THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS 



ROBERT M. YERKES 



Of the thirteen volumes in the new (fourth) edition 1 of 

 Brehm's justly famous history of animals, three of the four 

 •volumes devoted to birds have been issued. They are num- 

 bered as volumes 6, 7 and 8 in the set. All bear the date 191 1, 

 and each volume is available in half leather at the very reason- 

 able price of 12M ($3.oo). 2 



The greater part of the materials constituting the fifteen 

 hundred pages of these volumes were gathered and prepared 

 for publication by the late Professor William Marshall whose 

 death in 1907 left his great task to be completed under the direc- 

 tion of Doctor F. Hempelmann. In his preface to the volumes, 

 Doctor Hempelmann especially calls attention to the emphasis 

 which has been laid, in this revised edition, upon the structural 

 characteristics of birds and upon their systematic relations. 

 Chief responsibility for the facts of bird behavior and psychol- 

 ogy is placed upon the general editor, Professor Otto zur Strassen. 



The first fifty pages of volume one offers an admirably clear, 

 concise, and complete description of the structure of the bird, 

 of its development, its general habits, instincts, intelligence and 

 systematic relations. Thereupon follow descriptions of the 

 various orders, suborders and families of birds. 



Throughout the volumes, the text is admirably illustrated by 

 hundreds of wood cuts, half tones, and colored plates. Neither 

 labor nor expense has been spared in the preparation of text 

 and illustrations. 



The accounts given of representatives of the various divisions 

 of the class aves are interesting throughout and they appear 

 to be reliable. Naturally, the work does not give detailed infor- 



1 A descriptive notice of this edition appeared in this Journal, vol. 1, pp. 307-8. 



2 Tierleben, Sechster Band. Die Vogel, Erster Band: Flaehbrustvogel, Tauch- 

 vogel, Pinguinvogel, Sturmvogel, Storchvogel, Gansevogel, Raubvogel. Leipzig 

 und Wien, Bibliographisches Institut, 1911, S. xvi+498. 



Tierleben, Siebenter Band. Die Vogel, Zweiter Band: Steiszhiihner, Huhner- 

 vogel, Kranichvogel, Regenpfeifervogel, Kuckueksvogel (Kuckucke). Leipzig 

 und Wien, Bibliographisches Institut, 1911, S. xiv+492. 



Tierleben, Achter Band. Die Vogel, Dritter Band: jKuckucksvogel (Papageien), 

 Rakenvogel. Leipzig und Wien, Bibliographisches Institut, 1911, S. xii+472. 



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