50 



Recent Literature. [Janiiary 



The Transactions of the Linn.ean Society.* — For some time past 

 it has been rumored that the LinnEean Society of New York contemplated 

 publishing "Transactions," and more recently these reports have received 

 substantial confirmation by the appearance, in advance, of extras of 

 papers by Dr. Merriam and Mi-. Bicknell: closely following these comes 

 the volume of which they form a part. It is large octavo of one hun- 

 dred and sixty-eight pages, illustrated with a frontispiece — a portrait of 

 Linnaeus from an old engraving in the possession of Mr. L. S. f^oster, by 

 whoin it is contributed. 



From the introductory announcement we transcribe the following ex- 

 planation of the origin and future aims of the Linnsean Society : 



"The Linnjean Society of New York was founded March 7. 1878. by the 

 following-named gentlemen: — H. B. Bailey, John Burroughs, Ernest 

 Ingersoll, Franklin Benner, Harold Herrick, Newbold T. Lawrence, Wil- 

 liam C. Osborn, Eugene P. Bicknell, Dr. Frederick H. Hoadley, C. Hart 

 Merriam." 



'•Abstracts of the proceedings of the Society, and papers read before 

 it, have appeared in different scientific serials, but much valuable matter 

 has been withheld from lack of a direct medium of publication. The 

 necessity for such an organ has now become manifest, and the present 

 volume is designed to be the first of a series in which papers coming be- 

 fore the Society may be permanently preserved." 



The Officers for 1S82-S3 are: Eugene P. Bicknell, President; H. B. 

 jcJailey, Vice-President; L. S. Yoater, Recording Secretary ; Newbold T. 

 Lawrence, Corresponding Secretary &nd Treasurer ; Eugene P. Bicknell. 

 Dr. C. Hart Merriam. and Newbold T. Lawrence, Committee on Publi- 

 cation. 



The above array of names is a guaranty- that anything published by 

 the Linnaean Society will possess a high order of excellence. A glance 

 through the pages of these "Transactions" is enough to show that 

 this assumption is well founded. There are three papers: the first, by 

 Dr. Merriam, on "The Vertebrates of the Adirondack Region, Northeast- 

 ern New York" ; the second, by Mr. William Dutcher, discussing the ques- 

 tion, "Is not the Fish Crow ( Co7-vus ossifragtis Wilson) a winter as well as 

 a summer resident at the northern limit of its range"; the third, by Mr. 

 Bicknell, devoted to "A Review of the Summer Birds of a part of the 

 Catskill Mountains, with prefatory remarks on the faunal and floral fea- 

 tures of the region." 



* Transactions of the Linnsean Society of New York. Volume I. Published by the 

 Society, December, 1882. New York : Press of L. S. Foster, 35 Pine Street. MDCCC- 

 LXXXII. 



