^°i8^^^] Recent Literature. I O9 



The Revised New Nuttall. — The second edition of the Nuttall- 

 Chamberiain ' Manual,' recently issued,' comes to us under a modified 

 title, properly indicating the scope of the work.^ It is also embellished 

 with twenty chromolithographic plates, giving figures of about 1 10 species. 

 In the case of the majority of the species, they are sufficiently truthful in 

 coloring to be of material service to the inexperienced student of birds ; in 

 the other cases they are very good reproductions of very poor originals. 



The text, of course, is mainly as in the first edition, being printed from 

 the same electrotype plates, but many important corrections have been 

 made, here and there, in the parts by Mr. Chamberlain, through which 

 means the work is more nearly ' brought down to date,' and much 

 improved. This is noticeable especially in the matter relating to the 

 subject of geographical distribution ; but if one were disposed to be 

 critical, various desirable improvements, overlooked in the present revi- 

 sion, might be pointed out. 



The preface to the first edition, or what purports to be such, is retained, 

 but comparison of it with the preface to the first edition shows that 19 lines 

 in pp. vi and vii have been expunged and replaced by 21 lines of new 

 matter, of quite different import and much more creditable to the taste of 

 the editor. Yet the preface, thus materially altered, still bears date 

 "September, 1891." This, to say the least, is an idiosyncrasy in book- 

 making we do not remember to have before seen. 



This revised edition of the Nuttall-Chamberlain 'Manual,' with its 

 amended title and important correction in the text, and the added helpful 

 colored illustrations, is well deserving of generous patronage, as a 

 • Popular Handbook of the Ornithology of Eastern North America.' — 

 J. A. A. 



Millais on Change to Spring Plumage without a Moult.^ — The intent 

 of this paper is to show that in acquiring their summer plumage certain 

 species of water-birds undergo not a moult but a recoloration and restora- 

 tion of the old feathers of the winter dress. The Sanderling (^Calidn's 

 arenaria) is taken as a typical example of this change, and feathers 



' A Popular Handbook | of the | Ornithology | of | Eastern North America. 

 I By I Thomas Nuttall. | Second revised and annotated edition | By Montague 

 Chamberlain. | With Additions ( and One Hundred and Ten Illustrations in 

 Colors. I [Cut of Hummingbird] Vol. I | The Land Birds. | [Vol. II. Game 

 and Water Birds.] | Boston: | Little, Brown, and Company. | 1896. — 2 vols, 

 crown Svo. Vol.1, pp. i-liv, 1-473; ^ol- U.PP- i-vii, 1-431, col. pll. i-xx, 

 and 172 illustrations in the text. 



- For notice of the first edition, see Auk, IX, 1892, pp. 59-61. 



^ On the Change of Birds to Spring Plumage without a Moult. By John 

 Guille Millais. Ibis, 7th sen, Vol. II, Oct. 1896, pp. 451-457, pi. x. 



