112 



THE OSPKKY 



Pheasants now naturalized in the United 

 States. Our single L'riticisni is, that Mr. Hunt- 

 ington continues to use lor the Turlveys the 

 wrong uonieiiclature, wliieh has stood so long- 

 in the A. O. U. Cheek List, thus perpetuating 

 errors which we lately exposed and caused to 

 be abolished. We trust that this elegant f)ubli- 

 cation is receiving' the full support it deserves, 

 and shall watch its progress to completion 

 with special interest. Too many good ornitho- 

 logical works are printed badly, like The Os- 

 PKEV. We shoukl all strive to attain the stand- 

 ard of excellence in this respect now set up by 

 Mr. Huntington in the present case and by Mr. 

 Chapman in Bird Lore. — E. C. 



Forest and Stream reaches us with unfail- 

 ing puncttiality, as it has done for lo! these 

 many years. ISothing succeeds like success, 

 and good wine needs no bush. The paper is a 

 clean, strong, sound one, taking rank in the 

 L'nited States with the celebrated "Field" in 

 England. No editor understands his own pub- 

 lic better than Dr. George Bird Grinnell; no 

 one is better able to give the world of legiti- 

 mate sport just what it wants and ought to 

 have. Every number of Forest and Stream is 

 replete with interest and variety; ornithology 

 comes in for its full share of attention, amidst 

 a multiiJlicity of other things for which the 

 paper stands. It is a foremost recommenda- 

 tion of Forest and Stream that it is always 

 found on the right side of every question af- 

 fecting the preservation of birds and other 

 game from wanton destruction, the enforce- 

 ment of game laws, and other im|)ortant mat- 

 ters in which every true sportsman has a vital 

 interest. On the other hand, it is free from the 

 mawkish sentimentality which some journals 

 affect as a fad in the matter of killing birds, 

 mammals and fish. We believe in the ideas of 

 Forest and Sti'eam on such subjects, and we 

 know there is no ])aper which more nearly re- 

 alizes its ideals in all matters which come 

 within its sco|>e. Within our generation Forest 

 and Stream has become a household word, aiul 

 it seems likely to continue as a lieritage of 



honor, profit, pleasure and usefulness in the 

 years to come. — E. C. 



Sn.viiPE's Hand List of Bjrds. Xot all of The 

 Osi'itEv's readers know already that a new 

 Hand List of the birds of the world is now rap- 

 idl.\' passing the press. The work is jn-epared 

 upon a plan similar to that of the liitherto in- 

 dis|)eiisable Hand List by C IL (iray, but with 

 (iniissii.>n of synonymy, except in special cases, 

 references being made to the pages of the 

 great British Museum Catalogue of Birds, the 

 completion of which we noticed in a recent 

 number of The Osprey. The Hand List is- based 

 upon this catalogue, following' it closely in 

 classification and nomenclature, and also in se- 

 (]uence of genera and s)_iecies of the major 

 groups, though the ari-angement of the groups 

 themselves is entirely different. The work 

 opens with the famous Archaeoptery.x of the 

 .Inrassic period, passes to the Katitae, and so 

 on upward through the ornithological system, 

 the highest Oscine birds to come last. The op- 

 portiinity is, of course, taken to include in the 

 new work all the species and genera named 

 since the successive volumes of the Catalogue 

 appeai'ed. and the additions liid fair to be nu- 

 mei'ous, especially in those groups of birds 

 which were treated in the earlier volumes of 

 series. This implies a critical review of the 

 whole of ornithology since 1874. and for this 

 iask there is no other man living so well fitted 

 AS Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, the eminent author- 

 ity of the British Museum. Dr. Sharpe is send- 

 ing' us proof sheets of the Hand List, with I'e- 

 ipiest for cooperation to the extent of any ci'it- 

 icisms or suggestions we may have to offer. 

 We had i-ead the proofs as far as i>age 176 by 

 the latter part of Felirnary last. The compo- 

 sition of the work seems to be going on rap- 

 idly and steadily. We shall not fail to inform 

 our readers of its progress from time to time, 

 and may have something more to say on its 

 completion. Our heartiest good wi.shes go out 

 to our distinguished friend for the success of 

 his areat undertaking. — E. C. 



