^°ls^^^] Recent Literature. 337 



and therefore, when the preparation of a second book by Mr. Chapman 

 was announced, bird students awaited its publication with great interest. 

 That their expectations Avill not be disappointed is reasonably sure, for 

 'Bird-Life' is a work of equal merit with the 'Handbook,' and will 

 doubtless, by reason of its wider scope and somewhat different purpose, 

 prove even more generally useful. Although conceived in the same 

 spirit the two books are nevertheless quite distinct in their character; 

 for, while the ' Handbook' is, as its title indicates, essentially a system- 

 atic and descriptive synopsis of the birds of the eastern United States, 

 'Bird Life,' although of less extent, is more comprehensive in its plan, 

 the first seven chapters being devoted to as many distinct subjects. Thus, 

 on seventy-three of the two hundred and sixty-one pages of text the 

 relations of birds to man, evolution, coloration, migration, voice, nesting, 

 and kindred topics are discussed concisely, entertainingly, and instruc- 

 tively, the concluding portion consisting of a " field key" to the common 

 land-birds of the northeastern United States. This last portion of the 

 book embraces two parts so essentially distinct from one another that it 

 would seem a separate title should have been given to the latter por- 

 tion, since it is not in any sense a 'key,' but a descriptive synopsis. 



The "field key" proper, which covers something over eight pages, is 

 very different from the ' keys ' of the ' Handbook,' being a purely artificial 

 grouping of more than one hundred familiar species according to Ci) 

 habits and (2) coloration. The species are divided into three main 

 groups, as follows: — "First Group. Birds that catch their insect food 

 in the air;" "Second Group. Climbing and Creeping Birds " ; "Third 

 Group. Birds not included in the preceding groups." The third group is 

 subdivided into five sections, according to coloration. Section I, includes 

 those species with yellow or orange in the plumage ; Section II, with red 

 in the plumage ; Section III, with blue in the plumage ; Section IV, birds 

 conspicuously black or black and white; Section V, birds not included in 

 the preceding sections. 



While the utility of keys based upon such purely artifical characters, for 

 the more ready identification of birds by persons wholly unfamiliar with 

 even the rudiments of classification, may not be questioned, it is verj' evi- 

 dent that Mr. Chapman's efi:brts in this line are not entirely successful ; it is 

 probable, however, from the nature of the case, that no one else will be 

 able to do better. In the first place Mr. Chapman found it necessary to 

 exclude females and young, a restriction at once minimizing the value of 

 the key; again, the same species is repeated in different sections, the 

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet occurring among species which are said to be 

 ■without red in the plumage and also among those which have red ; 

 Section V, includes a species (Towhee) embraced also in section IV; 

 and although the third group is stated to contain " birds not included in 

 the preceding groups " it nevertheless does include two species (Kingbird 

 and Flicker) placed also in the first and second groups, respectively. It 

 also seems that the first group is not very satisfactorily limited, since many 

 43 



