94 Recent Literature. [§&n. 



teenth Supplement having appeared too late to be available. The num- 

 ber of species admitted is 327, including 2 introduced species, classified in 

 the 'Summary' following the main text as: permanent residents, 26; 

 summer residents, 115; migrants, 75; winter residents and winter visitants, 

 40; accidental and casual, 67; 3 are extinct and one other nearly so. In 

 the 'Summary' these several classes are enumerated, with an indication 

 of their distribution within the State, those chiefly or entirely confined to 

 the Canadian fauna being designated by an asterisk. Thirty additional 

 species are given in a 'Hypothetical List,' which includes not only "species 

 which may be almost certainly expected to occur, though not as yet 

 positively detected," but others that have been included in previous lists 

 on erroneous evidence, and "never likely to occur here." 



Following the 'Summary' is a section on Taunal Areas,' illustrated by 

 a map, from which it appears that the southwestern part of the State is 

 Alleghanian and most of the rest of the State Canadian, the Hudsonian 

 being limited to the summits of the higher mountains and to a few points 

 along the coast, from Mount Desert Island eastward. A narrow strip of 

 Canadian extends westward along the coast, backed by the Alleghanian 

 inland. A 'Bibliography' of about 130 titles, arranged chronologically, 

 and an index, complete the volume. 



'The Birds of Maine' is well planned and evidently written with great 

 care and pretty full knowledge of the subject. It has, however, its faults 

 of detail, which, while they may not seriously impair its usefulness, are to 

 be regretted. The author's style, while generally good, lapses here and 

 there into colloquialisms and infelicities which somewhat mar the dignity 

 of a work of such importance. As examples may be cited the reference 

 to the Redpolls in the ' Key to the species of Fringillidse,' the account of 

 the feeding of young Goldfinches, the constant use of pair for pairs ("ten 

 pair," "1000 pair," etc.), and Accentator for Accentor, etc. While the 

 author follows the A. O. U. Check-List, as regards the status of forms, he 

 has done so in a few instances under protest, in some cases with reason, 

 as shown by the Fourteenth Supplement, published since his book went to 

 press, in others through inadequate knowledge of the forms in question. 

 There are few typographical errors in the technical names; but we regret 

 to note that the records of local occurrences, in the case of the rarer species, 

 particularly of some of the water birds, are incomplete, especially as regards 

 the latest published information regarding their distribution on the Maine 

 coast. This, however, may be due to the long time the book was in press, 

 since the omissions relate mainly to the early part. Although the late Dr. 

 Wyman's paper on the occurrence of remains of the Great Auk on some of 

 the islands of Casco Bay is given in the bibliography there is no reference 

 to it under the species; and the winter records for the Myrtle Warbler 

 refer only to Cape Elizabeth, omitting others of equal interest relating 

 to other localities. These are but examples of a number of omissions in 

 respect to details of sometimes considerable importance. Unpublished 

 records are often not clearly distinguished from those that have been 



