88 Recent Literature. Man- 



find birds in the vicinity of Washington, written with a directness, sim- 

 plicity and fervor that must lend inspiration and comfort to the inexpe- 

 rienced bird lover. This is followed by a chapter ' About Birds in Gen- 

 eral ' by Mrs. Maynard, which gives in the short space of three pages a 

 surprisingly large amount of information about the generalities of the 

 subject. This is followed by ' A Field Key to our Common Land Birds,' 

 taken, by permission, from Chapman's ' Bird-life.' Then follows the 

 descriptive matter forming the body of the work, as already detailed. 

 The numerous illustrations are from Bulletins Nos. 3 and 54, published 

 by the Biological Survey of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. As a 

 local manual Mrs. Maynard's little book is in every way admirable, and 

 must prove most welcome to the many amateur bird students of the 

 District of Columbia. — J. A. A. 



Blanchan's 'Birds that Hunt and are Hunted.' 1 — The present is a 

 companion volume to 'Bird Neighbors ', by the same author (see Auk, 

 XV, 1898, p. 66), and is written from the same point of view, namely, " that 

 of a bird-lover who believes that personal, friendly acquaintance with the 

 live birds, as distinguished from the technical study of the anatomy of 

 dead ones, must be general before the people will care enough about 

 them to reinforce the law with unrestrained mercy. To reallv know the 

 birds in their home life, how marvellously clever they are, and how 

 positively dependent agriculture is upon their ministrations, cannot but 

 increase our respect for them to such a point that wilful injury becomes 

 impossible." The present volume treats of the Waterfowl, the Marsh 

 and Shore Birds, the Gallinaceous Game Birds, and the Birds of Prev, or 

 the leading North American forms of each in systematic sequence, with 

 brief mention of their distinctive characters, etc., and very satisfactorv 

 biographies. The matter is very well chosen and skillfully put together,, 

 being well adapted to instruct and entertain any bird lover. The author 

 does not forget neatly to make her points in behalf of the Herons and 

 Terns and the Birds of Prey, and the Avhole animus and tendency of the 

 book is in accord with the sentiments already quoted from the author's 

 preface. The colored plates, originally published in the magazine ' Birds,' 

 are an invaluable aid in the determination of the species. It is onlv to be 

 regretted that better examples of taxidermy could not have been chosen 

 in some cases. We notice very few slips on the part of the author, but 

 we must confess that it is a new fact to us that the blade-like bill of the 

 Skimmer is ever used as "a sort of oyster knife to open mollusks." Also 



1 Birds that Hunt | and are Hunted | Life Histories of One Hun- | dred and 

 Seventy Birds of | Prey, Game Birds and Water- j Fowls | By | Neltjie Blan- 

 chan I Author of " Bird Neighbors " | With introduction by G. O. Shields 

 (Coquina) | And Forty-eight colored Plates | New York | Doubleday and 

 McClure Co. | 1898. — Svo, pp. xii + 359. Price $2.00. 



