QJ_ Recent Literature. [January 



main, accurate and well expressed. He evidently has a keen ear, and in 

 putting bird music on paper has been more successful than many of his 

 predecessors. He knows how to use both gun and glass, and has the 

 good sense never to trust the latter in matters of identification. 



His careful descriptions of the physical features of several localities 

 where much of his field work has been done contribute largely to the in- 

 terest and importance of the biographies that follow. The accounts of the 

 Ducks that frequent Niagara River and Lake Ontario contain much that 

 is new; and attention is directed to the little-known habit of the Canada 

 Goose of foraging in wheat-fields. 



Concerning the breeding of the White-bellied Swallow on the Mud 

 Islands in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, he says: "I saw the nests of 

 this species on the ground under flat stones, and in holes in the ground. 

 They were elegantly lined with the feathers of the Herring Gull and of 

 the Eider Duck, the feathers being so laid that the tips curved upward and 

 nearly concealed the eggs." 



His personal observations on the Horned Lark, the Butcher Bird, and 

 many other species are full of interest and are written in a free and pleas- 

 ing style. He has heard the rich night-song of the Ovenbird, and his 

 heart has been stirred by the unspeakable melody of the Hermit Thrush. 

 Indeed, he is a real lover of nature, and the reviewer, though forced to 

 mention certain errors and omissions, is still in deep sympathy with 

 much of the author's narrative. — C. H. M. 



Stejneger on the Wrens of the Subgenus Anorthura.* — A synopsis of 

 the various forms is given, with their synonymy. Six species and two 

 subspecies are recognized, as follows: (i) Troglodytes borealis, (2) T. 

 parvulus. (2a) T. parvulus bergensis (subsp. nov.), (3) T. pallescens (sp. 

 nov.), (4) T. alascensis, (5) T. kiemalis, (5<?) T. hiemalis pacificus, (6) 

 T. fumigatus. The paper has special reference to Mr. Seebohm's treat- 

 ment of the same group in his 'History of British Birds,' by whom all 

 the known forms of Anorthura are degraded to subspecies of the Euro- 

 pean T. parvulus. — J. A. A. 



Stejneger on the Ptarmigans of the Group Attagen.f — This paper 

 embodies the results of Dr. Stejneger' s extended and careful investigation 

 of this difficult group of birds — more difficult than almost any other, 

 owing to their nearly continuous moult, and to the scarcity of material 

 collected at corresponding seasons of the year, and properly authenticated 

 as to date of collection. The conclusions here reached are to some extent 

 tentative, and the author appeals for further aid in the way of material. 

 The species and subspecies recognized are as follows : (1) Lagopus muta, 



* Ueber einige Formen der Untergattung Anorthura. By Leonhard Stejneger. 

 Zeitschrift fur die gesammte Ornithologie, I, pp. 7-14, Feb., 1884. 



f A Brief Review of the Lagopodes belonging to the Group Attagen Kaup. By 

 Leonhard Stejneger. Zeitsch. fur die gesammte Ornithologie, I, pp. 86-92, pi. v. 



