Uti 



THE OSPllEY. 



and 30 years ago. An interesting biography by A. 

 H. Palmer was published several years ago (1895). 

 This was illustrated by numerous examples of 

 his handiwork, among which are three of the 

 Osprey.— T. G. 



The death ok Pkoe. O. C. Marsh removes 

 from the world one whose celebrity as an orni- 

 thologist rested mainly on the discovery a 



quarter of a centurj- ago of the toothed bird 

 named Hcsperoriiis, and the still more remarkable 

 bird with biconcave vertebrae named hhthyornis. 

 He published on these and related forms, in 1880, 

 a suniptuouslv illustrated monograph entitled 

 ••The Extinct Toothed Birds of North America." 

 Prof. Marsh died at New Haven, on the 18th of 

 March, in his b8th year.— T. G. 



In The Osprey's Claws. 



liiRU (ifins. I'.y I'haiirs ile Kay. Witli an Ae- 

 oompaninient of Decorations by Cieorgc 

 Wharton Kdwards. New York: A. G. Barnes 

 & Co., 1F9S, pp. xxiv. 249. 



We may imagine why this book was writ feu 

 and decorated, but can discover no valid rea- 

 son for its publication. We doubt not the au- 

 thor'sgood intentions, but are reminded of the 

 saying that a certain alleged locality is paved 

 with those qualities. He tells us plainly what 

 he intends to do. yet we find his work singu- 

 larly futile. It is a sad case of misapplied in- 

 genuity, failing of its purpose through its 

 author's inability to handle his chosen subject 

 in any proper manner. Bird tiods is not a 

 vicious book, because it is sincere: but it 

 amounts to just nothing, aside from its errors 

 of fact. We' could refer the author to various 

 sound treatises on zoolatry, in which he would 

 find the information required on his part. 

 Ovid's Metamorphoses, for example, w-onld be 

 a good one for him to begin with. 



Jfr. de Kay states in his preface, p. x. "1 

 wish to call attention to remains in the early 

 lore of ICnrope of a very extensi\e connection 

 of birds with gods. iMinting to a worship of 

 the bird itself as the living representative of 

 a god, or else to such a position of a bird to- 

 ward a deity as to fairly permit the inference 

 that at a period still more remote the bird it- 

 self was worshipped." .\nd again, p. xi, "I fol- 

 low in mythology and epic poetry and legends 

 the traces of certain birds (naming them), 

 and try to show how their peculiarities and 

 ha.bits." observed by primitive man with the 

 keenness of savages, have laid the foundation 

 for cert.ain elements in various religions and 

 mythologies," etc. These pi^opositious are well 

 eiiough; but how satisfactorily the purpose 

 thus avowed is accomplished may be judged 

 from some .statements made in the opening 

 chapter. 



This is entitled '•There was the Douve with 

 her Eyen Meeke," and professes to treat of 

 the dove in connection with Venus, or in 

 other of that bird's mythological bearings. 

 Among other things we are informed that "it 

 is at i>odona that the dove appears in human 

 form and thus g-ives us one clew to its con- 

 nection with Venus" (p. 10). In further ex- 

 plication of his theme Jlr. de Kay invokes the 

 aid of etymology, so-called. '•The connection 

 of the dove with Venus may be found in 

 Greek, where a name for the dove is oinas 

 a word having nothing to do with 

 'wine"(oinos)," p. H. Again, p. 15, "This dove 

 name oinas is found not only in Venus, but in 



the favorite son of Venus. Aeneas of Troy. 

 Aeneas is therefore the dove god." On 

 p. IG, we are told that "the other tlreek word 

 for ]iigcou or dove, pelia, seems to be of (ireek 

 uol of I'elasgic origin, like oinas. Wc find a 

 prol)able meaning in the word pelennzo. . . . 

 This is a better derivation than from pelos 

 . and so the old King Pelops, whose 

 name adheres to the Peloponnesus, is likelier 

 to mean •Dove face' than •Dark face.' " Tlie 

 required corrective of such amazing erudition 

 as is here dis])layed would be the nearest eopj' 

 of Liddcll and Scotl. After such a taste of the 

 quality of this book', it will be needless to .say 

 more, than that the decorations are appro- 

 pria.te to the text. In short. Bird Oods is a 

 book to be avoided, unless you wish to be 

 bored and misinformed. — E. C. 



Thk Wilson Bnj.KTiN, No. 2,=., Mar. ,iO. 1899, 

 pp. 17-32. Edited by Eynds Jones. Bi-monthly. 



This unpretentious and commendable maga- 

 zine appear.s regularly, at a price which places 

 it within reach of every one. Mr. Jones con- 

 ducts it in good tone and temper, keeps it 

 thoroughly ornithological, and runs no fad or 

 clique. There is more good bird matter in it 

 than we find in some periodicals of greater prom- 

 inence, and it well deserves success. May it go 

 on and prosper. — E. C. 



Bor,i,ETiNO DEI MrsEi di Zooi,ogi.\ ed Ana- 

 TOMIA Comparata dei.la R. Universit.\ di 

 ToKiNo, Vol. xiv. No. 339. March 12, 1899. 



This number of the well-known Bulletin con- 

 tains an account, by onr friend Count T. Salva- 

 dor! and Dr. E. Festa, of the birds of the hitter's 

 journey to Darien and vicinity. The collection 

 consists of 202 specimens of 122 species, one of 

 which was latel.v described as new by Salvadori 

 (/\l!ainp/iO(-(rhis fester); and the list is briefly 

 annotated throughout. — E. C. 



As AvES do EsTado DK San Paui.o. Por. H. 

 von Ihering. Revista do Museu Paulista, iii, 

 1898, pp. 113-476. 



The greater part of this volume of the Revista 

 is occupied by Dr. von Ihering with an extended 

 memoir on the birds of the state — we make no 

 doubt the most important single contribution 

 ever made to our knowledg-e of this particular 

 subject, for a copy of which The OsprEv is in- 

 debted to the author, who desires the Magazine 

 in exchange for the Revista, now in its third 

 volume, which he edits. The paper is based on 

 the collections of the Museum, and other sources 

 of information. It is a synonymatic list of 590 

 species known to occur in the state, quite ex- 



