2o6 Receftt Literature. L April 



Miss Merriam's 'Birds of Village and Field." — Miss Merriam's hand- 

 some volume is well designated ' A Bird Book for Beginners.' It treats 

 of 145 of the more common species of the birds of eastern North America, 

 which are grouped in various categories on the basis of coloration, in 

 conformity with a ' Field Color Key-' This plan is of course no longer 

 novel, it having been previously introduced in other similar bird books, 

 and its efficiency well tested as an. aid in identifying birds in the field. In 

 addition to the distinctive color markings, reference is also made in the 

 key to characteristic traits of habit and habitat, and cuts are given illus- 

 trative of form, structural details, and special markings, with a cross- 

 reference in the key to the place in the book where the bird is described. 

 The 'Introduction' contains, besides the key, directions for its use, under 

 'How to find a Bird's Name,,' and tells 'Where to find Birds,' 'How to 

 watch Birds,' 'How Birds affect Village Trees, Gardens and Farms,' and 

 'How to keep Birds about our Homes.' The ' Appendix' gives instruc- 

 tion about keeping migration records, and 'Migration Lists' are given of 

 the land birds occurring in spring at (i) St. Louis, Mo. (based on Mr. 

 Otto Widmann's observations), (2) Washington, D. C (made by Mr. 

 William Palmer), and (3) Portland, Conn, (by Mr. John H. Sage). There 

 is also a similar set of lists for the winter birds, based on the contributions 

 of the same observers. This is followed by ' Outline for Field Observa- 

 tion,' giving hints to assist beginners in field identification, relating not 

 only to size, color and markings, but to movements and flight; to which 

 is added a list of 'Points to note to add to knowledge of life histories.' 

 The Appendix concludes with a classified list of books of reference. 



The main text (pp. 1-363) gives a very attractively" written''account of 

 the habits of each bird treated, preceded by a brief statement of its diag- 

 nostic features, and geographic distribution, with generally a full length 

 figui-e of the species, and frequently other appropriate illustrations, as of 

 bill, wing, head, tail or feet, or of insects of which the bird is a special 

 enemy. 



A special feature of Miss Merriam's book is the particular emphasis 

 with which she urges the utility of birds to agriculture, and hence the 

 extreme importance of their preservation, aside from any motive of hu- 

 manity or sentiment. For the most part her biographies are written 

 with much feeling and evidently from the heart; there are lapses here 

 and there into the perfunctory style of the book maker, but they are 

 rare, for the author knows her birds and loves them. 



In this age of popular bird books, it must be becoming hard to intro- 

 duce any novelties of treatment, or originality of expression, but Miss 



1 Birds I of Village and Field | A Bird Book for Beginners | By | Florence 

 A. Merriam | Illustrated | [Vignette] | Boston and New York | Houghton, 

 Mifilin and Company | The Riverside Press, Cambridge | 1898 — i2mo. pp. 

 i-xlix, 1-406, 18 half-tone plates and 220 text cuts. (Price, $2.00.) 



