1 22 Recent Literatim . 



Auk 

 Jan. 



Thamnistes anabatintis coronatus, Dystihamrvus mentalis sitffusus, Herpst- 

 lochmtts rufimarginatus exiguus, (Irallaricula tlarirostris brews, Margarornia 

 bellulus, Mitrephanes eminulus, Caryothraustes canadensis simulans, Tan- 

 gara fucosus, Chrysothlypis chrysomelas ocularis, Yireolanius eximius 

 mutabilis, Basiletiterus mclanogcui/s ignotus, B. m. eximius, Troglodytes 

 festinus, Myadestes coloratus, Catharus fuscater mirabilis. There are 

 also three new species for which Mr. Nelson establishes new genera: 

 thalsia bella on interesting hummingbird allied to Goldmania, and named 

 in honor of Col. Goethals, head of the Panama Canal Commission; Prcedo 

 auda.r, a flycatcher allied to Aphanotriccus but resembling Empidonax in 

 color; ami Hylospingus inornatus a tanager resembling Chlorospingus. 

 Ineidentally Mr. Nelson also describes Tanagra xantkogastra quitensis 

 from QuitOj Ecuador, and Hemithraupis ornatus from Truando, Colombia. 

 The Genus Tanagra is used by Mr. Nelson for the genus formerly called 

 Euphonia while Tangara is used Jn place of Calospiza (=CaUiste). This 

 seems inevitable if we regard these names as different and take them from 

 the first place of publication but in the absence of any word of explana- 

 tion it is misleading to those not familiar with the history of the case. — 

 \Y. S. 



Oberholser's Revision of the Green Herons. 1 — As the result of a 

 critical study of 568 specimens of Green Herons, Butorides rircscens, Mr. 

 Oberholser recognizes eighteen geographic races, twelve of which are here 

 named as new. These are JB. r. eretnononius. north central Mexico; B. v. 

 nnsatus, western Nicaragua; B. v. hypemotius, Costa Rica to Brazil; B. v. 

 margaritophilus. San Miguel Island, Bay oi Panama; B. v. cubanus, Greater 

 and northern Lesser Antilles: B. v. christophorensis, St. Christopher. B. v. 

 dominicanus, Dominica; B. v. lucianus, St. Lucia; B. v. barbadensis, Barba- 

 dos; B. v. grenadensis, Grenada; B. v. tobagensis, Tobago; and B.v.cura- 

 censis, Curacao 



Mr. Oberholser has presented extremely detailed descriptions and a 

 large array of measurements and his paper represents a painstaking piece 

 of work. Whether ornithologists will endorse his views remains to be seen. 

 With practically the same material before them Messrs. Thayer and Bangs 

 have already (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 46, p. I 12) expressed precisely oppo- 

 site views on the status of the San Miguel Island birds and have questioned 

 the distinctness of several of the forms named up to that time. As San 

 Miguel Island is but twenty miles off shore, it would indeed seem remark- 

 able that a bird of the size and habits of a heron should there become differ- 

 entiated into a local race, and in considering any group of large water birds 

 it would seem that much more latitude should be given to individual varia- 



1 A Revision of • s of (he Green Heron (Butorides rir«sc«n» [[.inn.;'. 



By Harry C. Oberholser. ft S Nat. Museum, Vol. 43. pp. 529-577. Aug- 

 ust 29. 1912. 



