iloofe J^etDfi; and l^etotetos 



The American Natural History: A 

 Foundation of Useful Knowledge of the 

 Higher Animals of North America. By 

 William T. Hornaday. Illustrated by 

 227 original drawings by Beard, Rungius, 

 Sawyer and others; 116 photographs, 

 chiefly by Sanborn, Keller and Under- 

 wood, and numerous maps and charts. 

 Charles Scribner's Sons. New York. 

 1904. Royal 8vo. xxv -| 449 pages. 



This handsome volume treats of mammals, 

 birds, reptiles, amphibians and fishes. 

 One hundred and forty-one pages are de- 

 voted to birds, someone hundred and eighty 

 North American and a few extra - limital 

 species being dealt with. Lack of space has 

 evidently forced the exclusion of such com- 

 mon species as Wilson's and the Hermit 

 Thrushes, the Field and Chipping Spar- 

 rows, and other equally familiar birds, but, 

 doubtless, enough are included to form the 

 "foundation" the author has in view, for a 

 broader knowledge of ornithology. A 

 foundation, however, should have no weak 

 places, and before this book passes to the 

 succeeding editions we sincerely trust it will 

 reach, it deserves a careful technical revi- 

 sion. The statements, for example, that 

 "Alaska is yet to be heard from" in regard 

 to Song Sparrows, that the Chuck-will's- 

 Widow replaces the Nighthawk in the 

 South, that the Black Skimmer "on our 

 shores is a visitor of great rarity," and others 

 equally incorrect, have no place in a work 

 of this kind. 



Song being the bird's most attractive 

 characteristic, it is to be regretted that in a 

 volume destined to have so wide a circula- 

 tion as the one under consideration, fuller 

 justice has not been paid to the musical 

 powersof birds. The Bobolink, for example, 

 is declared to be merely "a very acceptable 

 singer" ; the Chat, it is said, " has no regular 

 song," no mention whatever is made of the 

 vocal powers of such musical species as the 

 Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole and 

 Goldfinch, the song of the Ruby - crowned 

 Kinglet, the author states, has "quite 

 escaped" him, and since he does not re- 



member ever having heard the Rose-breasted 

 Grosbeak sing, he concludes that it can be 

 "no great singer, not more than third-rate, 

 at the best. . . " ! 



Perhaps, however, after all, descriptions 

 tjf a bird's song may best be left to the 

 bird itself, and Mr. Hornaday was wise in 

 permitting the birds to deal with this subject 

 while he pleads their right to the protection 

 their great economic value to man should 

 win them. Bird protection is, indeed, the 

 text of many an eloquent sermon in this 

 volume, and here Mr. Hornaday lays the 

 stones of his foundation with no uncertain 

 hand. With equal force he writes of recent 

 imaginative, so-called 'nature books,' and 

 his condemnation of this insidious type of 

 literature should be taken to heart by every 

 would-be naturalist. 



No small part of the value of the portion 

 of this book relating to birds is due to its 

 numerous and generally excellent illustra- 

 tions. Nearly one hundred of these are by 

 Edmund J. Sawyer, whose work clearly en- 

 titles him to a place in the front rank of 

 American bird artists.— F. M. C. 



North American Birds' Eggs, by Chester 

 A. Reed, B.S. Illustrating the eggs of 

 nearly every species of North American 

 birds. New York. Doubieday, Page & 

 Company. 1904. 8vo. 356 pages. 



This book will be welcomed by every 

 bird student as a handy work of reference 

 on the nests and eggs of North American 

 birds. Every species and subspecies found 

 in North America north of Mexico is in- 

 cluded. The classification and nomencla- 

 ture is that of the American Ornithologists' 

 Union's Check-List. 



The account of each species is headed by 

 its ' range.' In most cases the distinguish- 

 ing points of the bird are then briefly stated 

 and frequently short notes on food or habits 

 are added. Here may be mentioned the in- 

 genious use of small marginal figures of the 

 birds which give an idea of their appearance 

 to one not familiar with them. The book 



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