54 



Bird - Lore 



worked through September and October 

 to get data on the hibernation of mammals 

 and on the stores of food laid up for winter 

 by nonhibernating species. He has re- 

 turned with many valuable notes to be 

 added to his report on the mammals of the 

 state, and with an interesting collection of 

 live rodents for study of habits in captivity. 



The Book of a Naturalist. By W. H. 

 Hudson. George H. Doran Co., New 

 York. 8vo. iii-f36o pages. 



Sundry essays on varying aspects of na- 

 ture and animal life, contributed by Mr. 

 Hudson to half a dozen periodicals, to- 

 gether with several before unpublished 

 ones, are included in this volume. 



Hudson may be accorded a high place 

 in the small group of what Burroughs has 

 termed 'literary naturalists.' To power of 

 observation he adds a mind keenly re- 

 sponsive to the influences of nature and 

 to them both, the gift of expression. 



The last is by far the most uncommon. 

 In a greater or lesser degree all mankind 

 is affected by natural phenomena, but how 

 few can give adequate expression to their 

 emotions! 



While these essays are based mainly on 

 observations and experiences in England, 

 it is interesting to observe how frequently 

 their author harks back to the "far away 

 and long ago" of his youth in Argentina. 

 Birds, ants, frogs, toads, snakes, bats, and 

 people are his subjects, and whether or 

 not what he writes is interesting in itself, 

 it is all made readable through the side- 

 lights of seasoned experience and by the 

 art of the writer. — F. M. C. 



Birds of Eastern Canada. By P. A. 

 Taverner. Memoir 104, Geological 

 Survey of Canada, Ottawa, 1919. 8vo. 

 iii-|-22i pages text; 50 colored plates. 



This is a practical manual of east 

 Canadian bird-life, with keys to families, 

 descriptions of species, emphasizing their 

 distinctive characters and field-marks; 

 nesting sites, general distribution, haunts, 

 habits, and economic status. There are 

 also sections on 'Geographical Distribu- 

 tion,' 'Migration,' 'Means of Attracting 

 Birds' and 'Ornithological Literature.' 



Mr. Taverner's experience in field and 

 study, combined with an ability to think 

 for himself, gives to his work an originality 

 in thought and expression which places it 

 above the plane of mere compilation. He 

 has a clear conception of the wants of his 

 audience and supplies them in a manner 

 which cannot fail to make this book of real 

 practical value to the Canadian public. 

 We cannot but regret, however, that the 

 paragraph on 'Distribution' does not 

 include more details on the birds' seasonal 

 status in eastern Canada, and that migra- 

 tion dates are practically wanting. 



The fifty colored plates, each containing 

 two pictures, introduce to us a new bird 

 artist — Mr. F. C. Hennessey — whose 

 work shows that he possesses an exceptional 

 gift for the portrayal of birds. We hope 

 that in developing it he will remember 

 that a poorly drawn bird may spoil a 

 good landscape, just as effectively as a 

 poorly painted landscape may mar a good 

 bird.— F. M. C. 



The Ornithology of Chester County, 

 Pennsylvania. By Franklin Lorenzo 

 Burns. Richard C. Badger, The Gor- 

 ham Press, Boston. lamo. 122 pages; 

 21 illustrations. 



Chester County, Pa., is ornithologically 

 historic ground. Here, as Mr. Burns tells 

 us, Audubon made some of his earlier ob- 

 servations on American birds, and here 

 Say, John K. Townsend, Cassin, and more 

 than a score of latter-day ornithologists 

 have studied afield. Mr. Burns, himself, 

 has a practically continuous record of 

 thirty-five years' observation and is there- 

 by eminently fitted to act as the orn'- 

 thological historian of this exceptionally 

 well -worked region. His fully anno- 

 tated list containing breeding, as well as 

 migration dates, enumerates 247 spe- 

 cies and subspecies which he classifies as 

 follows: 



Resident 26 



Summer Resident 72 



Winter Visitant 26 



Transient Visitant 75 



Straggler 42 



Extirpated f 6 



— F. M. C. 



