| 4 Recent Literature. rea 
Shasta and of the Sierra and the Cascades’ (pp. 85, 86); ‘ Mammals of 
Shasta’ (pp. 87-107); ‘Birds of Shasta and Vicinity’ (109-134); ‘ Notes 
on the Distribution of Shasta Plants’ (pp. 135-169); ‘ Index’ (pp. 171-179). 
In the work of exploration, Dr. Merriam was aided by Vernon Bailey, 
chief field naturalist of the Biological Survey, Wilfred H. Osgood, Walter 
K. Fisher, and Richard T. Fisher, assistants. In addition to the work 
on and near Shasta, three cross sections were made of the Sierra Nevada 
north of latitude 39°, a line was run from Black Rock Desert, Nevada, to 
Shasta, and from Shasta across the wild and little known mountains 
between Shasta and the ocean, to Humboldt Bay. 
The topographical features of Shasta are illustrated by numerous half- 
tone cuts and plates, from photographs, and the floral and faunal features, 
as influenced by altitude, air currents, and slope exposures, are duly set 
forth and discussed. The life zones of Shasta are the Upper Sonoran, 
Transition, Canadian, Hudsonian, and Arctic-Alpine. “Shasta stands 
on a Transition zone plane, with a dilute tongue of Upper Sonoran 
approaching its northern base by way of Klamath and Shasta valleys.... 
The Upper Sonoran element in the region is dilute and is limited to 
Shasta Valley at the north base of the mountain, which it reaches by 
way of the Klamath country on the north and northeast. It has no con- 
nection whatever with the Upper Sonoran of the Sacramento Valley on 
the south.” The Transition extends up to an average altitude of about 
5,500 feet; the Canadian to about 7,500 feet; the Hudsonian to about 
timber line, or to 9,500 feet; the Alpine to about 11,000 feet, above 
which is the bare ice-clad summit, rising to 14,500 feet. The species of 
mammals, birds, and plants of the several zones are tabulated in accord- 
ance with their ranges and restrictions. The transition between zones 
is, of course, gradual, there being an overlapping belt between each of 
about Soo feet. 
The list of birds of Shasta and vicinity numbers 136 species, and is 
based almost wholly on the observations of various members of the party 
made during the season of 1898, the chief data from other sources being 
derived from Mr. C. H. Townsend’s ‘ Field Notes on the Mammals, Birds 
and Reptiles of Northern California,’ published in 1887. In addition to 
the regular assistants already mentioned, observations on the birds are 
credited to Miss Florence A. Merriam and Mr. John H. Sage, who were 
also members of the general field party. 
Dr. Merriam’s report, it is needless to say, is not only a valuable con- 
tribution to our knowledge of the physical geography and the fauna and 
flora of Shasta, but also throws much light upon the causes, both local 
and general, that determine the distributional limits of species. —J. A. A. 
Palmer’s ‘The Avifauna of Pribilof Islands. — Among the many 
important contributions to the natural history of the Pribilof Islands 
contained in Part III of the recently issued report of the United States 
