I04 



Rece?it Literature. [April 



already quoted. On page 318, in '■^Monticola cya?tus solttarin" is an ex- 

 ample of trinomial nomenclature pure and simple, but we fear only by 

 the accidental omission of the hyphen between the second and third 

 names. 



We are glad, however, to see even any progressive steps on the part of 

 our Eng^lish friends to meet the difficulties cast in their way by large series 

 of specimens from wide areas, but fear they do not as yet fully realize 

 their extent, or perceive the simplest and most logical way of giving "a 

 handle to their facts" by means of nomenclature. Wide-ranging species 

 will be found to present, in most cases at least, well-mai-ked local forms, 

 connected insensibly by forms less differentiated from the intermediate 

 areas, as soon as large series of specimens shall be brought together from 

 over a wide area — in other words, that many forms which have for a long 

 time passed current as species will be found to insensibly intergrade. In 

 view of this it seems best to let the earliest name applied to any form of a 

 given species stand for the whole group, and indicate such local races as 

 seem entitled to recognition in nomenclature by a third term. Species 

 would thus be distinguished by a binomial title and subspecies by a trino- 

 mial one, simply by dropping, hy common consent, and for the sake of 

 simplicity and conciseness, the understood connective, "subsp." or "var." 



By these remarks on the nomenclature of the volume we by no means 

 intend any serious disparagement of Mr. Seebohm's work, or to set our- 

 selves up as a lawgiver in such matters ; on the contrary we admire most 

 heartily his thorough treatment of the subject in hand and the philosophic 

 spirit in which he has approached his task. The general student of ornith- 

 ology, we are sure, cannot be too grateful for the .excellent monograph 

 he has placed at their service. 



In volume VI Mr. Sharpe treats of the " first portion of the large family 

 Timelitdce or Babbling Thrushes, a group which is largely represented in 

 the Old World, but contains only a few members in the American conti- 

 nents. Five subfamilies hav6 been described in the present volume, viz : 

 the Bulbuls, the Wrens, the Mocking Thrushes, the Solitaires, and the 

 Bower-birds. The total number of species enumerated is 407 ; and of 

 these the Museum possesses 315" (p. vi). In style of treatment the vol- 

 ume agrees closely ■with the first four volumes of the series by the same 

 author;. The Bulbuls (subfamily Brac/iypoditicB), all Old World types, 

 number 175 species, arranged in 27 genera, the largest genus, Pycnonotus, 

 including 36 species. The subfamily TroglodytincB next follows, and 

 contains 18 genera and 155 species, 113 of which are American. Tkryo- 

 thorus has 32 species, Tkryophilus 17, and Campylorhyiichus 22. Of true 

 Wrens only one genus, Anorthura, is common to both the Old and the 

 New World. The Dippers (genus Chiclus), however, are associated with 

 the Wrens £ls the last genus of the subfamily. The New World subfamilj' 

 Mimince, or Mocking Thrushes, numbers 12 genera and 47 species. The 

 small American subfamily MyiddectmcE^ or Solitaires, numbers 3 genera 

 and 14 species. The small subfamily Ptilo7iorhynchi}tce (Bower-birds) 

 contains 6 genera and 15 specids, confined to Australia and the Papuan 

 group of islands. 



