143 Recently published Ornithological Works. [Ibis, 



The Auk. 



[The Auk. A quarterly journal of Ornitliology. Published by the 

 American Ornithologists' Union. Vol. xxxv. for 1918.] 



The completed volume of the ' Auk ' for last year contains 

 over 840 pages, and it is impossible to review all the various 

 papers contained in it, and we can only mention some of 

 those of more general interest. 



It is rather remarkable that Mr. H. L. Clark, who writes 

 on anatomical matters, has selected for one of his papers a 

 somewhat similar subject to that of Mr. G. L. Bates in his 

 recent paper in 'The Ibis,' He has traced the correlation 

 of the number of major upper tail-coverts with the number 

 of rectrices, and finds a good deal of variation in this respect. 

 He has not found any allusion to the matter in literature, 

 and believes that the point is a new one and may throw 

 some light on phylogeny and classification. In all the 

 Passeres examined the two central rectrices lack their corre- 

 sponding coverts, which are therefore 10 in number, there 

 being of course 12 rectrices. In most of the Waders, 

 Hawks, and Woodpeckers the number of the coverts and 

 rectrices are the same, in the Owls and some other groups 

 the coverts are more numerous than the rectrices, while in 

 a Toucan (Ramphastos cuvieri) there are 20 to 22 coverts 

 to 10 rectrices. The whole subject is an interesting one, 

 and we hope Mr. Clark will continue his study of the 

 subject. Other anatomical papers by Mr. Clark deal with 

 the Cuban Trogon {Priotelus temnurus') and the now extinct 

 Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes mif/raturius), of which the 

 pterylosis is described. 



Mr. H. C. Oberholser has several papers on the taxonomy 

 of North American birds, in most cases pointing out fresh 

 reasons for the recognition of subspecies already proposed 

 by other authors and in some cases suggesting nomen- 

 clatural emendations. He draws attention to a curious 

 mistake of Messrs. Mathews and Iredale who stated that 

 Trinfja maculata of Vieillot was preoccupied by T. maculata 

 of Linuseus, whereas there is no T. maculata but only a 

 T. macularia of Linnseus. Mr. Oberholser points out 



