Bird -Lore 



The Birds of Eastern North America. 

 Key to the Families and Species. By 

 Charles B. Cory. Part I, Water Birds, 

 pp. i-ix, 1-130; Part II, Land Birds, 

 pp. i-ix,i3i-387. 4to. Numerous illustra- 

 tions. Special edition printed for the 

 Field Columbian Museum, Chicago, 111., 

 1899. 



Mr. Cory has spared neither pains nor 

 expense to lighten the labors of young orni- 

 thologists in the matter of identification. 

 Arbitrary ' Keys ' arranged on apparently 

 the simplest plans, a careful use of dis- 

 tinguishing type, and numberless illustra- 

 tions characterize this work, which will 

 doubtless rank as its talented author's 

 most valuable and important contribu- 

 tion to the literature of ornithology. 



The present volumes contain only the 

 analytical keys to families and species, and 

 apparently are to be followed by others 

 giving detailed descriptions of plumage 

 and biographical matter. A list of the 

 birds of Eastern North America, with the 

 ranges of the species, is appended to the 

 second volume. — F. M. C. 



Dickey Downy ; the Autobiography of a 

 Bird. By Virginia Sharpe Patterson. 

 Introduction by Hon. John F. Lacey, 

 M.C. Drawings by Elizabeth M. Hal- 

 lowell. Philadelphia, A. J. Rowland, 

 1899. i6mo, pp. 192, full-page coloro- 

 types, 4. 



In this little volume the Bobolink re- 

 counts the history of his life with particular 

 reference to his experiences with man. 

 Due regard has been paid to the known 

 habits of the bird, and the book seems well 

 designed to arouse the interest and enlist 

 the sympathy of children in bird-life. The 

 colored illustration of the Scarlet Tanager 

 facing page 64 is wrongly labeled " Sum- 

 mer Tanager," but beyond this slip we 

 notice no errors. 



Congressman Lacey's introduction shows 

 that its writer has an adequate conception 

 of both the economic and aesthetic value of 

 birds, of the evils of wantonly destroying 

 them, and of the need for their protection. 

 — F. M. C. 



Book News 



In the October number of 'The Osprey,' 

 the announcement is made that Dr. Gill, 



the editor-in-chief, will hereafter be assisted 

 by the following associate editors : Robert 

 Ridgway, Leonhard Stejenger, Frederic 

 A. Lucas, Charles W. Richmond, Paul 

 Bartsch, William Palmer, Harry C. Ober- 

 holser, and Wilmer Stone. Surely here 

 is " a multitude of counsellors" whose co- 

 operation is an assurance that ' The Os- 

 prey ' will not only return to its former 

 high plane, but will doubtless reach a level 

 of excellence before unknown. We note 

 with pleasure that the somewhat too 

 appropriate yellow cover, used during 

 the preceding editorial administration, 

 has been changed for one of Bird-Lore s 

 hue. 



From the announcement of the Massa- 

 chusetts Audubon Society of the Audubon 

 Calendar, issued by them for 1900, we 

 quote the following: "The calendar con- 

 sists of twelve large plates of exquisite 

 drawings of birds, one for each month, re- 

 produced in colors with all the spirit and 

 fidelity of the original water-color paint- 

 ings. Descriptive text of the birds on each 

 plate. Frank M. Chapman, Olive Thorne 

 Miller, Florence A. Merriam, AbbottThayer, 

 Mabel Osgood Wright, Wm. T. Davis, 

 William Brewster, Ralph Hoffman, Brad- 

 ford Torrey, M. A. Wilcox, Harriet E. 

 Richards, H. E. Parkhurst, have contrib- 

 uted original paragraphs. Size 9^ by i2]4. 

 inches. In paper box. Price 75 cents. 

 Address orders to Taber-Prang Art Com- 

 pany, Springfield, Mass." 



That the editors of St. Nicholas realize 

 the importance of developing childrens' 

 interest in nature studies, is evidenced by 

 the establishment in their magazine for 

 1900, of a department of ' Nature and Sci- 

 ence.' It will be in charge of Mr. E. F. 

 Bigelow, formerly editor of 'The Ob- 

 server,' and now of ' Popular Science. ' 



Lists of the birds of the Middle Gulf 

 States are so few in number that bird 

 students will welcome a fully annotated 

 catalogue of the birds of Louisiana, by 

 Prof. Geo. E. Beyer, of Tulane Univer- 

 sity, shortly to be published by the Society 

 of Louisiana Naturalists. 



