Vol i8^6 IU ] Recent Literature. 329 



to be easily carried in the pocket. In view of the many ' manuals' and 

 ' handbooks' of British birds, its compact form and small size must be 

 its main raison d'etre. There is no introductory matter bevond the 

 preface, no diagnoses of the higher groups, no analytical keys, no 

 general analysis of the avifauna as regards the manner of occurrence of 

 the species, and, finally, no index! As 3S1 species and about a dozen 

 additional subspecies are treated in the course of 208 pages, the descrip- 

 tions are necessarily brief and the biographical matter is reduced to a 

 minimum. Nevertheless it must serve as a "handy textbook of refer- 

 ence " to those who have already some knowledge of British birds, but 

 hardly as the most convenient form of a manual for the beginner. Some 

 30 species usually included in British lists are "provisionally excluded," 

 being relegated to a nominal list in the Appendix, on the ground that 

 their "recorded occurrences are either insufficiently authenticated or 

 somewhat improbable." 



The classification and nomenclature is practically that of the B. O. U. 

 List, " but a number of necessary alterations have been made, particu- 

 larly in the matter of adopting the specific names of the first describers 

 as far as possible. An effort has also been made to allow specific rank to 

 valid species only, while subspecies or races, instead of being nameless, 

 are distinguished by sub-numbers and trinomials — after the American 

 style." He adds that he does not expect to "escape censure for adopt- 

 ing the despised system, yet until some of our ornithologists can sug- 

 gest some other way of allowing a name to a recognized race without 

 giving it the rank of a species, I will adhere to trinomials." He savs 

 further that with the exception of the late Henry Seebohin, " no British 

 ornithologist appears to have openly avowed himself a trinomialist." 

 He is not, however, quite so destitute of good company as a trinom- 

 ialist among his own countrymen as he seems to suppose, as witness 

 the use of trinomials by numerous British naturalists, and their recent 

 formal approval by Mr. Sclater (see above, p. 327) — J. A. A. 



Loomis on California Water Birds. 1 — Mr. Loomis continues his studies 

 of the Water Birds of the Californian coast by a visit to South Farallon 

 Island from July S to 16, 1896. Interesting notes are given on the habits 

 of the ten species of Water Birds found nesting there, with remarks on 

 four so-called " non-indigenous " species. 



Speaking of the wholesale robbery of Murres' eggs to supply the San 

 Francisco market, Mr. Loomis says: "It is apparent that unless this 

 devastation is put an end to, the Farallon Murre rookeries will ere long 

 belong to the past. A State law prohibiting the sale of eggs of wild birds 

 and prompt action on the part of the lighthouse board will preserve this 



1 California Water Birds. No. III. South Farallon Island in July. By 

 Leverett M. Loomis, Curator of the Department of Ornithology. Proc. Cal. 

 Acad. Sci., Ser. 2, Vol. XI, pp-353-366, 2 maps. 



42 



