112 



THE OSPKEY. 



Many more interesting data are given by Mr. 

 Chamberlain. A fine example of this variety is 

 in the National Museum. 



The Death ok Emii.e Blanchakd removes 

 a naturalist who had cultivated ornithology 

 chiefly from the anatomical side: this occurred 

 on the 11th of Februar3% 1900. He had been for 

 many years Professor in the Museum of Natural 

 History, was a member of the French Academy 

 of Sciences (section of anatomy and zoology) 

 and had been a president of the academy. 



Professor Blanchard's work was principally 

 in the line of entomologj^ and helminthology, 



but he contributed some valuable articles on the 

 anatomy and classification of birds, especially 

 of the parrots and gallinaceous forms. A good 

 resume (so far as published) of the anatomy and 

 classification of birds in general was also given 

 by him in "L'Organisation du Rt'gne Animal." 

 Unfortunately, however, only three parts rela- 

 tive to the birds were published. This ornitho- 

 logical work was published many j'ears ago 

 (18,S6-1860). His views respecting the classifica- 

 tion and relationship of different birds were in 

 advance of his time and evoke regret that he 

 did not continue his work as contemplated. 



Literature. 



The Birds of Africa. By G. E. Shellev, F. 

 Z. S., F. R. G. S. Vol. ii, Part i. London: 

 R. H. Porter. — The part of this important 

 work just published includes the Passerine 

 birds of the families Pittidce, Philepittidcr and 

 Nectariniidcr. There is one Pitta {angolensis) 

 widely separated from its numerous oriental 

 relatives, and two of Philepittidcr — the only ones 

 known and confined to Madagascar. The Nec- 

 taritiiido' or "Sunbirds are strongly represented 

 throughout the Ethiopian region, but none of 

 the species found there extend into Asia beyond 

 the shores of the Red sea." There are seven 

 well drawn and beautifullj' colored plates repre- 

 senting ten species of Sunbirds, and five of 

 Zosteropids to be described in the next number. 



The Oscines, we are told, "are well repre- 

 sented in the Ethiopian region by nearly 1,500 

 known species," and constitute "more than half 

 the Avifauna of that region." 



Bird Notes Afiei^d: A series of essays on 

 the Birds of California. By Charles Keeler. 

 D. P. Elder •& Morgan Shepard, San Francisco, 

 publishers. 1899. [12mo. pp. i-viii, 1-355; price 

 $1.50.] 



In this modest looking volume Mr. Keeler in- 

 troduces the reader to California's avifauna. 

 The text is dividedinto 14 chapters, viz: A first 

 glance at the Birds; Patrolling the Beach; A 

 Trip to the Farallones; A Day on the Bay Shore; 

 A glimpse of the Birds of Berkeley; January in 

 Berkeley; February in Berkelej^; March in the 

 Pine Woods; April in Berkeley; Berkeley in 

 May; Summer Birds of the Red Woods; Nesting 

 Time; A Mission Patio. Appendix. 



In the first chapter Mr. Keeler takes the 

 reader on various rambles and makes him feel 

 that he is indeed a member of the party. We 

 visit the ocean beach in calm and storm and in- 

 terpret old mother Nature in all her moods. We 

 take a turn to the Farallones inspecting the 



homes of the feathered denizens. We climb 

 the mountains and walk in the shadow of the 

 awe inspiring giant redwood. We spend an 

 entire year among the Berkeley Hills. 



We are afield and everj' where the birds are in 

 the foreground. He paints them in their native 

 haunts in a frame of rustic nature. The book 

 throughout is alive. Nothing of the odor of 

 bird skins and preservatives is present nor do 

 we get a glimpse of gun or bloody scalpel. 



The appendix or last chapter is intended to 

 furnish the reader a means to becomes aquainted 

 with the land birds of California. Even here 

 the creakj- wheels of classification have been 

 happily adjusted and the various keys and 

 simple descriptions will enable any one of aver- 

 age intelligence to designate any of the 204 

 species here described. 



We congratulate Mr. Keeler upon the produc- 

 tion of this popular treatise which fills a long 

 felt want of the Gold state bird lover, and hope 

 the publisher will find a better coat for the 

 second edition. — B. 



The Birds of America by Audubon, 1840- 

 1844, (princeps royal 8vo. edition,) in seven 

 volumes half morocco, with "the text somewhat 

 spotted", was sold at auction bj' Bangs & Co. of 

 New York, January 15th, for $176,75. 



A Catalogue of Nests and Eggs of the 

 Birds of Australia, by Mr. Alfred J. North, 

 was published by the Trustees of the Australian 

 Museum of Sydney, New South Wales, in 1889, 

 as one of the series (No. 12) of catalogues of 

 their museum. This has been "out of print" 

 for some time, and a new edition will be pub- 

 lished soon. This work will be illustrated by 30 

 plates representing about 600 eggs. Provision 

 will be made to furnish colored plates to those 

 who wish them, and are willing to pay the extra 

 price. 



