178 



The Canadian Field-? mturalist 



[Vol. XXXIV 



up again. Mr. Swarth akes exception to Mr. Fig- 

 gin's article, mentioned previously in these reviews, 

 both in treatment and substance. He does not agree 

 to the proposal for regarding hutchinsi and occi- 

 dentalis as hybrids between two species, B. canaden- 

 sis and B. minima, and, basing his study on fuller 

 breeding data, seems to have the best of the argu- 

 ment. With Mr. Swarth we agree that there is a 

 north-west coast form with well-marked color 

 characteristics. Whether occidentalis can be ap- 

 plied to it is not perfectly clear. Unfortunately, as 

 Mr. Swarth states, the type specimen on which that 

 name is founded is one of those puzzling nonde- 

 script, perhaps abnormal, birds that are not easy to 

 fit into present recognized divisions. This is a 

 good example of the founding of supposed new 

 races on too few specimens, and the danger of set- 

 ting up freaks or intermediates as types. In spite of 

 all this discussion the relatcinships of the various 

 forms of the Canada Goose can hardly be said to be 

 settled, nor is it likely that they will be until we 

 can establish the essential characters of the various 

 geographical breeding groups. We will then have 

 definite standards for the comparison of the hetero- 

 geneous flocks that are met with in migration. In 

 the meantime, species and subspecies derived from 

 mixed migrants are as hkely to be arbitrary group- 

 ings of characters as racial divisions. 



Plumages of Gulls in Relation to Age as Illus- 

 trated by the Herring Gull (Larus argentaius) and 

 Other Species. By Jonathan Dwight, 5 plates, 

 pp. 262-268. 



If the geese of the genus Brania are in confusion 

 still worse is the state of the gulls of the genus 

 Larus. This paper traces out the age sequence of 

 the gulls, taking the Herring Gull as an example, 

 and details the successive plumage characters from 

 birth to maturity, with plates of wing and tail de- 

 tails of each stage. Dr. Dwight concludes that it 

 is not until the fourth winter plumage that all traces 

 of juvenility are lost, making a four year plumage 

 cycle. He closes his paper with lists of all Ameri- 

 can gulls in two, three and four year plumage 

 cycle groups. This is a most valuable paper, and 

 one that prepares for the foundation of a proper 

 understanding of these puzzling birds. 



Fifth Annual List of Proposed Changes in the 

 A.O.U. Check-list of North American Birds. By 

 Harry C. Oberholser, pp. 274-285. 



Perhaps it is well for Mr. Oberholser's repu- 

 tation with the general public to state that these 

 are compilations of suggestions by all authors, and 

 that he is not quite the iconoclast that the title 

 might suggest. The list is a staggering threat 

 against our stable (?) scientific nomenclature. 

 There are about a hundred proposed changes and 



twenty rejections and ehminations. We cannot 

 expect that finality can ever be reached in any 

 scientific subject, philological or zoological, but 

 our greatest comfort in inspecting this one year's 

 record of changes is that it is only proposed and 

 not an accepted fact. 



Under General Notes, 



Dr. J. C. Phillips, pp. 289-291, describes Hab- 

 its of the Two Black Ducks, and records differ- 

 ences in the winter distribution and habits of the 

 two much debated subspecies of Black Duck, 

 ruhripes and tristis, that go far to substantiate the 

 validity of the distinction we make between them. 



Geo. H. Stuart, p. 292, records the breeding ef 

 the Greater Yellow-legs in the vicinity of Grand 

 Lake, Newfoundland, June 20, 1919. 



W. E. Saunders, pp. 304-306, gives us Addi- 

 tional Notes on the Birds of Red Deer, Alberta. 

 This constitutes an addenda to the writer's Birds 

 of the Red Deer River, Alta. {Auk, 1919). It 

 gives observations on 31 species, and adds seven to 

 the list of that section. 



Under Recent Literature is noted a pap^r On 

 the Protection of Birds in the Province of Quebec, 

 by F. Gaguin, Rcvcue Francaise d'Orniihologie, 

 XII, Dec, 1919. 



In Notes and News, p. 346, appears the notice 

 of the death of the late J. M. Macoun, whose obitu- 

 ary appeared in a previous number of this journal. 



Pp. 348-352 contain an interesting survey of the 

 location and distribution of complete sets of the 

 Aul(. As this journal is the most important bird 

 publication in the New World but little work in 

 the field can be accomplished without reference to 

 its files. It is therefore somewhat alarming to note 

 that, so far, only about 150 complete sets have been 

 located in public or private libraries. As those in 

 private hands are steadily being absorbed by insti- 

 tutions where they remain, and there is a constant 

 less through fire and accident, the question is natur- 

 ally raised as to what the future student, not situ- 

 ated near any of a certain limited number of insti- 

 tutions, will do for this important literature. It is 

 worth noting both for information and as a warning 

 that but eight complete sets exist in Canada. Two 

 are to be found in each of the following cities, 

 Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, and one each in 

 London and Quebec. It will be noted that there 

 is not a single complete file west of southern On- 

 tario. Unless this is corrected whilst the oppor- 

 tunity for correction exists it will place future orni- 

 thologists^^ij^j^^iejgT^Qanada at a great disadvan- 

 tage. _ ^ 



P. A. Taverner. 



