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physiography, its environment, and especially its geographical 

 position with reference to tlight-lines. It may be called a Mecca, 

 metaphorically, and with scarcely a figure of speech a magnetic 

 pole, so powerfully does it seem to attract birds. No wonder 

 that Herr Giitke speaks with enthusiasm of " Heligoland whose 

 superior rank in the domain of bird-life is uncontested by the 

 proudest empire," and of what he calls the " honorary citizenship " 

 he has had the pleasure of conferring upon so many feathered 

 representatives of Asia, Africa, and North America. 



The slight annotations of the foregoing lists to which 1 am 

 almost necessarily restricted in an article like the present give 

 but a hint of the wealth of detail which Giitke's work embodies. 

 Those who would pursue the subject beyond this wholly inade- 

 quate outline must of course read the book itself — say rather, 

 study it carefully. But it is somewhat expensive, very special, 

 and unlikely to be widely known in this country beyond ornitho- 

 logical centers ; and I have not yet touched upon some matters it 

 includes, which will be for many readers of 'The Auk' still more 

 surprising than anything that has preceded thus far in the 

 present sketch. For such an enormous and apparently fortuitous 

 concourse of birds upon a single rock in the sea excites our 

 curiosity to know how they get there ; and this of course raises 

 the whole question of migration-flight. 



Giitke probably knows more about the ways of birds in the air 

 than any other person now living, possibly than any person who 

 has ever lived ; consequently, he is modest in expressing his views, 

 and simple in stating his facts. He makes none of the hasty 

 generalizations and valiant asseverations to which the conceit of 

 youthful ignorance is prone, and never dogmatizes — -though no 

 one else could be so easily forgiven excathedration. I'he most 

 conspicuous result of his insistence upon the facts in the case is 

 rank iconoclasm. He smashes our idols right and left ; he leaves 

 us at the mercy of our fables, helpless for lack of gods to suppli- 

 cate, for he sets up none of his own in their places. He pushes 

 explanation to the inexplicable ; flight remains for him an " insol- 

 uble problem," and migration, a "wondrous mystery." Giitke 

 knows too much about these things for our peace of mind, 

 especially if we have ever plumed ourselves on our opinions to 



