37^ 



Recent Literature. fOctober 



thiir breeding ranges, their nesting habits, and their fv)od In tnanj 

 cases, in respect to materials, as in the case of well-known species, 

 there is an embarrassment of riches, and the question is what to select 

 and how niuch is really worthy of reproduction. In many cases, 

 however, it is far otherwise, and the striking feature of Captain 

 Bendire's work is the amount of wholly new material it contains, drawn 

 either from his many years of personal experience in the field, largely in 

 comparatively unknown portions of the Far West, or from the letters of 

 his many correspondents in all parts of tiie country. Much of this origi- 

 nal information has evidently been especially solicited for the present 

 work. 



Captain Bendire's style is simple and direct, with no attempt at em- 

 bellishment or literary effect, but this is more than compensated by the 

 care and thoroughness with which every aspect of the subject is presented. 

 Doubtless there are some deficiencies of detail that might have been rem- 

 edied, but as a whole the book is eminently satisfactory as a compendium 

 of the subject of which it treats. It is unencumbered with tables of syn- 

 onymy and bibliographical references, although due credit is given in foot 

 notes to the sources from which previously published information has 

 been drawn. In his official capacity as Curator of the Department of 

 Oology in the United States National Museum, recently so greatly en- 

 riched by his own unrivalled collection, he has had the fullest access to 

 abundant material, which, however, he has been able to supplement when 

 necessary by that of scores of willing collaborators in the same field. The 

 illustrations are on a liberal scale, and in execution are above criticism. 

 It is perha()s safe to say that they are the best ^%^ plates, taking the series 

 as a whole, ever produced, at least in this country and probably any- 

 where. — J. A. A. 



Ridgway's 'The Humming Birds.'* — Under this title Mr. Ridgway has 

 made a most welcome contribution to the literature of this fascinating 

 group of birds, giving as it does a general account of their structure and 

 habits, and a detailed account of the species tnet with in the North 

 American fauna, as limited in the A. O. U. Check-List. He gives first a 

 brief summary of the literary history of the group, extracted largely from 

 Coues's well-known bibliography of the family, followed by remarks on 

 ' Geographical Distribution' and 'Migrations.' Then follows an account 

 of their 'Habits,' their general traits being discussed under the minor head- 

 ings, 'Actions and Attitudes,' 'Manner of Flight,' 'Disposition,' 'In- 

 telligence,' ' Nests and Eggs,' and ' Food,' the whole occupymg about 

 twenty pages. The nidification of Hummingbirds is illustrated by four- 

 teen plates of nests, three of which are original and the rest from Gould. 

 Under 'Characters and Relationships' are discussed their affinities to 



* The Humming Birds. By Robert Ridgway, Curator, Department of Birds. Re- 

 port of the U. S. National Museum for 1890, pp. 253-3S3, with pU. xliii and 47 cuts 

 in the text. [July, i8q2.] 



