I g_L Recent Literature. [April 



amount of thoroughly trustworthy and interesting intbrniation about the 

 birds he treats, and the work will prove of great usefulness as a handbook 

 for this extensive group of birds. We regret that certain idiosyncrasies of 

 classification and nomenclature prevent our according to the work as a 

 whole the same high praise we so gladly give to the introductory chap- 

 ters, which show that his ideas on many points have wonderfully clari- 

 fied since he wrote the 'Introduction' to his 'History of British Birds,' 

 some five years ago.^ — ^J. A. A. 



Ridgway on New or Little-known American Birds. — In the ' Proceed- 

 ings' of the U. S. National Museum, Mr. Ridgway has published during 

 the last few months descriptions of a number of new species and subspecies 

 of American birds, with notes on others little known, as follows: 



(i) Cotinga ridgwayi Zeledon MS., from Western Costa Rica.* 

 The species is allied to C. aniabalis, of which it is the western representa- 

 tive. (2) Spindalis zerta tow7tse?idt\\ from Abaco Island, Bahamas, 

 collected by Mr. Charles W. Townsend. (3) He has also described the 

 female of Carpodectes atitonice Zeledon. | (4) Porzana alfari,% from 

 Costa Rica, allied to C. albigularis Lawr. (5) Callipepla elegans 1x71- 

 so/ii from Campos, Sonora,|l based on five specimens collected by Lieut. 

 H. C. Benson, U. S. A. (6) Picolaftes. rikeri Ridgw. is made the 

 type ofa new genus Berlepschia.\ (7) Phacellodomus hiornatus from 

 Venezuela,** and allied to P. frontalis. (8) Megascofs vermiculatus, 

 from Costa Rica, and Megascofs hastatus, from Mazatlan.ff (9) Mus- 

 cisaxicola occipitalis, from Lake Titicaca, Peru.JJ (10) In a paper on 

 Pkrygiliis gayi !xnd allied species, §§ P. punensisis described as new, and 

 P. atriceps, P. gayi, and P. formosus are discussed at length, each being 

 described in detail. He endeavors to show "that Emberiza aldunatei 

 Gay is a pure synonym of Fringilla gayi Eyd. & Gerv., and that Phry- 



* Description of a New Species of Cotinga from the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. 

 By Robert Ridgway. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1887, pp. i, 2 (April 25, 1887). 



t Description of a New Form of Spindalis zena from the Bahamas. Ibid., p. 3. 



X Description of the adult female of Carpodectes antonice Zeledon ; with critical re- 

 marks, notes on habits, etc., by Jos6 C. Zeledon. Ibid., p. 20 (April 25, 1887). 



§ Description ofa New Species oi Porzana from Costa Rica. Ibid., p. iii. 



II Description of a new Plumed Partridge from Sonora. Ibid., pp. 148-150 (Julys, 

 i887).^No allusion is here made to its prior description in 'Forest and Stream' (Vol. 

 XXVIII, No. 6, p. 106, March 3. 1887. See Auk, IV, p. 156, April, 1887). 



H Description of a New Genus of Dendrocolaptine Bird from the Lower Amazon. 

 Ibid., p. 151. 



** Description ofa New Species of Phacellodomus from Venezuela. Ibid., p. 152. 



ft Description of two New Species of Kaup's Genus Alegascops. Ibid., pp. 267, 268 

 (Aug. I, 1887). 



Xi Description of a New Mitscisaxicola from Lake Titicaca, Peru. Ibid., p. 430 

 (Nov. 3, 1887). 



<5\J On Phrygllus gayi (Eyd. & Gerv.) and Allied Species. Ibid., pp. 431-435 (Nov. 3, 

 1887). 



