Vol. XVIII-| Recent Literature. 2"]"] 



1 90 1 



I have been asked why the railroad lines on the map published with 

 my paper should be so heavily shaded ; I had hoped to be able to give 

 some information about the influence of railroads on the migrations or 

 settlement of birds in a new country, but found my data insufficient; 

 however, I hope at some future time to have the aid of Mr. P. A. Tavern ier, 

 and be able to go into the matter more fully.— J. H. Fleming, Torotito, 

 Ca7i. 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



Norton on Birds from Labrador.^ — Although only 32 species are here 

 recorded, Mr. Norton has given an interest to his paper aside from the 

 mere records of the 95 specimens obtained by the Bowdoin College Ex- 

 pedition of 1891. Of especial interest is his discussion of the case of 

 Fratercula arctica in reference to the changes of plumage and of the form 

 and markings of the bill with age. Mr. Norton has compared the Amer- 

 ican bird with specimens from Spitzbergen, Norway, the Orkney Islands, 

 and other European localities, and finds that there is a slight but constant 

 difference in the size of the bill between the European and American 

 birds. He adds that the type locality of Alca arctica is clearly the 

 " northern oceans of Europe," and that if the American bird be separated 

 its proper name will be Mormon glacialis of Temminck. He also con- 

 siders that the Spitzbergen form is separable from true arctica, and 

 proposes for it the name F. arctica 7iaiimanni. The differences in the 

 size and form of the bill are illustrated by a table of measurements and 

 figures (pi. ii). 



In reference to the Labrador Spruce Grouse, described by Bangs in 

 1899 as Canachites canadetisis labradoriiis, Mr. Norton claims that it is 

 the bird previously named canace by Linnaus in the 12th edition of the 

 ' Systema Naturse.' He concludes that the name Canachites canadensis 

 (Linn.) must be restricted to the Spruce Grouse of Labrador and Hud- 

 son Bay, while " Canachites canadensis canace (Linn.) must be brought 

 forward for the form inhabiting portions of Canada, the northern United 

 States, and New Brunswick." 



The species are annotated with reference to the phases of plumage they 

 present, and record is also made of the occurrence of Otocoris alpestris 

 praticola at Chateau Bay, its first record for Labrador. — J. A. A. 



' Birds of the Bowdoin College Expedition to Labrador in 1891. By Arthur 

 H. Norton. Proc. Portland Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. II, pp. 139-15S and pi. ii. 

 Published May 20, 1901. 



