416 Recent Literature. [july 



Hawk, a bird selected for study on account of the variety of feather modifi- 

 cations found in its plumage. The down feathers, filoplumes and various 

 contour feathers are considered at length and the obvious adaptations are 

 commented upon, the ' conclusions ' are, however, a Uttle disappointing as 

 we find no original results of the investigation. The paper, however, forms 

 a valuable summary of practically all the feather structures found in North 

 American birds and will be a handy reference work on a subject upon which 

 we have but little easily accessible information. — W. S. 



Betts' ' Birds of Boulder County, Colorado." — Colorado ornithol- 

 ogy has been receiving much attention during the past few years, but in a 

 state of its size there is room for many local lists, especially if prepared as 

 carefully and printed as attractively as the one before us. 



Mr. Betts presents an annotated list of 206 species including records of 

 previous observers to whom due credit is given. Unusual stragglers are 

 printed in their proper systematic position but in italic instead of heavy- 

 faced type, which seems to us a desirable practice. Unfortunately the 

 species are not numbered consecutively, which would have helped materi- 

 ally to separate the paragraphs relating to the different forms, especially 

 where the two styles of type occur. The author adds hsts of the species 

 breeding in the several zones while an unpaged supplementary insert gives 

 a summary of the Boulder County birds occurring at various times of ^year 

 contrasted with similar data for St. Louis County, Mo., taken from Mr. 

 Widmann's ' Birds of Missouri.' An outline map of the county with 

 contour lines appears in the introduction along with brief comments on life 

 zones. — W. S. 



Walpole-Bond's ' Field- Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.'- — 



This volume seems to contain a vast amount of original observation upon a 

 number of the rarer birds of England. It consists of eighteen chapters 

 covering the Dartford Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Crossbill, Cirl Bunting, 

 Chough, Raven, Wood-Lark, " Woodcock " [Short-eared] Owl, Hen 

 Harrier, " Once Common " Buzzard, Eagles, Red Kite, Peregrines, Hobby, 

 Merhn, Gadwall and Black Guillemot. The information set forth will no 

 doubt prove a noteworthy supplement to any general work on British birds, 

 and will be valued accordingly, but the pleasing style in which it is presented 

 makes the volume interesting reading for anyone with an interest in bird 

 life whether he appreciate the rarity of the species and the true ornithologi- 

 cal value of the data or not. In this way it appeals to a much wider circle 

 of readers than might be supposed. — W. S. 



1 Birds of Boulder Comity, Colorado. By Norman de Witt Betts. The Uni- 

 versity of Colorado Studies. Vol. X. No. 4, pp. 117-232. December, 1913. 

 Price, 50 cents. 



2 Field Studies of Some 1 Rarer British Birds | By | John Walpole-Bond | 

 Author of] "The Birds of Bromley (Kent) and its Neighborhood" | "Birds Life 

 in Wild Wales" | and part-author of | "The Book of the Open Air." | Witherby & 

 Co. I 326 High Holborn, London | 1914. 8vo pp. i-ix + 1-305. 7s. 6d. net. 



