896 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL. No. 1042 



T7ie Birds of the Latin Poets. By Ernest 

 Whitney Martin. Leland Stanford Junior 

 University Publications. University Series. 

 Stanford University, California. Published 

 by the University. 1914. Pp. 260. 

 This, the latest contribution to the literary 

 side of ornithology, covers a virgin field. In 

 " The Birds of the Latin Poets " Professor 

 Martin has attempted to bring together from 

 the Eoman poetical vt^riters their passages 

 which mention birds of any particular kind; 

 and an examination of his text and appended 

 bibliography shovfs how admirably he has suc- 

 ceeded. Very wisely no attempt has been 

 made to include either prose passages or refer- 

 ences to birds in general. 



After a brief preface these quotations form 

 the major portion of the book, in which the 

 arrangement is conveniently alphabetical by 

 names of birds, from Acalanthis to Vuliur. 

 Under the Latin name or names of each bird 

 is given a Greek equivalent or equivalents, the 

 English names, and the scientific name or 

 names, the last in many cases not more 

 than generic. Comment on the use of two 

 or more Latin names for the same bird 

 is sometimes added, together with various 

 notes and explanations, including many 

 mythological references. There are mentioned 

 also the conspicuous avian parallels of Ameri- 

 can poetical literature, these birds being not 

 the scientific equivalents, but, as our author 

 very well puts it, " the birds which have aroused 

 similar reactions in the feelings of their 

 poetic observers." A list of American poems 

 thus pertinent to the bird in hand is given 

 when possible; also a list of Latin epithets, 

 some of the latter being especially interesting, 

 as, for instance, in the case of Aquila. Then 

 follow the various Latin quotations arranged 

 under different topics, and liberally inter- 

 spersed with the author's comments and with 

 extracts in English, mostly from American 

 poets. These passages for each bird occupy 

 from half a page, or even less, to as many as 

 lY pages. Not counting synonyms entered 

 for convenience of reference, 70 different birds 

 are thus treated, among which, as of particular 



interest, may be mentioned Anser, Aquila, 

 Cycnus, Mirundo and Luscinia. 



Pollowing this treatment of individual birds 

 are four " Notes " of several pages each — ^vir- 

 tual appendices — on " The Spring Migration 

 and Spring Song " ; " The Pall Migration and 

 the Fall Song " ; " The Hibernating of Birds " ; 

 and " Euscinia." Under the first of these 

 headings quotations are given to show the atti- 

 tude of both American and Latin poets toward 

 the spring movements of birds; and under the 

 second caption similar treatment is accorded 

 the fall migration. The mythical hibernation 

 of birds is considered in like manner in " Note 

 III." The last of these " notes " is devoted 

 to a discussion of the origin and identification 

 of the " ruscinia," and of the application of 

 this name to the nightingale. The author's 

 conclusions regarding this obscure question 

 come probably as near the true solution as is 

 now possible. 



A " Bibliography of the Principal Litera- 

 ture Consulted " and an index of all the cita- 

 tions from Latin authors complete the book. 



This treatise has been vpxitten, and its 

 numberless quotations collected, for the pur- 

 pose of showing the Roman attitude toward 

 bird life so far as it is depicted by the Latin 

 poets. The result is thus much more than a 

 mere collection of quotations, and really gives 

 an insight such as perhaps we could obtain in 

 no other way. With our present-day knowl- 

 edge of birds it is somewhat difiicult for us to 

 realize how meager and vague, when the Latin 

 poets lived and wrote, was even the scientific 

 information regarding bird life, and how in- 

 terwoven and bound up with tradition, mythol- 

 ogy and augury were even the common facts 

 of every-day observation; a condition which 

 renders difficult, indeed, often impossible, the 

 very identification of the birds that they had 

 in mind and at the tip of the pen. By reason 

 of this we ought the more to appreciate the 

 additional light that comes from researches 

 such as these of Professor Martin's. Of nota- 

 ble interest is the Eoman attitude toward the 

 song of birds, as disclosed by the poets. This 

 is, as our author expresses it : " that they nearly 

 always felt a tone of sadness in the songs of 

 their favorite song birds, where we are inclined 



