136 Recently jiuhlifihed Ornithological Works. 



on the Water-birds of California (c/. Ibis, 1897, p. 125). It 

 refers to the species found in the vicinity of Montere}' in 

 autumn^ and contains much valuable information ou their 

 migration. It is held that bird-migration is a habit^ evolved 

 by education and inheritance^ which owes its origin and per- 

 petuation to winter and the consequent failure of food. This 

 is^ no doubt, one great cause ; but are there not others ? 



18. Merriani on the Birds of Mount Shasta. 



[Residts of a Biological Survey of Mount Sliasta, California. By 

 0. Hart Merriani. North Amer. Fauna, No. 16, 1809.] 



In the summer of 1898 Dr. Merriam and his staff made a 

 Complete biological survey of Mount Shasta, " the pride of 

 California," an extinct volcano 14,450 feet in altitude, situated 

 near the sea north of San Francisco and completely cut off 

 from the neighbouring mountains. The report on the Fauna 

 and Flora of this district is very pleasant reading, and beauti- 

 fully illustrated by numerous figures in the text. 



The birds obtained and observed are referred to 136 species, 

 the list of which is arranged according to the American 

 Check-list and contains many excellent field-notes. One 

 of the " most common, most characteristic, and most in- 

 teresting " birds of the higher slopes of Mount Shasta 

 is Clark's Crow or Nutcracker {Nucifraga colombiana), of 

 Avhich a pretty figure is given (p. 120), It usually feeds on 

 the seeds of the white-barked pine {Pinus albicaiilis) , as the 

 European Nutcracker does on those of the cones of P. cembra, 

 while it ranges up to the edge of the snow at 11,000 feet. 

 The llumming-birds of Shasta are Sclasphorus rufus and 

 Stellula calliope, the latter being the more common at high 

 altitudes. 



Besides the special lists of animals, the chapters of this 

 report on the 'Life-zones of Shasta' deserve the careful 

 attention of the naturalist. 



19. Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society's Trans- 

 actions. 



[Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society. 

 Vol. vi. Pts. 2-5, Vol. vii. Pt. 1. Norwich, 1896-1900.] 



A natural desire to wait for the accumulation of papers on 



