102 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXIII 



Glacier Park has a wonderful natural variety 

 of plants and animals, containing within its bound- 

 aries areas ranging from the lower Transition Zone 

 of its open plains borders, through the dense forests 

 of lodgepole pine, spruce and fir in the Canadian 

 Zone at the base of the mountains, the narrow belt 

 of dwarfted timber at or near timberline in the 

 Hudsonian Zone, and the Arctic-Alpine Zone of 

 the higher mountain-tops. Mr. Bailey has sketched 

 briefly the botanical wealth of these varied climatic 

 and life zones, but the book deals mainly with 

 mammals and birds, and no one is better qualified 

 to treat them than Mr. Bailey with his lifetime of 

 experience in field work in the West, accompanied 

 on many trips by the accomplished "bird woman" 

 who is his wife. While the book is of aid to every 

 beginning naturalist or enquiring tourist who may 

 visit the region, it will prove useful as a Baedeker 

 for the most expert, telling him where the species 

 he is most interested in may be found at the proper 

 time. A good assortment of interesting life-his- 

 tory notes on each species is given, with sug- 

 gestions of many things which may be of value for 

 succeeding visitors to the park to watch for and add 

 to our knowledge. Most of the mammals are il- 

 lustrated by photographs from life. The bird sec- 

 tion is well illustrated by new life photographs from 

 various sources, and well-selected reproductions of 

 photographs, sketches, and paintings which have 

 been used in other publications. A systematic key 

 is given for the classification of the commoner sum- 

 mer birds of the park which will be useful in other 



places in the northern Rockies. 



In addition to the pleasure and profit which this 

 book gives to a person already interested in natural 

 history, and its value as a strictly biological report, 

 its chief value will probably lie in introducing the 

 fascinating possibilities of wild life study to the 

 average citizen, the casual tourist and park visitor, 

 whose numbers are increasing from year to year. 

 When this interest is developed, and the parks need 

 only be entered and intelligent attention called to 

 their advantages for the interest to be kindled, a 

 new force is added to the protection of wild life, 

 rational conservation, cind public recreation, the 

 influence of which can not be overestimated. 



The Canadian National Parks offer similar if 

 not greater possibilities. Waterton Lakes Park (just 

 north of Glacier Park), Rocky Mountains Park at 

 Banff, Jasper Park in Alberta, Point Pelee Park 

 in Ontario (the most southerly point in Canada, 

 on the great migratory bird route along the shore 

 of Lake Erie) and the Perce and Bonaventure re- 

 servation for the protection of the great seabird 

 rookeries at the tip of the Gaspe peninsula of 

 Quebec, have their own peculiar attractions to the 

 nature lover, and are bound to be still more at- 

 tractive when their wild life attractions are more 

 generally known to the public. For such areas, the 

 little books which teach the eye to know what it 

 sees, as well as to notice what is often hidden to 

 the unseeing eye, have an increcising function in 

 popular education. 



R. M. Anderson. 



(The October Number was mailed on November 18, 1919.) 



