2oO Recent Literature. Muly 



the Corvida? and the 'conirostral' series of families generally are better 

 placed at the upper than at the lower end of the Oscinine series. 



It is, indeed, doubtful whether an}' very final conclusions can be based 

 on a consideration confined almost wholly to forms represented in North 

 America, or without a pretty intimate knowledge of exotic types. 

 Although such intimately related and practically inosculating groups as 

 the Tanagridre and Mniotiltidae are separated in the new arrangement by 

 the interpolation of such diverse forms as the Cinclida;, Troglodytidae, 

 etc., we do not see that any new light is thrown upon their complex re- 

 lationships. Such inferences as may be drawn from the color of the eggs, 

 the similarity of the plumage, or otherwise, between young birds and 

 their parents, the presence or absence of a rudimentary tenth primary, 

 have of course more or less significance within narrow limits, but 

 obviously fail as a test of affinity in any general sense. While the new 

 classification is based mainly upon osteological characters, much stress is 

 properly laid upon the size of the brain; and perhaps too much, here and 

 there, on rather trivial characters. 



The two plates accompanying the paper contain 26 figures, illustrating 

 the cranial characters of 23 species. 



Other recent papers on avian anatomy by Dr. Shufeldt are 'Notes on 

 the Anatomy of Sfcotyto cunicularia hypogeea,''* and a paper entitled 

 'Progress in Avian Anatomyfor the years iSSS-iSSg/f the latter read at the 

 last meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union (see Auk, VII, p. 68). 

 -J. A. A. 



Maynard's 'Eggs of North American Birds. 'J— Mr. Maynard's work 

 was issued in nine parts, mostly during the year 1SS9. As about 1000 

 species and subspecies are treated in less than 160 pages of rather open 

 text, the descriptions are necessarily brief and general. The ten plates 

 contain about eighty figures, intended to represent "type eggs, not of 

 groups of birds, but of types of the forms and patterns of coloration of 

 North American eggs." The text is generally good so far as it goes, be- 

 ing limited to a statement of the number of eggs, their color (in general 

 terms) and size, the breeding range and season of breeding, the whole 

 usually condensed into about four to six lines of long primer type, on a 

 rather narrow page. The arrangement, numeration, and nomenclature 

 are, with slight exceptions, the same as in the A. O. U. Check-List; a 

 few species being included which are not recognized by the A. O. U. 

 Committee in making up the Supplements to the Check-List. 



The work is fairly free from typographical errors, though not a few 

 grievous ones occur, which the author laments, and partly corrects, in 



* Journ. of Morphology. Vol. Ill, 1889, pp. 115-125, pi. vii. . 



t Journ. Cornp. Med. and Vetern. Arch., Jan. 1890. 



J Eggs I of I North American Birds | by | Chas. J. Maynard. | Illustrated | with ten 

 hand-colored Plates. | — | Boston: | De Wolfe, Fiske & Co. | 1890.— 8vo., pp. iv -f- 

 159- 



