April. 1921. 



The Canadlvn Field-Naturaust 



1 1 



Iliaca, cliaracterized by foxy color, ran- 

 ges* all over eastern Canada to the Rocky 

 Mountains and Central Alaska. In the 

 mountains, through altavagans it ap- 

 proaches schistacea, which is characterized 

 by the reduction of red and a great in- 

 crease of slaty color. Altavagans and 

 schistacea occupy most of the interior of 

 British Columbia. The unalaschensis group 

 are large maroon-brown birds occupying 

 the coast, from fuliginosa, resident in the 

 Vancouver Island vicinity, through town- 

 sendi, annectens, siiiuosa and insularis, to 

 unalaschensis of the Alaska Peninsula. 



In the systematic body of the paper, 

 dealing with the description, salient char- 

 acters and ranges of the forms dealt with, 

 are many illustrative drawings, maps, etc. 

 The whole is admirable in plan and con- 

 struction and clearly presented. It is not 

 until we come to study carefully the draw- 

 ings of some of these distinctions that any 

 doubt is awakened as to tjie expediency of 

 pcL-petuating all these many names. Dis- 

 thictions that seem clear and satisfactory 

 ill print in some cases become very faint 

 in illustration. AVhilst we can be assured 

 that they are the best possible presentation 

 of the case many of them can be felt rather 

 than seen. A small amount of individual 

 variation would swamp some and even the 

 inescapable personality of the draughts- 

 man may be a determining factor. In the 

 excellent colored plate by Allan Brooks 

 hrevicauda and unalaschensis are seen to 

 be so much alike in color that the other- 

 wise excellent three-color process plates 

 have absolutely failed to differentiate 

 them. When it is realized that average 

 characters are regarded as sufficient basis 

 for subspecies making and that the author 

 calls special attention to the number of 

 intermediates in his material one can be 

 pardoned for harboring some mental re- 

 servations. 



In this connection the reviewer is fort- 

 unate in having access to some of the mat- 

 erial upon which the work is based and 

 that bears the author's determinations. A 

 careful examination of it in comparison 

 with the text does not allay all doubt. 

 Specimens of altavagans, referred by the 

 author to the Iliaca group seem more clo- 

 sely related to schistacea, in plumage bare- 

 ly separable from it. The Unalaschensis 



group, represented in tlie material by all 

 but insulaiis, shows a gradual gradation 

 from the comparatively small and lighter 

 colored northern unalaschensis to the big, 

 dark fidiginosa of southern British Colum- 

 bia. These gradations are postulated by 

 the writer to occur in marked steps with 

 alternate distributional areas of constancy- 

 and variability. It is neither safe nor just 

 to pass final judgment on the suddenness 

 of these variations without having seen all 

 the material upon which the conclusions 

 are based, but the slightness of the char- 

 acters and the limitations of collecting on 

 a long line of uninhabited coast naturally 

 make one wonder whether the gradation is 

 not a little more gradual than is assumed, 

 and but indicates extended intergradation 

 in Avhich perhaps all characters do not 

 change at an equal rate, and where there 

 are possibly occasional disturbing factors. 



"Whilst we do not seriously doubt that 

 most if not all of these differences exist, or 

 that Mr. Swarth can see and differentiate 

 them, we admit our inability to do so in 

 some cases and doubt whether any one else 

 without his natural aptitude, amount of 

 material and the obvious concentration he 

 has put upon it can be trusted to identify 

 many of these laboratory varieties. Iden- 

 tification of Pox Sparrows to the Swarth 

 standard thus becomes a one man's work 

 and is practically impossible of verifica- 

 tion or intelligent correction by others. 

 However, fitted in this case that one man 

 may be in keenness of perception, honesty 

 of purpose and balance of judgment we 

 tremble at the results that may arise from 

 the use of these minute subdivisions in the 

 hands of the less experienced or responsible. 

 This is certainly no work for the dilettante, 

 and we question the expediencj^ of present- 

 ing undemonstrable races for the use of 

 the general public. 



It is notable that when Mr. Swarth came 

 to make a serious study of this species he 

 Avas not content to accept the determina- 

 tions of anyone else, but very properly 

 went to the original material and care- 

 fully worked it all out again to his own 

 satisfaction. And thus it must ever be 

 when serious use is made of subspecific 

 variation in constructive science. Of what 

 use have been the numerous trinominals 

 applied to Fox Sparrows in the many local 



