No. 490] NOTES AND LITERATURE 



673 



matic work ever undertaken relating to American ornithology. The 

 original estimate for the work was a series of eight volumes, in octavo, 

 of about 1000 pages each. Its official designation is "Bulletin of the 

 United States National Museum, No. 50." The first volume appeared 

 near the close of the year 1901, and included the single family Fringil- 

 lidae; the second was published in 1902, and covers the four families 

 Tanagridae, Tcteridac, Coerebidae, and Mniotiltidae; the third bears 

 date 1901, and includes ] of the remaining families of oscinine 



the rtMii.iiiiiiiu' six families oi the Oscines and the first four families 

 of i1h' McM.nnudi. TIh-m- r.niilies are: Turdidae, Zeledoniidae, 

 Miniidae, Sturnidiie, rioceidae, Alaudidae of the Oscines; Oxyrun- 

 cidae, Tyrannidae, Pipridae, Cotingidae, of the Mesomyodi. Tlicsi' 

 four volumes include "1675 species and subspecies, or sdinew luii 

 more than half the total number of North and Middle American birds," 

 or those found north of the Isthmus of Panama, Avhich forms aj)pr().\i- 

 raately the southern boundary of the area treated. The preparation 

 of Part V is well advanced. 



of work is again being quite generally taken up. Po.ssihly a reus 



