162 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 80. 



species), Fnriiarii(l;e (20 forms), Deudrocolaptitte (41 forms), 

 Trecliilidje (174 forms). MicropodidiB (25 forms), and Trogoni- 

 dfe (23 forms), the number of specimens examined during tlie 

 preparation of tliis volume being 14,358. The families worked up 

 in this volume include some very difficult species and these have 

 been handled with Mr. Ridgway's well known accuracy and ability, 

 the author's personal trips to Costa Rica being a great aid in his 

 work. The criticisms of Oologists are disposed of in the preface 

 in a very satisfactory manner. It is altogether absurd to apply 

 the ordinary manner of criticism to this gigantic Birdwork, for in 

 almost every single instance it is simply above criticism and de- 

 serves nothing but the highest praise that words can bestow. 



W. F. H. 



Michigan Bird Life. By W. B. Barrows. Spec. Bull, of the 

 Dep. of Zoology and Physiology of the Mich. Agri. College. 



We welcome this work on the Birds of Michigan as an important 

 and valuable addition to Bird Literature. It is a well illustrated vol- 

 ume of 822 pages, of which unfortmiately pages 705 to 787 are miss- 

 ing and the latter part of Avhich is badly jumbled up by the excep- 

 tionall.v bright (?) binders. In the preface due acknowledgements are 

 made to the contributors and the number of species is stated to be 

 326, and as every record has been carefully scrutinized it is of a 

 far greater value than Cook's former list of 336 species, which was 

 altogether too loosely constructed. The Introduction gives much 

 information about the Topography, Climate, Distribution of Plant 

 Life and Animal Life, Bird Life in Michigan, Changes in Bird 

 Life, the study of birds, the iise of keys, migration, etc. Under 

 each species are given the recognition marks, the distribution, the 

 status as a Michigan Bird with the records iu chronological order, 

 nidification, economic status, and finally the technical description 

 in smaller print. Altogether Professor Barrows and the Michi- 

 gan ornithologists can be congratulated upon the splendid work 

 they have done and the splendid book they have produced. 



Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America. By Frank M. 

 Chapman. Appleton. $3.50 and $4.00. 



This new edition of Mr. Chapman's valuable " Handbook " is 

 greatly improved over the first edition, both in appearance and in 

 workmanship. From the colored map of the life zones of North 

 America, which occupies the front cover and fii'st page of the fly- 

 leaf to the last cover page, on which is a six-inch scale with the 

 Metric scale also, there is evidence of painstaking revision work 

 on. the part of the author. The enlargement of the Introduction 



