570 Recent li/ published Ornithological Works. 



Geological Survey, namely, " Procellaria tenuirostris, Aud.^^ 

 A final chapter to the volume contains a useful bibliography 

 of the subject. 



110. Salvin and Hartert on the Picarice. 



[Catalogue of the Birds in tlie British Museum. Volume XVI. Catalogue 

 of the Picariae in the Collection of the British Museum : Upupae and 

 Trochili, by Oshert Salvin ; Coracise, of the Families Cypselidae, Capri- 

 mulgidae, Podargidse, and Steatornithidse, by Ernst Hartert. 8vo. 

 London: 1892.] 



The sixteenth volume of the ' Catalogue of Birds/ which 

 has been anxiously expected by Ornithologists for some time, 

 is now out. Mr. Salvin had finished the Trochilidse some 

 time ago, but was unable from pressure of other work to 

 proceed with the remaining families. The necessity of finding 

 another author to complete the volume has caused this delay. 



As regards the Trochilidse, Mr. Salvin as an authority is 

 facile princeps amongst living Ornithologists, and the col- 

 lection upon which he has worked is also facile princeps 

 amongst existing collections. It " comprises the two largest 

 collections of Humming-birds that have been hitherto made/^ 

 viz. that of Gould and that of Messrs. Godman and Salvin, 

 and contains altogether the enormous number of 8253 spe- 

 cimens, which are referred to 482 species. The account of 

 the Trochilidse occupies the greater part of this bulky volume. 

 We will not presume to criticize Mr. Salvin's new arrange- 

 ment of this diflScult group, which he divides into three 

 " sections " — Trochili serrirostres, Tr. intermedii, and Tr. 

 leevirostres — according to the presence or absence of serrations 

 on the sheath of the mandible. While this character brings 

 together many obviously allied forms, it widely separates 

 others (viz. Glaucis and Threnetes) which have been hitherto 

 placed near one another. The concise characters of the 

 species given by Mr. Salvin and his a^jposite remarks on their 

 affinities and ranges will, we are sure, be highly ajjpreciated by 

 working Ornithologists. Besides the Trochilidae Mr. Salvin 

 has catalogued the Upupae, containing the two families 

 Upupidee (with 5 species) and Irrisoridse (with 10 species). 



