1SS4.] Recent Lilrratiirr. 279 



II, Bradjpteri, with 19 genera and 47 species; III, Eremomelic, with 11 

 genera and 46 species; IV, Cisticola;, with 14 genera and about 93 

 species ; V, Chamajie, with tlie single species, Chatncea fasciata of Western 

 North America; VI, Henicuri, with 3 genera and 11 species; VII, Cratero- 

 podes, with 39 genera and 192 species; VIII, Timeiia;, with 34 genera 

 and 96 species; IX, Liotrichcs, with 17 genera and 56 species; and X, 

 Accentores, witii 2 genera and 16 species. 



The 'family' Timeliida; has been often characterized as the ornithologi- 

 cal -waste-basket' — the receptacle of numerous Passeriform birds whose 

 obscure relationships prevent their satisfactory i-eference to other well- 

 marked family groups, and which lack among themselves any great degree 

 of coherence, or afford as a whole any satisfactorily diagnostic characters. 

 Neither does the group, says Mr. Sharpe, in the present state of our knowl- 

 edge of the species hitherto 'referred or allied to the typical Timeliidas,' 

 appear to be susceptible of division into 'well-defined or definable sub-fam- 

 ilies.' "Hence," he adds, "the views on their systematic arrangement are 

 of necessity subject to frequent changes; and my own, with those of the 

 author of the fifth volume of the present 'Catalogue' [Mr. Seebohm], have 

 consequently undergone considerable modification since the commence- 

 ment of the printing of the previous volume. I have been obliged to de- 

 part from the scheme of classification there proposed ; and I have found 

 besides, after a more lengthened study of these birds, that the family, as 

 at present constituted, contains many forms which are not real Timelii- 

 dcE." With this admission before us it would be ungracious to dwell up- 

 on the heterogeneity of the group, till we are able to offer some better 

 scheme of arrangement. While many ornithologists may not agree with 

 the author in his allocation of certain forms, none, we fancy, can feel 

 otherwise than deeply grateful to him for the very useful monograph he 

 has placed at their disposal. 



Volume VIII treats of groups having a much wider geographical range 

 than the 'Timeliidse,' and embrace many American species. Before, how- 

 ever, passing to details, we will venture a few criticisms upon the charac- 

 ter of the woi-k in general, mainly apropos of the present volume, but 

 equallj- applicable in many respects to all the volumes of the series. 

 While recognizing that brevity of treatment is a necessity of the case in 

 such a series of hand-books, it is to be regretted that in many cases the 

 reader is left in the dark as to the reasons that have lead the authors to 

 the conclusions they have adopted, even in cases where a very few 

 additional lines would have been suflficient to set forth the much desired 

 information. We have already adverted on other occasions, in reviewing 

 volumes of this series, to the absence of generic diagnoses, and of com- 

 parisons of allied forms, beyond, in most cases, what may be drawn from 

 the 'keys' to the genera and species. These, while proper enough in their 

 way, and a great convenience — indeed indispensible as the work is con- 

 structed — fail by a longdistance to supply these deficiencies. Again — 

 and also as we have previously remarked — it is difficult to see what rule, 

 if any, is adopted in distinguishing species from subspecies, or subspecies 



