^°i8^^^1 Recent Literature. "^ 3 I 



Cooke's Birds of Colorado.' — In this Bulletin of 143 pages, Prof. 

 Cooke, attempts " to set forth our present knowledge of the distribution 

 and migration of Colorado birds. There is also included a bibliography 

 of the subject and an historical review of the progress of ornithological 

 investigation in this State." The total number of species and subspecies 

 thus far known from the State is 363 (see p. 12S), of which 230 have been 

 found breeding within the State. The records given " are based iirst of 

 all on all the printed matter that has appeared dealing with the birds of 

 Colorado. This mass of material has been supplemented by much 

 manuscript matter, and by personal observations of the author during 

 a four years' residence in the State. . . . The only claim for completeness 

 made by the present list is that it is complete so far as work done up to 

 this time is concerned. Experience in this State as well as in others 

 teaches that additions will be made for many years to come." As the 

 writer says, many parts of the State have never been visited by an 

 ornithologist, including many areas of large extent; the work thus far 

 done has been limited to "the region along the eastern base of the foot- 

 hills," "thirty miles wide and one hundred and fifty miles in length," 

 to which " four-fifths of all the records of Colorado pertain." There is 

 thus, as Prof. Cooke emphasizes, inviting fields hei"e for further ornitho- 

 logical research. 



A few pages are given to the topography and climatologv of the State, 

 followed by acknowledgments to collaborators for valued assistance. 

 Next follows a series of twelve lists classifying the birds in accordance 

 with the nature of their occurrence, as residents, winter visitants, etc., 

 A tabular statement of dates of arrival (pp. iS, 19) is then given for four 

 points, — St. Louis, Mo. ; Fort Lyon, Loveland, and Idaho Springs, Col. 

 An annotated ' Bibliography of Colorado Ornithology ' occupies pp. 20-39, 

 numbering 182 titles, beginning with Pike, 1807. Then follows ' The 

 History of Colorado Birds' (pp. 40-48), in which the more important of 

 the papers listed in the ' Bibliography ' are taken up chronologically and 

 further summarized, followed by a tabular recapitulation of the species 

 added to the State by the successive authors. The annotated list of 'The 

 Birds of Colorado' occupies pp. 49-128, entered under the A. O. U. 

 numbers and names. The annotations indicate quite fully the nature of 

 the occurrence of each species within the State, including relative abun- 

 dance, dates of imigration, and the portions of the State it frequents, and 

 where it breeds. No species is apparently included without good evidence. 

 A few additional species are given (in brackets in small type) that have 

 been taken on the borders of the State, under circumstances that indicate 

 their probable occurrence within the limits of Colorado. A very 

 full index (pp. 129-143) concludes the paper, which has evidently been 

 prepared with great care and thoroughness, and with the expenditure of 



' The Birds of Colorado. By W. W. Cooke. Bulletin No. 37, State 

 Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colorado, March 17, 1S97. 8vo, pp. 143. 



