Recent Ornithological Publications. 281 



logue of Birds from Puna Island" in the Gulf of Guayaquil, 

 where, out of twenty-one species found, four are new, namely 

 Turdus reevii, Thryothorus super ciliaris, Empidonax griseipectus 

 and Cont opus punensis ; and, lastly, "Characters of some New 

 South-American Birds, with notes on other rare or little-known 

 species." The new birds are named Turdus hauxwelli, Ochthceca 

 rufomarginatus, Mecocerculus uropygialis, Pogonotriccus plumbei- 

 ceps, Myiozetetes rujipennis, M. inornatus, Lesbia ortoni, and 

 Accipiter nigrop)lumbeus. 



When, some months ago, Prof.Baird wrote (Ibis, 1869, p. 350) 

 of " Mr. Robert Ridgway, a young ornithologist of much pro- 

 mise," he certainly did not overshoot the mark ; for this gentle- 

 man has not been long in giving proof of his competency. To 

 some " Notices of certain obscurely known species of American 

 Birds," published in the Philadelphia ' Proceedings ' for June 

 last he prefixes some remarks we woidd gladly reproduce here, 

 did space permit ; for they display a most philosophical train of 

 thought on the part of the writer ; "and we sincerely congratu- 

 late our ornithological brethren in America on the addition to 

 their ranks of one who, in the field as in the study, cannot fail 

 to attain a very high position. The remarks which call for this 

 expression of opinion are on the hybrids * occurring between 

 representative species in the tracts where their ranges overlap. 

 Of this fact no less than fourteen instances between as many 

 pairs of North -American species are named by Mr. Ridgway, 

 who says that many others are known to him ; and his general 

 considerations on them are extremely interesting. The rest of 

 the paper is of more special scope. The author treats first of 

 the North -American Wood-Thrushes (the group Hylocichla of 

 Prof. Baird), to which belong eight species; and next of the uni- 

 formly red species of Py?-aw_^ff, of which he enumerates six forms 

 — one, P. cooperi, being distinguished for the first time ; lastly 



* It must not be supposed, however, that we coincide in Mr. Ridgway's 

 views. There seems rather a probability that some of these so-called 

 ''hybrids" exhibit the ancient and more generalized form of parent 

 species, the members of which at the extreme limits of its range have be- 

 come more widelv differentiated. 



