I39I.1 Recent Litcratur-c. ^^'^ 



mens :ind field notes. The itnj)orlaiice of care and thoroughness in rela- 

 tion to gathering, preserving and labelling is at all times dwelt upon with 

 emphasis. Too truly, as Mr. Ilornaday observes, "The lives of hundreds 

 of thousands of wild birds have been sacrificed to no purpose by persons 

 claiming to be ornithological collectors, and yet who Iiad not the knowl- 

 edge, skill, or industry to make up good bird skins. . . . The ability to 

 make up fine, clean, shapely, well-preserved skins, and make them rap- 

 idly also, is a prime requisite in any one who aspires to be sent oft" to in- 

 teresting 'foreign parts' to shoot, collect, and see the world — at the ex- 

 pense of some one else." We are glad to see that in the matter of bird 

 skins the best modern methods of 'making up' are described and fully il- 

 lustrated with cuts; and that proper directions are given for insuring the 

 highest scientific value of all kinds of bird specimens. We wish we could 

 extend this statement to include all the author says about mammals as 

 well, but sad experience leads us to make use of the present opportunity 

 to put in an earnest pj-otest against the "salt-andalum baths," so unre- 

 servedly recommended for the preservation of mammal skins for mount- 

 ing. "In only two or three instances," says Mr. Hornaday, "have I ever 

 known it to change the color of the hair in the least." Our experience, 

 on the contrary, has been widely different, even when the bath was conj- 

 pounded in accordance with Mr. Hornaday's own recipe. The skins of 

 many small mammals, such as red squirrels, ground squirrels, spermo- 

 philes, kangaroo rats and mice, and deer mice, quickly change in color 

 from immersion in it, to such an extent as to be wholly unrecognizable 

 by their coloration, and hence worthless for any scientific purpose, yel- 

 lowish, rufous, and pale browns becoming dull red. On the other hand, 

 some colors appear to be not in the least affected. But in many foreign 

 mammals it would be impossible to tell whether or not there had been a 

 change of color. Should thu change be not detected, as may rcjadily hap- 

 pen, the 'salt-and-alum bath' may yet prove a prolific species maker, as it 

 has already narrowly escaped being in several instances well known to 

 the present writer. Ordinary alcohol, as commonly used, is not always 

 to be trusted where the question of color is at stake, while the so-called 

 'wood alcohol,' or methyllic spirits, is absolutely ruinous, being worse 

 even than the salt-and-alum bath. Fortunately birds are not often pre- 

 served in antiseptic solutions, except for strictly anatomical purposes; 

 besides, their colors are, as a rule, less liable to change from such treat- 

 ment than those of mammals. 



Beyond question, Mr. Hornaday's book marks the beginning of a new 

 era in the history of both natural history field work and taxidermy, and 

 naturalists cannot be too grateful for his admirable manual of 'Taxidermy 

 and Zoological Collecting.' — J. A. A. 



Butler's Birds of Indiana * — This excellent catalogue of the Birds of 



*The Birds of Indiana, with Illustrations of Many of the Species. Prepared for the 

 Indiana Horticultural Society, and Originally Published in its Transactions for 1890. 

 By Amos W. Butler, of Brookville. 8vo, pp. 135. 



