400 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



Curasao, West Indies, in the Year 1892. By Wirt RoHnson. Pp. 194. 

 8vo. Cambridge, 1895.] 



Second-Lieutenant Wirt Robinson, of tlie U.S. Artillery, 

 gives us a most lively and interesting account of his trip to 

 Columbia in search of birds in the summer of 1894. Ac- 

 companied by his wife and his brother, he left New York for 

 Cura9ao, and after a few days^ stay in that island (where 

 birds were diligently observed and collected), proceeded to 

 Barranquilla, at the mouth of the Magdalena. This river 

 was ascended to Yeguas, the limit of steam-navigation, 

 whence a short railway conveyed the travellers to Honda, and 

 mules onwards to Guaduas, a town situated some 3400 

 feet above the sea-level, on the main road to Bogota. After 

 a week's stay here, the return to New York was made by 

 nearly the same route. No single opportunity appears to 

 have been lost of collecting birds during the journey out and 

 home ; and as the party were only away 54 days, of which 

 16 were spent on the ocean, and had to " make their own 

 skins,'' they must have worked pretty hard to bring back 210 

 specimens. Mr. Ridgway has identified the skins, of which a 

 systematic account is given in Chapter viii. of the present 

 volume. Those obtained or observed in Columbia are referred 

 to 91 species, those of Cura9ao to 23. Short field-notes are 

 added on each of the species. 



Numerous illustrations printed in the text are interspersed 

 throughout the narrative. They represent scenes on the 

 journey, birds and other animals met with, and maps to 

 illustrate the route. Besides these, four coloured plates, 

 drawn by Keulemans, illustrate some of the most notable 

 species met with ; these are Rhamphastos citreolcemus, Psitta- 

 cula conspicillata, Eupsycho7'tyx leucotis, and Icterus xan- 

 thornus curasoensis. At the close of the work a few sug- 

 gestions are added for the benefit of brother collectors who 

 may meditate a similar excursion and lists of published 

 works on Columbia and Curajao. Altogether we may express 

 an opinion that Lieut. Wirt Robinson made very good use 

 of his short holiday and has given us its results in a very 

 handv and attractive form. 



