%ook J^m^ mh iHebietoj; 



The Birds of Louisiana. By Stanley 

 Clisby Arthur, Ornithologist, Depart- 

 ment of Conservation. Bulletin No. 5, 

 Department of Conservation, Slate of 

 Louisiana, New Orleans, January, 1918. 

 8 vo. 79 pages; photographs and line cuts. 



The present paper hias been prepared, 

 the author states, "in response to numerous 

 requests from schools, nature teachers, 

 bird lovers, and others. It is based in part 

 on original observation, and also upon 

 the lists of Louisiana birds by Beyer and 

 by Kopman, and upon Howell's 'Notes on 

 the Winter Birds of Northern Louisiana.' " 



It treats of 368 species and subspecies 

 from a somewhat general point of view, 

 there being practically no exact dates of 

 arrival and departure of the migrator}' 

 species. Brief descriptions of plumage 

 and notes upon numbers and haunts make 

 it a popular exposition of the Louisiana 

 avifauna rather than a scientific treatise 

 upon it. As such it should reveal to the 

 residents of the state the wealth of their 

 bird life and the responsibility resting 

 upon them for the conservation of the 

 water-fowl which winter in their waters. 

 — F. M. C. 



Tales From Birdland. By T. Gilbert 

 Pearson. Illustrations by Charles 

 Livingston Bull. Doubleday, Page 

 & Co., Garden City, New York. iquS. 

 12 mo. 237 pages; 46 line cuts and half- 

 tones. 



In story form Mr. Pearson here recounts, 

 sometimes the individual experiences, at 

 others the more generalized history of a 

 number of well-known birds. The method 

 followed, while not obviously intended to 

 convey reference book information con- 

 cerning the species treated, seems much 

 l)etter designed to hold the attention of 

 youthful readers than a more formal pres- 

 entation of the same facts. 



We especially like the local (olor of t lie 

 stories fr<mi the Siuitli, in u lii< h .Mr. 

 Pearson achieves a success that suggests 

 that he may later give us the feathered 

 counteriiarf of Hrer Rabbit. 



(2 



Mr. Bull's drawings add much to the 

 attractiveness and value of the book. — 

 F. M. C. 



The Ornithological Magazines 



The Auk. — The January issue opens 

 with an obituary notice of Dr. Edgar A. 

 Mearns, by Dr. Chas. W. Richmond, 

 accompanied by an excellent portrait of 

 this indefatigable ornithologist who was 

 one of the school that bridges the gap 

 between the older and younger men who 

 have devoted themselves to their favorite 

 study. 



Mr. Richard C. Harlow's 'Notes on the 

 Breeding Birds of Pennsylvania and New 

 Jersey' is to be commended to the atten- 

 tion of oologists, as it contains information 

 that is really worth publishing. The 

 earlier breeding of the Virginia Rails of 

 inland marshes, as compared with those of 

 the salt marshes, is interesting. May it 

 not be that the sea-breezes are responsible 

 for a cooler and later season? 



In 'Uncolored Prints from Havell's 

 Engravings of Audubon's "Birds of 

 America,"' Mr. Henry Harris calls atten- 

 tion to the part played by Mr. Havell in 

 the production of the plates of this monu- 

 mental work, and two of them, in half- 

 tone, are shown. 



Mr. Horace W. Wright writes on the 

 'Labrador Chickadee {Penllicsles Itiid- 

 sonicKs iii^riaiits) in its Return Flight 

 from the Fall Migration of ioi6,' and .Mr. 

 H. Mousley, in a brief sketch, records 

 'The I5reeding of the Migrant Shrike at 

 Ilalley, Quebec, 1916.' .\n annotated 

 list of 'The Birds of Walla Walla and 

 Columbia Counties, Southeastern Wash- 

 ington,' is begun by Mr. Lee R. Dice. 



'A Revision of the Races of Toxoslotmi 

 ridivivum (Clambel),' by Mr. Harry C. 

 ( )l)erholser, reduces them to three. Mr. 

 Obcrholser also has a fourth instalment 

 of his 'Notes on North .\nierican Birds.' 



The account of the 'i'liirtv lifth Stated 



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