1*913 I Recent Literature. •>!)/ 



Some changes in nomenclature affect North American birds, for instance 

 Pisobia aurita (Latham) musl become /'. acuminata Eorsf. since Mr. 

 Mathews states thai Sharpe was clearly in error when lie claimed that Wat- 

 lings dra^ Lng 244, upon which Latham based his name, represented this bird. 

 It is obviously Actitis hypoleucos. Mr. Mathews moreover divides the 

 genus Pisobia and places this species in Limnocinclus] Actodromas being 

 a synonym of true Pisobia with /'. minuta as its type. 



The name of the Pectoral Sandpiper must change also, since" Tringa 

 maculata Vieill. is rendered invalid by '/'. maculata Linn. 1766, we therefore 

 return to pectoroMs of Say. 



The American Knot is separated as Canutus canutus rufus Wilson while 

 t he Japanese race is described as new under t he name ( '. c. rogersi. — W. S. 



Mearns on New African Birds. 1 — In working over the rich collections 

 of African birds in the l : . S. National Museum obtained mainly by himself, 

 Dr. Mearns finds the following new Weaver-birds and Thrushes, Estrilda 

 rhodopyga /mini, from the Gato River, Southern Abyssinia, E. rhodopyga 

 hypochra, Granatina ianthinogastra roosevelti, Planesticus helleri, I', oliva- 

 ct lis polius, Geocichla piaggiai keniensis and (!. gurneyi raineyi from British 

 Easl Africa. While Dr. Mearns' firs' aim is naturally the description of the 

 new forms obtained by him, ornithologists will await with interest a general 

 account of the collections made on the Smithsonian and the Childs Flick 

 Expeditions which he accompanied as naturalist. — W. S. 



Riley on the Bahama Barn Owl. 2 — While accompanying the Bahamas 

 Expedition of the Geographic Society of Baltimore a few years ago, Mr. 

 Riley obtained a specimen of a peculiar looking Barn Owl which in the light 

 of additional material now available he describes as new, under the name 

 of Tyto perlatus lucayanus. — W. S. 



Shufeldt's Studies of Fossil Birds. 3 — In the former of two recent pub- 

 lications on North American fossil birds, Dr. Shufeldt presents the results 

 of a reexamination of the Cope and Condon Collections and a study of 



1 Descriptions of three new African Weaver-birds of the Genera Estrilda and 

 Qranatina. By Edgar A. Mearns. Smithson. Misc. Collns., Vol. 61, No. 9, 

 pp t l July 31, 1913. 



Descriptions of four New African Thrushes of the Genera Planeaticus and 

 la. By Edgar A. Mearns. Smithson. Misc. Collns., Vol. 61, No. 10, pp. 

 1 5 lugusl l l. L913. 



The Bahama Hani Owl. By .1. II. Riley. Proc. Biol. Soe. Washington. XXVI, 

 Pi' 153 154. June .in. L913. 



Rl vdewofthe Fossil Fauna Of the Desert Region of Oregon, with a Description 

 of additional Material collected there. By R, W. Shufeldt. Bull. Amer. Mu- 

 seum Nat Hist . Vol. XXXII, Art. VI, pp. 123-178. New York. .Inly 0. 1013. 



Further studies of Fossil Birds with Descriptions of New and Extinct Species. 

 I!.-. t; U Shufeldt. Bull. Amer. Mas. Nat. Hist., Vol. XXXII. Art. XVI. pp. 

 285-301". New York. August 1. 1913. 



