98 



Recent Literature. ff ""^ 



LJan. 



in the judgment of the present author seem desirable." Considerable 

 space is given to a statement of the principles which have been adopted 

 as the author's guide in matters of classification, as regards not only the 

 higher groups but also in respect to species and subspecies, which seem 

 in the main both commendable and sound. As regards nomenclatviral 

 rules, those of the American Ornithologists' Union "have been strictly 

 adhered to in all respects," but he does not feel bound to adhere to the 

 decisions of its Committee in respect to the status of species and sub- 

 species, or other groups, when his investigations lead to other results, 

 which is of course proper and natural, although, as he admits, such ques- 

 tions are often merely a matter of opinion, and depend upon, among 

 other things, "one's ability to discern differences and estimate the degree 

 of their constancy." That Mr. Ridgway is, ^«r P.vce//e»ce, an expert in 

 such matters, no one will question ; yet it is possible for even experts to 

 differ as to "the degree of difference which should be recognized in 

 nomenclature." 



In respect to the citation of references in making up the synonymies, 

 Mr. Ridgway has taken the trouble to be scrupulously exact, for which he 

 cannot be too highly commended. Apropos of this he says: "The cor- 

 rection of an author's orthographical errors is a pernicious practice, 

 though much in vogue ; ' science is not literature,' neither has it any 

 concern with what an author should have done or meant to do, but only 

 with what he actually did." 



The material on which Mr. Ridgway's work is based is of course pri- 

 marily that of the U. S. National Museum, but this has been supplemented 

 by that of all the other principal museums in the United States, so far as 

 it seemed necessary to the work in hand. 



Respecting his beginning his work with the Finches, the author sajs : 

 "The necessity for beginning this work with the highest instead of the 

 lowest forms is to be regretted, and may be explained by briefly stating 

 that owing to inadequate facilities for properly arranging the larger birds 

 in the National Museum collections these are not available for study, and 

 consequently it became necessary either to begin with the smaller birds, 

 already systematically arranged, or else postpone the work indefinitely." 

 This unfortunate condition of the National Museum collection has not 

 only been a hindrance for many years to the curator in his own official 

 work, but a great detriment to other specialists having need to consult 

 this part of the collection, and hence to the progress of science. It is a 

 condition, however, for which neither the curator nor any oflficers of the 

 Museum are responsible, but is due to a short-sighted and niggardly Con- 

 gress that for so long a time has turned a deaf ear to the need of a build- 

 ing suitable to properly house and render accessible the scientific material 

 belonging to the National Government. 



The author's definition of the term ornithology (p. i) is followed by 

 an unfortunate classification of the different kinds of ornithology. He 

 says : "There are two essentially different kinds of ornithology : systema- 



