1919-] Recently puhl'isJied OrnitJiolog'ical Works. 541 



of these deals with the identification of a New Caledonian 

 bird, named by Verreaux and Des Murs Egretta breviceps 

 in 1862. M. Brasil has traced what he believes must have 

 been the type in the Museum at Paris, and tliis bird is 

 undoubtedly Demteyretta sacra in the white phase, or fol- 

 lowing the views of Mr. G. M. Mathews and regarding it 

 as a distinct form in consequence of its larger dimensions, 

 it must stand as Demiegretta greyi breviceps. 



The second note deals with the Pacific Petrel, Pterodroma 

 rostrata Peale, the type of which was obtained at Tahiti by 

 the Wilkes Expedition in 1838-1-2. M. Brasil gives reasons 

 for regarding the form found in the western Pacific, espe- 

 cially in New Caledonia, as subspecifically distinct chiefly 

 on account of its larger size, and he proposes to name it 

 Pterodroma rostrata trouessarti. 



A third note contains a description of two proposed new 

 subspecies of Rails from New Caledonia, PolioUmaas cinereus 

 ingrami and Porzana tabuensis caledonica. Text-figures of 

 the heads of the Feti-els and the Poliolimnas assist materially 

 to show the distinctions of the newly described forms. 



(Uiuhb on tha Dendroco]aptid<2 . 



[Notes on the Family Dendrocolaptidae, with suggestions for its 

 division. By Charles Chubb. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (9) iii. 191 i), 

 pp. 273-275.] 



Mr. Chubb proposes to divide the large South American 

 family of Wood-Hewers, Dendrocolaptidae, into four, 

 namely : — 



FurnariifUe to include the ground-living birds. 

 Synallaxidae for the soft-tailed bush-haunting birds. 

 Xenopidae for the genera Xenops and Pygorrhicus, in- 

 termediate between the last-named and the next 

 following. 

 Dendrocolaptidtc for the spine-tailed, tree-climbing 

 birds. 

 The genera of each family are enumerated, and attention 

 should be drawn to the point that these divisions and limits 

 do not correspond with those of Ridgway. 



o V '> 



