Vol-XXVIIJ ^g^g^^ Literature. 103 



excellent, and the narrative is full of interest and instruction for the ama- 

 teur bird student and the devotee of the camera a-field. The book is 

 divided into fifteen chapters, illustrated with sixty half-tone plates, repre- 

 senting about twice that number of successful 'exposures.' The subjects 

 range from the upland gamebirds, hawks, and owls, and on through the 

 families of birds to the end of the list. The work concludes with a sim- 

 plified list of the orders and families of birds, only "popular English names" 

 being used for the designation of the groups, and a bird calendar for the 

 year, by seasons and months. Those familiar with Mr. Job's previous 

 works need not to be assured that the present volume is well worth their 

 attention, and that they will find in it much new bird-lore freshly gathered 

 from the fields and woods and entertainingly imparted. — J. A. A. 



Verrill on the Birds of San Domingo.^ — In this paper are recorded 112 

 species, collected by Mr. A. H. Verrill between December 21, 1906, and 

 April 13, 1907. Included in this number are the introduced Guinea Fowl, 

 and a form of Grackle thought by Mr. Verrill to be a distinct species but 

 which appears to be merely the female of Holoquiscalus niger. 



Two species in the collection were found to be undescribed, one of which, 

 the resident form of the Grasshopper Sparrow, has already been named by 

 Mr. Hartert. The other is here described for the first time under the name 

 of Buteo tropicalis. This supposed species, of which the type is said to be 

 an adult male, appears to be closely related to B. borealis calurus and B. b. 

 umbrinus but no comparisons are made with either form. The upper 

 surface of the tail is described as rusty-ferrugineous, crossed by about eight 

 dusky bands and if this character is constant the species is probably valid. 



The Cape May Warbler was found to be abundant and apparently repre- 

 sented by two forms differing somewhat in coloration. The authors state 

 that "as young birds in nestling plumage, as well as females containing 

 eggs ready for the nest were obtained" they "consider it possible to sepa- 

 rate the resident bird from the northern form as a local variety or sub- 

 species." The writer has seen the majority of the specimens collected by 

 Mr. Verrill and considers them all typical Dendroica tigrina, the highly 

 colored form supposed to represent a resident race being undoubtedly the 

 adult male, while the duller one is the immature male. The "young birds 

 in nestling plumage" are doubtless the females in their first winter plumage. 

 It may be recalled that this species as well as the Myrtle Warbler was long 

 ago recorded as breeding in Jamaica but the record lacks confirmation. 

 It is not probable that an Antillean race of the Cape May Warbler would 

 begin to nest before the midtUe of March, and the conclusion is inevitable 

 that the evidence as to the existence of such a race is not satisfactory. 



In regard to the local distribution of the resident birds the authors write: 

 "The avifauna of San Domingo is remarkable for the number of species 



1 Notes on the Birds of San Domingo, with a List of the Species, including a New 

 Hawk. By A. E. Verrill and A. Hyatt Verrill. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sciences of Phila- 

 delphia, 1909, pp. 352-366. "Issued, September 21, 1909." 



