40 Recent Literature. (January, 
the rock-cut tombs, the tents, the camels, the Bedouins with their long 
guns, the lateen sails upon the river, and the mountains in the hazy 
distance. 
“T shall be pardoned if I next submit a brief companion picture of the 
prominent species to be met with in June at such a lake as the Faioum 
(Birket-el-Korn). First, the little long-tailed African cormorant goes 
by with straight, undeviating flight, like one who knows what place he 
wants to go to and is going there, leaving behind him the wanton terns, 
who have no object in life but lightly to sport over the water as they 
watch for their finny prey, assured that the warm sun will take care to 
incubate their eggs. In noisy conclave the buff-backed herons trim 
their nests, and the shyer squacco is uneasy at any disturbance the 
meaning of which he does not understand, while the cautious egret 
takes his stick away again, wisely jealous of revealing the whereabouts 
of his yet unfinished edifice. The Dalmatian pelican swims away with 
all sail set, or flaps and glides and flaps and glides over the water, his 
huge form mirrored on the surface, startling the basking fish, which 
hurry from the presence of their enemy. Marbled ducks in pairs rise 
from among the sedges ; agile grebes put their trust in diving; the tall 
reeds quiver as the green-backed porphyrio seeks their friendly shelter ; 
the reed warbler sounds a loud alarum. All fiy to the nearest cover 
and in those thick beds they find a secure haven.” 
Boucarpn’s CaraLoGuE or Brirps.'— This useful list gives the 
names and localities of all known living birds, numbering 11,030 species 
in 2456 genera, though in the author’s opinion “many of these genera 
and species must be eventually abolished.” The subgenera are placed 
as genera, and M. Boucard believes that it does harm to ornithological 
science “to multiply the genera and the subgenera, as it has been the 
practice to do lately.” The classification followed is a new one, begin- 
ning with the Struthiones, the lowest living forms, and ending with the 
humming-birds, which the author regards as the most recent and prob- 
ably the most perfectly organized birds. Four new “orders” are pro- 
posed, namely, Palamedee for Palamedea, Chauna, and Ischyornis ; 
Pterocles for the Pteroclide ; Phoenicopteri for Phaenicopterus ; and Tro- 
chili for the humming-birds. As a check-list for exchanges and arrang- 
ing museums we doubt not the book will be found to be very convenient. 
THe Wi_p FLOWERS or America.’ — It is a singular fact that many 
of our more common and beautiful wild flowers have never been figured, 
-— we are glad that in the present series an attempt is to be made 
Catalogus Avium hucusque Deseriptorum. Auctor Apotruus Boucarp. Lon- 
hie 1876. For sale at 35 Great Russell Street, London, W. C.; and by S. C. Cas- 
Salem, Mass. 
2 The Wild Flowers of America. Paien by Isaac Srracur. Text by 
Georce L. Goopare, M. D., Assistant Professor of bb nest Brig hag and 
Instructor in Botany in Harvard arar aeiia Part I. Boston: H. O. Houghton 
& Co. ; New York: Hurd and Houghton. 
