ZOOLOGY. 637 



with the general title ''A History of North American Birds," by Little, 

 Brown & Co., of Boston, bnt, as we are inforioed m the jireface to the 

 Water-Birds, " the cost of the publication of the ' Land-Birds of North 

 America' was so great that tlie publishers of that work were unwilling 

 to continue it at their risk and expense.'' At last. Professor Whitney, 

 the former State geologist of California, and Prof. A. Agassiz, the di- 

 rector of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, assumed the cost of pub- 

 lication. The volumes of "The Water-Birds of North America," thus 

 brought out, are nearly uniform with, and the practical completion of, 

 the old " History of North American Birds." A full figure of the bird 

 and figures of generic details in outline illustrate each genus, and the 

 head of each sj^ecies is also figured. Both colored and uncolored copies 

 are published. 



The water-birds are segregated under nine groups, four of waders and 

 five of swimmers. The orders of waders are Herodiones (i, p. 1) with 

 four families, LimicolaB (i, p. 107) with seven families, Alectorides 

 (I, p. 350) with three families, and Phoenicopteri with one family ; 

 those of the swimmers are Auseres (i, p. 419) with one family, Stega- 

 nopodes (v. 2, p. 12G) with six families, Longipenues (ii. p. 191) with 

 three fiimilies, Tubinares (ii, p. 344) with two families, and Pygo- 

 podes (II, p. 420) with three families. This arrangement was not pre- 

 sented as "strictly natural," but as the most apt at present "for the 

 convenience of the student." It was suggested that "the orders most 

 nearly related are the (1) Herodiones and Steganopodes, (2) Limicolse 

 and Alectorides, (3) Phceuicopteri and Anseres, and (4) Longipenues 

 and Tnbiuares. Of the Pygopodes the Alcidye present many points 

 of true relationship to the Tubinares and Longipenues, while the 

 latter are not far removed from thf^ Limicolas. The Podicipidte also 

 appear to resemble in some respects (perhaps only teleological) the 

 Steganopodes." 



The most noteworthy features, in the way of novelty in the new work, 

 are the revised groupings of the Tubinarine families, and especially of 

 the family of Albatrosses or Diomedeidse, the increase in the species of 

 gulls of the family Larid*, and the arrangement of the family of Alcidae. 



Although published in the same year as Dr. Cones' " Key," the later 

 date of printing and the sudden acquisition of specimens and comparison 

 of all the forms enabled the authors of the Water-Birds to incorporate 

 two additional species of large northern gulls (Laruft Nelsoni of Hen- 

 shaw, and Larus schistisa(/us of Stejneger), thereby increasing the number 

 of North American si)ecies of the genus (including the Chroicocephali) 

 to nineteen'. 



The large collections of skins of Alcids, or auks, murres, &c., and 

 various data resulting from the experience of Dr. Stejneger, in their 

 homes, threw fresh light on their characters and relationships, and a 

 new arrangement of the entire family was thei^esult, which is here given 



