COLOR AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF BIRDS. 549 
variation, and geographical distribution. This gentleman’s writ- 
ings place him in the foremost rank of the philosophical ornithol- 
ogists of the present day; their high merit and great importance 
being recognized by all to whom they are familiar. I have the 
highest respect for Mr. Allen’s works; they show careful study, 
deep thought, persevering search for facts, and thorough, analytical 
mode of treatment. About their only fault consists in the two 
frequent evidence of conclusions “jumped at,” or based upon in- 
sufficient evidence. 
But as justly as Mr. Allen deserves his high position among the 
most thorough and advanced ornithologists of the day, we must 
not lose sight of the fact that he is not the only one who has 
written upon the subject of climatic color-variation and geograph- 
ical distribution. Professor Baird, the pioneer in this subject, so 
far as America is concerned, first made known the main governing 
laws; and thus opened the way to later researches. But even he 
is preceded by Dr. Gloger who anticipates all American writers 
in many generalizations of this kind, published as long ago as 
1833.* 
A few of Dr. Gloger’s generalizations, which bear more directly 
upon the province of this paper, are the following: 
“ The variation in color of birds from one country to those pine 
e e 
p.71). ‘The fact that in some summers there are more cuckoos 
of a reddish brown color, or with reddish brown spots, may prob- 
ably be owing to the general or periodical atmospheric constitution 
of the year in question” (p. 98). 
In 1866, before the appearance of any of Mr. Allen’s writings, 
Professor Baird published a paper entitled “The Distribution and 
Migrations of North American Birds,’ in which much was said 
regarding climatic variations in color and proportions. The gen- 
eralizations advanced in this paper are the following : 
"+ Das Ablinder dor Vogel dursch Einflufe des klimas. By Dr. Constantin Lambert 
Gloger, Breslaw, 1833. 
tAmerican Journal of Science and Arts, Vol. xli, Jan. and March, 1566. 
