Book News and Reviews 



135 



Only two are devoted to the birds of Cali- 

 fornia, while two treat of the birds of 

 Lower California, two of those of Colo- 

 rado, and one treats of those of Australia. 

 In the opening article, Dr. T. W. Richards, 

 United States Navy, gives some 'Notes on 

 Albatrosses and Other Pelagic Birds in 

 Australian Waters.' The notes cover four 

 species of Albatrosses and one Petrel 

 observed between Melbourne, Victoria, 

 and Albany, Western Australia, from the 

 battleship ' Kansas,' during the recent 

 cruise of the fleet around the world. 



The 'Nesting of the Xantus Murrelet, 

 as Observed on Los Coronados Islands, 

 Lower California,' is described by Chester 

 Lamb, who notes that the bird usually 

 nests from April i to June 15, lays two 

 eggs nearly as often as one, and deposits 

 its eggs in the dark corner of a cave instead 

 of in a burrow or hole in the ground. 

 Under the title, 'Some Rare Birds and 

 Sets of Eggs from the Cape Region of 

 Lower California,' John E. Thayer con- 

 tributes brief accounts of the eggs of the 

 Mangrove Warbler {Dendroica bryatUi 

 c a standee ps), the St. Lucas Swallow 

 {Tachycineta thalassina brachyptera), and 

 the B elding Rail {Ralliis beldingi). 



The papers on California birds are: 

 'Birds of the Big Basin,' by M. S. Ray, 

 illustrated with several text figures, — 

 one of them a remarkably beautiful view 

 of Berry Creek Falls, — and 'Notes on the 

 Habits of Phainopepla nitens,' by Harriet 

 Williams Myers. 



The two most important articles in this 

 number are the contributions to the 

 ornithology of Colorado, one by Edward 

 R. Warren, containing 'Notes on the 

 Birds of Southwestern Montrose County' 

 (114 species observed in April, 1906 and 

 1908); and the other by R. B. Rockwell, 

 on 'The History of Colorado Ornithology,' 

 from 1806 to 1908. The latter paper 

 mentions all the important publications 

 on Colorado birds, and is illustrated by 

 two maps, — one showing the routes of the 

 various expeditions and the other the 

 localities in which ornithological investi- 

 gations of more or less importance have 

 been carried on. — T. S. P. 



The Auk. — The April number begins 

 with a paper on 'The Position of Birds' 

 Feet in Flight,' by Dr. Chas. W. Town- 

 send, and many readers will be surprised 

 to learn that the perching birds alone, — 

 Sparrows, Warblers, Jays, Thrushes, 

 Swallows, etc., — carry their feet flexed or 

 drawn up against their bodies. All others, 

 such as the water-fowl, the game birds 

 and the birds of prey, stretch out their 

 legs and feet behind them. It is a timely 

 subject and one that should spur every 

 field student to closer observation. Under 

 a title 'The Tagging of Wild Birds as a 

 Means of Studying Their Movements,' 

 Mr. Leon J. Cole asks cooperation in a 

 plan of afiixing aluminum bands to the 

 legs of nestlings so that they may be 

 recognized if captured another season 

 or at another place. 



Four fine half-tone plates illustrate Dr. 

 J. A. Allen's description of 'The Habitat 

 Groups of North American Birds in the 

 American Museum of Natural History,' 

 and show the great advances that have been 

 made in preparing and arranging birds in 

 museums for exhibition purposes. Among 

 several more or less extensive local lists 

 are 'Notes on the Summer Birds of 

 Northern Georgia,' by Mr. A. H. Howell; 

 'A List of the Birds of Western South 

 Dakota,' by Mr. S. S. Visher, and 'New 

 Records and Imp^tant Range Extensions 

 of Colorado Birds,' by Mr. Merritt Gary. 

 Of like value are brief notes on the birds 

 of Washington and of Labrador by -Mr. 

 J. H. Bowles and Dr. C. W. Townsend. 

 Mr. B. S. Bowdish presents 'Ornithologi- 

 cal Miscellany from Audubon Wardens." 



Mr. Wm. Brewster, with his old-time 

 activity, contributes several notes and 

 two extended papers. In the one on 

 'Barrow's Golden-eye in Massachusetts,'' 

 it is made evident that the female Ameri- 

 can Golden-eye is not always distinguish- 

 able from Barrow's, although the males 

 of the two species are quite different. In 

 the one on 'Something More about Black 

 Ducks,' we have another of those shiftings 

 about of names that Mr. Brewster felici- 

 tously calls "nomenclatural tragedies." 

 -J.D., Jr. 



