February 15, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



189 



Fi'.^i/or's Guide to the Local Collection of Birds 



in the Mu.'<eum of Xatural History, Xetv 



York City. By Fkaxk M. Chapman. 1894. 



8°, pp. 100. 15 cents. 



One of the best and most attractive local 



bird lists that has ever appeared in Amei-ica 



has been recently issued fi'om the American 



Museum of Xatural Historj^, New York. 



While it bears the misleading title Visitor's 



Guide, only a glance is necessary to see that 



it is much more. It is in reality a compact 



treatise on the birds known to occur within 



50 miles of the gi-eat metropolis. 



The author, Mr. Frank M. Chapman, pre- 

 faces the list proper by 12 pages of interest- 

 ing and important matter respecting the 

 physical and faunal aspects of the region, 

 and the birds that are found there at differ- 

 ent seasons. The area covered bj' the list 

 is unusually rich in birds, no less than 348 

 species being recorded as occurring within 

 its limits. This richness, as stated by Mr. 

 Chapman, is due in part to the circum- 

 stance that two faunas — the AUeyhanian (or 

 eastern division of the Transition Zone) and 

 Carolinian (or eastern division of the Upper 

 Austral Zone) meet within its boundaries, 

 and in part to the natural advantages of the 

 region. ''Our sea-coast, ^\dth its sandy 

 beaches and shallow baj's ; our rivers, 

 creeks and ponds, with their surrounding 

 grassy marshes ; our wooded hillsides and 

 valleys ; our rolling uplands and fertile mea- 

 dows,offer haunts suited to the wants of most 

 birds. Again, our coast-line and the Hudson 

 River Valley form natural highways of mi- 

 gration regularly followed by birds in their 

 journeys to and from their summer homes." 

 The paper is a model of its kind and 

 should be in the hands of all interested in 

 the birds of New York and vicinity. It is 

 bountifullj- illustrated by cuts of birds bor- 

 rowed from Coues' 'Key,' to which are added 

 several full-page plates of gi-oups in the 

 American Museum. 



C. Hart Mekriam. 



Outline of Dairy Bacteriology. By H. L. 

 Russell, University of Wi.sconsin. Pub- 

 lished in Madison, Wisconsin, 18!)4. 

 Pp. vi+18C. 



There is no better indication of the rather 

 remarkable advance that has been made in 

 recent years m bacteriological matters not 

 connected with diseases than the publica- 

 tion of a text-book upon dairy bacteriology. 

 That tliere should be demanded for classes 

 in dairy schools a text-book describing the 

 various phenomena connected with bacteria 

 in their relation to dairy matters is rather 

 siirprising when we consider the fact that 

 dairy bacteriologj- itself is the result of ex- 

 periments of the last very few years. Prof. 

 Russell has attempted in this little book of 

 about 180 pages to give an outline of the 

 present knowledge of the relation of bac- 

 teria to milk and all its products. Tlie 

 book is designed originally for his classes 

 in a dairy school, and is, as its title indi- 

 cates, only an outline, not involving any 

 critical scientific discussions. As an out- 

 line, however, it is quite complete and the 

 treatment is satisfactory. The book will 

 be of iise not only in dairy schools, but to 

 all who are interested in matters connected 

 with milk or butter supply. It will also be 

 found useful to nurses and phj-sicians who 

 desire a knowledge of some of the recent 

 discussions in connection with milk bac- 

 teriology and its relations to diseases. 



H. W. C. 



Tlie nature and distribution of attraction-spheres 

 and centrosomes in veyetable cells. — John H. 

 ScHAFFNER. Bot. Gaz. Nov. 1894. 

 The author studied centrosomes found in 

 root tips of Allium cepa L., Vicia faba L., 

 Tradescantia rosea L., also in the resting cells 

 of the epidermis of Allium cepa bulb scales 

 and in the walls of Z)7/»m longijlorum ovaries. 

 The usual methods for preparing and stain- 

 ing the material were adopted. In addi- 

 tion the author used a stain suggested by 



