128 Recent Literature. [jan" 



United States and Canada, who for a quarter of a century have contributed 

 to the Biological Survey spring and fall reports of their migrations." 

 It is needless to say that such extended resources have never before been 

 available as the basis for such a study, and the present paper is worthy 

 of the wide reputation Professor Cooke had already established as a spe- 

 cialist on the migration and distribution of North American birds. Four 

 species are illustrated in as many half-tone plates, from drawings by 

 Louis Agassiz Fuertes. 



The "rapidly approaching extinction [of the Eskimo Curlew], if indeed 

 any still exist," is thus accounted for: "A simple explanation is that during 

 recent years, especially since 18S0, its former winter home in Argentina 

 has been settled and cultivated, while its spring feeding grounds in Ne- 

 braska and South Dakota have been converted into farm land." The 

 species has been recorded, it is here stated, "only a few times" during 

 the last fifteen years, "and apparently only three times in the ten years 

 previous to 1909," — J. A. A. 



Beck's 'Water Birds of the Vicinity of Point Pinos, California.' — 



This is an annotated list l of 94 species, based on the author's work as chief 

 field assistant of the California Academy of Sciences, between May 1, 1903, 

 and July 13, 1910, during which period "considerable time was spent in 

 collecting water birds in the general vicinage of Point Pinos — Monterey 

 Bay and the adjacent ocean." During most of these years Mr. Beck 

 spent each year a number of months in quest of the water-fowl which 

 frequent this part of the California coast during the fall, winter, and spring 

 months, with the result that the Museum of the California Academy of 

 Sciences has by far the most extensive collection of well-prepared specimens 

 of these birds now extant. Mr. Beck's paper is a summary of the results 

 thus obtained, and is hence a most welcome contribution to our knowledge 

 of the winter distribution of these birds (Grebes to Plovers, both inclusive) 

 along the California coast. The nomenclature is that of the third edition 

 of the A. O. U. Check-List, except that subspecies are not recognized, 

 so that we have the California Eared Grebe recorded as Colymbus nigri- 

 collis, the California Murre as Uria troille, and so on in all like cases. 



Among the more interesting records it is noted that Xantus's Murrelet, 

 although not now breeding north of Lower California, wanders north 

 after the breeding season to Monterey Bay, where, in some winters, it is 

 found in considerable numbers, it having been observed on nearly every 

 trip from November 24, 1904, to February 4, 1905. It is also more than 

 hinted that there is complete intergradation between Brachyramphus 

 hypoleucus and B. craverii. 



The Skua (Megalestris skua) is recorded as taken in Monterey Bay 



1 Water Birds of the Vicinity of Point Pinos, California. By Rollo Howard 

 Beck. Proc. California Acad. Sci., ser. 4, Vol. Ill, pp. 57-72. September 17, 

 1910. 



