'SS3-] Rece7it Literature. Cl" 



the clearness, piquancy and genuine sentiment that pervade his writing. 

 On the whole the present chapter promises to be the most interesting 

 and important contribution of its kind that we have had since Audubon 

 and Bachman. 



Mr. Bicknell's "Review" is based on observations made "during brief ex- 

 plorations of the more southern Catskills in three successive years : from 

 June 6-15, iSSo; 12-18, 1881 ; 24-27, 1882." On the latter occasion the 

 writer was accompanied by Dr. A. K. Fisher of Sing Sing, N. Y. "Mr. 

 R. F. Pearsall, of Brooklyn, also visited the same section of the region 



from May 30 to June 13, 18S2 and has kindly permitted me the use 



of his notes." 



Twenty-five of the total fifty-six pages are devoted to prefatory remarks 

 on the faunal and floral features and affinities of the Catskills. This 

 introductory chapter is arranged on the same general plan as that of Dr. 

 Merriam's paper and the sClbject is not less fully discussed. Mr. Bicknell 

 evidently has a penchant for the analysis and comparison of faunae, and 

 his remarks in the present connection are decidedly interesting. He 

 finds that the Catskill Mountain Region at large includes thi-ee distinct 

 Faunae,— the Carolinian, Alleghanian and Canadian. The AUeghanian 

 prevails, and over the greater part of the less elevated country is nearly 

 or quite pure, but in the lowlands along the Hudson it is perceptibly 

 modified by the presence of certain Carolinian forms which extend up ; 

 from the lower part of the valley of that river. In the higher valleys, 

 and along the slopes of some of the mountains, the Alleghanian Fauna 

 meets and mingles with the Canadian. The resulting association of 

 species is decidedly curious : thus Mr. Bicknell has found such birds as 

 the Winter Wren, the Slate-colored Snowbird, and the Black-throated 

 Blue, Black-and- Yellow, Mourning, and Canadian Flycatching Warblers, 

 actually occupying the same ground with Wood Thrushes, Chewinks, 

 Field Sparrows, and even Large-billed Water Thrushes. The fauna of 

 the higher summits and slopes is purely Canadian, although several of 

 the most charactistic, non-migratory Canadian birds are wanting. Their 

 absence, the author thinks, is due to the isolated position and limited 

 extent of the region. 



The list proper includes eighty-nine species and varieties. It is very 

 fullv annotated, a page or more being often devoted to a single species. 

 A novel typographical feature is the presence of an apostrophe between 

 varietal and generic scientific names when the specific name is omitted. 

 There can be no objection to the practice of occasionally shortening 

 a trinomial to a binomial when it must be often repeated in the text, 

 but the use of the apostrophe in such a connection is arbitrary and 

 whimsical. 



We have another criticism : viz. that, Mr. Bicknell's style would be 

 improved were he to condense and simplify his sentences, which are fre- 

 quently involved, and sometimes positively obscure. His choice of words, 

 too, is often unfortunate; —in short, he has yet to learn that the simplest 

 English is the strongest and best 



