Book News and Reviews 



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Gregor's ' Dichromatism in the Genus Car- 

 podacus.'' Grinnell's 'Record of Alaskan 

 Birds ' in the collection of Stanford Uni- 

 versity, adds theWheatear {Saxicola cenan- 

 the) to the list of birds of the Pribilof 

 Islands. 



Four species or subspecies are described 

 as new, viz., a Leucosticte and a Savanna 

 Sparrow, from Kadiak Island, a Song 

 Sparrow from Sanak Island, Alaska, and 

 the form of Red-breasted Sapsucker which 

 occurs in southern California. Constant dif- 

 ferences in closely related birds are always 

 worth recording, but the mere description 

 of supposed new species is not necessarily 

 the most useful form in which to present the 

 results of a critical comparison of specimens. 

 Certainly in one of these cases there is an 

 indication of superficial examination of the 

 literature, and the adoption of a question- 

 able method of fixing the type of an old 

 species. An innovation of very doubtful 

 value is the publication of the first (and 

 we hope last) of a series of caricatures. 

 Such cuts are likely to be misconstrued, 

 even though published in a friendly spirit, 

 and are certainly out of place in a journal 

 of this character. 



The Cooper Club is to be congratulated 

 on its good work for bird protection and 

 the firm stand it has taken in behalf of 

 better legislation for non-game birds. Its 

 efforts will be appreciated by bird lovers in 

 all parts of California, in case the bill which 

 the club has prepared becomes a law at the 

 present session of the Legislature. — T. S. P. 



The Osprey. — It is so long since we 

 have seen 'The Osprey ' that we are glad to 

 welcome the first two numbers of the cur- 

 rent volume, dated, respectively, September 

 -October, 1900, and November-December, 

 1900, which have appeared since our last 

 issue went to press. Each opens with an 

 original article by Paul Bartsch; one on 

 the birds found in and about the wild rice 

 (Zizania) marshes in the vicinity of Wash- 

 ington, and the other a record of the win- 

 ter birds seen on 'A Trip to the Zoologi- 

 cal Park.' He brings out many points of 

 interest, but personally we wish he would 

 keep nearer to the earth, and in his exuber- 



ant enthusiasm not allow his expressed 

 thoughts to soar too far above common- 

 place narrative. 



The learned editor continues his valuable 

 sketch of ' William Swainson and His 

 Times,' and in the second number gives us 

 a paper on ' Correspondence of and about 

 Audubon with Swainson.' A continued 

 article on 'The Osprey, or Fishhawk ; its 

 Characteristics and Habits,' which will ap- 

 pear in at least three numbers, is the begin- 

 ning of a series of biographies of American 

 birds by Doctor Gill. There are, also, in- 

 teresting papers by Milton S. Ray, Verdi 

 Burtch, Addie L. Booker, and Percy 

 Shufeldt, on ' Observations in Central 

 Monterey County;' 'A Grosbeak Colony;' 

 ' The Mockingbird in Western Kansas and 

 its Environments;' and 'Notes Regarding 

 the Migration of Birds as Observed at the 

 Washington Monument.' 



We should like to see the letter-press and 

 illustrations brought up to a higher stand- 

 ard, and have it explained why, with such 

 a constellation of renowned editors, we are 

 able to find a page disfigured with a dozen 

 or more typographical errors. — A. K. F. 



The Wilson Bulletin, No. 33. — In 

 this number Lynds Jones and W. L. Daw- 

 son record their ornithological observations 

 made during a two months' trip of 7,000 

 miles through fourteen states and territories. 

 There is much of interest in the itinerary, 

 as well as in the twenty-seven separate lists 

 which are records made at certain points 

 or between given places on the railroads 

 traversed. Watching birds from the car 

 windows is a fascinating pastime, and one 

 which we have followed for over twenty-five 

 years. Still it has its drawbacks and vexa- 

 tions, in that It is not justifiable to publish 

 records of unusual occurrences made under 

 such uncertain conditions, on account of the 

 chance of error. From the standpoint of 

 geographic distribution it is unfortunate, 

 though probably through no fault of the 

 authors, that the trip was not undertaken 

 earlier, and thus enable the observations to- 

 be more nearly an index to breeding species 

 in the localities visited. We heartily com- 

 mend this number. — A. K. F. 



