September 23, 1892.] 



SCIENCE. 



181 



is so defective. Tlie authorities quoted from or referred to are 

 frequently mentioned, but there are innumerable cases where they 

 are not. It thus becomes an impossibility to ascertain from the 

 index wliose work has been and whose has not been referred 

 to. 



The second title mentioned in our heading pertains to a paper 

 of quite a different character from the foregoing. The first is a 

 bulletin in itself, the second is an excerpt from the annual report 

 of the U. S. National Museum for 1890: the one treats of special 

 features in the life of birds, the other discusses in general and 

 particular the characters of a small group. In this monograph 

 on humming birds the author, Mr. Robert Ridgway, gives an in- 

 teresting account of these wonderful little creatures. Among 

 the many subjects discussed, we find an account of the early his- 

 tory of the literature of the group; remarks on the geographical 

 distribution of the species; mention of their habits, manner of 

 flight, migrations, intelligence, nests and eggs, food, variations, 

 etc. The last 70 pages are devoted to descriptions of the species 

 occurring in the United States, seventeen in all, of which illustra- 

 tions are given of all but five. There are many other figures, 

 some of which are original and others copied from Gould's "Mon- 

 ograph of the Trochilidse." 



The family is essentially one of the New World, not a single 

 species being known outside of its bounds. Their diminutive size 

 and brilliant coloration have made them favorites with ornitholo- 

 gists, and, as in the case of every other well-studied group, in- 

 numerable genera and species have been made. Dr. Coues refers 

 to this fact, and notices that it was carried to such length that it 

 finally rsached " the farcical and scandalous extreme of some 350 

 genera for few more than 400 known species.'' In size the species 

 vary from about 8i inches long to only 2i inches. Notwithstand- 

 ing their smallness, they are capable of the most rapid flight, and 

 some perform journeys of 2,000 miles iu their semi-annual migra- 

 tions. On the west coast the highest latitude attained is in 

 Alaska, about 61°, by the rufous- backed hummer, which is found 



in winter in Mexico, more than 2,000 miles to the southward of 

 its summer station. In the eastern United States the common 

 ruby-throat ranges in summer as far north as 57°, and in winter 

 is not known to occur north of southern Florida (latitude 29°), 

 while its most southern limit is on the Isthmus of Panama, only 

 8° north of the equator. Species are most numerous in moun- 

 tainous countries where there is great diversity of soil and pro- 

 ductions within small areas The State of Ecuador has 100 species 

 within its borders, more than one-half not occuring elsewhere. 

 Mr. Ridgway says regarding their geographical distribution: 

 '•Their centre of abundance is among the northern Andes, be- 

 tween the parallels of 10° north and south of the equator, from 

 which region they gradually diminish in numbers both to the 

 northward and southward, but much more rapidly toward the ex- 

 tensive lowlands of the eastern portion of the continent. The 

 northern limit of their abundance may be approximately given as 

 the Tropic of Cancer, beyond which but few of the fifty Mexican 

 species extend, while only eighteen of them have been detected 

 across the boundary line in the equally mountainous portions of 

 the south-western United States, including the semi-tropical Rio 

 Grande Valley. Small as this number may appear, the south- 

 western portion of the Union may be considered richly endowed 

 compared with the vast valley of the Mississippi and the Atlantic 

 water-shed, a region of unsurpassed fertility and luxuriant vege- 

 tation, yet which throughout its whole extent, even including the 

 peninsula of Florida, possesses only a single species of humming 

 bird ! " 



The usefulness of this monograph would be greatly increased 

 by the addition of a table of contents and an index. Neither of 

 these is present in the excerpt, a'though they are probably pro- 

 vided for in the report from which it is taken. One must turn 

 page after page to find remarks upon any special subject. Not- 

 withstanding this, however, readers must be grateful to Mr. 

 Ridgway for the work he has done. Joseph F. James. 



Washington, D.C., Sept. 16. 



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