34 



Bird - Lore 



holballi in the swamp." Seven sets were 

 collected, apparently including one or two 

 second layings and comprising in all 

 twenty-eight eggs — not a large series, it is 

 true, but evidently representing all the eggs 

 of the colony. Why it was necessary to 

 take every set in the swamp, when collecting 

 ostensibly for scientific purposes is not ex- 

 plained; but such destructive methods of 

 collecting could hardly be justified any more 

 than the work of the plume-hunter gather- 

 ing skins for market. 



A brief editorial announces the sad news 

 of the death of Chester Barlow on Novem- 

 ber 6, 1902. In Barlow's death 'The Con- 

 dor ' has lost its editor and guiding spirit ; 

 and the Cooper Ornithological Club an 

 energetic secretary and enthusiastic mem- 

 ber. The influence which he exerted in 

 California was unique and is well described 

 in the brief statement, "Barlow has done 

 more to spread an interest in ornithology 

 and to stimulate bird study on the west 

 coast than any one man, living or dead." — 

 T. S. P. 



The Osprey. — The July issue of ' The 

 Osprey ' appeared about December 15, and 

 contained, besides the continued article by 

 Doctor Gill on the ' General History of 

 Birds,' three other papers, as follows: 

 ' Notes on Birds of the Pribilof Islands,' 

 by Dr. D. W. Prentiss, Jr.; 'A Study of 

 the Genus Perisoreus, ' by R. H. Howe, 

 Jr., and ' The Cerulean Warbler a Summer 

 Resident near Washington,' by W. R. 

 Maxon. There also is a beginning of an 

 obituary notice of Dr. James G. Cooper, 

 by Dr. William H. Dall. 



Doctor Prentiss, in his notes on the 

 'Birds of the Fur Seal Islands,' presents 

 some very interesting matter relative to the 

 habits, abundance and local distribution of 

 the birds of that far-off group of islands. 

 The observations on the twenty-five species 

 enumerated were made during a two 

 months' visit in the summer of 1895. By 

 a slip of the pen, the name of the Common 

 Puffin, arctica, is substituted for that of 

 the Horned Puffin, corniculata. In another 

 case, the scientific name of a Gull is coupled 

 with the common name of another, so that 



it is not clear whether the notes are intended 

 to refer to the Glaucous-winged Gull or 

 the Point Barrow Gull, which latter species 

 was not uncommon about the islands in 

 July, 1899. 



In his study of the genus Perisoreus, Mr. 

 Howe states that the type of Peroriseus 0. 

 griseus was from the ' British Columbia 

 region,' apparently being unaware that it 

 really came from the eastern slopes of the 

 Cascades of Washington, where it was 

 secured by the reviewer in the summer of 

 1897. This error in placing the type local- 

 ity may account for his remarkable state- i 

 ment that it is impossible, as a rule, to 

 separate specimens of griseus from Nova 

 Scotia examples. As a matter of fact, it is 

 doubtful if any forms among the American 

 representatives of the genus show greater 

 differences than these two, which he claims 

 he is unable to separate. — A. K. F. 



Book News 



We have received a communication from 

 Messrs. Dana Estes & Co., publishers of 

 Coues' ' Key,' from which we quote as 

 follows : 



"Messrs. Dana Estes & Co. announce 

 that the fifth revised edition of the ' Key to 

 North American Birds,' by Dr. Elliott 

 Coues, will be ready in the spring of 1903. 

 The reason for the unusual delay in its 

 publication may be briefly stated. When 

 Dr. Coues died, in 1899, he left the manu- 

 script wholly finished ; but the copy was 

 rendered hard to decipher, without the exer- 

 cise of most intelligent care, by reason of 

 innumerable interlineations, erasures, ab- 

 breviations, 'riders,' and detached notes, 

 written in a minute and sometimes difficult 

 handwriting. His sudden death left the 

 copy in such shape that the task of revision 

 and preparation for the press required 

 double the amount of work that had been 

 anticipated. The publishers, however, 

 have had the good fortune to obtain the 

 services of a thoroughly equipped ornitholo- 

 gist, who has read the proof with the most 

 painstaking care, which has been ably sup- 

 plemented by the efforts of a number of 

 professional proof-readers." 



