^"s.s^n Recent Lileyaline. 67 



colored figures, in criticizing Avliich we said : " We can wisli Mi-s. Wright's 

 book no better fortune than tiiat in tiie futine editions it is sure to reacli, 

 it may have ilhistrations in keeping with the exceptionally high char- 

 acter of the text"; and no better compliment can be paid to either than 

 to add that this hope has been fully realized. Mr. Fuertes's drawing.s, 

 Avhich so vivify the pages of 'Citizen Bird,' are here reproduced for the 

 most part as full-page plates, -which in size are obviously more just to 

 the originals than the smaller text iigurcs of the wc^rk in \\lii< li tiiey first 

 appeared. — F. M. C 



Dixon's Migration of Birds.' — The 'amended edition ' of Mr. Dixon's 

 book, ' The Migration of Birds,' is \e,v\ different from the original, pub- 

 lished in [892 {cf. Auk, X, 1S93, pp. 70-73). Many of the theories and 

 statements then put forth with so much confidence are now discarded, 

 the book having been not only, as claimed on the title page, " entirelv re- 

 written," but rewritten from a wholly different standpoint. His views are 

 perhaps still subject to change, as he says that in writing the present book 

 he w-as compelled to modify his views as expressed in his recent w^rk on 

 'The Migration of British Birds,' published in 1S95, wherein he pro- 

 pounded "a hitherto undiscovered Law of Dispersal." This law he 

 looks upon as his " first original attempt to solve the problem of bird 

 migration." Although written with the same confidence in his own 

 conclusions as was the first, the present is a vastly better work, both in 

 matter and method, for he now deigns to give his readers references to 

 some of his sources of information. He also displays much greater 

 familiarity with the literature of the subject, and has evidently greatly 

 profited b}' works that were quite unknown to him, although previously 

 published, when his first book was written. We miss many of the ideas 

 so strikinglv G^tkean met with in the first edition, manj^ of which are 

 now not only discarded, but formally controverted at considerable length. 

 Especially is this the case with Gatke's " assumption" that " j'oung birds 

 migrate absolutely before their parents" (p. 113), where several pages 

 are devoted to a critical analysis of Gatke's evidence. 



The author states in his preface: "In some respects the present volume 

 may be regarded as an effort to stem the torrent of mystery which 

 bids fair soon to overwhelm the subject of Migration ; to explain its 

 varied phenomena by an appeal to natural laws and to common sense; 

 not by the invocation of esoteric influences and supernatural impulses." 

 Again he says (p. 125) : "The effort to increase the mystery of Migra- 



' The I Migration of Birds : | an attempt to reduce Avian Season Flight 

 to Law. I By | Charles Dixon. | — | Amended Edition. | Entirely rewritten 

 in accordance with the Author's latest Discoveries and | Views respecting the 

 Subject of Avine Dispersal. | — | London : Horace Cox, | Winsor House, 

 Bream's Buildings, E. C. | — | 1S97. — S\o, pp. xix-(-426. with 2 maps. 



