1SS5.] Recent Literature. Q^ 



might so easilj have been remedied that it is inexcusable — is the absence 



of authorities for the great majority of non-original statements. A still 

 more serious omission is the lack of precise data concerning rare or un- 

 usual occurrences which have fallen under the author's notice. Quite a 

 number of inaccuracies have crept into the book, doubtless through want 

 of more extended observation or reading. Their character may be seen by 

 the following: The White-bellied Nuthatch is "at all times strictly insec- 

 tivorous." The nest of the Chipping Sparrow "is never very near the 

 ground." "Concerning all Woodpeckers, an account of the habits of one 

 comes very near being an account of them all"; and again, the Red-head- 

 ed Woodpecker, "in most respects, is so like other Woodpeckers in habit 

 as to need but little special history in a work like this"! The Hudsonian 

 Tit is "in all repects similar in habit" to the Black-capped Chickadee! ! 



After enumerating several grievous charges against the Crow he goes 

 on to say: "But, as in the case of many other transgressors, there are 

 some weighty things to be said in his favor. In the same field from which 

 he steals the corn, he destroys many noxious worms and insects, especial- 

 ly cutworms; not to speak of the snakes, moles, and mice." Now every- 

 body knows, or ought to know, that snakes rank among the best friends 

 of the farmer; and as to moles, they certainly cannot be regarded as ene- 

 mies. Moreover, it might be a difficult task to prove that the Crow does 

 kill moles. The same remark applies to the Short-eared Owl, which, ac- 

 cording to our author, "feeds especially on mice and moles." 



The statement that the European Crested Grebe {Podiceps cristatus) 

 ■•is common in North America" is a striking instance of the unfortunate 

 manner in which blunders are perpetuated for many years (in this case 

 seven) after they have been pointed out and corrected. 



The Redpolls are confused under a single species (A. linariu), and 

 similar errors occur in other places. There are some strange incongrui- 

 ties in the treatment of subspecies. One is given great prominence — the 

 subject of a special article — while the existence of others is not even 

 hinted at. It is a little remarkable that an author who has been for 

 twelve years engaged in the preparation of a book on birds, and who has 

 spent much time in the field, should not have heard the song of so common 

 a bird as the Rubv-crowned Kinglet {Regulus. calendula} till the end of 

 the eleventh year (May 1SS3). It is also surprising, and not a little dis- 

 couraging, to find doubt expressed concerning the method of so well-un- 

 derstood a performance as the drumming of the Ruffed Grouse. 



Typographical errors are rare, though the statement that the Barn 

 Swallow is four and a half inches long may probably be classed under this 

 head. At the bottom of page 4S7 Wood Thrush is printed where Wood 

 Duck is clearlv meant. 



Having now done duty as a critic, there remains the far more agreeable 

 task of pointing out some of the many really valuable and praiseworthy 

 features of the book. The reader is soon impressed with its strongest 

 recommendation, which is the manifest trustworthiness of the original 

 matter. The author is a good observer, and his biographies are, in the 



