1880.] Sketch of North American Ornithology in 1879. 23 
chosen sphere well, and has frequent articles of more technical 
character. Dr. Wm. Wood has here continued his “Birds of 
Connecticut.” 
The most important — we i waa almost said the only very 
important—contribution to systematic ornithology, among special 
treatises, is Elliot’s Synopsis of the Zrochtlidz, published as one 
of the Smithsonian Contributions to Knawledge. It is a really 
great work, which bids fair to supersede Gould’s Monograph in 
all that relates to the technic of the subject. As witnessed by 
the many critical papers which Mr. Elliot has published during the 
progress of his study of this family of birds, the author has been 
unwearied in his attention to the subject, and this extensive 
quarto gives his final results. Mr. Elliot is “ conservative” toa 
degree; very many nominal species are reduced to synonyms, 
the preparation of the lists of which shows great care and judg- 
ment; and the ridiculously over-large number of genera which 
various writers have sought to establish, have found what we trust 
will be their final resting place. Numerous illustrations, from 
Mr. Ridgway’s pencil, fitly illustrate the text of a memoir which 
instantly becomes indispensable to the working Trochilidists and 
which will undoubtedly carry the weight of the leading authority 
on the subject. 
Since Audubon’s pencil and brush fell from the hand which for 
so many years turned them to works of unsurpassed beauty, 
nothing in the way of ornithological art appeared in this country 
to challenge comparison with the work of the great master 
until, from an unexpected quarter, the “ Illustrations of the Nests 
and Eggs of the Birds of Ohio” were laid before us by the 
Misses Jones and Shulze, of Circleville, Ohio. Two numbers of 
this splendid work have appeared during the past year, and the 
prospect of the completion of the undertaking brightens as the 
merits of the “Illustrations” become better known, notwith- 
standing the untimely death of the leading author on the thresh- 
old of her enterprise. This work is in folio, and is published by 
subscription, in parts, each to contain several colored plates of 
nests and eggs, of life size, with sheets of descriptive letter press. 
Combining as it does, the merits of fidelity to nature with 
artistic excellence, this work commends itself in an especial man- 
ner to all those who have a taste for the beauties of nee as 
well as those who make ornithology a severe study. 
Another contribution to our knowledge of the eggs, nests and - 
