'^^3-] Recent Literature. 



163 



Without going into details of evidence, for which there is no present 

 space, we may say briefly there are good and sufficient reasons for 

 characterizing the occurrence of the above-named species as follows :— 



(i) The Golden Plover is an abundant late summer and early fall 

 migrant, rarely if ever visiting New England in spring. 



(2) The Willet is a regular but uncommon spring and fall migrant, 

 breeding sparingly and locally in Southern and perhaps also in Northern 

 New England. 



(3) The Blue-winged Teal is an abundant fall migrant; a rather rare 

 spring one. The Green-winged Teal is never abundant, but it is of reg- 

 ular occurrence during the spring and fall migrations. 



(4) The Gadwall Duck does not occur regularly at any season ; on the 

 contrary it is very rare and probably only an accidental visitor. Much 

 confusion has been caused by the assumption that the Gray Duck (/. e., 

 Gadwall) of the books is the same with the "Gray Duck" of New England 

 gunners and sportsmen. The latter is always the Pintail. 



(5) The Harlequin Duck is regularly common in winter on the coast of 

 Maine, where, however, its distribution seems to be very local. A few 

 are also taken nearly every season along the Massachusetts coast. 



(6) The Ring-billed Gull is an uncommon bird at any season. It is 

 not known to winter, the few specimens taken occurring in spring or fall. 



(7) The Wilson's and Leach's Petrels, with the Greater and Sooty 

 Shearwaters, are summer residents off the coast, leaving for the South 

 before cold weather sets in, and returning rather late in spring. 



The Hutchins's Goose, once more given for New England, has, we 

 believe, only a doubtful claim to such distinction. Alleged specimens 

 are not uncommon, but all that we have seen have turned out to be merely 

 small Canada Geese. 



The above are only some of the more important rulings wherein we 

 conceive Dr. Coues to be in error. It must be confessed that many of 

 these, as well as some nicer questions which we should similarly criticise, 

 ai-e sustained by the opinions of authors of high i-epute. It is notorious, 

 however, that much of our published matter on Water Birds is either 

 time-worn tradition, or vague inference; — better than nothing perhaps, 

 yet far from representing the true condition of things with that accuracy 

 which is so eminently desirable. 



But while "New England Bird Life" falls short of absolute or even 

 approximate perfection, it is, on the whole, a wisely-conceived and ad- 

 mirably-executed book — by far the best, in fact, which has been so far 

 published on New England birds. As a manual rather than an exhaustive 

 treatise on the subject, it forms a substantial corner stone upon which 

 more extensive structures may be built. The field still offers abundant 

 opportunities, but the crowning triumph is not to be won by an amateur 

 of limited experience. Our literature has already suffered sufficiently 

 in this respect, and the comprehensive "standard" work yet to be written 

 had better be delayed many years than attempted by an incompetent 



