Recent Literature. Ill 



appear to now occupy (juite generally the forests suited to their hahits 

 ■within thirty to forty miles of Taymouth, eastward and southward, but to 

 be less evenly dispersed over a similar radius in other directions. 



Mr. Harvie-Brown treats the general subject of the Capercaillie in 

 Scotland exhaustively. Beginning with such pre-historic evidence as is 

 afforded by the bone-caves and kitchen-middens, he finds no indication of 

 the existence of its remains in those of Scotland, among which latter 

 birds' bones of any kind are of rare occurrence. He then presents its 

 history prior to extinction, followed by that of its restoration, and a de- 

 tailed account of its increase and extension, illustrated by a map. He 

 later discusses the influences which govern its increase, its relation to 

 the decrease of Black Game, its damage to forests and grain, etc. Of 

 special interest also are his chapters on the derivation, significance, and 

 proper orthography of the word Capercaillie. In short, every point of the 

 subject is elaborated with the utmost thoroughness, the work forming a 

 model of its class. — J. A. A. 



Sennett's further Notes on the Birds of the Lower Rio 

 Grande of Texas* — The report of Mr. Sennett's three months' work 

 (in April, May, and June) in 1878, near Hidalgo, Texas, adds greatly to 

 our knowledge of the life-histories of many species of which we previously 

 knew very little. The species new to our fauna, detected by Mr. Sennett 

 on his second visit to this region, were first announced in July, 1878 (see 

 "The Country" of July 13, 1878, p. 184), and observations relating to the 

 nesting of some of the species appeared nearly a year since in " Science 

 News" (cf. this Bulletin, Vol. V, p. 45); but these earlier preliminary 

 notices detract little from the interest of the present paper, every pao-e of 

 which adds valuable information to our knowledge of the birds of this 

 recently almost ornithologically unknown region. In addition to the notes 

 on the habits of the birds observed, which in the case of the less known 

 species amount in some instances to full biographies, the author presents 

 us with extended tables of measurements, gives detailed descriptions of 

 nests and eggs, and occasionally discusses points of relationship and 

 nomenclature. Ur. Coues adds the full synonymy and descriptions of the 

 species newly added by Mr. Sennett to our fauna (for a list of these 

 additions, see anted, pp. 89, 90, /jassm), with critical remarks and biblio- 

 graphical references to a few others. The " Notes " relate to 168 species, 

 and altogether form one of the most valuable of the many recent contribu- 

 tions to local ornithology. — J. A. A. 



* Further Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Rio Grande of Texas, from 

 Observations made during the Spring of 1878. By George B. Sennett. Edited, 

 with Annotations, by Dr. Elliott Coues, U. S. A. Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geogr. 

 Survey of the Territories, Vol. V, No. 3, pp. 371-440, November 30, 1879. 



