330 Recent Ornitholofjical PuhUcaf'wns. 



and was much disappointed to find that Inagua was, if any 

 thing, more desolate and dreary than the other islands, and 

 belonged to precisely the same formation. Twenty-three birds 

 are mentioned as having been found upon it, but no novelty. 

 Indeed the only new species met with by the Doctor in his 

 second visit was Geothhjpis rostrata, from Nassau, a bird dif- 

 fering from the common G. trichas chiefly by its larger size 

 and entirely yellow belly. 



Dr. Bryant's second paper {torn. cit. pp. 89-98) is a " List 

 of the Birds of St. Domingo," an island of which not much is 

 known ornithologically, the most complete list of its birds 

 hitherto published being that by M. Salle (P. Z. S. 1857, 

 pp. 230-237), Several local races, which no doubt many persons 

 would call species, are distinguished by Dr. Bryant; but the 

 only new bird described as of that rank by him is Chrysomitris 

 dominicensis, from the western or Haytian end of the island. 

 This species seems to be by no means a normal Chrysomitris, 

 having a bill (to judge by the figure) almost as thick as a 

 Sparrow's ; and we should suppose it ought to be referred to some 

 other genus. 



In the ' Proceedings ' of the Philadelphia Academy the inde- 

 fatigable Mr. Lawrence describes two new species from New 

 Granada. There are Phoenicothraupis vinacea, probably most 

 nearly resembling P. rubica, and Leptoptila cassini, which has 

 been on two previous occasions, once by Mr. Cassin (Proc. Ac. 

 Sc. Philad. 1860, p. 195) and once by the author himself 

 (Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 333), taken forX. verreauxi, from which 

 it differs in its much darker colouring. Mr. Lawrence also pro- 

 poses to rename his Tachyphonus ruhrifrons (Proc. Ac. Sc. Philad. 

 1865, p. 106) T.propinquus, having discovered that the red on 

 the forehead of the male specimen he first described is due to a 

 stain. On principle we object to this alteration ; Strickland 

 showed years ago that names were names and not descriptions, 

 and accordingly that it mattered nothing whether they were 

 appropriate or the contrary. It would be exceedingly incon- 

 venient if all the persons of the name of Redhead in England or 

 America who might happen to have dark hair, were to insist on 

 being called Blacklock ! 



