76 



Recoit Literature. . [^"^ 



LJan. 



range of Ag'elaius phcenicens richmondi is extended northward to include 

 **the coast district and lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas," 

 which therefore brings it within the limits of the Check-List. All the 

 North American forms of SturneUa are inade subspecies of niagna^ except 

 neglecta^ which Mr. Ridgway continues to look upon as a full species. 



Mr. Ridgway admits eight forms of the Geothlypis trichas group, and 

 discusses at some length their distribution and relationships, as also the 

 seven forms recognized from the Bahamas. We regret the lack of space 

 to transcribe his very interesting presentation of the case. G. trichas 

 scirpicola Grinnell is considered as not separable from G. t. arizela 

 Oberholser. 



The present volume exceeds the first in size by about one hundred 

 pages, and includes 55 more species and subspecies, Part II containing 

 433 — 3^^ species and 117 subspecies. The 22 plates illustrate the struct- 

 ural details of 77 genera. 



In execution Part II conforms in all its details with Part I, so that the 

 explanation of methods of treatment, and the high commendation already 

 given for Part I, apply equally to Part II, which is marked throughout by 

 the extreme care and thoroughness so well known to characterize Mr. 

 Ridgway's technical work. Finally, we heartily congratulate the author 

 and all ornithologists that we have assurance that Part III is so well 

 advanced that we may confidently expect its publication before the end of 

 the present year, it being already in press. — ^J. A. A. 



Mrs. Bailey's 'Handbook of Birds of the Western United States.'' — 



As stated in the publisher's announcement, "This book is intended to do 

 for the western part of the United States what Mr. Frank M. Chapman's 

 'Handbook' has done for the East. It is written on similar lines, and 

 gives descriptions and biographical sketches of all our western birds in a 

 thoroughly scientific yet not unduly technical form, including all the 

 United States species not treated by 'Chapman, besides those which are 

 common to both sections of the country." This is a perfectly fair state- 

 ment of the scope and character of the work, which in method of execu- 

 tion and accuracy of detail merits the highest commendation. The author 

 has had rare opportunities for personal observation of the biids in life of 

 which she writes, having spent several seasons in the field in Texas, in 

 Arizona, and in California, and has enjoyed an especiall}' favorable 

 environment for the production of a thoroughly accurate and well- 



1 Handbook of Birds | of the | Western United States | including | the 

 Great Plains, Great Basm, Pacific Slope, | and Lower Rio Grande Valley | By 

 Florence Merriam Bailey | With thirty-three full-page plates by Louis | Agassiz 

 Fuertes, and over six hundred cuts in the text | [Vignette] Boston and New 

 York I Houghton, Miftlin and Company | The Riverside Press, Cambridge 

 I 1902 — i2mo, pp. i-xc -|- 1-512. Price, $3.50, postage extra. 



