2 5° . The Ohio Naturalist. [Vol. VIII, No. 8, 



New Books. 



American Birds is the title of a neat volume by William 

 Lovell Finley, and published by Charles Scribner's Sons. The 

 illustrations are excellent and a score or more of species are 

 treated in an attractive manner. 



Although the author has been pleased to give the volume a 

 broad title, the second paragraph of the introduction explains 

 his aims and purposes. After stating that it is his purpose to 

 consider only a few representative birds he continues by saying 

 that "each chapter represents a close and continued study with 

 camera and notebook at the home of some bird or group of birds 

 — a true life history of each species." Such studies are com- 

 mendable, for their appearance in print teaches one that there is 

 much to learn about a species aside from its mere identification. 



"Many of these studies were made in the West but in the list 

 of birds treated an effort has been made to get a selection that is 

 national in scope. In the popular mind a song sparrow is a song 

 sparrow from ocean to ocean, yet scientificallv he represents over 

 a dozen subspecies, according to the part of the country in which 

 he lives. To the ordinary bird lover, however, a robin is the 

 same east and west, and the same is true of the chickadee, flicker, 

 wren, grosbeak, vireo, warbler, hawk and others dealt with in 

 the following chapters." ^ 



The author easily may find those who diff^er with him on some 

 of these assertions. How natural it is for the "popular mind" 

 to be attracted by characters Avhich distinguish s])ecies, and what 

 a satisfaction is felt when one specifically identifies the bluejay 

 for the first time by its blue color and distinct crest. 



Nesting methods, feeding habits, development of young and 

 many other phases of bird life are either discussed or figured. 

 Mr. Finley has given us a vast amount of information about a 

 number of species and has advanced a line of bird study which is 

 sure to attract man^' future students.-- ]. S. H. 



Natural History Survey. 



A bill to provide for a Natural History Survey of Ohio has 

 been introduced in the General Assembly by Mr. Crist of Del- 

 aware Co. and is now in the hands of the Finance Committee. 

 This bill (House Bill No. 930) has the sam^ provisions as the one 

 introduced two years ago and a copy of which was published in a 

 recent supplement of the Naturalist. All who are interested 

 in its passage are requested to write at once to the members of 

 their acquaintance or to the representatives of their home count)- 

 urging prom])t and favorable action. 



Date of Publication, January 25, IQOS. 



