THE 00L0GI8T. 



187 



e/asiou-;; !) it the d ull-c-olort'il "S-.ind- 

 l)lrd" is too small for the giiniier, while 

 his little nest but seldom comes under 

 the observation of the rapaeious fisher- 

 man as he gathers his l)oatload of eggs. 

 Theouoke VV. Richakds, 



Washington, D. C. 



Book Review. 

 North Amerioan Birds.— H. Nehkung. 



4-to. Milwaukee. Wis.. Piibli.shed by George 

 Hriimder. P;irt III. 



Nehrling's North Americnn Birds is 

 published in twelve parts of from 

 fort3' to forty-eight ))ages eaeh and is 

 illustrate(l by thirty-si,\ colored plates 

 (three in each part.) This excellent 

 Work is so simpl}', i)eautifidh' and accu- 

 rately written as to render it, at the 

 same time, both highly scientific and 

 generally ])opular. 



What little of technical matter there 

 is, is printed in smaller type at tlie end 

 of the biograpiiies. The antlior says 

 what lie has to say in a simple and very 

 interesting manner, and relates his own 

 field-experiences in a very entertaining 

 stj'le. But from the general to the 

 specific; Part III. takes up the (inat- 

 carchers and Kinglets wliere Part JI. 

 left them and finishes the family. It 

 opeu.s with a life-like colored plate of 

 the nest of the Blue-gray Gnatc-atcher 

 with the female on it (or in itj and the 

 male on an adjaceid twig. 



The family Sfjlviidae is followed ))y 

 the Pan'd'if aud CcrlhiUlde and tiie 

 Tro(jh><hjti'J((c. which latter family is 

 not finished in Part III. The second 

 ]date of this ])art represents a group of 

 Thrushes, viz. the Robin, Hermit 

 Thrush, the Varied, Wilson's, Wood 

 and Olive-hacked Thrushes; a very 

 natural apueai-ing and pretty group. 

 Some might think the Robin's bn-ast a 

 trifle too bright of red, but if the.y do 

 let them say so; we will not speak for 

 them. The other plate presents a var- 

 ious group, comprising the Ce<larbird, 

 Tufteci lit]nous(\ Pha'be, Brown 

 Thrasher, Bluel)ird male, Blueitird 

 female and Song Sparrow. 



As to the i)iographies themselves, 

 they are gi\en in such a pleasing and 

 poetical way as to make the work an 

 <'xceedingly entertaining oiu' to the 

 general i-endcr. while the care and ac- 

 <-uracv witli which they are written 

 make it of great value to tiie advanced 

 stiulcnt of liirds. The twehc parts. 



when complete, will constitute a most 

 valualde work on the Birds of North 

 America. 



[NcjTE: Part II, although received 

 by us many moons :igo, has, through a 

 negligent oveisight, been allowed to 

 pass unnoticed. It will be spoken of 

 next number.] 



Birds in the Bush.— Bk.^dfoiu) Tohkev. 



In Riverside Library lor Young People. Ifinie. 

 Jl.2.5. Boston: Houghton. Mifflin & Co.. 188^. 



This is also written to suit the popu- 

 lar mind, as miglit be judged from the 

 title. The author's opening chai)ter is 

 entitled "On Boston Common" and in 

 this cliapter he tells his readers of the 

 many birds that may there be found, 

 contrary to the statements of many, 

 who assert that there are no longer any 

 t)irds in ojir city grounds. Boston 

 Common, judging from wliat the author 

 finds there, is not a l)ad place for ol)ser- 

 vation. 



The chapter on "Character in Feath- 

 ers" is a marvel in tlu' way in which 

 hum:in tem])eranients and dispositions 

 are shown us in the birds. A most 

 ]ileasing feature of the chapter "In the 

 White Mountains" is the mention made 

 of th(! White-thi-oated Sparrow and the 

 remarks and descriptions made and 

 given (•oncerning its song. 



The titles of some of the othei- cha))- 

 ters are: "Bird Songs," "A Month's 

 Music," "Winter Birds ahout Boston" 

 and "A Bird-Lover's April," tlie last 

 mentic^ned beginning, as the author 

 states, on the 2!Hh of March. This last 

 mentioned chapter is replete with tin- 

 pleasures which an ornithologist exper- 

 iences in waiting and looking for the 

 spring-birds and in recording their 

 arrivals. 



"Birds in tlm Bush" is a most valu- 

 able addition to the Itook-shelf of any 

 reader and to one who is at all inter- 

 ested in the feathered folk it is doubly 

 so. 



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