514 Recent Literature. Loct' 



admirably adapted to its purpose — that of furnishing in concise form 

 such information as the numerous visitors to the coast during the Panama 

 Pacific Exposition, who are interested in nature, will be likely to desire. 

 The work will however have a permanent value to the numerous tourists 

 who are constantly visiting California, and as a general work of reference. 



The several chapters are written by specialists on the subjects of which 

 they treat and are accompanied by illustrations and by a brief bibliography 

 from which books treating the matter in further detail may be selected. 



Dr. Joseph Grinnell not only edits the volume for the Committee but 

 also treats of 'The Vertebrate Fauna of the Pacific Coast' exclusive of 

 the fishes, and in a few pages gives one a good idea of the diversity of 

 forms represented, and their distribution in the several life zones and 

 faunal areas. There are thirty other chapters on various topics, zoologi- 

 cal, botanical, geological, mineralogical, etc. Dr. GrinnelFs contribution 

 has also been issued as a separate. — W. S. 



Murphy on ' The Penguins of South Georgia.' 1 — Several papers 

 dealing with the results of Mr. Murphy's expedition to South Georgia 

 have appeared in 'The Auk' and elsewhere and a number of scientific 

 societies have been made familiar with the avifauna of the island through 

 his lectures and admirable lantern slides. In the present paper the photo- 

 graphs from which many of the lantern slides were made appear as half- 

 tone plates, while the text places on permanent record his observations on 

 the life history of the penguins which constitute the main population of 

 South Georgia. 



The two species which are still plentiful are the "Johnny" Penguin 

 (Pygoscelis papua) and the King Penguin {Aptenodytes patachonica) , and 

 only one other was observed by Mr. Murphy, the Ringed Penguin {Pygo- 

 scelis antarctica) and of it only three individuals. Later information 

 however showed also the presence of the Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes 

 chrysolophus) . 



Mr. Murphy presents a very interesting account of the habits, molt, 

 coloration, etc., of the two species which he was able to study and compares 

 his experience with that of others. 



The "Johnny" Penguin he states "has not in any degree the fearless and 

 courageous disposition of its Antarctic congener Pygoscelis adelice," and he 

 shows further that it lacks the jumping and diving ability of that species. 

 This he attributes to the fact that it has "a Subantarctic range and breeds 

 on no land which has an ice-shelved coast." So that the need for such 

 phenomenal jumping power disappears. 



Mr. Murphy emphasizes the current misstatements regarding penguins. 

 Taking for example such a work as the 'Cambridge Natural History' 



1 The Penguins of South Georgia. By Kobert Cushman Murphy. Science 

 Bull. Mus. Brooklyn Inst. Arts, and Sci., Vol. 2, No. 5, pp. 103-133. August- 

 2, 1915. 



