V ° 1 i907' IV ] Recent Literature. 237 



reference to the date of arrival in spring. The purpose of the list, aside 

 from its faunistic value, is to aid local observers in their field studies of 

 birds. — J. A. A. 



Cole on Birds from Yucatan. 1 — The collections forming the basis of 

 the present paper were made at Chichen-Itza, Yucatan, by Mr. Cole, from 

 February 13 to April 9, 1904, the observation and collection of birds being 

 "rather incidental to the other collecting." The present list is intended 

 "to include every species of bird known to have been definitely reported 

 from Chichen-Itza," and numbers 128 species. The list is based on four 

 sources of information: (1) birds collected by the author; (2) easily 

 recognizable birds (2 in number) added on the authority of Mr. E. H. 

 Thompson, U. S. Consul, owner of a large plantation at Chichen-Itza; (3^ 

 a collection of skins (84 specimens, representing 53 species) made by Mr. 

 Thompson in the early nineties; (4) records from other sources, including 

 Mr. F. M. Chapman's list 2 of 74 species, obtained by him at Chichen-Itza 

 in March, 1896. This is an increase of 54 over Mr. Chapman's list, while 

 10 of those listed by Mr. Chapman are here given on his authority. A 

 supplemental list of 13 species is given of birds collected or observed else- 

 where in Yucatan, not yet reported from Chichen-Itza. 



The annotations include, besides the usual field notes, the Maya names, 

 and reports, in the case of a number of species, on the contents of stomachs 

 by Mr. F. S. Millspaw. Otus choliba thompsoni is described as new. While 

 Otus seems properly to replace Megascops, the use of Asio in place of 

 Bubo, as here and by other writers who are ambitious to be up to date in 

 names, is a little premature, a recent decision on these names by the A. O. U. 

 Nomenclature Committee being to the effect that Bubo and Asio are en- 

 titled to their time-honored associations. Mr. Coles's list is an excellent 

 summary of our present knowledge of the bird-life of Chichen-Itza. — 

 J. A. A. 



Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. — 'Cassinia, 

 a Bird Annual,' 3 contains, as usual, much of interest relating to the orni- 

 thology of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The opening paper (pp. 1-9) 

 is a biographical sketch of William Bartram, by George Spencer Morris, 

 illustrated with a portrait of Bartram, and a drawing of 'The Bartram 

 House, Bartram 's Garden, Philadelphia,' by the author of the paper. 



1 Vertebrata from Yucatan. Introduction and Aves, by Leon J. Cole; Mammalia, 

 by Glover M. Allen; Reptilia, Amphibia, Pices, by Leon J. Cole and Thomas Bar- 

 bour. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. at Harvard College, Vol. L, No. 5, pp. 100-159, pll. 

 1, 2, November, 1906. Birds, pp. 109-146. 



2 Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., VII, 1896, pp. 271-290. 



3 Cassinia, A Bird Annual. Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological 

 Club of Philadelphia, 1906. Issued February, 1907. 8vo, pp. 76, frontispiece and 

 1 half-tone plate. 



