134 Recent Literature. [jan. 



Reichenow's conclusions we have added in the Appendix [pp. 75-84] ex- 

 planatory notes; as is also the case with all additions to the Avifauna of 

 South Africa since Mr. Sclater's Check-List was published." 



The list begins with the family Struthionidse and ends with the family 

 Turdida?. The names of families and genera are given and the authority 

 and date of the latter and of species and subspecies, but the names of the 

 orders are omitted. The technical names of the species and subspecies 

 are followed by vernacular names, both English and Dutch, and a refer- 

 ence to Reichnow's and Sclater's works. Trinomials are used for sub- 

 species, and the subspecies are numbered consecutively with the species, 

 the numbers running to 920, with four interpolated numbers making a 

 total of 924. No references are given to the place of description for either 

 the genera or species, nor is the range given. The list is thus nearly the 

 same in character as the American Ornithologists' Union 'new Abridged 

 Check-List of North American Birds.' 



We note that Brissonian genera are adopted so far as they occur in the 

 South African avifauna, and are duly accredited to him, and that in only 

 one instance is a genus wrongly ascribed to him, namely, Emberiza, which 

 dates from Linnseus, 1758, and not from Brisson, 1760, although employed 

 by Brisson independently of Linna?us, as was also Vultur, sometimes 

 also wrongly assigned to Brisson. Hydrobates is employed as the generic 

 name of the Storm Petrel instead of Thalassidroma. Hydrobates Boie, 

 Isis, 1822, p. 562 (not Hydrobata Vieillot, 1816) contained two species, 

 without designation of type. These are Procellaria pelagica Linn, and 

 P. leachii Temminck. P. pelagica became the type of Thalassidroma 

 Vigors in 1825, by original designation. This left in Hydrobates only P. 

 leachii (Temminck 1820 = P. leucorrhoa Vieillot, 1817), which later became 

 the type of Cymochorea Coues, and is congeneric with the type (P. furcata 

 Gmelin) of Oceanodroma Reichenbach. Hence Hydrobates, if available 

 for use, should replace Oceanodroma, and Cymochorea becomes a homonym 

 of Hydrobates. 



The nomenclature is in accord with modern rules, but in a few instances 

 the names or authorities are not those commonly in use, the authority 

 for Riparia being given as Vorst, 1817 instead of Forster, 1817 (probably a 

 typographical error for Forst.), and Delichon Moore, 1854, is used for the 

 House Martin instead of Chelidonaria Reichenow, 1889; and a few other 

 departures from current usage are noticeable, but doubtless rest on good 

 grounds. 



Although the ranges of the species and subspecies, and references to 

 original descriptions, are omitted, the list furnishes a handy up-to-date 

 catalogue of South African birds, compressed into less than a hundred 

 pages. — J. A. A. 



