1896.] Recent Literature. 1031 
The primary divisions of the Ophidia (or Serpentes as they should 
be called) adopted, are nine families, which have very different values. 
These can be associated in superfamilies of approximately equal value, 
but this Dr. Boulenger has not done, but has contented himself with 
giving an analytical table (pp. 1-2), where some of the characters of 
these superfamilies are pointed out, in the dichotomous order, which 
does not express relative value. Many groups usually regarded as 
families are not recognized, as for instance the Najidæ and Dipsadide, 
which are included in the Colubridw. In a phylogenetic table the 
interesting suggestion is made that the Solenoglyphous snakes are 
derived from the Opisthoglyphous, and not from the Proteroglyphous. 
In seeking for generic characters the dentition has been closely 
examined. The value of dental characters has been thoroughly tested, 
and the result is valuable to the student, although we do not always 
agree with the use made of the information in the Catalogue. The 
author does not adopt the characters used by Duméril and Bibron in 
many instances, for good reasons, but he introduces others of bis own 
which are no better, as the numbers and in some cases the relative 
lengths of the teeth. , In practice it is often impossible to determine 
whether teeth are of equal length or a little longer at one or the other 
end of the jaw; nor is the number of the teeth in the jaws precisely 
definitive of anything but species, as can be readily seen from the 
results recorded in the present work. The division or union of the 
anal plate and urosteges, is generally rejected as a character, although 
its value is testified to by the uniform use made of it by ophiologists. 
In fact the generic definitions are based on no uniform principle, and 
_the author seems to have been possessed at times with the idea that 
it were an especial merit to differ as much as possible from his prede- 
cessors. 
One result of the study of this work will be to prove to ophiologists 
that it is desirable to become acquainted with new characters of definitive 
value before we can have the true system of the snakes. An important 
_ addition to our knowledge in this direction, i. e. of the characters of the 
hemipenis and of the sl came too late to be incorporated in the pre- 
sent work.—E. D. Cor 
Nuttall’s Handbook of Birds.'—A new edition, with important 
additions, and a series of more than one hundred colored illustrations. 
14 Popular Handbook of the Ornithology of Eastern North Ameri 
Thomas Nuttall. Rev atch and annotated by Montague Chamberlain. Va. aT, 
` Land Birds. ol. II Game and Water Bir n ition, with correc 
and additions Illustrated with one dated and seventy-two figures, two sabia 
