4 NEWS FROM THE BIRDS. 



a book which gives a clear and concise descrip- 

 tion of the markings and habits of each species 

 in your neighborhood. It might be a good 

 plan to try to secure an official work on the 

 birds of your State, if such a treatise has been 

 published. I would suggest that you send in- 

 quiries, inclosing a stamp, to Mr. L. S. Foster, 

 publisher of The Auk, 88 Pine Street, New 

 York, who is a most obliging gentleman. 



Meanwhile, I heartily recommend two man- 

 uals covering the whole field of North Ameri- 

 can ornithology, with the help of which you may 

 be able to identify any bird, no matter in what 

 part of the land you may live. The first is Dr. 

 Coues's Key to North American Birds, published 

 by Estes & Lauriat, Boston, Mass., price $7.50. 

 The second is Robert Ridgway's Manual of 

 North American Birds, published by J. B. Lip- 

 pincott Company, Philadelphia, Pa., price $7.50. 

 There are other cheaper works intended as aids 

 in identifying the birds, but they are only frag- 

 ments, and are therefore not of so much practi- 

 cal service unless you have a complete manual 

 besides. 



However, there is one recent work which I 

 would especially commend to all bird students 

 living in the eastern part of North America. 

 Althouo:h of narrower raiie^e than Coues's or 



