April, 1921 



TnK Canadian Kiki.d-Xati kalist 



lliaca, characterized by foxy color, ran- 

 ges all over eastern Canada to the Kocky 

 Mountains and Central Alaska. In the 

 mountains, throug'h altavafjans it ap- 

 proaches schistacea, wliicli is characterized 

 by the reduction of red and a great in- 

 crease of slaty color. Altavafjans and 

 schistacea occupy most of the interior of 

 British Columbia. The unalaschensis group 

 are large maroon-brown birds occupying 

 the coast, from fiiliginosa, resident in the 

 Vancouver Island vicinity, through town- 

 sendi, annectens, sinuosa and insularis, to 

 unalaschensis of the Alaska Peninsula. 



In the systematic body of the paper, 

 dealing with the description, salient char- 

 acters and ranges of the forms dealt with, 

 are many illustrative drawings, maps, etc. 

 The whole is admirable in plan arid con- 

 struction and clearly presented. It is not 

 until we come to study carefully the draw- 

 ings of some of these distinctions that any 

 doubt is awakened as to t^e expediency of 

 perpetuating all these many names. Dis- 

 tinctions that seem clear and satisfactory 

 in print in some cases become very faint 

 in illustration. Whilst we can be assured 

 that they are the best possible presentation 

 of the case many of them can be felt rather 

 than seen. A small amount of individual 

 \ariation would swamp some and even the 

 inescapable personality of the draughts- 

 man may be a determining factor. In the 

 excellent colored plate by Allan Brooks 

 brevicauda and unalaschensis are seen to 

 be so much alike in color that the other- 

 wise excellent three-color process plates 

 have absolutely failed to differentiate 

 tliem. When it is realized that average 

 characters are regarded as sufficient basis 

 for subspecies making and that the author 

 calls special attention to the number of 

 intermediates in his material one can be 

 pardoned for hai-boring some mental re- 

 sei'vations. 



In this connection the reviewer is fort- 

 unate in having access to some of the mat- 

 erial upon which the work is based and 

 that bears the author's determinations. A 

 careful examination of it in comparison 

 with the text does not allay all doubt. 

 Specimens of altavagans, referred by the 

 author to the lliaca group seem more clo- 

 sely related to schistacea, in plumage bare- 

 ly separable from it. The Un(daschensis 



group, represented in the material by all 

 but insularis, shows a gradual gradation 

 from the comi)aratively small and lighter 

 colored northern unalaschensis to the big, 

 dark fuUginosa of southern British Colum- 

 bia. These gradations are postulated by 

 the writer to occur in marked steps witli 

 alternate distributional areas of constancy 

 and variability. It is neither safe nor just 

 to pass final judgment on the suddenness 

 of these variations without having seen all 

 the material upon which the conclusions 

 are based, but the slightness of the char- 

 acters and the limitations of collecting on 

 a long line of uninhabited coast naturally 

 make one wonder whether the gradation is 

 not a little more gradual than is assumed, 

 and but indicates extended intergradation 

 in which perhaps all characters do not 

 change at an equal rate, and where there 

 are possibly occasional disturbing factors. 



Whilst we do not seriously doubt that 

 most if not all of these differences exist, or 

 that Mr. Swarth can see and differentiate 

 them, we admit our inability to do so in 

 some cases and doubt whether any one else 

 without his natural aptitude, amount of 

 material and the obvious concentration he 

 has put upon it can be trusted to identify 

 many of these laboratory varieties. Iden- 

 tification of Fox Sparrows to the Swarth 

 standard thus becomes a one man's work 

 and is practically impossible of verifica- 

 tion or intelligent correction by others. 

 However, fitted in this case that one man 

 may be in keenness of perception, honesty 

 of purpose and balance of judgment we 

 tremble at the results that may arise from 

 the use of these minute subdivisions in the 

 hands of the less experienced or responsible. 

 This is certainly no work for the dilettante, 

 and we question the expediency of present- 

 ing undemonstrable races for the use of 

 the general public. 



It is notable that when Mr. Swarth came 

 to make a serious study of this species he 

 was not content to accept the determina- 

 tions of an II one else, but very j^roperl^- 

 went to the original material aiui care- 

 fully worked it all out again to his own 

 satisfaction. And thus it must ever be 

 when serious u.se is made of subspecific 

 variation in constructive science. Of what 

 use have been the numerous trinominals 

 api^lied to Fox Sparrows in the many local 



