76 



Bird -Lore 



effective manner the relative abundance of, 

 and season of occurrence, of the species 

 treated, and is well worthy of imitation. 

 The annotated list tells of a species ' manner 

 of occurrence, and the character of the ground 

 in which it is found. The author's long 

 experience in the region and thorough grasp 

 of his subject makes his work authoritative. 

 The diversity of views, however, in regard 

 to the breeding Shrike of Western New 

 York has led him into the error of including 

 both the Loggerhead and White- Rumped 

 Shrikes. Doubtless the best way out of this 

 difficulty is to accept Mr. Palmer's name of 

 migrans for the intermediate New York 

 and New England form. The hypothetical 

 list would be improved by the exclusion of 

 the Man-o'-War Bird, Masked Duck, Corn 

 Crake, European Woodcock, Burrowing 

 Owl and other species whose occurrence 

 would be wholly accidental. 



These criticisms are of minor importance, 

 and the list will at once take its place as a 

 standard treatise on the birds of the region 

 covered. ^ — F. M. C. 



A Year Book of Kentucky Woods and 

 Fields. By Ingram Crockett. Illus- 

 trated by the author. Buffalo. Charles 

 Wells Moulton, 1901. i6mo, pp. 112; 

 4 full-page plates. 



The rise and fall of a Kentucky year ar^ 

 here graphically depicted in twelve prose 

 poems, one for each month. The author is 

 evidently a passionate nature lover — earth, 

 air, and water and all that in them is, ap- 

 peal to him ; but from the first bird note of 

 spring to the last one of autumn, it is the 

 songs of birds more than anything else that 

 echo through his pages. We welcome this 

 book from the south. Would that more of 

 her sons were moved to tell the world of the 

 beauties of their native land. — F. M. C. 



Pacific Coast Avifauna, No. i. Birds 



OF THE KoTZEBUE SoUND ReGION, 



Alaska. By Joseph Grinnell. Pub- 

 lished by the Cooper Ornithological Club 

 of California. Royal 8vo, pages 1-80; 

 I map. 



In this paper Mr. Joseph Grinnell presents 

 the most important contribution to the life- 

 histories of Alaskan birds that has appeared 



in recent years. A short introduction giving 

 the climate and character of Kotzebue Sound 

 and its affluent streams, especially the 

 Kowak river, on which most of Mr. Grin- 

 nell's work was done, is followed by field- 

 notes, a bibliography, map and a check- 

 list in which 150 species are recognized 

 from this region, of which seventeen first 

 appear in this volume. 



That Mr. Grinnell was able between 

 July, 1898, and July, 1899, to record 112 

 species from personal observation under the 

 difficulties attendant on field-work in Alaska, 

 testifies to his zeal as a collector, as do his 

 annotations to his ability as an observer. 



Pine Grosbeaks and White-winged Cross- 

 bills were found breeding the last of May, 

 and the Alaskan Jay early the same month, 

 all placing their nests between six and 

 twelve feet from the ground in small spruces. 

 The nests of all these were composed largely 

 of spruce twigs; the Grosbeaks' were frail 

 and lined with grasses, the Crossbills' closely 

 felted internally with a black wool-like 

 lichen, and the Jays a well-woven mass of 

 grass, black lichens and feathers, evidently 

 designed to retain as much warmth as pos- 

 sible in below-zero weather. The Ameri- 

 can Hawk-Owl was found nesting in an 

 enlarged Woodpecker's hole, Short-billed 

 Gulls in trees, and Bank Swallows in ground 

 frozen almost to the point where the nests 

 were situated. 



The Shrike of Alaska is separated from 

 Lanius borealis as L. b. iwuictus on the basis 

 of larger size, greater pallor and broader 

 white markings, but all the measurements 

 given, with the possible exception of the 

 wings, may be duplicated with the New 

 England specimens. — L. B. B. 



The Ornithological Magazines 



The Condor. — The opening number of 

 the third volume of ' The Condor ' contains 

 ample evidence of the activity of the Cooper 

 Ornithological Club. Among the articles 

 of general interest are Bowles' ' Bird Notes 

 from Tacoma Gulches,' Silloway's ' Flat- 

 head Lake Findings,' Atkinson's 'Nesting 

 Habits of the California Shrike,' and Mc- 



