Q2 Recent Liferafitre. [January 



of Southern California and Mexico. On either geographical or other 

 grounds the case is scarcely better for the other subspecies of iiis 

 alpestris group. 



In the present volume, as in previous volumes of this series, Mr. 

 Sharpe displays his usual independence of the strict law of priority, the 

 case oi Ploceiis baya (p. 488) being an illustration in point, where an 

 Indian Weaver-bird was named by Linnjeus Loxia philipfina and the 

 species known for a long period as Ploccus fliilippinus. Later (1844) it 

 was called Ploccus baya by Blyth, this latter name being also in common 

 use for a long period for an allied species, to which of late it has been re- 

 stricted. But as no Weaver-bird has ever come from the Philippines, the 

 na.mQ p/iilippinus is discarded for drty«, and an older name than baya is 

 properly revived for the species commonly known as baya. 



In the course of the volume no less than 31 new names are proposed for 

 species and subspecies (all of course, more Bri/tanico, binomial in form), 

 and II new generic names are introduced, the latter being as follows: 

 I. Spodi'opsa r =: Po/t'opsar Shuvpe, preoccupied ; 2, Chalcopsar = Alcffa- 

 lopterus Smith, preoccupied; 3, Haffiopsar, type Amydrus tristrami 

 Scl. ; 4, Heteropsar, type Lamprocoliiis acuticaudus Boc. ; 5, Penthc- 

 triopsis, type Loxia macroura Gm. ; 6, Stictospiza, type Fringilla for- 

 mosa Lath. ; 7, Granatina, tjps Fringilla gra7iaiina Linn. ; 8, Hcterhy- 

 phantes, type Malimbus tiigricollis Vieill. ; 9, Nesacantkis, type Foudia 

 emineniissima Bon.; 10, Chersop/iilus, type Alauda dtcponti Vieill.; 11, 

 Heliocorys, type Galerita modesta Heugl. — ^J. A. A. 



Hargitt's Catalogue of the Woodpeckers.* — The well circumscribed 

 family of the Woodpeckers comprises, according to Mr. Hargilt, 50 

 genera and 385 species and subspecies, represented in the British Mu- 

 seum by 7894 specimens. "As a rule," sa3's Mr. Hargitt, " the species of 

 the Picidge are vei-y clearly defined, but in Dendrocofus \_=^Dryobates\, 

 Picoides, and Colaptes there is a decided tendency to subdivide into 

 races." Only in the case of the North American Colaptes does " there 

 seem to be any definite appearance of hybridization." This leads him to 

 the consideration of the question of what constitutes a species, and he 

 accepts as the test non-intergradation with allied forms ; "where inter- 

 gradation takes place the allied form is a subspecies or race." On the 

 question of insular forms he says, "Island forms may or may not possess 

 some slight dilTerences from typical birds, but not sufficient to separate 

 them; yet some authors take it for granted that with insular separation 

 there can be no intergradation : therefore we find insignificant islands 

 made to father a host of indifferent species or subspecies; but I fail to see 



* Catalogue | of the | Picariae | in the | Collection | of the | British Museum. | — | 



Scansores, | containing the Family | Picidas. | By | Edward Hargitt. | London: ( 



Printed by order of the Trustees. | Sold by | Longmans & Co., 39 Paternoster Row; 



I [etc.] I 1890. 8vo. pp. xvi-)-598, pll. xv. :^ Catalogue of the Birds in the British 



Museum, Vol, XVIU. 



