48 



THE OSPREY. 



Given a trayful of wrens of the genus Thry- 

 omanes, or of any other birds of any other 

 genns, and standing in a good strong exposure 

 to sunlight, say between 9 a. m. and 3 p. m. in 

 winter, perhaps a little earlier and later in 

 summer. ,\lr. Oberholser can turn out more 

 kinds of a bird than anybody else. exce]3t, per- 

 haps, Dr. Edgar A. Mearns or Mr. Outram 

 Bangs, and provide them all with correctly 

 formed, sonorous, not to .say polyphloesboean, 

 Graeco-Latin names. To our way of thinking, 

 one good purpose is subserved in this way, 

 that of the reduetio ad absurdum of a proposi- 

 tion, by way of proving to the contrary. If 

 Mr. Oberholser should i^lead in extenuation the 

 example of some of his elders, we should re- 

 mind him that "evil comiuunications corrupt 

 good manners," and that some such examples 

 serve rather for awful warning's than for mod- 

 els. We refrain from detailed criticism of the 

 new species and subspecies of this paper, be- 

 cause we believe the author is already in the 

 grip of something more dreadful, if possible, 

 than The Osprey's claws — we mean the Amer- 

 ican Ornithologists' Union's Committee on 

 Classification and Nomenclature. But we ven- 

 ture, in this connection, to make known a great 

 secret regarding authorship. This is, that 

 truly great authors always start with what 

 they have to say, never say it but once, and 

 stop when it is said. — E. C. 



THE WILD FOWL OP THE UNITED 

 STATES AND BBITISH POSSESSIONS. Olt 

 THE SW.AN, GEESE, DUCKS AND MERGANS- 

 ERS OF NORTH AMERICA, etc. By Daniel 

 Giraud Elliot. F. R. S. E.. etc. New York: 

 Francis P. Harper, 1898. 1 Vol. Svo.. pp. 

 i-xxii, 21-,3]R, froutisp. and CS pll. .$2..')n: large 

 paper, $10. 



This notable work is published uniform with 

 the distinguished author's two previnus books, 

 respectively on the Shore Birds and the Gal- 

 linaceous Game Birds, in two forms — the reg- 

 ular edition at a very moderate price; the 

 sumptuous large edition, of 100 autographic 

 copies, being' much more expensive. The text 

 and plates are the san.e in each, and both are 

 handsome specimens of bookmaking. upon 

 which Mr. F. P. Harper is to be congratulated. 



We are struck on ojjcning' the book with the 

 altogether admirable portrait of the .author, 

 which forms the frontispiece — a speaking like- 

 ness of the genial veteran naturalist, which 

 v^tII best satisfy those who know him best. We 

 have on other occasions expressed some not 

 altogether favorable opinion of Mr. Sheppard's 

 drawings of birds, and such view of this ar- 

 tist's limitations is not clianged in the present 

 instance. Perhaps we are a little hard to 

 please in this respect, but it can be truthfully 

 said that the plates of this work are in all cases 

 recognizable porti'aits of the birds represented, 

 and that is the great point, after all. We 

 think the birds themselves would stand out 

 better against white paper than they do within 

 the needlessly heavy scenery in which they are 

 framed. 



Those who are familiar with Mr. Elliot's pre- 

 vious two volumes already mentioned may fee! 

 sure that the plan of treatment which proved 

 so successful in those cases is carried out in 



this instance with no falling off in excellence. 

 The three books are so similar they might be 

 regarded as three volumes of one work, though 

 each is complete in itself and independent of 

 its companions. The "trilogy" thus concluded 

 by Mr. Elliot's industry and ability comprises 

 the three great groups of birds which have the 

 most interest to the general public and to the 

 pportsmau in particular. There is no question 

 that the high place already taken by these vol- 

 umes W'ill become permanent in the literature 

 of the subject. 



Mr. Elliot's plan of treatment is clear and 

 simple. Each species is treated at length, 

 liiograpliically ; each is also more briefly and 

 technically described; and each is figured. The 

 biographies are reliable and so well written as 

 to make pleasant reading. The descriptions, 

 we are glad to say. dwell especially upon the 

 too often neglected plumages of female and 

 young' birds, which, in this family, as a rule, 

 are notably different from those of the adult 

 male. Many persons who know the old drakes 

 very well are often puzzled over the ducks and 

 ducklings. 



The body of the book consists of these bi- 

 ographies and descriptions, but an appendiy 

 gives a useful key to the subfamilies, genera 

 and species, and also the etymologies of the 

 Latin names — a notable feature. In his classi- 

 tication and nomenclature, Mr. Elliot shows 

 that he has o))inions of his own and is 

 not afraid to express them; that is to say, he 

 follows the A. O. II. Code and Check-list when 

 he thinks ]u-oj)er, and differs from it when he 

 thinks he can improve upon it. This is not dif- 

 ficxdt in the case of the Anatidae. which, as we 

 lately pointed out in The Auk. are badly 

 handled in the Union's list. The sequence of 

 the species is very bad: there are also too many 

 sulispecies and not genera enough. Mr. Elliot 

 differs from the Check-list in perhaps twenty- 

 cases of names in this one family, and we trust 

 that the committee which holds all this mat- 

 ter in the hollow of its collective hand will 

 reckon with Mr. Elliot, most of whose depart- 

 ures from the Uiiion's nomenclature seem to 

 us distinct improvc7uents upon it. We also 

 note to our joy the outward signs of that in- 

 ward grace which makes Mr. Elliot try to spell 

 right, instead of preferring to spell wrong, as 

 is done in so many cases by the distinguished 

 im])Tirisfs. or advocates of illiteracy, who at 

 present, we believe, have a majority of four to 

 one on the nomcnclatural committee. WithMr. 

 Elliot's powerful assistance, and by his per- 

 sonal example of purity and virtue in this mat- 

 ter, we may hope soon to eradicate from our 

 code of nomenclature that ridiculous Canon 

 XL. so offensive to scholarly naturalists. — E. C. 



