^"iS^^l Recent Literature. ^39 



species of Raft-breasted birds are neaiiy as great as between any of the 

 Ratitiv and Carinatre." He summarizes the views of leading modern 

 authorities on the relationships of the various extinct types of formerly 

 supposed Ratite forms, and adds: "Strong enough arguments, we think, 

 have been put forward to show that the theory of a common origin of 

 the Ratita; is untenable, and hence no single hypothesis of distribution 

 is able to account for the facts of their distribution. We cannot imagine 

 a race of Ostriches sprung from Hesferorriis or anything of like nature in 

 the Cretaceous, spreading over the whole earth in the Tertiary, and then 

 as decay set in, leaving its fragments scattered in remote corners of the 

 globe To seek the nearest Carinate affinities for the different sec- 

 tions separately; to develop the paljeontological history of each more 

 fully: and to inquire into the physical and biological conditions Avhich 

 led to their insulation, perpetuation, and differentiation in various 

 provinces, — these are only a few of the points that invite an extended 

 investigation." His review of the matter in the pages which follow is a 

 suggestive and important contribution to the literature of the subject. 

 -J. A. A. 



Bangs on Birds from Colombia. — Mr. Bangs has recently published 

 two papers' on birds received from Colombia, from his collector, Mr. 

 W. W. Brown, Jr. The first relates to a collection of nearly 700 speci- 

 mens gathered during the two months from the middle of December, 

 1S97, to the middle of February, 1S9S, within fifteen miles of Santa 

 Marta, at elevations ranging from 500 to nearly 6000 feet. The number of 

 species and subspecies reported upon in this paper is 126, of which 10 

 are described as new, as follows : Galbiila riificauda pallefis, Melanerfcs 

 -vagleri saiictcE-martte, Dendrocincla olivacea anguiiia., Sycalis brorvni', 

 Cyanocomp^a coticreia sanctce-inarice, Arreiuonops conirostris canens, 

 Piranga faceia, Cyclar/iis fia-oipectus canticus, Dacnis napfea, Mernla 

 incompta . 



The second paper relates to a later sending, by the same collector, of 

 birds taken '' at the little village of Pueblo Viejo, in the high Sierra 

 Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia," at about 8000 feet altitude. This 

 collection numbers 38 species, of which 4 are described as new, nameJv : 

 Elccnia bro7v>u\ Aiitomolus rufipecius, Buarremoii basiltcics, Thryothorus 

 livtus.—]. A. A. 



Nelson on New Birds from Mexico. — Further results of Mr. E. W. 

 Nelson's ornithological work in Mexico have recently appeared. His 



' On Some Birds from Santa Marta, Colombia. By Outram Bangs. Proc. 



Biol. Soc. of Washmgton, Vol. XII, pp. 131-144, June 3. 1S98. 



On Some Birds from Pueblo Viejo, Colombia. By Outram Bangs. Ibid., 

 pp. 157-160. Aug. 10, 1S98. 



