November, 1919] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



99 



no notice of them whatever, but stuck to the robin 

 and as he, poor bird, was much too busy hunting 

 worms to notice anything else, the blackbirds pres- 

 ently calmed down and flew away, no doubt con- 

 cluding that it must be a case of mistaken identity. 

 Has any reader of The Field-Naturalist ever 

 heard of such a curious mix-up as this? It is, I 

 suppose, just possible that the explanation may be 

 that a crow blackbird's egg was laid in the robin's 

 nest. The nest was so situated close to the glass of 

 a window that one could look into it quite easily 

 from one of the rooms of my house. Nevertheless 



I did not examine if until the eggs were hatched, 

 and then only very cursorally. It is, therefore, 

 possible, though I think unlikely, that the young 

 crow blackbird was in the nest and escaped my 

 notice. Naturally I was not expecting that any 

 question would arise as to the identity of the young 

 robins. Still I think the more likely explanation to 

 be that by some curious chance the robin accident- 

 ally adopted one of his neighbor's children soon 

 after the two families had simultaneously left their 

 respective nests. W. L. ScOTT. 



Tredinnock, Ottawa. 



BOOK NOTICES AND REVIEWS. 



The Birds of Middle and North America. 

 By Robt. Ridgway, Part VIII, Continuation of 

 Bulletin 50, U.S. National Museum, Washington, 

 Government Printing Office, 1919. 



The monumental task of monograpliing all the 

 birds of North and Middle America was begun 

 by this veteran ornithologist, now probably the Dean 

 of the science in America, many years ago. The 

 first volume covering the Finches and Sparrows ap- 

 peared in October, 1901. Since then the follow- 

 ing parts have appeared. The contents covering 

 Canadian species only is given here. 



Part II, 1902, The Tanagers, Troupials (black- 

 bird and orioles) and Wood Warblers. 



Part III, 1904, Pipits, Swallows, Waxwings, 

 Vireos, Shrikes, Crows and Jays; Titmice, Nut- 

 hatches, Creepers, Wrens, and Dippers. 



Part IV, 1907, Thrushes, Mockingbirds, Star- 

 lings, Larks and Tyrant Flycatchers. 



Part V, 1911, Hummingbirds and Swifts. 



Part VI, 1914, Woodpeckers, Kingfishers, Goat- 

 suckers, and the Barn and Eared Owls. 



Part VII, 1916, Cuckoos and Pigeons. 



This present volume now appearing includes 

 Oyster-catchers, Turnstones, Surf Birds, Plovers, 

 Snipes, Phalaropes, Avocets, Skimmers, Terns, 

 Gulls, Skuas and Auks. 



The next Part, namely IX, now in course of 

 preparation, will contain Cranes, Rails, Gallinules 

 and Coots; Turkeys, American Partridge, Grouse, 

 Falccns, Hawks and Eagles and American Vultures. 



It is contemplated that Part X will complete the 

 work. 



The magnitude of this work can be partially 

 appreciated by the fact that each volume runs from 

 550 to 875 closely printed pages, many of them 

 consisting of masses of abbreviated bibliographical 

 references and synonomy requiring immense research 

 and exact transcription and proofreading. Dr. El- 

 liott Coues said that bibliography required the work 

 of an "inspired idiot." On these grounds alone the 



Birds of Middle and North America would be 

 notable, but as each species and subspecies is ac- 

 companied by the fullest detailed description and 

 each has been subjected to the strictest scrutiny as 

 to taxonomic standing and relationship by one of 

 the keenest observers in America it is evident that 

 this will stand as a monument to the author for many 

 years. It will be noted that the classification does 

 not follow that of the A.O.U. Check list and is not 

 familiar to the majority of American ornithologists. 

 In this it probably shows a considerable step in 

 advance. The latter is acknowledged to be faulty, 

 but it has not been thought expedient to change it 

 until a system can be presented that wlli meet a 

 more general approval than any hitherto advanced 

 receives. The work is not popular, but confines 

 itself to strictly scientific aspects of taxonomy, nom- 

 enclature, identification and distribution. The 

 purely popular nature student has little interest in 

 it except as a reservoir of ascertained facts to guide, 

 control and direct his esthetic impressions and 

 investigations. 



P. A. Taverner. 



Hamilton M. Laing. Whilst it is not the cus- 

 tom to treat newspapers as serious scientific publica- 

 tions it seems that some attention should be called 

 to the series of excellent articles on popular orn- 

 ithology appearing more or less regularly in the 

 Toronto Globe. These are from the pen of Ham- 

 ilton M. Laing, who is taking the place of the late 

 lamented Sam Woods who conducted this nature 

 column with but scanty recognition for a long 

 period. Mr. Laing is a Canadian, of considerable 

 experience in Manitoba, now resident in Portland, 

 Oregon. During the latter days of the war he was 

 in the aviation corps and assisted in training many 

 of our fliers who later made a good account of 

 themselves at the front. 



The subject of these papers cover such a range 

 of subjects as "The Shore Birds in Autumn," 



