1914 J Recent Literature. 115 



These of course are of especial interest to the ornithologist although the 

 whole volume will be interesting reading to all who love the great outdoors. 

 The book is attractively printed and is illustrated by a number of half-tones 

 of characteristic scenery from photographs by the author. — W. S. 



Wood on Michigan Birds.' — Continuing his investigations on the 

 Charity Islands already noticed in these pages,^ Mr. Wood was able during 

 July, 191 1, to add eight species to his former list and to secure breeding data 

 on 37 species. Notes on 66 species are included in the present paper which 

 are accompanied by 19 half-tones illustrating the physical features of the 

 islands. In another short paper' Mr. Wood presents notes on sixteen spe- 

 cies of rare or unusual occurrence in Michigan. — W. S. 



Howell on New Birds from Alabama.^ — Even the eastern United 

 States seems still able to produce novelties for those who care to make 

 careful comparisons of material from different areas and are content to 

 estabUsh new forms on shght differences. Mr. Howell finds that the Crows 

 of the southern states exclusive of Florida and possibly Georgia, are smaller 

 than either the northern or the Florida race. This form which ranges 

 north to the District of Colombia and southern Illinois he names Corvus 

 brachijrhynchos paulus. 



A number of Towhees from Alabama differ from the northern form in 

 having the white markings less extensive, while they are distinctly larger 

 than Florida birds. This form is separated as Pipilo eryihrophthalmus 

 canaster although Mr. Howell is unable as yet to fix the limits of its distribu- 

 tion.— W. S. 



Mearns on New African Birds. ^ — In two papers Dr. Mearns adds 

 eleven more forms to the already long list of novelties discovered by him 

 on his two trips to Africa. In the first there are described Cisticola robusta 

 abaya, Lake Abaya, Abyssinia; C. r. tana, Tana River, British East Africa; 

 C. subruficapilla bodessa, Bodessa, Abyssinia; and C. s. fricki, White Lake 

 Abaya, Abyssinia, all obtained on the Childs Frick Expedition, and C. 



1 The Breeding Birds of the Charity Islands -with Additional Notes on the 

 Migrants. By N. A. Wood, Fourteenth Report of the Michigan Academy of 

 Science. 1912. pp. 178-188. 



« Auk, 1912, p. 118. 



' Notes on Michigan Birds. By N. A. Wood, Fourteenth Report of the 

 Michigan Academy of Science, 1912, pp. 159-162. 



* Descriptions of two New Birds from Alabama. By Arthur H. Howell, Proc. 

 Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XXVI, pp. 199-202, October 2.3, 1913. 



» Descriptions of Six New African Birds. By Edgar A. Mearns, Smithsonian 

 Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 61, No. 11, pp. 1-5, August 30, 1913. 



Descriptions of Five New African Weaver-Birds of the Genera Othyphantes, 

 Hypargos, Aidemosyne, and Lagonosticta. By Edgar A. Mearns. Smithsonian 

 Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 61, No. 14, pp. 1-5. September 20, 1913. 



