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 190 THE CONDOR Vol. XVI gathers comparatively few specimens, and these frequently most indifferently pre- pared With 1165 skins, however, the com- bined series of many public and private col- lections, the author appears to have had the subject matter sufficient to cover most of the points involved, though it is easy to ap- preciate his statement that the elucidation of the group "involved the expenditure of an incredible amount of time and labor". Some of the most Important of the conclu- sions reached by Mr. Oberholser are as fol- lows. A new family, Chordeilidae, is erect- ed, with Chordeiles as the type genus, and in- cluding also the genera Nannochorceiles, Nyctiprogne, Lurocalis, and Pogager, the last four being all from outside the limits of the Check-List. The three species of Chor- geiles are treated in minutest detail, virgin- ianus with nine subspecies, acutipennis with five, and rupestris with three. One new sub- species of Chorgeiles virginianus is describ- ed, C. v. howelli, from the central United States, breeding north to Wyoning, south to dentral Texas. C.v. aserriensis Cherrie, based on winter birds from Central Amer- ica, is revived and considered applicable to the form breeding in southern Texas and ex- treme northeastern Mexico. Of Chorceiles acutipennis a new subspecies, C. a. micro- meris, is described from Central America, and another, C. a. inferior, from Lower Cal- ifornia. Chorgeiles rupestris, confined to South America, is, from the paucity of ma- terial, necessarily passed over in a some- what cursory manner, compared with the treatment accorded the others, but one new subspecies is described here also, C. r. za- leucus, from Peru. In the introductory pages of the work there are some important discussions rela- tive to branches of the Caprimulgi other than Chorgeiles. The genus Antrostomus is divided, only one species, carolinensis, being left in Antrostomus, while a new gen- us, Stochalcis, is described, with Caprimul- gus vociferus Wilson as type, and inclusive of certain other species heretofore referred to Antrostomus, mostly Middle and South American in their distribution. Mr. Ober- holser considers Antrostomus vociferus ari- zonae Brewster to be a recognizable form, and distinct from A. v. macromystax, under which it is synonymized by the A. O. U. Com- mittee. Altogether it seems evident that this study is one of the most important contributions thus far made to the literature of Ameri- can Caprimulgi. There will probably be dif- ferences of opinion as to the need of sep- arately naming certain of the forms here recognized, but this is not a feature to de- tract from the value of such a work. The trained specialist, laboring on some special group, and poring for weeks or months in painstaking study over large series of spe- cimens, will certainly see things that the more casual observer can not be expected to appreciate, and it will doubtless always be impossible to bring everyone in accord in such matters. The conclusions of a stu- dent such as Mr. Oberholser, reached after most careful consideration of ample mate- rial, are deserving of the utmost respect; and doubtless the majority of ornithologists will be quite content to accept his decisions, at least until some future worker with greater opportunities arises to revise the subject further. On the other hand, it is possible to see how it may not be expedient to admit in such a manual as the A. O. U. Check-List all of the finely differentiated geographical races, based on average differ- ences, which the specialist feels obliged to describe, such action not necessarily im- plying disbelief in the statements of the latter. In other words, the student, in or- der to properly elucidate his problem, may feel obliged to attach a name to a race which, as far as concerns the ordinary user of an average manual of the subject, had best be omitted from such a catalogue. To the present reviewer the work under consideration appears to be most excellent in every way. It is well conceived and care- fully executed to the smallest detail; the subject matter is divided and set off in such a way as to make everything readily acces- sible; while the facts themselves and the deductions derived therefrom are presented by one who is evidently master of his sub- ject.--H. S. SWARTH. MINUTES OF COOPER CLUB MEETINGS SOUTI-IERN DIVISION APmL.---The regular meeting of the Southern Division was held at the Museum of History, Science, and Art, Thursday evening, April 30, 1914, with the following members in attendance. Messrs. Chambers, Daggett, Edwards, Miller, Morcom, Rich, Robertson, Swarth, Willett, and Wyman. In the absence of the president, vice-president Robertson took the chair. The minutes of the March meeting were read and approved, followed by the minutes of the Northern Di- vision for April. The following new mem- bers were elected: C.A. Brant, E1 Tovar, Grand Canyon, Arizona; William T. Martin,