25<5 Recent Ltto-aturc. [zoe 



nesting, etc., thus making it a work of great service to the student 

 of the migration and distribution of birds in this region. Too great 

 credit cannot be given Mr. fielding for his thorough and conscien- 

 tious work in the accumulation and arrangement of this great mass 

 of material. There is, however, one serious omission, viz: the fail- 

 ure to sum up in a brief paragraph, after each species, the principle 

 facts of its distribution as brought out by the individual citations of 

 localities. It is often inconvenient to be obliged to wade through a 

 mass of detail in order to get at some general fact, and the insertion 

 of these generalizations would, to some extent, have increased the 

 value of the work. In regard to migration, also, much still remains 

 to be done, the facts at present available being greatly insufficient 

 to draw full conclusions from. 



In regard to accuracy, a very commendable spirit of care is seen 

 throughout the work. It might have been advisable to have inserted 

 references to all quotations, as is done in some cases. A few omis- 

 sions have been noted, as follows: Spimis psaltria arizo7i(B.—Qn^ 

 speamen collected at Haywards by Mr. W. O. Emerson, referred 

 to m Ridgway's Manual, p. 399. Ammodramus sandwichensis sa- 

 vanna.~One specimen collected in the Volcan Mountains, San 

 Diego county, March 10, 1884, by Mr. Emerson, identified by Mr 

 Ridgway. Spzze//aJ>amda.-Fon Mojave, "Common in April-two 

 •specimens," J. G. Cooper, M. D., Proc. Cal. Acad., ii, p. 122 

 Piran^an^dra cooperl- An additional record from Santa Barbara- 

 Mr. Clark P. Streator says: "A very rare visitor. Mr. Dodge, a 

 Inend, saw two specimens last spring, and succeeded in shooting 

 one. (U. & O., XI, p. 52.) Vendroica graci^.-" Ot,e male taken 

 near Santa Paula, May 3, 1881." B. W. Evermann, Auk, iii, p. 1S5. 

 Merula conJims.-A specimen in the collection of Mr. W O Emer- 

 son, taken at Haywards, January 27, 1S83, and identified by Mr. 

 Ridgway. Mr. Belding finds no more definite authority for placing 

 Pohoptda plumbea among Pacific Coast birds than the general 

 statement given m Ridgway' s Manual. It has been recorded as 

 follows: Fort Mojave, Cooper, Geol. Surv. Cal., I p ,3 Yuma 

 common, F. Stephens, Ridgw. Orn. CI. Bull. 2 'p.' 56. pllm 

 Springs, San Diego Co., F. O. Johnson, Auk, vi, p. 280. 



Greater precision might have been attained by giving in a foot 

 notcthe original name under which a species wa's ^recortd, espe - 

 lally m every mstance where there is any doubt as to the sp;cies or 



T^ 



