THE OSPREY. 33 



isthmus of Panama to the Arctic regions, including all its islands, together 

 with Greenland, the Galapagos Archipelago, the West Indies and all other 

 islands of the Carribbean Sea, leaving out Tobago and Trinidad. 



The introductory portion of the present volutne treats chiefly of the clas- 

 sification adopted for the whole work, which in the main follows that of Dr. 

 Gadow, with such changes as, in Mr. Ridgway's opinion, are desirable. The 

 class Ares is divided into two subclasses — Saururae and Ornithurae; and a 

 key to the 19 orders of the latter is given. 



Owing to the unsatisfactory arrangement of the collection of the National 

 Museum, it was unfortunately necessary to begin systematic treatment with 

 the highest instead of the lowest group; and consequently the order Passeri- 

 formes is the first to receive attention. It is here divided into two suborders 

 — DesmodacfyU and EleuthcrodactyU, of which the former is extralimital, 

 and the latter apportioned among three superfamilies — C'la7natores, Pseudos- 

 cines and Oscmes. 



In the arrangement of the Oscines which present still the great problem 

 of classification several changes are made. They are divided into two 

 groups: the first, which includes the Alaudidae, is called here for the first 

 time Latiplanter Oscines; the other, which comprises all the rest, Acutiplantar 

 Oscines. Several family divisions are adopted in addition to those currently em- 

 ployed i. c. : Catamblyrhynchidae, Ptiliogonatidae, Dulidae, Sittidae, Chamaei- 

 dae and Mimidae; most of them, however, raised from subfamily rank. The 

 much abused genus Polioptila is removed from the Sylviidae, to find a tem- 

 porary resting place in the Mimidae; and Rhodhiocichhi is with reason trans- 

 ferred to the Mniotiltidae. A key to the American families of Oscines presents 

 in graphic form their principal characteristics. No one more than Mr. Ridgway 

 appreciates the difiiculties surrounding the classification of this great group, and 

 while his arrangement is probably quite the best that our present knowledge 

 permits, yet he is undoubtedly right in suggesting that no wholly satisfactory 

 arrangement can be hoped for until the anatomy of the various forms has been 

 far more carefully and extensively investigated. 



As the highest of the Oscine series, the Fringillidae are, in reverse order, 

 the first to be treated, and fill the entire present volume except the introduc- 

 tory pages. Three hundred and eighty-nine forms are recognized, distributed 

 among sixty-nine genera, introduced species as well as those indigenous being 

 treated in their proper places. While leaving in abeyance the perplexing 

 question of the satisfactory discrimination of the families Tanagridae and 

 Fringillidae, the genera Pyrrhocoma, Peznpetes, Buarremon, Arremon, Diu- 

 copis, Connthranj}is, Oreothravpis (?), Saltator aud Pifylus are transferred to 

 the latter. Abandoning the attempt to divide the Fringillidae into subfamilies, 

 Mr. Ridgway, in lieu of this, proposes for the American genera of the present 



