ae THE NIDOLOGIST 
SN, 
ice 
(Publications for review should be sent to DR. R. W. SHUF~ 
ELpDT, Associate in Zoology, Smithsonian Institution, Wash- 
ington, D. C.] 
PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 
Swann, H. Kirke. A Concise Handbook of 
British Birds. Yoolscap 8vo, cloth, p. i-vu1, 
1-210. London. John Weldon & Co. 1886. 
Price 3s. 6d. [From the Author. ] 
MonvTGoMERY, THOS. H., JR. Extensive Migra- 
tion in Birds as a Check Upon the Production 
of Geographical Varieties. Yhe Americin 
Naturalist. June, 1896, pp. 458-464. [From 
the Author. ] 
RIDGWAY, ROBERT. 
ican Family of Passerine birds. Proc. U.S. 
Nat. Mus. Vol. XVIII, No. 1076. Pp. 449, 
450. [From the Museum. ] 
Lucas, F. A. Osteological and Pterylographical 
Characters of the Procniatide, Proc. U. 8. 
Nat. Mus. Vol. XVIII, No. 1077. Pp. 505, 
507. 
RicHMOND, Cuas. W. Catalogue of a Collection 
of Birds made by Doctor W. L. Abbott in 
Kashmir, Baltistan and Ladak, with Notes on 
Some of the Species, and a Description of a 
New Species of Cyanecula. Proc. U.S. Nat. 
Mus. Vol XVIII, No 1078, pp. 451-503. 
[ hrom the Museum. ] 
RrpGway, Roser. Ox Birds Collected by Doctor 
W. L. Abbott in the Seychelles, Amtrantes, 
Gloriosa, Assumption, Aldabra, and Adjacent 
Islands, with Notes on Habits, etc , by the 
Golleciors  Eroc) Us..s. Nat. Muss Vol. 
XVI11, No. 179, pp. 509-546. [From the 
Museum. | 
OBERHOLSER, Harry C. Descriptions of Two 
New Subspecies of the Downy Woodpecker, 
Dryobates pubescens (Linneus). Proc. U.S. 
Nat. Mus. Vol. XVIII, No. 1lo80, pp. 547-550. 
[From the Museum. ] 
RICHMOND, CHARLES W. Catalogue of a Collec- 
tion of Birds made by Doctor W. L. Abbott, in 
Eastern Vurkestan, the Thian Shan Moun- 
tains, and Lagdumbash Pamir, Central Asia, 
with Notes on Some of the Species, Proc. U. 
S. Nat. Mus. Vol. XVIII, No. 1083, pp. 569- 
576. |From the Museum.] 
Jupp, SYLVESTER D. Four Common birds of 
the Farm and Garden, and BEAL, F. E. L. 
The Meadow Lark and Baltimore Ortole. 
[Reprinted from the Year Book of the U. 3S. 
Department of Agriculture for 1895.] U.S. 
Dept. Agricul. 1896, pp. 405-430. [From the 
Department. | 
PaLMER, T.S. Bird Day. U.S. Dept. of Agri- 
culture, Circ. No. 17. Washington, July 2, 
1896, pp. 1-4. [From the Department. ] 
ANDREWS, CHas. W. B.Sc. F. G.S. On the 
Skull, Sternum, and Shoulder girdle of 
Characters of a New Amer- 
pyornis, The Ibis (London), July, 1896, 
PP. 376-389 [1-15] Pll. vili-ix. 3 text figgs. 
[From the Author. ] 
ANDREWS, C. W. Wote on the Skeleton of Aptor- 
nis defossor. Ext. Geol. Mag. [London] 
Decade 1V, Vol. III, No. 384, p. 241. June, 
1896. Pl. x. [From the Author. ] 
Swann on British Birds. Vf one desires a neat, 
well-printed, authoritative and handy little book 
that gives concise accounts of the birds occurring 
in the Islands of Great Britain, this is an excellent 
volume to buy for the purpose. Its author, the 
editor of Zhe Ornithologist, has also written 
“The Birds of London’’ and ‘‘Nature in Acadie,”’ 
which latter we had the pleasure of reviewing in 
these columns. Turning to the ‘‘Preface,’”’ it it 
gratifying to the scientific Ornithologist to find 
Mr. Swann announcing the following facts, to wit, 
‘« The classification and nomenclature practically 
accord with those of the ‘‘List of British Birds’’ 
compiled by a Committee of the British Ornitho- 
logists’ Union (1883), but a number of necessary 
alterations have been made, particularly in the 
matter of adopting the specific names of first 
describers as far as possible. An effort has also 
been made to allow specific rank to valid species 
only, while sub-species or races, instead of being 
nameless, are distinguished by sub-numbers and 
trinomials—after the American style. With the 
exception of the late Henry Seebohm, no British 
Ornithologist appears to have openly avowed bim- 
self a trinomialist, so that I shall not escape cen- 
sure for adopting the despised system, yet until 
some of our Ornithologists can suggest some 
other way of allowing a name toa recognised race 
without giving it the rank ofa species, I will ad- 
here to trinomuials.’’ An avowal of this nature,and 
a step taken in this direction, speaks more than 
volumes could do in favor of Mr. Swann’s ability 
to deal with the science of Ornithology as a whole, 
and it is clearthat his studies have given him an 
insight into avian biology sufficiently far-reaching 
in character as to bring conviction of this kind to 
his mind. Upon this he is to be congratulated, 
and if he ever comes to study such North Ameri- 
can genera of birds, or as they are represented in 
Otocoris, Ammodramus, Junco, Melospiza, Pipilo, 
Viveoand a host of others, he will find what a help, 
nay, what an absolutely indispensable method 
trinomialism is. So far as it is possible for them 
to do so, the law of organic evolution and the 
application of a trinomial to a sub-specific animal 
form, go hand in hand,—it is but a convenient 
method for the mind to appreciate, and fix there 
by a name, those evident departures from recog- 
nized specific types, that the operation of evolu- 
tion is constantly producing at all times within 
the realm of nature about us. 
Mr. Swann has made use of, for the purpose of 
measurement, the inch and its fractions, whereas 
it would have been far better and more scientific 
had he adopted the metric system. Again, in 
presenting his classification and arrangement he 
commences his work with the ‘‘Order’’ PASSERES, 
and terminates with the ‘‘Order’? PyGOPODEs. 
This sequence is now considered by most all scien- 
tific Ornithologists to be at least unnatural. We 
should start our Lists with the lowest bird forms 
known to us, and carry it up through the series, 
to the most highlv organized and most recent 
forms. ‘The avian tree has come “fward, and so 
