Recent Literature. 
T 75 
years, and have themselves visited different portions of the country for 
this purpose. Besides this they are able to avail themselves of collections 
received from correspondents and naturalists specially employed in visiting 
previously unexplored districts. In the elaboration of their work they 
have called to their aid many eminent specialists to whom have been as- 
signed all the Vertebrates except the birds, and all the other groups of 
animals except one division of the Lepidoptera, as well as the plants. The 
ornithological portion, which alone demands attention in the present 
connection, is by the editors, who long since became identified with the 
ornithology of the region in question. The installments of this portion 
of the work which have thus far appeared are as follows : Pp. 1-32, pll. 
i-iii. Sept., 1879; pp. 33-56, pi. iv, Nov. 1879; PP- 57 ~ 8 °> pi- v ? Feb., 1880; 
pp. 81-104, pll, vi, vii, Apr., 1880; pp. 105-128, pi. viii, Aug., 1880; pp. 
129-152, pll. ix, x, Febr., 1881. The arrangement is that of Sclater and 
Salvin’s “Nomenclator Avium Neotropicalium,” and in the treatment of 
the subject the authors have advanced as far as the genus Geotklypis. Of 
each species a short Latin description is given, and all the more important 
references to the literature are duly cited. The text otherwise relates 
mainly to the geographical distribution of the species, which is treated 
with great fullness, with, as occasion requires, remarks on their affinities and 
nomenclature. There are, however, here and there brief references to 
their habits. The ten plates thus far published contain figures of 25 hith- 
erto unfigured species. 
The wbrk very naturally embraces a large number of North American 
species, which occur either as winter migrants into Mexico and Central 
America or whose range extends southward beyond our borders ; of the 
130 species thus far treated just one-half pccur north of Mexico. The 
authors are, of course, rigidly orthodox in respect to nomenclature, 
adhering strictly to the binomial system, although in their text they speak 
of this or that binomially named form as a “race” of some other similarly 
designated form. To illustrate : all of our Thrushes of the Hylocichla group 
are treated as species, Turdus swainsoni, T. ustulatus , T. a lie ice, T. audu- 
boni, etc., all being accorded specific rank, while T. ustulatus is spoken 
of in the text as a “western race of T. swainsoni Sitta aculeata , Cer- 
thia mexicana , Thryothorus berlandieri , T. bairdi,* etc., are also recog- 
nized as species, while such forms as Catherpes mexicanus conspersus, Cis- 
tothorus palustris pdludicola, Dendrceca dominica albilora , etc., are wholly 
denied recognition. In short, the geographical varieties or races, now 
usually treated as subspecies by American writers and designated by a 
trinomial name, are, with few exceptions, raised to the full rank of species, 
while those not so recognized are ignored as not requiring special desig- 
nation. There is apparent, however, a misunderstanding on the part of our 
authors as to what American writers mean by a race, as is evident in 
comments at sundry points, as, e. g.. under Dendrceca dominica , where, 
speaking of Mr. Ridgway’s r ace albilora, they say: “The difference at 
* Thryothorus bairdi = Thryothorus bewicki var. leucogaster t Baird (nec Gould). 
