Recent Ornithological Publications. 109 
in the words of the preface, is “ a continuation of a systematic 
account of the vertebrate animals” observed by the different 
surveying parties, each of which was accompanied by competent 
collectors, and, “ as in the volume on Mammals, by the insertion 
of the comparatively few species not noticed by the expeditions, 
becomes an exposition of the present state of our knowledge of 
the birds of America north of Mexico.” The total number of 
species included as occurring within these limits is 721, being 
an increase of no less than 210 over the last list published 
by Audubon in 1844, which shows the energy which the 
Americans have lately devoted to the working out of their 
country’s fauna. Of each of these species the synonymy is 
given in a very complete way; the specific characters are clear, 
and yet concise; and, besides an indication of the general geo¬ 
graphical range, the precise locality of each individual specimen 
in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, where the zoo¬ 
logical collections made by the different surveying parties were 
deposited, and in most cases also its measurements, are recorded : 
so that, on the whole, the work must be pronounced to be 
very complete, and quite indispensable to any one who pays 
attention to the ornithology of the New World. 
The following Table gives the number of species included of 
the different orders, and may be taken as a fair general estimate 
of the Nearctic Avi-fauna:— 
Species 
identified. 
Species not 
identified. 
Total. 
Order I. Raptores . 
61 
._ 
61 
II. Scansores . 
35 
_ 
35 
III. Insessores. 
a. Strisores . 
17 
_ 
17 
b. Clamatores . 
30 
1 
31 
c. Oscines . 
2 76 
9 
285 
IV. Rasores. 
a. Columbse . 
11 
_ 
11 
b. Gallinse. 
21 
1 
22 
V. Grallatores. 
a. Herodiones . 
24 
_ 
24 
b. Grallae . 
58 
1 
59 
VI. Natatores. 
a. Anseres. 
48 
4 
52 
b. Gaviae . 
108 
16 
124 
Total . 
689 
32 
721 
