THE OSPREY 



135 



Recent Literature. 



upon the 'J'rec-tops. By Olive Thorne Miller. 

 Illustrated by J. Carter Beard. Boston and New 

 York : Houghton, Miflin & Company, The Riverside 

 Press, Cambridge, 1897. 



When Olive Thorne Miller places on the market 

 another of her little volumes of bird observations, 

 clothed in restful and care-belying language, she 

 renews and deepens the gratitude of her many 

 readers. Mrs. Miller is distinctly original and does 

 not hesitate to make an assertion contradictory, and 

 quite often emendatory, to the ornithologist's delinea- 

 tions of bird-ways. Pretty illustrations by J. Carter 

 Beard, the animal painter, in the present work, pic- 

 ture amply well, to the general reader, the birds 

 they represent. 



So)iie Covimon Birds (in their relation to agricul- 

 ture.) By F. E. L. Beal, B. S., Assistant Ornithol- 

 ogist, Biological Survey, United States Department 

 of Agriculture. Farmer's Bulletin, No. 54. 44 pp. 

 Washington ; Government printing office. 1897. 



This bulletin contains brief abstracts of the results 

 of food studies of about thirty grain and insect eating 

 birds belonging to ten different families : a continua- 

 tion of similar work by the Department, which, in 

 times past, has placed an economic value on birds that 

 were previously thought to be noxious in their rela- 

 tions to agriculture. 



Catalogue of a Collection of Birds made by Doctor 

 IV. L. Abbott in Madagascar, ivith Descriptions of 

 Three Neiv Species. By Charles W. Richmond, As- 

 sistant Curator, Department of Birds. From the 

 proceedings United States National Museum, Vol. 

 xix, pp. 677-694. [No 1 1 18] Washington: Gov- 

 ernment printing office. 1897. 



This catalogues the birds — comprising eighty-three 

 species — in Dr. Abbott's last interesting collection 

 sent from Madagascar, consisting of mammals, birds, 

 ethnological material, and miscellaneous objects of 

 natural history. Many species of the birds are rare 

 and of great interest. The Doctor was obliged to 

 discontinue his explorations, being unable to procure 

 ammunition on account of the unsettled condition of 

 affairs on the island, and thus undoubtedly curtailing 

 the collection. 



Description of a iVeiu Eagle from Alaska. By C. 

 H. TowNSEND. Proceedings of the Biological Society 

 of Washington. Vol. xi, pp. 145-146. June 9, 1897. 



This new subspecies is named, Ifaliicltis leucoceph- 

 aliis aliiscamis. We quote the following : "In forty 

 specimens examined from localities between Florida 

 and Alaska there is a regular increase in size north- 

 ward. Eagles from northern States are larger than 

 those from Florida and Louisiana. In addition to 

 the other differences in size, the bill of the Alaskan 

 bird is wider, while the edging to the feathers, 

 especially on the wing coverts, is both lighter and 

 broader. The egg of the northern bird is distinctly 

 larger, the average of sixteen specimens being 73.5 x 

 57.5 mm., while that of forty-five Florida specimens 

 is 69 x 53.5 mm." 



Our Friends, the Birds. By C. H. P., Chicago : A. 

 Flanagan, pp. 170. Cloth, 50 cents. 



This little bird-book with its profuse drawings, and 

 the secrets of bird-life told in a way that will inter- 

 est the children of the intermediate schools, well ful- 

 fills its purpose. The mention of each respective 

 species is preceeded by a scientific description, copied 

 by special permission, from " Coues' Key." 



Birds of Montreal. By Ernest D. Wintle. Mon- 

 treal : Wm. Drysdale & Co., 1896. 



This is one of the best books on Canadian birds, 

 which will prove useful to all interested in the subject, 

 and should be consulted with special reference to Mc- 

 Ilwraith's Birds of Hamilton, Ont. It is mainly an 

 annotated list of 254 species, based primarily on A. 

 Hall's only partly published work of 1839, which 

 gave 208 species, from which ig are now subtracted 

 and to which 65 are added by Mr. Wintle. A second 

 part of the book gives short descriptions of all these 

 species, sufficient for their identification, and a third 

 part consists of sporting sketches. The most import- 

 ant record given is that of the Labrador Duck, illus- 

 trated with two plates. The book is well printed, 

 and makes an attractive appearance. 



The June number of Sports Afield, Claude Kings' 

 veteran western sportsmen's magazine — besides con- 

 taining some matter that will compare favorably with 

 the contents of some of the larger literary magazines — 

 publishes some excellent material in the "Natural 

 History " department ; Mr. E. L. Kellogg writes on 

 the Water Ouzel, and Mr. Morris Rice, a compre- 

 hensive paper on the food-habits of our Hawks. 



Dr. Goues' Column. 



THE name of Audubon is perennial, and his fame 

 is likely to increase as years go on. Interest 

 in all that relates to the great and good natur- 

 alist is reawakened at present by various circum- 

 stances, notably the formation all over the country 

 of Audubon societies for the protection and preser- 

 vation of bird-life. The title is happily chosen. 

 Audubon was a man of humane sentiment, who loved 

 birds and killed none wantonly; it is well that his 

 name should be borne by associations for the pre- 

 vention of cruelty to birds. I trust these societies 

 may multiply and do such good work in cultivating 

 kindly sympathies for our feathered friends that it 

 shall become disgraceful to take their lives needlessly 

 Many strong names are among those now leading the 

 "Audubon movement," such as those of William 

 Dutcher, of New York, and Ruthven Deane, of Chi- 

 cago ; their influence cannot fail of good effect. 

 Perhaps we may yet see "Bird Day" to some extent 

 a national holiday, like "Arbor Day." 



The revival of Auduboniana is likely to be pro- 

 moted and accentuated in the near future by the 

 work upon which Miss Maria A. Audubon, grand- 

 daughter of the illustrious ornithologist, is now en- 

 gaged. Readers of The Osprev will recall the ex- 

 hibition, at the last meeting of the American Orni- 

 thologists' Union, of various manuscript journals, 

 which Miss Audubon now proposes to publish. 

 Among these are the personal diary of 1827, when 

 Audubon was in England, on the threshold of his 

 great work; the Labrador Journal of 1833: and 

 especially the narrative of his voyage up the Missouri 

 to the Yellowstone in 1843. All these records are of 

 absorbing interest to those who desire closer ac- 

 quaintance with the "American Backwoodsman," as 

 he used to style himself. They will appear in full, 

 together with a new biography, more trustworthy 

 and otherwi.se satisfactory than Robert Buchanan's, 

 which has hitherto been our main reliance for infor- 

 mation concerning the man himself, aside from his 

 own works. I understand that Miss Audubon has 

 practically completed her work, and made arrange- 

 ments with a prominent publishing house in New 

 York for its early appearance. This will be distinctly 

 an event, and no doubt prove a pronounced success. 



