2o8 Recent Literature. \ t^^\ 



here ' his belief that Cactornis is generically separable from Geospiza, con- 

 trary to the view of Mr. Ridgwaj, and claims that " the Cactornis propin- 

 qua Ridgway from Tower Island in the north and Geospiza co?iirostris 

 Ridgway from Hood Island in the south of the Archipelago have no 

 relationship whatever." He believes that " all the plastic genera, which 

 are represented only hy a single species on each island, as Nesotnimus, 

 Certhidia, Pyrocephalus and Cactornis, show peculiar species on nearly 

 CA'ery island," while there are genera, " like Geospiza and Cactornis, which 

 have more than one species on one island, — two or three, perhaps four." 

 In explanation of this he says we " simply have to imagine that alread}', 

 before the splitting up of the Galapagos land area into distinct islands, 

 there existed at least three species of Geospiza and Cajnarhynckiis, each of 

 which became differeniiated on the different islands. This shows at once 

 that we can not arrange these species in one series, [as done by Mr. 

 Ridgway] but in three parallel series," etc. 



Dr. Baur makes a few remarks about the birds from Charles, Hood, 

 Barrington, and South Albemarle Islands, and explains that the disappear- 

 ance of the box of specimens at Guayaquil was not so serious a loss as 

 supposed, only three species being lost instead of the much larger num- 

 ber stated by Mr. Ridgway. Of the others alcoholic specimens were 

 preserved. Dr. Baur also makes some additions to the lists of species 

 given hy Mr. Ridgway from some of the islands. — J. A. A. 



Bulletin of the B. O. C— No. XLIX of this periodical, Dec. 29, 1897, 

 contains among other novelties Phaeton americanus sp. n., the North 

 American bird being distinguished from P. Jlavirostris by having the 

 black on outer web of ist primary extending within 0.50 of the end, that 

 on 2d and 4th primaries reaching almost to the tip, the whole outer web 

 of the 3d black, and the bill entirely black, except above the nasal open- 

 ing.— E. C. 



Publications Received. — Blasius, Rud. Die deutschen Grasmiicken 

 (Sylviinse). (Jahresb. des Ver. fur Naturwiss. zu Braunsweig, XI, 1897, 

 pp. 22-25.) 



Bocage, J. V. Barboza du. Jose D'Anchieta. (Jorn. de Sci. Math., 

 Phys. e Nat., XVIII. 1S97, pp. 126-132.) 



Clark, W. Eagle. (1) On Some Birds from the Island of Negros, 

 Philippines. Part III. (Ibis, Jan., 1898, pp. 1 19-124). (2) On Hybrids 

 between the Capercaille and the Pheasant. (Ann. Scottish Nat. Hist., 

 Jan., 1 898, pp. 17-21.) 



^ Birds of the Galapagos Archipelago : a Criticism of Mr. Robert Ridgway's 

 Paper. By G. Baur, University of Chicago. Amer. Naturalist, Vol. XXXI, 

 Sept., 1S97, pp: 777-7H- 



