Recent Literature. 171 



writing, but contents himself with fi plain, unpretentious style of imparting 

 his facts, it follows naturally that many of his bird biographies are inter- 

 esting stories, that may claim alike the attention of the general reader 

 and the practised ornithologist. The former will no doubt congratulate 

 himself that the author has chosen, wisely we think, to devote compara- 

 tively little space to the discussion of technical details, such as the effects 

 of climate upon the colors and size of birds, matters in regard to Avhich 

 Mr. Maynard has shown himself to be well informed. For such a discus- 

 sion Florida birds afford an ample text, but the thoroughness with which 

 they have been treated by Mr. J. A. Allen * offers a valid reason for its 

 exclusion in a book of the moi-e general type of the present ; so that the 

 general reader is spared much dry reading, and finds himself upon every 

 page face to face with the more popular and interesting side of bird his- 

 tories. The descriptions of the species are in general extremely good. 

 They are sufficiently detailed to be all that is required by the advanced 

 student, and, indeed, often include mention of the obscurer seasonal plu- 

 mages ; yet they are not too technical or overburdened with detail to be 

 made available by the tyro. In short, in this particular the author appears 

 to have hit upon a happy medium. The paragraph devoted to " Observa- 

 tions " seems to us an especially good idea, as in it attention is called, in 

 a few concise words, to facts not readily handled in the formal diagnosis, 

 and discrimination is made between closely allied and easily mistakable 

 species. By these hints is saved much trouble and doubt. 



It is so much pleasanter as well as easier to praise than to censure, that 

 we feel much like leaving the faults of the work to be discovered by the 

 reader ; but as we have pointed out some of its excellences, we shall not 

 be deemed over captious if we call attention to certain points that seem 

 fair objects of criticism. And, to begin with, we deem it peculiarly un- 

 fortunate that, in a work possessing the pretensions of the present, the 

 plates should not be of a higher degree of excellence. A few of the 

 earlier ones, in the " Birds of Florida," are highly creditable, and cer- 

 tain of the heads in the more recent numbers afford an excellent idea of 

 the species. B;^it, however praiseworthy may be deemed the enthusiasm 

 and energy with which the author has educated himself to the use of the 

 pencil, it must be admitted that the plates in general reflect no credit upon 

 the author or his book. Not only is the drawing of many of the birds 

 faulty, resulting in distorted outlines, but the coloring is crude to a degree ; 

 while the incongruous grouping of birds' heads in color upon the same plate 

 with drawings of claws, sterna, tongues, etc. is, fi'om an artistic stand-point, 

 exceedingly objectionable. It is doubtless not easy to produce, at a mod- 

 erate cost, plates that shall unite high artistic merit with scientific accuracy. 

 But if the number of illustrations in the present book were cut down one 



* Maiimiiils and Winter Birds of East Florida, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Vol. 

 II, pp. 161-450, FU. iv-viii, 1871. 



