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A Biological Investigation of the 

 Athabaska-Mackenzie Region. By 

 Edward A. Preble, Assistant, Biolog- 

 ical Survey. North American Fauna 

 No. 29, Washington, 1908. 574 pages, 

 25 plates, 16 text cuts. 



This is easily one of the most important 

 contributions to faunal literature of recent 

 years. It treats of the vertebrates, the 

 trees "and shrubs of that vast area lying 

 west of Hudson Bay and east of the Rocky 

 Mountains, and from about latitude 54° 

 northward to the Arctic ocean. 



For eighty years the 'Fauna Boreali- 

 Americana' has been the standard work 

 of reference on the mammal and bird life 

 of this region. Since the publication of 

 that great work, it has been the scene of 

 much direct or indirect natural history 

 work, either by expeditions sent into it 



■ especially to make collections, or by the 

 naturalists of the numerous exploring 

 parties which have visited it; but it has 

 remained for Mr. Preble to summarize the 

 results of their labors, and adding the out- 

 come of his own, bring into one volume 

 all existing information in regard to the 

 distribution of mammals and birds of the 

 Athabaska-Mackenzie region. With the 

 the publication of his work. Fauna No. 27 

 replaces the Fauna Boreali-Americana 

 as the standard book of reference on the 

 Fauna of the region in question. 



Mr. Preble was twice sent by the Bio- 

 logical Survey into this field, and on the 

 second occasion remained during the win- 

 ter. The Survey has also been represented 

 here by Alfred E. Preble, Merritt Gary, 

 and J. Alder Loring, and the routes pur- 

 sued by these investigators are outlined 

 by Mr. Preble on pages 11-13, 85-125, 

 of his report. 



Pages 16-46 are devoted to a description 

 of the 'Physical Geography and Clima- 

 tology of the Mackenzie Basin;' on pages 

 49-52 the 'Life Zones of the Athabaska- 

 Mackenzie Region' are defined, and on 

 pages 54-74 we have an excellent resume 



■ of the 'Previous Explorations and Col- 



lections' which have been made in this 

 part of the North. 



Pages 251-500 are devoted to the birds, 

 of which 296 species and subspecies are 

 treated. From the standpoint of distri- 

 bution, the region is of exceptional im- 

 portance. In it some eastern birds find 

 their western limits, and some western 

 birds their eastern limits; while birds of 

 southern origin here reach their northern 

 limits, and Arctic species, their southern 

 limits. 



The result is a most interesting mix- 

 ture of eastern and western, northern and 

 southern species, but an abundance of 

 specimens has enabled Mr. Preble to 

 deal satisfactorily with the question of 

 the identity of representative forms, while 

 his prolonged stay, on his second trip, 

 gave him an opportunity to secure many 

 data in regard to migration. 



It is not possible to speak in detail of 

 Mr. Preble's copious notes on birds, which 

 sometimes cover two or three pages on a 

 single species, and we close this inadequate 

 notice by heartily congratulating him on 

 the success with which he has prosecuted 

 his explorations and the no less admirable 

 manner in which he has presented their 

 results. — F. M. C. 



My Pets : Real Happenings in My 

 Aviary. By Marshall Saunders. 

 The Griffith and Rowland Press, Phila- 

 delphia. i2mo.; 6 colored plates; 28 

 text cuts, 283 pages. 



The aviary, to whose inhabitants this 

 book is devoted, has evidently been an 

 asylum in which various stray birds have 

 found a reiuge for a time, while the author 

 administered to their wants and studied 

 their ways. Even such unusual "pets" 

 as the Purple Gallinule, and Mother 

 Carey's Chicken, or Petrel, have partaken 

 of her bounty. 



Pets these pensioners have been in the 

 best sense of the word. Their hostess has not 

 been their keeper, but a friend, who has 

 found the pleasure of their companionship 



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