376 



Bird - Lore 



the body, but not infrequently of the 

 whole bird. They are unsigned, but we are 

 informed were made by Mr. R. Brasher. 

 They, too, vary in character, the Owls 

 being far below the standard which many 

 of the others reach, but their large size 

 (many are life-size, though no scale is 

 given) and the clearness with which they 

 are printed make them most acceptable 

 to the student. The senior author supplies 

 an historical introduction, Mr. C. S. 

 Brimley a chapter on life-zones, and the 

 Brimley brothers, with C. S. Bruner, give 

 a useful table of bird-migration at Raleigh 

 based on thirty years' observation. There 

 is a bibliography, a glossary, and two 

 indices. 



The state of North Carolina is to be 

 congratulated for taking the lead among 

 the southern states in the production of a 

 work on birds which is a credit to the 

 Commonwealth as well as to its authors. — 

 F. M. C. 



Our Winter Birds, How to Know and 

 How TO Attract Them. By Frank M. 

 Chapman, Curator of Birds in the 

 American Museum of Natural History. 

 i2mo, i8o pages, 2 color plates (inside 

 of cover), 8 full-page and 18 illustrations 

 in text. D. Appleton & Company, 191Q. 



This will serve as a textbook for those 

 who begin bird-study in winter, the time 

 of year when our bird-population will be 

 found at its simplest terms, and also 

 contains such information as is desired by 

 the increasing number of persons who find 

 pleasure in having birds about their 

 homes during the bleaker months. To 

 quote from the introduction: "I look from 

 my window over the white expanse of 

 snow. The sky is gray; the shutters creak 

 fretfully in the wind . . . The world 

 seems dead, when a feathered mite flits 

 through the air, perches on a nearby limb 

 and calls a merry Chick-a-dee-dee-dee. 

 What a difference in the scene his coming 

 makes!" 



Following general introductory matter, 

 the text is divided into three parts. Home 

 Birds, Field Birds, and Forest Birds, with 

 short chapters under each, giving character 

 and habit sketches of the different species. 



Whereas the book is designed to be of 

 the greatest service to beginners, be they 

 children or grown-ups, the birds' place in 

 nature and value to man, dwelt on through- 

 out, should interest more advanced stu- 

 dents. The full-page illustrations are of 

 representative species, a short description 

 at the foot of the page supplying size and 

 color. The two color plates on the inside 

 of back and front cover are a novel feature, 

 with certain obvious advantages. Here we 

 find 63 individuals of 42 species repre- 

 sented, as though mounted specimens on 

 the shelves of a museum. The figures are 

 small, but the details and color sharp and 

 clear. The birds are all to scale, so one 

 sees comparative size at a glance and can 

 compare two species which resemble one 

 another without turning the page. 



The book is of convenient pocket-size, 

 and will serve as an introduction to winter 

 bird-life for those who enjoy a tramp afield 

 at that season. — J. T. N. 



Bird Observations Near Chicago. By 

 Ellen Drummond Farwell. Introduc- 

 tion by Mary Drummond. With illus- 

 trations. Privately printed. i2mo, 192 

 pages, 10 photographs. 



These posthumously printed observa- 

 tions from Mrs. Farwell's journals were 

 not written for publication, but they well 

 deserve it. Keenly sensitive to the person- 

 ality of birds and to the charm of their 

 songs, Mrs. Farwell evidently also pos- 

 sessed the scientific spirit which prompted 

 her to record at once, and at length, her 

 impressions of a bird's appearance and 

 notes. The result is an actual contribu- 

 tion to the literature of ornithology, 

 marked by a freshness, originality, and 

 independence of observation which make 

 these attractively printed pages of especial 

 value to the beginner, who will find real 

 assistance in Mrs. Farwell's descriptions 

 and comparisons. — F. M. C. 



The Ornithological Magazines 



The Auk. — The October number con- 

 tains faunal papers dealing with birds of 

 Stanstead County, Quebec, 1918, by H. 

 Mousley; the Chicago area by C. W. G. 



