tSqo.] Recent Literature. 2oI 



his Appendix. Whether the grouping of the Orioles and Blackbirds 

 under the family "Sturnidse," or the uniform substitution of Chordelies 

 for Chordeiles are to be regarded as typographical accidents, or an ex- 

 pression of the author's preferences, is not evident. — J. A. A. 



Bryant's 'Catalogue of the Birds of Lower California.'* — This paper is 

 based primarily on the author's experience during two visits of several 

 months each in iSSS and 1SS9 to Lower California, where he spent his 

 time on the western coast near Magdalena Bay, and in travelling on 

 horseback through the interior. His own observations are supplemented 

 by notes furnished by Messrs. L. Belding and A. W. Anthony, and he has 

 also availed himself of the literature bearing on the subject in order "to 

 embrace the known avifauna of the entire peninsula and adjacent 

 islands." Mr. Bryant begins his paper with an introduction of a dozen 

 pages chiefly a narrative of his own and others' explorations, but includ- 

 ing, too, a bibliographical list of twenty-four previous publications relat- 

 ing to the region. He then gives an annotated list of 320 species and 

 subspecies of which 215 are land birds. The annotations usually are 

 brief, and relate chiefly to the distribution and times of occurrence of 

 each species. Occasionally there are extended biographical notices of 

 much interest, as in the cases of Phalacrocorax dilophus albociliatus, 

 Pelecanus califomicus, and Fregata aquila. The paper is accompanied 

 by a sketch map of Lower California, showing the places visited by Mr. 

 Bryant. This map, however, does not appear with the author's extras. 

 Mr. Bryant deserves thanks for having brought together so much 

 valuable information about the ornithology of a region of which we have 

 long had but a shadowy knowledge.- — C. F. B. 



Anthony on New Birds from Lower California, f — The birds here de- 

 scribed were collected by Mr. Anthony and Mr. C. H. Townsend, in April 

 and May, 1SS9, in the San Pedro Mountains in Lower California, situated 

 about one hundred and fifty miles south of the United States, and about 

 midway between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. The 

 mountains form a series of small ranges having an altitude of Sooo to 

 about 12,000 feet. The birds described as new are the following : (1) Orc- 

 ortyx picta confinis, (2) Ap/ieloroma californica obscura, (3) Junco totvn- 

 sendi, (4) Sitla fygmcea leuconucha, (5) Sialia mexicana anabelce. The 

 first four, so far as known, are restricted to the region in question; the 

 habitat of the last {Sialia m. anabelcz) includes also Mt. Lassen, in North- 

 ern California, Genoa, Utah, and Puget Sound. While the first four have 



* A Catalogue of the Birds of Lower California, Mexico. By Walter E. Bryant. Proc. 

 Cala. Acad. Sci., Ser. 2, Vol. II, pp. 237-320. With map. 



f New Birds from Lower California, Mexico. By Alfred W. Anthony, Proc. Califor- 

 nia.^Acad., 2d. Ser., Vol. II, 1889, pp. 73-82. 



