° 1918 J Recent Literature. 489 



series well within the range of any one of the races, where it will be manifest 

 in only a few individuals. The serious point is that migrating or winter 

 individuals are often recorded as representatives of races not normally to be 

 found in the locality in which they are taken, whereas as Dr. Dwight shows 

 they may very likely be merely aberrant examples of the race regularly 

 occurring there — individuals such • as we have been discussing. Such 

 records in the case of slightly differentiated races had better not have been 

 published no matter how experienced the authority who has identified 

 them, and they should be given very slight attention in connection with 

 questions of distribution or migration. 



In discussing this matter Dr. Dwight in order to emphasize his points 

 makes use of two provisional names ' cismontanus ' and ' transmontanus ' 

 which cannot according to our code of nomenclature be construed in any 

 other way but as new names which will become synonyms respectively 

 of Junco hyemalis hyernalis and J. oreganus couesi although there is no 

 knowing when they may come in for serious consideration should it be 

 deemed desirable to erect other races or should one of the above names 

 become invalid. They will then form bad stumbling blocks for the sys- 

 tematist as no types or type localities are mentioned. Dr. Dwight departs 

 from the rules of nomenclature too when he emends Townsend's name 

 oreganus into oregonus for which there seems no excuse since Oregan was 

 the spelling generally used in Townsend's time. — W. S. 



Soper on the Birds of Edmonton. 1 — Mr. Soper has prepared a briefly 

 annotated list of 143 species found in the vicinity of Edmonton, Alberta, 

 based upon his observations during the years 1912 to 1914 together with 

 such notes on the region as occur in Macoun's ' Catalogue of Canadian 

 Birds.' The whole makes a useful and apparently pretty complete list 

 for the locality. In commenting upon the character of the bird life the 

 author calls attention to the fact that Edmonton is in the same latitude as 

 southern Labrador and Ungava although its climate compares favorably 

 with that of southern Ontario which accounts for the presence of many 

 birds which would hardly be expected at such a high latitude. — W. S. 



Wood on the Birds of Alger County, Michigan. 2 — To further the 

 work of the University of Michigan's zoological explorations in the Upper 

 Peninsula, Mr. George Shiras, 3rd., placed his summer home in Alger 

 County at its disposal as a field headquarters and the present paper com- 

 prises a list of 120 species of birds observed there by Mr. Wood during a 

 residence, from May 24 to July 27, 1916. The list is briefly annotated 

 and some previous observations of Mr. Shiras are included. — W. S. 



1 The Birds of Edmonton. By J. Dewey Soper. The Ottawa Naturalist, February 

 and March, 1918. pp. 129-134 and 145-149. 



2 Notes on the Birds of Alger County, Michigan. By Norman A. Wood. Occasional 

 Papers, Mus. Zool. Univ. of Mich., No. 50, April 8, 1918. pp. 1-15. 



