most 

 cases ! ) indicating the character of each work, whether binomial, or other- 

 wise, etc. 



Referring to the short list of ' libri desiderati,' we may dismiss two of 

 those mentioned by saying that Wagner, ' Abbild. Nat. Kab. Bayreuth,' 

 is not binomial,' and no systematic names occur in the ' Nieuwe INIaga- 

 zijn.' 



In a work such as the present it is quite natural that there should be 

 some omissions and occasional errors. These are, fortunately, as far as 

 they pertain to birds, of no great moment, as the names omitted are 

 more or less commonly cited in ornithological literature.^ Some names 

 are, through oversight, stated to be nomina nuda when they are not so. 

 The generaof mammals named by Link (e. g., Ondatra, Ochotona, Petau- 

 ri'sta), in his ' Beytrage ' are thus indicated, but they are properly diag- 

 nosed on pp. 74-78, where typical species are also mentioned. The 

 species names cited from Latham and Davies, ' Faunula Indica,' 1795, 

 figure as tiomtna nuda, but most of them are based on the descriptions or 

 plates of other writers, hence entitled to full standing. 



On the other hand, a glance through Mr. Sherborn's list reveals many 

 unfamiliar names, testifying to the care with which he has searched for- 

 gotten volumes. Especially to be mentioned are the specific names 

 quoted from Vroeg, ' Catalogus Verzam. Vogelen,' 1764, and to the gen- 

 era given in the 1758 edition of Moehring's ' Generum Avium' ('Gesch- 

 lachten d. Vogelen'). The question of accepting Moehring's names at 

 175S is one that may give rise to differences of opinion, but we are glad 



' The mammal names Arinodillo and Tatii occur in it. 



^ Among the omissions may be mentioned Ralliis ecaudatus King, 1784; 

 Alotacilla cyanea Ellis, 17S2; Lams crepidatus Banks, 1773 ; also the species 

 of Hermann's Tabula Affin. Anim., 1783, and those described by Gunnerus, 

 in Leem's Beskr. over Finmarkens Lapper, 1767. 



