320 Recent Literature. [fu\y 



"alarming rapidity of the destruction" of the original biota of the island 

 that is taking place, "due to the introduction of goats and cats. Already," 

 it is stated, "many plants and three birds are gone and others are reduced 

 to very small numbers, and the whole island seems threatened in the near 

 future with absolute desolation — doomed to become a barren rock." 

 The three birds that have already become extinct are the Caracara (Poly- 

 borus lutosus), a Wren (Thryomanes brevicauda), and a Towhee (Pipilo 

 consobrinus) . While the island is uninhabited at present by man, it is 

 overrun by "between six and eight thousand" goats; cats are also numer- 

 ous, and the house mouse (Mus musculus) has become well established. In 

 the present paper 17 species are recorded as taken, several of them in 

 large series, and two others as seen by Mr. Brown and his assistants. The 

 list is copiously annotated with field notes made by the collectors, who 

 were on the island from May 1 to June 28, but too late for the breeding 

 season of most of the species. The Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia 

 becki Rothschild and Hartert, based originally on a single specimen), of 

 which 27 specimens were taken, is said to be "absolutely indistinguishable 

 in any way" from the mainland form. While this is not quite true, the 

 under wing covers being marked more or less with dusky streaks, instead of 

 being unmarked as in the mainland form, the difference is thought by the 

 A. O. U. Committee to be too slight to warrant the recognition of the island 

 form as even a subspecies. — J. A. A. 



Bangs on Birds from Western Colombia. 1 — The basis of these 'Notes' is a 

 small collection made in northwestern Colombia, just south of Darien, by 

 Mervyn G. Palmer, a region hitherto ornithologically little known. "Al- 

 though it contained but 110 species and subspecies, it is rich in rare and 

 new forms," and should subsequent installments from Mr. Palmer prove 

 of equal interest a list will be published of the birds of the region. In the 

 present paper 5 forms that appear to be new are described and notes are 

 given on a few other species. 



In another paper of the same date 2 Mr. Bangs separates the Colombian 

 form of Rhynchocyclus sulphurescens as R. s. exortivus subsp. nov. — J. A. A. 



Bangs on Costa Rican Birds. 3 — The present paper includes notices of 35 

 species and subspecies, two of the latter being described as new. Most of 

 the forms are rare, and the relationships of some others are considered. 

 Thus the author's Scotothorus vercepacis dumicola proves to have been 

 founded on "differences due to individual variations." The known range 

 of several of the forms mentioned is here extended. The paper is based 



1 Notes on Birds from Western Colombia. By Outram Bangs. Proc. Biol. Soc. 

 Washington, XXI, pp. 157-162. July 27, 1908. 



2 A New Tyrant-Bird from the Santa Marta Region of Colombia. By Outram 

 Bangs. Ibid., p. 163. 



3 Notes on Some Rare or not well-known Costa Rican Birds. By Outram Bangs. 

 Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Vol. XXII, pp. 29-38, March 10, 1909. 



