Book News and Reviews 



125 



Catalogue of Canadian Birds. Part I. 

 Water Birds, Gallinaceous Birds, and 

 Pigeons. By John Macoun, Natura- 

 list to the Geological Survey of Canada, 

 Ottawa. 1900. Pages viii + 2i3. 



The author of this important work 

 states that he "he has endeavored to 

 bring together facts on the range and nest- 

 ing habits of all the birds known to reside 

 in, migrate to, or visit, the northern part 

 of the continent. In addition to the 

 Dominion of Canada, he has therefore 

 included Newfoundland, Greenland and 

 Alaska." To original information gathered 

 during the past twenty years in explora- 

 tions which have taken him from the 

 Atlantic to the Pacific, and that secured 

 by Mr. W. Spreadborough, who, since 

 1889, has been at work under his supervi" 

 sion, he adds data from MS. notes of 

 various duly accredited observers, and 

 those which have already been recorded 

 by the more authoritative writers on the 

 birds of the great region embraced by his 

 limits. In this compilation two important 

 papers have apparently been overlooked, 

 viz.; Blakiston's 'On the Birds of the 

 Interior of British America' (Ibis, 1863, 

 p. 39 et seq), a fully annotated list of 

 250 species, and Merriam's ' List of Birds 

 Ascertained to Occur Within Ten Miles of 

 Point des Monts, Province of Quebec' 

 (Bull., N. O. C. VII, 1882, p. 233 ct scq), 

 a list of 180 species. 



The annotations under each species 

 consist of remarks on its general range 

 and notes on the breeding of species 

 known to nest, with, in every instance, 

 the authority for all statements not based 

 on personal observation, and a list of 

 museum specimens with data. The book 

 is. therefore, an invaluable reference 

 manual for those in search of information 

 in regard to the birds of northern North 

 America, and we note with pleasure that 

 the second and concluding part is prom- 

 ised for an early date. — F. M. C. 



A Monograph of the Flicker. By Frank 

 L. Burns. Wilson Bulletin No. 31. 

 Oberlin, Ohio, April, 1900. Pages 82. 



To know that you have in your hand 

 all the more important facts concerning 



the life-history of a common bird affords 

 one a sense of satisfaction which can be 

 appreciated only by those who, in search 

 of information concerning the habits of 

 some familiar species, have been obliged 

 to wade through a library. For five years 

 Mr. Burns has devoted his available time 

 to securing the information presented in 

 this monograph. Correspondence with 

 other ornithologists, whose assistance is 

 fully acknowledged, search in the literature 

 of ornithology, and personal observation in 

 the field, have resulted in making what, 

 as far as we know, is the most complete 

 existing biography of any North American 

 bird. Beginning with its scientific and 

 vernacular names (of which the astonishing 

 number of 124 are listed) the author treats 

 his subject under the headings : ' Geograph- 

 ical Range,' 'Winter Range,' 'Breeding 

 Range,' 'Migration,' 'Flight,' 'Roosting,' 

 'Drum Calls,' ' Voice, ' 'Mating,' ' Nidifi- 

 cation,' 'Eggs,' 'Incubation,' 'Young,' 

 'Molt and Renewal,' 'Food,' 'Enemies,' 

 'Measurements,' 'Plumage,' 'Hybridism,' 

 'Atavism,' 'Conclusion.' 



It is not possible for us to go into details, 

 but we cannot conclude this brief notice 

 without congratulating Mr. Burns on the 

 excellence of his work, and thoroughly 

 commending his method of presentation. 

 When our bookshelves contain a row of 

 biographies on our birds, similar to this 

 one, we may consider ourselves well 

 equipped to further elucidate the prob- 

 lems which such a close study is sure to 

 present, and we would strongly urge every 

 ambitious ornithologist who is undecided 

 into what channel to turn his efforts, to 

 concentrate them on a single species, and 

 in due time the science he loves may be as 

 deeply indebted to him as it is to Mr. 

 Burns.— F. M. C. 



The Avifauna of Louisiana. By Geo E. 

 Beyer. Reprint from the Proc. of the 

 Louisiana Society of Naturalists, 1897- 

 1899 8vo, pp. 1-45. 



This is an exceedingly welcome contri- 

 bution to the faunal literature of a state 

 concerning the bird-life of which we 

 possess very little published information. 

 Professor Beyer has been obliged to rely 



