
270 Recently published Ornithological Works. 
Chlamydodera, near to which I think that X. aureus must 
find its place. | 
Also Signor Beccari, in his “ Lettera Ornitologica”’? re- 
cently published*, remarks that X. aureus, or Sericulus aureus 
(as he calls it), has not the habits of the true Birds of Para- 
dise. Who knows if, before long, we shall not hear of its 
building some kind of bower, like the true Bower-birds ? 
As regards the systematic position of X. aureus, I wish 
to point out that while Mr. Elliot has very nearly approached 
the truth by placing Sericulus xanthogaster with the Chla- 
mydodere, Prof. Schlegel seems to have better seen another 
side of the question, placing his S. xanthogaster in the same 
genus with Sericulus aureus. 
In conclusion, [ think we have good reasons to believe :— 
lst, that the bird called Sericulus xanthogaster, Schleg., is 
the young of Xanthomelus aureus; 2nd, that X. aureus does 
not belong to the true Paradiseine, but to the less typical 
group of the Paradiseidee, which Mr. Elliot has called Tetro- 
narchine, and others call Ptilorhynchine. It seems also 
that Prof. Sundevall is of the same opinion, as in the last- 
named group he includes the genus Sericulus, in which, I 
suppose, he comprises Xanthomelus aureus. 
Turin, March 18th, 1876. 

XXV.—Notices of recently published Ornithological Works. 
Since the discontinuance of the “Index of Ornithological 
Literature,” begun in 1871 and continued for three years, 
we have confined our notices of books to a great extent to 
special ornithological works, to the exclusion of papers pub- 
lished in current periodicals. We can fairly make an ex- 
ception to this rule in the case of the extra number of the 
‘Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,’ published in 
August last, and which contains a “ Catalogue of the Mam- 
mals and Birds of Burma” by the late E. Blyth. 
* Ann. Mus. Civ. di Stor. Nat. di Gen. vii. p. 709 (1875). 
+ Journ, As. Soc. Beng. Part Il. Extra Number, August 1875. “ Oata- 


