Recently published Ornithological Works. 



249 



The collection amassed by Mr. Nelson during his sojourn 

 in Alaska " amounted to over two thousand birdskins and 

 fif'teeii hundred eggs." But all the other available materials 

 in the Smithsonian Collections have been utilized for the 

 present vork^ which is believed to embody " all of impor- 

 tance that is known concerning the birds of Alaska/^ except 

 that the portion relating to the swimming-birds subsequent 

 to the Anatidte has been, " from unavoidable causes, cur- 

 tailed." 



Alaska, although it looks small on most maps, is of enor- 

 mous size, the land-area within its limits being computed to 

 embrace more than 580,000 geographical square miles. As re- 

 gards its animal life, Mr. Nelson divides it into four ^' Faunal 

 Districts'"^: — (1) the Sitkau district, along the west coast, 

 washed by the comparatively warm water of the Japanese 

 current, clothed with forests of conifers, and backed by the 

 coast-range of St. Elias and its adjacent giants ; (2) the 

 Aleutian Islands, destitute of trees, but covered with grass 

 and ferns, where sea-fowl predominate; (3) the Alaskan 

 Arctic district, a treeless coast-belt, which extends from the 

 peninsula of Aliaska through 13ering*s Straits, along the 

 Arctic shore to the mouth of the Mackenzie River, with a 

 mean annual temperature of only 25° ; and (4) the Alasko- 

 Canadian district, which is '' coincident with the distribution 

 of timber on the Alaskan mainland north of the coast-range. 

 Full details are given of the physical characters of these 

 districts and of their peculiarities in ornithic life. 



Twenty Old-World species of birds are now known to 

 occur in Alaska, namely : — 



1. Cyanecula suecica. 



2. Saxicola cenauthe. 



o. Phyllopseustes borealis. 



4. Parus cinctus obtectus. 



5. Budytes flavus leucostriatus. 



6. Autlius cerviiius. 



7. Pyrrhula cassiiii. 



8. Ulula ciuerea lapponica. 



9. Surnia ulula. 



10. Arcliibuteo lagopus. 



11. ^gialitis mongola. 



12. Charadiius dominicus fulTUS. 



13. Limosa baueri. 



14. Tringa acuminata. 



15. Euryuorhynchus pygmgeus. 



16. Tringa ferruginea. 



17. Anas penelope. 



18. Oidemia fusca. 



19. Larus schistisagus. 



20. Fulmarus glaciaiis glupischa. 



