182 



Bird - Lore 



the rapidly growing interest in bird-study 

 and protection. — W. DeW. M. 



Book News 



The Revised Edition of the Color Key 

 to North American Birds, by Frank M. 

 Chapman, contains a new Systematic 

 Table of North American Birds, revised 

 and brought up to July, 191 2. Wholly 

 new features are two appendices, the first 

 containing the changes in nomenclature, 

 and descriptions of new species and races 

 since the publication of the Color Key in 

 1903; the second comprising an extensive 

 list of faunal bird papers arranged under 

 geographic headings. A decided improve- 

 ment is noted in the quality of the paper 

 used in this edition. 



We learn from the 17th Annual Report 

 of the New York Zoological Society that 

 the park contains a larger number of liv- 

 ing birds than is possessed by any other 

 institution. The number of species is 903, 

 of which 378 are Perching Birds, and the 

 total number of individuals is over 3,000. 



Among the important additions to the 

 collection during the year of 191 2 were 

 the beautiful Ocellated Turkey of Central 

 America, the Great Bustard, Horned 

 Screamer and Goliath Heron, a number of 

 interesting Haitian birds, several species of 

 African Plantain-Eaters, and two imma- 

 ture specimens of Count Raggi's Bird of 

 Paradise, the second species of the family 

 secured by the Society. A pure blue and 

 white variety of the Australian Grass or 

 Shell Parakeet, developed by a European 

 breeder about three years ago, is also of 

 special interest. 



The Ornithological Magazines 



The Auk. — The varied contents of the 

 bulky April issue will appeal to many 

 readers. Some interesting pages in the 

 life-history of a familiar western Hawk 

 are furnished by E. S. Cameron, under 

 the title 'Notes on Swainson's Hawk 

 (Buteo swainsoni) in Montana.' Such 

 observations are of the greatest value; 



also R. T. Moore's study of 'The Fox 

 Sparrow as a Songster,' although here, as 

 it is almost always the case, musical no- 

 tations might as well be Greek so far as it 

 gives an adequate idea of song to any other 

 than the transcriber We do not question 

 that the Fox Sparrow sings in five flats, 

 but even he might not be able to recognize 

 his notes from the impressive musical 

 staff that confronts us. 



The ever-fascinating subject of migra- 

 tion is discussed by J. C. Phillips in 'Bird 

 Migration from the Standpoint of its 

 Periodic Activity.' Both facts and fancies 

 are dealt with, and some clue to the writer's 

 attitude may be gained from the following 

 quotation — "The modern tendency seems 

 to be to sniff at the word 'mystery' as 

 applied to any phenomenon of bird mi- 

 gration. This is merely a question of 

 where the word is applied; if to the 

 actual facts, then it is hardly warranted, 

 but if to the cause, then it is certainly as 

 applicable now as ever." W. W. Cooke, 

 in an article on 'The Relation of Bird 

 Migration to the Weather,' contributes 

 many valuable facts, well tabulated and 

 charted, and in this connection should be 

 read H. H. Cleave's paper on 'What the 

 American Bird-Banding Association Has 

 Accomplished During 1912.' Somephotos 

 show birds with bands in place. 



F. H. Allen, in a paper entitled 'More 

 Notes on the Morning Awakening,' helps 

 to place the subject on a more definite 

 basis than the mere knowledge, common 

 to all of us, that birds are early risers; 

 G. Eifrig furnishes 'Notes on Some of the 

 Rarer Birds of the Prairie Part of the 

 Chicago Area;' O. E. Baynard presents a 

 local list of the 'Breeding Birds of Alachua 

 Co., Fla.,' in which the nesting of the 

 Glossy Ibis is noteworthy. ' Ontario 

 Bird Notes,' by J. H. Fleming, is really a 

 list of rare captures; and 'Concealing 

 Action of the Bittern (Botaurus len- 

 tiginosus) ,' by W. B. Barrows, tells of a 

 bird swaying so as to blend with the 

 rushes rustling in the breeze. 



'Two New Races of the Pigmy Owl from 

 the Pacific Coast,' i.e., Glaucidium gnoma 

 vigilante and G. g. swarthi, are described 



