13, seed 4 | Vol. xxxix. 
only from his fellow-ornithologists but from his fellow-men, 
should have been able to draw our attention to such 
novel and remarkable facts as are detailed in his con- 
tribution. 
‘Outside the British Isles, the greatest activity has been 
among American ornithologists. The most important work 
published in the United States during the past year is un- 
doubtedly that of Mr. Frank M. Chapman on the birds of the 
United States of Colombia, in the northern part of South 
America. For five years, from 1910 to 1915, Mr. Chapman 
himself and an able band of assistants had been making 
explorations and collections throughout the whole extent of 
that richly-endowed country, and have amassed for the 
American Museum of Natural History in New York an 
immense booty. This has all been worked out in detail 
in a report of over 700 pages, forming a volume of the 
‘Bulletin’ of the Museum. The first portion of the report 
contains a very masterly account of the zonal distribution 
and the faunal areas, which extend from the sea-level to the 
lofty Paramo zone from 11,000-13,000 ft. and to the snow- 
line at 15,000 ft. This portion of the report is most 
fascinating and instructive, and should be studied by every 
ornithologist, whether his interest is the field or the study. 
“Quite as important, but on rather different lines, is 
Capt. Beebe’s Report on the Tropical Research Station of the 
New York Zoological Society, recently established in British 
Guiana. Some of us may recall a Meeting of this Club at 
which Capt. Beebe spoke of his experiences and researches. 
I would strongly recommend any young ornithologist in 
this Club who has leisure and opportunity after the war to 
arrange to make a visit to Capt. Beebe’s station. It would 
give him the best and easiest opportunity to learn something 
of tropical bird-life, and undoubtedly afford him great 
opportunities for research. 
** Another splendid work has also been recently published 
by Capt. Beebe. This is the first volume of his ‘ Monograph 
on the Pheasants,’ a notice of which is to be found in the 
October ‘ Ibis.’ 
a2 
