Book News and Reviews 



i33 



experience in this method of research and 

 record, the sub-title of his work being fully 

 borne out by its contents. 



Though sometimes handicapped by the 

 lack of proper apparatus, no one with ex- 

 perience can view the results of Mr. Job's 

 camera hunting without realizing the dirfi- 

 culties he has conquered in winning suc- 

 cess. Not only are Mr. Job's pictures in- 

 teresting, but, illustrating comparatively 

 little-known species, they form a distinct 

 contribution to our knowledge of the habits 

 of the birds treated; and, it should be es- 

 pecially noted, they are effectively supple- 

 mented by the accompanying text. Mr. 

 Job, therefore, has achieved the desirable 

 and by no means easy end of contributing 

 to the literature of both popular and scien- 

 tific ornithology. — F. M. C. 



Cassinia; A Bird Annual. Proceedings 

 of the Delaware Valley Ornithological 

 Club, of Philadelphia. 1901. Price, 

 50 cents. 8vo, 60 pages, 1 plate. 



In a new, enlarged and attractive form the 

 fifth volume of proceedings of the Delaware 

 Valley Club is issued under the above 

 title. Formerly containing only an abstract 

 of the club's work, it now adds several of 

 the more important papers presented before 

 the club, the present publication containing 

 the following: 'John Cassin,' by Witmer 

 Stone ; ' Observations on the Summer Birds 

 of Parts of Clinton and Potter counties, 

 Pennsylvania,' by Francis R. Cope, Jr.; 

 'Photographing a Nighthawk's Nest and 

 Young (Chordeiles virginianus) , ' by Wil- 

 liam L. Baily (illustrated by photographs 

 by the author) ; 'A Walk to the Paoli 

 Pine-Barrens,' by William J. Serrill ; ' The 

 Yellow-winged Sparrow ( Ammodromus 

 swvanarum passerinus) in Eastern Penn- 

 sylvania, ' by Samuel Wright ; ' Trespassing 

 of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Zamelodia 

 ludoviciana) in the Carolinian Fauna,' by 

 William Evans; ' Nesting of the Mocking- 

 birds (Mitnus polyglottos) in Eastern Penn- 

 sylvania,' by W. E. Roberts and W. E. 

 Hannum; 'A Spring Migration Record for 

 1893-1900, ' by Frank L. Burns ; ' Birds that 

 Struck the City Hall Tower During the 

 Migrations of 1901,' by W. L. Baily. 



The Ornithological Magazines 



The March-April number of ' The Con- 

 dor ' presents an interesting assortment of 

 field notes. The leading article contains a 

 description of the habits of the Scissor- 

 tailed Flycatcher in Texas by Mrs. Bailey, 

 and this is followed by an account of col- 

 lecting eggs of the Long-billed Curlew and 

 the Sharp-tailed Grouse in Montana by P. 

 M. Silloway. Daggett contributes 'Winter 

 Observations on the Colorado Desert,' 

 Mollie Bryan some experiences with Anna's 

 Hummingbird, and Wueste, notes on the 

 nesting habits of the Black-chinned Hum- 

 mingbird {Trochilus alexandri). Otto 

 Holstein calls attention to the destruction 

 of birds by petroleum along the railroads 

 on the Colorado Desert. Where engines 

 stand for any length of time in one place, 

 the oil used for fuel drips down on the track, 

 collects into little pools and soon becomes 

 as thick as molasses. The birds evidently 

 mistaking the oil for water, get into the 

 pasty mass and are caught like flies on fly- 

 paper. 



Systematic ornithology is represented by 

 the description of another new Song Spar- 

 row from the northwest coast (Melospiza 

 cinerea pheea, Fisher) and the recognition 

 by Grinnell of the Fox Sparrow from 

 Monterey county, California, originally 

 described many years ago. Walter Fisher 

 contributes a critical article on the Crested 

 Jays of the Pacific coast which shows briefly 

 but clearly the history and relations of the 

 forms considered worthy of recognition. It 

 is accompanied by a key and an outline 

 sketch map and is a valuable addition to 

 the literature of the genus Cyanocitta. The 

 author is to be congratulated on presenting 

 the results of his study in a way which 

 might be adopted by others with advantage. 

 Descriptions of west coast birds too often 

 consist of new names and merely outlines 

 of characters without proper indication of 

 the relations which the new forms bear to 

 the old.— T. S. P. 



The Auk. — The July Auk contains a 

 large number of articles, and is illustrated 

 by several half-tones. It opens with an 



