620 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



account of the various Wild Birds' Protection Acts that 

 have been passed by our Legislatui^e, and in collecting the 

 Orders made by authority in the different Counties of 

 England; Mr. Masefield has done a good work for his feathered 

 favourites and for persons who sympathize with his views. 

 The portion of Mr. MasefiekFs volume devoted to the de- 

 scription and illustration of nesting-boxes is likewise of great 

 value. Nesting-boxes are an easy and delightful method of 

 attracting a number of familiar and interesting species to breed 

 in our gardens and even upon our houses. Mr, Masefield gives 

 us a list of between 30 and 40 species that he has thus induced 

 to breed within the precincts of his gardens, shrubberies, and 

 buildings, and we believe that the list might be easily 

 extended. We heartily commend this useful manual to all 

 who are desirous of encouraging and observing birds. 



106. Merriam on Species and Subspecies. 



[Suggestions for a new Metbod of Discriminating between Species and 

 Subspecies. By C. Ilart Merriam. ' Science,' n. s. v. p. 753, 1897.] 



The ordinary rule among the American naturalists has 

 been to treat " forms that intergrade, no matter how different, 

 as subspecies,^' and " forms that do not intergrade, no 

 matter how closely related, as species.'^ It must, however, 

 be confessed that this rule has not been closely adhered to 

 in practice. Dr. Merriam, discussing the question in 

 ' Science/ has noAv come to a different conclusion, and states 

 that in his judgment " forms which differ only slightly 

 should rank as subspecies, even if not known to intergrade, 

 while forms which differ in definite, constant, and easily 

 recognized characters should rank as species even if known 

 to intergrade. '^ This, we think, is a common- sense view of 

 the question. 



107. Meyer and Wighsworth on Birds from Celebes. 

 [Bericbt liber die 5-7 Vogelsammlung der Herren Dr. P. und Dr. F. 



Sarasiu aus Celebes, Von A. B. Meyer und L. W. Wiglesworth. 

 Abbandl. u. Ber. k. zool.-autbrop. Mus. Dresden, 1896-97, No, 1,] 

 The authors write on three new sets of birds recently 



