iS,s,(.| Jiecciit J^itcrdturv. ■^"5 



of AiitliKH rcrx'/'/i/is iVom Lower Calitbniiu, and gives its syiioiijiTiy aiui 

 characters. He also has a 'Note on Merula coi/Jinh (Baird),'* recording 

 and describing two specimens taken by Mr. Beiding at Laguna, Lower 

 California, the species having hitherto I'ested on the original type specimen 

 olitained 1)\' Xantus in iS6o. These specimens show "not only quite con- 

 stant l)iit very pronounced" characters, so that there is now no reason 

 " for tlenying it the specific rank to which it is clearly entitled." — J. A. A. 



Cory's Birds of Haiti and San Domingo. f — Part I of Mr. Cor3''s work 

 on the birds of Haiti and San Domingo appeared early in March, and con- 

 sists of five colored plates and 40 quarto pages of text. Beginning with 

 Turdidffi, 37 species are treated, carrying the work into the Tanagridie, 

 and including three of Mr. Cory's recently described species, namely, 

 Ligca falustris^X Hinn/do sclatert, and Myiadestes montanua. Each of 

 these species is figured, as are also Miniocichla ardesciaca and Sfindcilis 

 muliicolof. A plate is also devoted to the nest and eggs of Miniocichla 

 ardesciaca. Each species is fully described, and to the descriptions are 

 added in some cases measurements of a considerable series of specimens. 

 The synonymy and bibliographical references are reasonably full ; the 

 manner of occurrence of each species in the region under consideration is 

 recounted, and some account is given of the breeding habits, nests and eggs 

 of several of the resident species. The biographical notes are, however, 

 fewer than we had hoped to see them. The plates are excellent as regards 

 coloration and structural details, but are somewhat stiff" and lacking in 

 artistic finish. We also notice a few typographical errors in the technical 

 names. The work, however, promises to be a very important contribution 

 to our knowledge of the birds of a hitherto very imperfectly known 

 region. Mr. Cory is certainly entitled to great credit for his enterprise in 

 gathering the 'materials for his work and presenting them so acceptably. — 

 J. A. A. 



Minor Ornithological Publications. — 'Forest and Stream,' Vols. XX and 

 XXI, March 15-Jan. 23, 1SS4, contain, besides the greater part of Mr. 

 Everett Smith's 'Birds of Maine' (see Bull. N. O. Club, VHI, pp. 164-166), 

 the following (Nos. 609-66S) : — 



609. The Carrion Cro-v. {Cathartes atratus.) By Byrne. Forest 

 and Stream, XX, No. 3, p. 45. — Account of its habits as observed at 

 Crockett's Bluff", Ark. 



610. The Hor7ied Lark. By Rev. J. H. Langille. Ibid., No. 4. pp. 

 66, 67. — Its habits and abundance in Western New York. 



* Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1883, p. 158. 



t The Birds of Haiti and San Domingo, by Cliarles B. Cory, F. L. S. Published for 

 the Author by Estes and Lauriat, Boston, U. S. A. Part I [March] 1884, 4to. pp. 17- 

 56, pU. 6. 



J The plate of Ligca palustris appeared in advance of the work in tlie first number 

 of 'The Auk,' to which Mr. Cory generously contributed it in illustration of his original 

 description of the species. 



