138 



THE OSPREY. 



Pharmacy; but the intention of the organization is to 

 soon have a home of its own. In the report the 

 various plans entertained in the last few years are 

 given. The most favorable one, at present, seems to 

 be the erection of a suitable building independent of 

 any other organizations. The plans of such a build- 

 ing recently submitted to the Council of the Alliance 

 is estimated to cost $300,000, and it is believed that 

 the necessary land can be procured in a desirable 

 location for not more than $200,000 additional The 

 published plans and picture show what seems to be 

 an ideal building for the purposes of the Alliance. — 

 W. A. J. 



Contributions to Philippine Ornithology. By 

 Ds-an C. Worcester, A. B., Assistant Professor of 

 Zoology, University of Michigan, and Frank S. 

 Bourns, M. D., Ann Arbor, Mich. From the Pro- 

 ceedings of the United States National Museum, Vol. 

 XX., pages 549-625 (with plates LV.-LXL). [No. 

 1134.] Smithsonian Institution, Washington : 1898. 



The two ornithologists whose names appear on the 

 title page of this scientific paper, worked in the 

 Philippine Islands during the year 1887 and later 

 and more extensively in the years 1890 to 1893. They 

 colaborate in 'Part One,' which is "a list of the 

 birds known to inhabit the Philippine and Palawan 

 Islands, showing their distribution within the limits 

 of the two groups," which is published, as Mr. Wor- 

 cester says in the introduction, as a basis for some 

 conclusions at which he has arrived concerning the 

 zoological relationships between the various islands 

 of the Philippine group and the laws governing the 

 distribution of their birds. Following this in 'Part 

 Two' is Mr. Worcester's ' Notes on the Distribution 

 of Philippine Birds,' which is a masterful scientific 

 paper showing the writer to have done an immense 

 amount of work on the subject. A large folding 

 map and numerous distribution charts illustrate the 

 paper. — W. A. J. 



Crusoe's Island, A Bird-hunter's Story. By 

 Frederick A. O/n-r, Author of 'Camps in the Caribbees, ' 

 'Travels in Mexico,' 'In the Wake of Columbus,' 'A 

 Life of Josephine,' etc. Appleton's Home Reading 

 Books, Division I, Natural History. New York; 

 D. Appleton & Co., 1S98. Cloth, 65 cents. 



Nineteen years ago the author was sent to make 

 an ornithological investigation in the Lesser Antilles, 

 under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 At the termination of his labors he found himself 

 craving for new worlds to conquer and a wider range 

 of observation, when occurred to him the dream of his 

 youth, his determination to search out the truth re- 

 specting a hero of his earlier years — Robinson Crusoe 

 — who, it appeared to him, had long been confounded 

 with Alexander Selkirk. In short, Mr. Ober endeavors 

 to prove that the island of Crusoe's exile was not Juan 

 Fernandez in the Pacific Ocean, but Tobago in the 

 Caribbean Sea ; and incidentally he tells a great deal 

 of the fauna and flora of the island on which, the story 

 tells us, he became an exile as did his famous predeces- 

 sor of more than two centuries ago. The book will be 

 a source of pleasure and profit to those who wish to 

 read of an up-to-date 'Robinson Crusoe.' — W. A. J, 



Birds of the Pacific Slope of Los Angeles 

 County. Jiy Joseph Grinnell A. B., Assistant In- 

 structor in Biology, Throop Polytechnic Institute, 

 Pasadena Academy of Sciences ; Publication No. II. 

 March, 1898. 



This annotated list is a valuable acquisition to the 

 ornithological literature of Southern California. Mr. 

 Grinnell is one of the best known of the younger 

 naturalists of Southern California as a result of his 



careful and extensive work. In making the list his 

 aid has been mainly that of the members of the 

 Southern Division of the Cooper Ornithological Club. 



Los Angeles County is about half and half in the 

 desert and in the Pacific district; and, as indicated 

 by the title of the paper, the region dealt with is the 

 portion of Los Angeles County lying on the Pacific 

 side of the mountains. It must be remembered that, 

 ornithologically speaking, this is a comparatively 

 little known region : most of the observations used 

 cover little over six or eight years, which is small, 

 indeed, compared to the years of careful observa- 

 tions carried on in some of our Eastern States. Yet 

 the results, especially with the land birds, well war- 

 rants publication of the list The difficulties in mak- 

 ing a fairly complete list of the water birds is readily 

 seen when we consider the number which should 

 and undoubtedly do occur along the coast and in the 

 adjacent ocean channel. 



Now that Mr. Grinnell has laid a foundation for 

 future work, the efforts thus stimulated will doubtless 

 make this work of the Pasadena Academy of Sciences 

 and of the Southern Division of the Cooper Club 

 one of note in the bibliography of California orni- 

 thology.— W. A. J. 



Gleanings from Nature, — No. I. Oological 

 Abnormalities. By J. IVarroi Jncol's. Illustrated. 

 Waynesburg, Pa. Independent Book and Job Press, 

 1898. 



The author states that 'Gleanings from Nature' 

 will be a series of pamphlets based chiefly on the 

 author's research in ornithology and oology and pub- 

 lished from time to time as accumulating material 

 and data permits. The sub-titles of future numbers 

 will be announced later. 'Number One' is a neatly 

 printed publication containing four photographic 

 plates and 36 pages of text, in small type. Mr. 

 Jacobs has devoted much time to the subject — in fact, 

 more of his energetic labor has been given to this 

 particular field of ornithological research than its 

 importance would seem to warrant. We shall be 

 glad to see the future numbers of the series. — W. 

 A J. 



The Naturalists' Directory. Compiled by 

 Samuel E. Cassino. Boston: S. E. Cassino, Pub- 

 lisher, 1898. 



The directory has appeared in several earlier 

 editions and is doubtless familiar to many of The 

 Osprey's readers. It is especially valuable to the 

 naturalist who wishes to exchange specimens and 

 notes. It includes over five thousand names with 

 addresses in an alphabetical list, and appended to 

 each are abbreviations designating particular 

 branches of natural science. There appeared in 

 former editions a second list giving the names under 

 their respective states and postoffice addresses, 

 which does not appear in this. A list of the scientific 

 societies of the United States and Canada, is, how- 

 ever, classified by their respective states. The pub- 

 lisher announces that the next edition, to be pub- 

 lished late in 1899, will be international in its scope. 

 — W. A. J. 



OTHER BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS RECEIVED. 



'At You-All's House' by James Newton Baskett. The Mac- 

 millan Co. Cloth, 81.50. 



'Across the Everglades' by Hugh L. Willoughby. Philadel- 

 phia: J. B. Lippencott Co. Cloth, Si. 50. 



' Tongues of Birds ' by Frederick A. Lucas. From report of 

 U. S. National Museum. 



'Bird Tablet for Field Use." Published by Josephine A. 

 Clark, Washington, D. C, at 25c each. 



' Description of New Birds from Mexico ' by E. VV. Nelson. 

 From Proceedings of Biological Society of Washington. 



'The Naturalist's Directory.' London: L. Upcott Gill. 

 Paper, one shilling. 



