9 8 



Stearns, Winfrid A., and Coues, Elliott. — New England Bird Life : 

 being a Manual of New England Ornithology. Revised and edited 

 from the manuscript of Winfrid A. Stearns, Member of the Nut- 

 tall Ornithological Club, etc. By Elliott Coues, Member of the 

 Academy, etc. Part II. Non-oscine Passeres, Birds of Prey, 

 Game and Water Birds. Boston : Lee & Shepard, Publishers. 

 New York: Charles T. Dillingham. 1883. 8vo., pp. 409; 88 

 woodcuts. 



Dr. Coues has gone bravely ou with the task of " editing" Mr. 



Stearns's manuscript, and the finished work, now complete in two 

 volumes, is the gratifying result. Much that we said. . . of Part I. will 

 apply equally to Fart II. . . .But among the Water Birds there are rather 

 frequent evidences of hasty, and often positively iiieoirect conclusions 

 . . . .New England Bird Life. . . .is, on the whole a wisely-conceived and 

 admirably-executed book — by far the best, in fact, which has been so far 

 published on New England birds.... — W. B., Bull. Null. Ornith. Club, 

 Vol. VIII., p. 161-164, July, 1883. 



Stejneger, Leonhard. — Synopsis of the West Indian Myiadestes. 

 ByLeonhard Stejneger. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. V., 1883, 

 pp. 15-27, pi. ii. Author's separates issued June 5, 1882. 



Eight species are recognized, two of which (M. sancicelucice, M. 

 dominicanus) are described as new. —J. A. A., Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, 

 Vol. VIII., p. 170, July, 1883. 



Stejneger, Leonhard. — On some generic and specific appellations of 



North American Birds. By Leonhard Stejneger. Proc. U. S. 



Nat. Mus., Vol. V., 1883, pp. 28-43. Author's separates issued 



June 5, 1882. 



Proposing to use "the oldest available name in every case" the 

 author shows that many of our current names must give way if the 

 "inflexible law of priority" is to be observed. For ourselves we be- 

 lieve that the surest way out of the nomenclatural difficulties that beset 

 us is to be found in some such simple rule as this. . . .Still such a paper 

 as this makes us wish... that some counteractive "statute of limi- 

 tation" could come into operation . . . Stejneger's points seem to be well 

 taken in the main; and. . . .we presume the restrictions and substitu- 

 tions he proposes are avarlable if not indeed necessary under the 



priority statute E. C, .Ball. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. VII., pp. 178, 179, 



July, 1882. 



Stejneger, Leonhard. — Outlines of a Monograph of the Cygninse. 

 By Leonhard Stejneger. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.. Vol. V., 1883, 

 pp. 174-221, figg. 16. Author's separates issued July 25, 1882. 



The external and osteological characters are given in detail, with 

 diagnoses of the genera and species. . . .the author recognizes four gen- 

 era of Swans, namely Sthenelus (gen. nov. ), Cygnus, Olor, and Chenopsis. 

 The two North American species are assigned to Olor. — J. A. A., Bull. 

 Null Ornith. Club, Vol. VIII., p. 231, October, 1883. 



