#oofe J^etDS and l^etotetog 



The Birds of Berkshike County, Massa- 

 chusetts. By Walter P'axon and 

 Ralph Hoffmann. Reprinted from Col- 

 lections of the Berkshire Historical 

 and Scientific Society. Vol. HI, pp. 

 iog-i66, Pittslield, Mass., Feb. 23, igoo. 



The authors state that the " information 

 which they have obtained concerning the 

 birds of Berkshire county is the result 

 of several summers' study in various 

 parts of the county, particularly at North 

 Adams and Stockbridge, and of visits 

 made to the same places in winter. 

 Repeated visits have also been made in 

 the spring and autumn, especially to 

 Lanesboro, where the broad valley, serving 

 as a highway for migrating birds, offers 

 exceptional facilities for the observation 

 of transients." They have also "supple- 

 mented their personal knowledge with 

 whatever trustworthy information they 

 could obtain from others," and have 

 availed themselves of the published records 

 of previous writers whose works are 

 enumerated in a bibliography containing 

 forty titles and occupying the concluding 

 six pages of their paper. 



An introduction of eight pages gives a 

 clear and comprehensive description of 

 the chief topographical features of Berk- 

 shire county and of its faunal character- 

 istics, with particular reference to the 

 Canadian element of the higher atti- 

 tudes. 



The list proper, occupying pages 9 to 

 53, enumerates 197 species, the times of 

 arrival and departure and manner of 

 occurrence of which are briefly stated. 



The authors' names are an assurance 

 that their paper adequately and accurately 

 sets forth the existing knowledge of the 

 birds of their chosen field, and our only 

 criticism would question the advisability 

 of introducing nomenclatural novelties 

 into a paper of this kind, or, for that 

 matter, into a paper of any kind without 

 a word of explanation for their adoption. 

 — F. M. C. 



Preliminary Catalogue ok the Birds 

 OF Chapel Hill, N. C, with Brief 

 Notes on Some of the Species. By 

 T. Gilbert Pearson. Journal of the 

 Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, XVI, 

 PP- 33-51- 



Professor Pearson presents this list as a 

 basis for more extended observations on 

 the birds of the region to which it relates. 

 It enumerates 134 species, each of which 

 is briefly annotated. Due conservatism 

 is shown in excluding species of doubtful 

 occurrence, and the Spicella pallida re- 

 corded by Atkinson from Chapel Hill in 

 1887, is shown to be a Swamp Sparrow ! 

 — F. M. C. 



Gleanings from Nature. B3' W. S. 

 Blatchley. Indianapolis, The Nature 

 Study Publishing Co , 1899. i2mo. pp. 

 348; numerous illustrations. $1.25. 



This is a true outdoor book, with 

 chapters on fishes, snakes, plants, birds, 

 caves and cave animals, and essays on 

 walks afield under such titles as ' Har- 

 bingers of Spring, ' ' A Day in a Tama- 

 rack Swamp,' etc. 



The bird student will find some sixty 

 pages devoted to ' Twelve Winter Birds, 

 while throughout the volume references 

 are made to the birds observed, and 

 under the heading of ' A Feathered 

 Midget and its Nest ' is an excellent 

 account of the nesting of the Blue Gray 

 Gnatcatcher. The book seems well de- 

 signed to increase the pleasure and 

 interests of an outing. — F. M. C. 



Birds in Horticulture. By William E. 

 Prae(;er. a paper read before the 

 Slate Horticultural Society, at Spring- 

 field, 111., December 26, 1899. 



The author of this paper is evidently 

 thoroughly familiar with his subject and 

 presents the results of the studies of 

 economic ornithologists and entomologists 

 in such a graphic and convincing manner 

 that no one can read his remarks without 

 being impressed by the incalculable value 

 of birds to our agricultural interests. 

 — F. M. C. 



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