170 Recent Literature. [April 
Warren’s ‘Birds of Pennsylvania.’*—The purpose of this book appears 
to be to enlighten the public, especially the farming communities, in 
Pennsylvania in regard to the birds that are to be found in the State, to 
awaken a desire for their protection upon economic grounds, and to stir 
up an interest in natural history among the people. It begins with a 
brief introduction chiefly devoted to explaining, with the aid of a plate, 
the technical terms used in the book. Then follows the body of the work 
in which one hundred and forty-two species are treated in systematic 
order. These include, as a rule, the commonest and the most interesting. 
Accidental stragglers and others that by their rarity or from other causes 
would be unlikely to come under the readers’ notice, have been omitted 
for lack of room; the author informs us in the introduction that over two 
hundred and fifty pages of manuscript have been left out in order to bring 
the size of the book more nearly within the limits prescribed by the act of . 
Legislature authorizing its publication. 
Under the head of each’ species is given a short description in simple 
language. These ‘‘have in some instances been taken from ‘Birds of 
North America,’ by my late lamented friend, Prof. S. F. Baird; others 
have been compiled, in part, from the works of Dr. Elliott Coues and 
Robert Ridgway.” This is followed by a statement of the habitat, bor- 
rowed from the A. O. U. Check-List. Then comes, in all but one or two 
cases, a biographical sketch which aims to be not merely instructive, but 
interesting as well, and in this it is usually remarkably successful. Dr. 
Warren has here supplemented his own experience by abundant extracts 
from the writings of Audubon, Nuttall, Wilson, Coues and others. Much 
attention is paid to the birds’ preferences in regard to food, and the author’s 
stomach examinations are given, often in tabular form. The whole space 
allotted to each species averages a page anda half. As might be ex- 
pected, the Birds of Prey come in for their full share of mention, and a de- 
tailed account is given of the Pennsylvania ‘Scalp Act’ and the evidence 
that led to its repeal. 
The descriptions of the species are supplemented by forty-nine chromo- 
lithograph plates, all, with exception of that of the House Sparrow, 
copied from Audubon, although we find no mention made of their source. 
Of course the execution is by no means equal to that of the originals, and 
we fear Mr. Audubon would hardly enjoy some trifling liberties the artist 
has occasionally taken, such as changing a bird’s attitude or leaving out 
the fly it is trying to snatch. The printing of one plate upside down is 
probably not the artist’s fault. The colors are not always printed with 
the care the subjects merit, but nevertheless the plates will well serve the 
purpose of stimulating the readers’ interest, and Dr. Warren deserves our 
*Report | on the | Birds of Pennsylvania. | With Special Reference to the Food- 
Habits, based | on over Three Thousand Stomach | Examinations. | By | B. H. War- 
ren, M. D., | Ornithologist of the State Board of Agriculture; Associate Member of the 
American | Ornithologists’ Union; Secretary of the Chester County (Pa.) | Academy 
of Arts and Sciences, etc. | Illustrated with fifty plates. | | Harrisburg: | Edwin K, 
Meyers, State Printer. | 1888, 8vo pp. xii + 260, 
