v 



Recent Literature. [Ju'y 



183. Vanellus cayennensis {Gm.). Tero-tero (their 

 common note). — A beautiful bird, but too well known to need 

 any description. Noisy, quarrelsome, always alert and suspicious, 

 it is the bane of all water-fowl shooting in the marshes, and being 

 itself unfit for the table the sportsman could doubly afford to 

 spare its presence. 



It nests at Concepcion often before the middle of August, 

 though eggs may sometimes be found as late as December i. 

 The eggs are three or four in number, light buff", heavily spotted 

 with deep brown and black, and resemble very closely the eggs 

 of the European Lapwing, and, like these latter, are much sought 

 for as delicacies for the table. We found this species abundant 

 on the pampas in most places, but saw none at Carhu6 during 

 our stay of ten days there. 



( 7o be concluded.) ^, , ■, 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



The British Museum Catalogue of Birds. — Two volumes* of this great 

 work have appeared during the last year — Volume VII, by Mr. Sharpe, 

 concluding the family TimeliidiE, and Volume VIII, by Dr. Gadow, treat- 

 ing of the Titmice, Shrikes, Tree-Creepers, and Nuthatches. 



"The familj' TimeliidcE, an account of which was commenced in the 

 preceding volume [Vol. VI], is here [Vol. VII] completed, with the enu- 

 meration and description of 6S7 species. Of these no less than 548 

 are contained in the collection of the British Museum. . . . Out of 

 163 genera described in the present volume only 14 are unrepresented 

 in the British Museum." The species of this group are all, except 

 one, inhabitants of the Old World, throughout which they are very 

 generally distributed. They are subdivided into the following ten 

 'Groups,' namely, i, Thamnobise, with 24 genera and about 90 species ; 



* Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Volume VII. Catalogue of the 

 Passeriformes, or Perching Birds. CichlomorphEe : Part IV, containing the conclud- 

 ing portion of the Family Timeliidse (Babbling Thrushes). By R. Bowlder Sharpe. 

 London : Printed by order of the Trustees. 1883. Bvo, pp. i-xvi, 1-698, pll. i-xv, and 

 numerous woodcuts in the text. 



Volume VIII. Catalogue of the Passeriformes, or Perching Birds. Cichlomorphje : 

 containing the Families Paridas and Laniidae (Titmice and Shrikes), and Certhio- 

 morphse (Creepers and Nuthatches). By Hans Gadow, Ph.D. London: Printed by 

 order of the Trustees. 1883. Bvo. pp. i-xiii, 1-386, pll. i-ix, and woodcuts in the text. 



