132 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



tlie generic name of tlie Grebes, we fully agree with Graf v. 

 Berlepsch^s views (above, p. 109). At the same time it may 

 be reasonably held that Colymbus arcticns, being the first 

 s])ecies mentioned in the ' Sy sterna Naturse ' for 1758, should 

 remain the type of Linnseus's genus Culytnbus. 



14. Ridgway on two new Swifts. 



[Description of two supposed new Species of Swifts. By Robert Ridg- 

 way. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xvi. p. 43.] 



Mr. Ridgway describes Cheetura lawrencii from Grenada, 

 W. I., as a form allied to C. cinereiventris, but perhaps only 

 a subspecies, and Cypseloides cherriei as a distinct new sub- 

 species from Costa Rica. 



15. Ridgway on a new Odontophorus. 



[Description of a supposed new Species of Odontophorus from Southern 

 Mexico. By Robert Ridgway. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xvi. p. 469.] 



Odontophorus consobrinus from Vera Cruz is described as 

 a northern representative of 0. guttatus of Costa Rica. 



16. Rothschild on the Avifauna of Lays an. 



[The Avifauna of Laysan and the neighbouring Islands ; with a complete 

 History to date of the Birds of the Hawaiian Possessions. By the Hon. 

 Walter Rothschild. London : R. H. Porter. Part I. August, 1893.] 



" Where is Laysan?^' many of our friends will say when they 

 read the title of this work ; and, indeed, a very few years ago 

 Laysan was almost unknown, save to the compilers of Pacific 

 directories and to the few American navigators who steered 

 by them. ]Mow we have a large quarto book devoted 

 primarily to the Avifauna of Laysan. JMr. Rothschild 

 bases his work on the spoils brought back by his collector, 

 ]VIr. Henry Palmer, who reached Laysan from Honolulu 

 in June 1891, and spent three months in the investigation 

 of that and the adjacent islands. JMr. Palmer's diary is 

 given in full, so that we know exactly all the localities which 

 he visited. Besides this diary the introductory portion 

 of the volume contains a description of Laysan and a trans- 



