Sie Recent Literature. 399 
include the ‘food habits, distribution, and migrations of North Ameri- 
can birds and mammals in relation to agriculture, horticulture, and for- 
estry. A year later the section became an independent division, and in 
1896 its name was changed by Congress to the broader title of Division 
of Biological Survey.” —J. A. A. 
Meyer and Wiglesworth’s ‘ Birds of Celebes.’ !— We take great pleas- 
ure in bringing to the notice of the readers of ‘The Auk’ this excellent 
monograph of the ‘ Birds of Celebes,’ in two large quarto volumes of over 
1100 pages, beautifully illustrated with nearly 50 colored plates. It em- 
bodies the results of many years of work by experts in this particular field, 
the senior author, Dr. A. B. Meyer, the eminent Director of the Dres- 
den Museum, having spent several years (1870-73) in Celebes col- 
lecting the materials for this long-contemplated work. He has thus not 
only the advantage of thoroughly knowing the physical conditions of the 
region, but of having made the personal acquaintance of many of the 
species in life. His valuable ‘Field Notes on the Birds of Celebes’ 
appeared in ‘The Ibis’ for 1879, and were followed by a long series of 
special papers on the birds of the East Indian Archipelago. 
The region here included as the ‘ Celebesian area’ embraces ‘‘ The 
Talaut Islands in the north, the Sulu Islands inthe east, and the Djampea 
Group in the south.....The boundary so chosen adjoins to the north 
the southern limit of the Philippines, as defined by Tweeddale, Worcester 
and Bourns, and others; to the east it coincides with Salvadori’s western 
border, as drawn in his ‘Ornitologia della Papuasiae delle Molluchi, 
and by other writers; to the south it takes in all the islands between 
Celebes and the Lesser Sundas. The book may thus be said to fill up 
an ornithological gap, and the bounds as chosen appear also to be the 
most natural, except possibly in the case of the Djampea Group.” The 
number of species included is 393, with about 150 additional subspecies, 
each being treated fully as regards its bibliography, its plumages and 
relationships, its geographical distribution and life-history, so far as the 
details are known. The numerous colored plates give for the first time 
adequate illustrations of the 70 species here figured. 
The ‘Introduction,’ occupying 130 pages, treats subjects of general 
interest, as the ‘Travel and Literature’ of the region (pp. 2-16); the 
‘Seasons and Winds in the East Indian Archipelago’ (pp. 17-37); 
‘Migration in the East Indian Archipelago’ (pp. 38-52); ‘ Variation,’ 
in its five phases of (1) individual variation, (2) geographical variation, (3) 
1The | Birds of Celebes | and | the Neighboring Islands. | By| A. B. 
Meyer and L. W. Wiglesworth. | — | With 45 Plates (42 coloured)and 7 
coloured Maps. | — | Berlin: | R. Friedliinder & Sohn. | 1898. —2 vols. 4to. 
Vol. 1, pp. i-xxxii + 1-130 + 1-392, pll. 17 (14 col.) and 7 col. maps; Vol. 
II, 2 ll., pp. 393-962, pll. vol. 28. 
