X "'i'm:? :X ] Recent literature. 123 



(Mm, and the greater possibility of passage from one island to another be 

 admitted, than in the case of small resident passerine species. — W. S. 



Oberholser's One Hundred and Four new Birds from the Barus- 

 san Islands and Sumatra. 1 — To those who are familiar with Mr. Ober- 

 holser's painstaking monographic work and detailed descriptions the present 

 contribution must come as a distinct shock. The presentation of 104 new 

 forms on 21 octavo pages naturally permits of but very brief diagnoses, but 

 eo short are some of these here given, that for all practical purposes they 

 might as well have been omitted entirely, leaving simply a type locality. 

 For example Meiglyptes grammithorax micropterus is described as "Resem- 

 bling Mriglyptes grammithorax grammithorax, but smaller.", followed by 

 the citation of a type specimen in the U. S. National Museum, from Nias 

 Island. We know from this that a name has been given to a form of M. 

 grammithorax from Nias, but beyond that, without measurements or further 

 diagnosis, the publication is absolutely worthless. With a specimen of 

 this group in hand from a neighboring island one could not possibly identify 

 it without examining Mr. Oberholser's type. In the entire 104 diagnoses, 

 measurements are given in only twelve instances while the descriptions 

 average two and a half lines, including a trinomial name mentioned for 

 comparison ! 



In such contributions the advancement of science seems to have been 

 completely lost sight of, and the only explanation would seem to be the 

 desire to secure the species to an author or the types to an institution. 

 The promise of later detailed publications does not constitute an excuse for 

 the issue of such useless diagnoses. 



If publication of species in advance of faunal papers is absolutely neces- 

 sary, the journal should devote the space, and the author the time, necessary 

 to make the diagnoses adequate. Our rules of nomenclature are binding 

 us more and more to the original descriptions in all systematic work and 

 it behooves us to make these adequate. 



This criticism is not directed at Mr. Oberholser but at a practice that is 

 all too common and which we are sorry to see endorsed by him and by the 

 Smithsonian Institution. 



In foot-notes several nomenclatural matters are briefly discussed. Den- 

 drophassa Gloger 1842 is substituted for Osmotreron Bonap. on ground of 

 priority, while Treron nipalensis (Hodgson) is changed to T. curvirostra 

 (Gmelin) for the same reason. Psittinus cyanurus (Forster) is shown to be 

 the proper name for the bird commonly called P. incerlus (Shaw.), while 

 Mixornis gularis (Raffles) becomes M. pileata (Blyth), and Lalage terat 

 Auct. becomes L. nigra (Forster). So also Cinnyris pectoralis (Horsf.) 

 becomes C. ornata Less, and Chalcoparia phamicotis Auct. becomes C. 

 singalensis (Gm.). — W. S. 



i Descriptions of One Hundred and Four New Species and Subspecies of Birds 

 ("nun the Barussan Islands and Sumatra. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 

 Vol 60, X<>. 7, pp. l 21. October 26, 1912. 



