THE OSPREY. 



95 



Literature. 



Chapman ox the Meadow Larks.*— Mr. 

 Frank M. Chapman has here attempted the 

 study of the facts connected with the geogra- 

 phical distribution and systematic values of the 

 forms of this genus, but evidently, as he admits, 

 with inconclusive results. Nine subspecies are 

 recognized: magna, Eastern United States; argu- 

 tula, (.doubtfully l Southern Florida; hippocrepis, 

 Cuba: mexicana, temperate Mexico; inexpectata, 

 East Coast Central America; alticola, Pacific 

 Coast of Southern Mexico and Southward; tneri- 

 dionalis, Northern South America; neglecta, 

 Western United States; hoopesi. Lower Rio 

 Grande. Mr. Chapman's study of 734 speci- 

 mens of these forms are ably contrasted, but his 

 results will hardly meet with general approval. 

 While the larger portion of the paper is given 

 to a consideration of the subspecific validity of 

 neglecta, the real problem of the paper, the 

 island form hippocrepis is dismissed with a few 

 lines, its status as a subspecies being determined 

 by considering certain variations, not men- 

 tioned, as bridging the gap between it and the 

 South Florida bird. "Individual variation" is 

 the convenient term employed to justify a tri- 

 nominal. but it may well be doubted if a few 

 faulty individuals, most evidently immature or 

 typically imperfect, occuring with the typical 

 birds of a large island area, can be properly 

 used as a criterion of geographical intergrada- 

 tion. The Cuban bird lives on the dryest and 

 poorest areas of the island and its color values 

 and markings are far more characteristic of 

 neglecta, as formerly considered by Mr. Chap- 

 man, than of the South Florida bird with which 

 it agrees only in size. 



Mr. Bang-.' argutula is considered as purely 

 Floridian in contrast to that author's use of the 

 n nine to cover the Gulf Coast and Lower Missis- 

 sippi valley birds. Evidence for considering 

 magna and neglecta as intergrading is found 

 largely in a series of 30 specimens collected at 

 Corpus Christi in April. 1891. and these speci- 

 mens are elaborately compared and discussed. 

 The meeting of these forms in the Mississippi 

 Valley is well described, and the following" sum- 

 mary given: "It appears from this review of 

 the available material from the regions where 

 the ranges of neglecta and magna come together, 

 that in the Mississippi Valley, between the 

 meridians of 90° and 100° both magna and 

 neglecta are typically represented, that they are 

 sometimes found associated during the breeding- 

 season, that their ranges over-lap for a distance 

 of several hundred miles, and that intermediates 

 between them, while not proportionally common, 

 do occur, sometimes in connection with typical 

 representalives of both forms. In South- 

 eastern Texas, at Corpus Christi, the fusion of 

 these birds seems to be more complete, though 

 it is not probable that both forms breed there." 



Tho' Mr. Chapman has had a far greater 

 number of specimens to deal with than earlier 

 writers he say-.: "It should be stated at the 

 outset, however, that the material to which I 



have had access is far from satisfactory; and an 

 explanation of the facts it apparently presents 

 is to be regarded onl) - as provisional. We need 

 large series of breeding birds from Northern 

 Mexico, taken by a collector who is thoroughly 

 familiar with the points involved, before we can 

 reach conclusive results." 



Of the "intermediates" after considering a 

 number of specimens, Mr. Chapman sums up, 

 "i 'pinion would no doubt vary in regard to the 

 exact determination of these specimens, but as 

 a series there can be no doubt that they prove 

 the complete intergradation of magna and 

 neglecta in Southeastern Texas. Whether this 

 intergradation is geographical, that is. cor- 

 related with climatic condition, or whether it is 

 due to the interbreeding of typical examples of 

 >ii 'electa, can only be determined by further field 

 work." 



Mr. Chapman's opinion of the systematic value 

 of neglecta seems largely influenced by his as- 

 sumption (p. 3181 "that Meadow Larks origi- 

 nated in the humid tropics" south of the Mexican 

 table lands. But it may be suggested that such 

 a strongly specialized aberant genus as Stur- 

 nella inhabited North America in preglacial 

 times. We know the antiquity of the mountain 

 masses of both sides of the continent and it 

 may well be that the ancestors of both magna 

 and neglecta inhabited opposite regions, as now. 

 before they were driven northward by glacial 

 effects. Moreover the strong terrestial open 

 .nea habits of the genus precludes their having 

 originated in a humid tree covered region. It 

 seems much more likely that elevated or sub- 

 boreal treeless areas in preglacial times per- 

 mitted the differentiation and specialization of 

 this peculiar genus apart from its nearest rela- 

 tives. The return northward since the retreat 

 of the glacial ice and the filling of the Missis- 

 sippi area has undoubtedly permitted the condi- 

 tions which now perplex the systematic ornitho- 

 logist especially when he confines his attention 

 almost wholly to dry skins. The similarity as 

 far as known of preglacial fossil birds to the 

 bird life of today in similar regions of America 

 is a strong factor in favor of the idea that the 

 Meadow Larks inhabited what then existed of 

 North America. A contrary view is hardly 

 tenable. The genus is purely Nearctic and is 

 undoubtedly much older than the beginning of 

 the glacial epoch. 



The intermediate birds of Corpus Christi. the 

 breeding home of which is unknown, if indeed 

 their progeny is fertile which is equallv un- 

 known, may be simply hybrids and we may 

 have a similar case to that of Colaptes cafer and 

 ('. auratus tho' as the birds are so different the 

 weaker values of the Meadow Lark characters 

 may prevent as easy a determination of hybrid- 

 ity as in the Flickers. 



Mr. Chapman considers the song of little 

 value for determining the specific distinctness 

 of these birds. 



The great interest shown in late years regard- 



♦Sludy of the genus Stui-nella. Bull. Am. Mus. N. H., Vol. xiii. 1800, 867-830, 



