:C)4 Recent Literature. \ k\ 



There is a large amount of nonsense, sparingly mixed with a few good 

 suggestions, on the subject of 'Recognition Marks' and allied topics, for 

 which our author is responsible only so far as to follow the hasty sugges- 

 tions of various predecessors and of adding more of like character. "With 

 the Crows and Blackbirds," he says (p. 203), "which habitually consort in 

 flocks, it is quite possible that means of recognition has been at least one 

 factor in the production of black color." But it happens that Crows and 

 Blackbirds {i.e., Icterida;) are not the only black birds in the world, which 

 occur in a great number of families in various countries; nor are they all 

 gregarious, nor are more than a small part of the gregarious birds black. 

 It is apparently more than hinted (p, 152) that the concealed white color 

 on the neck feathers of Corvus cryftoleucus may be due to a tendency to 

 albinism, which "is common among Crows"! Does this statement coin- 

 cide with the facts in the case, in comparing Crows with Thrushes, or 

 with Sparrows, for example, or with birds in general? 



"In the Passenger Pigeon {Ectopistes migratorius) the tail markings 

 are highly complex. . . . The necessity for directive recognition marks 

 would be especially necessary in a species moving in such large flocks, 

 from which individuals or small parties would constantly get astray. It 

 may be that the complex pattern on the tail feathers was evolved first as a 

 discriminative mark, for except in size, the species might easily have 

 been confused with the Mourning Dove (Zeuaidtera macroura) which has 

 the tail marked with a simple irregular subterminal band of dusky" {p. 

 205). Did our author stop to reflect to what extent these "highly 

 complex" tail marks are visible, or to what extent they would aid as rec- 

 ognition marks in comparison with the Pigeons highly distinctive call-note, 

 or in what way they could possiblv serve as "directive recognition marks" 

 to stragglers that had wandered from the flock? These "highly complex" 

 tail markings are found only at the extreme base of the tail, within the 

 area normally concealed by the coverts, and are therefore not visible 

 under any ordinary conditions. Hence we wonder whether Mr. Keeler 

 took the trouble to examine even a museum specimen of the bird, or 

 whether he depended upon the description which he copies from Mr. 

 Ridgway's 'Manual,' which does not happen to state the particular portion 

 of the tail thus marked. These are but a sample of the author's methods 

 of reasoning and far-fetched theories. There is also evidence of much 

 haste or carelessness in the preparation of many parts of the work, includ- 

 ing slips in nomenclature, and contradictory statements or conflicting 

 generalizations, sometimes following each other on almost consecutive 

 pages. 



While there is much that is valuable in the book, and many points that 

 are well taken, Part II especially is largely vitiated by unsound reasoning, 

 by misapprehension of facts, or by lack of general information on special 

 points. It is very easy to speculate and surmise, even to the extent of 

 giving the reader either one of several hypotheses, all perhaps equally 

 worthless, for the explanation of a given fact, — easier perhaps than to 



