550 Recent Literature. . ' [oct. 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



Eaton's 'Birds of New York.'^ — The first volume of Mr. Eaton's 'Birds 

 of New York ' was reviewed in these columns in July, 1910, at which time 

 it was expected that the pubhcation of the present, concluding, part would 

 immediately follow. An introductory note however explains that the 

 delay has been due to the regrettable illness of the author. The work as 

 finally completed foUows exactly the lines originally laid down and we 

 think that the author, the authorities of the State Museum and the people 

 of New York are to be congratulated upon the production of what is the 

 most comprehensive state ornithology that has yet appeared. 



So closely does the main text of the volume before us follow the plan of 

 Part I that the remarks of thf former reviewer are equally applicable to it. 

 The accounts and descriptions of species are excellent and the handling 

 of the quoted data admirable. In fact Uttle or no improvement can be 

 suggested in the work of the author, but the peculiar system of capitaliza- 

 tion followed in the State Museum pubhcations, and the exceedingly heavy 

 coating of the paper upon which the book is printed are unfortunate. The 

 text covers the ' land birds ' from the Birds of Prey to the Passeres inclu- 

 sive, following the order and nomenclature of the A. O. U. Check-List. 



In addition there is an introductory chapter on bird ecology and eco- 

 nomic ornithology, which contains much valuable information, though the 

 variety of type used in the headings of the several sections leaves one in 

 doubt as to just how it was intended to divide it. There is also an adden- 

 dum of two pages covering ' New York Bird History since 1910.' 



As this work is the only recent state ornithology which attempts to give 

 original colored figures of all the species, a great deal of interest centers on 

 the plates. As in the preceding part these are from the brush of Mr. 

 Louis Agassiz Fuertes and taken all in all constitute a wonderful series of 

 bird portraits. It is always to be regretted that questions of space and 

 expense make it impossible for the artist in a work like this to enjoy the 

 freedom that is allotted to the author. Figures must be crowded on plates, 

 and where an occasional life size portrait is permitted, the birds are so out 

 of proportion to those on other plates, or to the size of the page, that we 

 cannot properly appreciate them. These points however are not the fault 

 of the artist, nor are the color tones used in the printing, which while gen- 

 erally good, are noticeably bad in the case of the Song Sparrow which ap- 

 pears red enough to entitle it to classification under the desert race of the 

 Southwest. 



I Birds of New York. By Elon Howard Eaton. = Memoir 12, New York State 

 Museum. John M. Clarke, Director. Part II. General Chapters; Land Birds. 

 4to, pp. 1-719 (facing leaves to plates counted as pages 545-672), 64 colored plates 

 and niunerous half-tone text illustrations. Albany. University of the State of 

 New York, 1914. 



