550 Recently published Ornithological Works. 
80. Hartert on the Trocliilidae. 
[Das Tierreich. 9. Lieferung, Aves. Trochilidae, bearbeitet v. Ernst 
Hartert. Berlin : B, Friedliinder u. Sohn, 1900. 254 pp.] 
In this closely but very clearly printed brochure of 254 
pages Mr. Hartert has managed to compress a complete 
synopsis of his favourite group of Humming-birds, on the 
preparation of which, as all our friends know, he has been 
long and busily engaged. There can be no doubt about the 
value and the convenience of this new handbook of a much 
studied and most attractive group of birds, and we heartily 
congratulate our fellow-worker in Ornithology at having 
brought it to so early and so successful a conclusion. The 
author allows but one family of Humming-birds, which he 
does not even consider divisible into subfamilies, so great 
is the general conformity in structure of all the members of 
this well-defined group. This family, however, he divides 
into 118 genera and 475 '* certain” species (besides 33 
“ uncertain ” species) and 130 subspecies. Salvin, the last 
monographer, allowed 482 species and no " subspecies.^ 
Mr. Hartert, we know, is a severe adherent of ‘'priority” and 
has a right to his own views, but we cannot think he will be 
followed in hunting-up again such generic names as “Colibri,” 
“ Ocreatus” “Popelairea,” and others, which have been 
rejected for excellent reasons. It would have been better to 
have adopted Salvin’s lead in such vexed questions, which, 
after all, depend upon individual opinion. On the whole, 
however, we have here an excellent piece of work, which 
could have only been carried out by indefatigable exertions 
aided by an intense love of the subject. We wish it had 
been written in Latin (or English) instead of German, but 
that, we suppose, would not have suited the Editor of ‘ Das 
Tierreich. 5 
81. Hartert on the Birds of Ruk } Carolines. 
[The Birds of Ruk, in the Central Carolines. By Ernst Hartert. 
Nov. Zool. vii. p. 1.] 
Hombron and Jacquinot, during the voyage of the 'Astro- 
