Publications Received. 75 



Still another mile along the Freehold road, to the farm on the 

 hill, and away from the road to the right, down to the foot of the 

 hill, I went through the swamp where the farmer had cut off all 

 the wood and brush, leaving the beautiful moss and arbutus and 

 the pitcher plants to die from exposure to sun and heat. Field and 

 Song Sparrows were there, and I flushed three large, fat Ruffed 

 Grouse which went off with a noise of low thunder. Suddenly came 

 the loud clear whistle of a bird that I knew well, but heard for the 

 first time this spring. I whistled in answer and he soon came 

 where I could see him, for he is a very inquisitive little fellow. 

 Sure enough, it was the Carolina Wren. No mistaking that erect 

 tail and the quick, nervous body as he peers at the impudent in- 

 truder of his wooded retreat. But he doesn't linger long for you 

 to observe him, but darts away with another burst of joyous song 

 selected at random from his great variety, rich and melodious. 

 He is a difficult bird to see near enough to study the markings, 

 but he responds readily to the whistled call, and may sometimes 

 be induced to remain quiet long enough to make a good study. 

 While I was trying to coax him back again a rapid drumming 

 on a tree behind me made me turn in that direction to discover 

 a big, red-headed woodpecker. On going nearer it proved to be a 

 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker busy on a thrifty tree extracting sap. 

 Over the treetops safed a Sharp-shinned Hawk. I got a good view 

 of him before he sailed higher and higher in small circles into 

 the sky.— Nellie H. Hunt. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



Birds of Oregon, Annotated List of the. By A. R. Wood- 

 cock. Bulletin No. 68 of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment 

 Station. January, 1902. Corvallis, Oregon. 



This annotated list of 333 species of Oregon birds was compiled 

 by Mr. Woodcock for the degree of Master of Science, under the 

 direction of the professor in charge. A frontispiece of "The 

 Denny Pheasant," two pages of Introduction by the professor in 

 charge, and a page of acknowledgments by the author, are fol- 

 lowed by the list of species which are more or less annotated. 

 We are forced to the conclusion that the author has made little 

 use of the editorial blue pencil both in the compilation of the list 

 of species and in the selection of annotations. It is not easy to 

 throw out records which may be questionable without giving of- 

 fense, unless there be a definite statement as to what shall con- 

 stitute an accepted record. For any species about which there 

 could be a question, it is fair to require the evidence of a speci- 

 men to prove the validity of the species as belonging to the state 

 fauna. Anything less than this is likely to lead to error. Hypo- 

 thetical lists are always convenient for questionable records. 



It may not seem quite fair to expect everybody to keep in touch 

 with our rapidly shifting nomenclature, but we cannot help sug- 

 gesting that a list dated 1902 might well contain the revisions of 

 the check-list made a year before the list appeared. 



We trust that this list is preliminary to a more carefully pre- 

 pared one soon to follow. — L. J. 



