372 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
seen one alight in the middle of my canoe and peck away at the 
carcase of a beaver I had skinned. They often spoil deer saddles 
by pecking into them near the kidneys. They do great damage 
to the trappers by stealing the bait from traps set for Martens 
and Minks, and by eating trapped game, &c.”’ 
‘Bird Neighbours’ is written by a lover of birds, and will 
increase that love in others who may consult its pages. We 
must not expect to find science everywhere, but nature is 
universal; and he who has learnt to love the last will almost 
inevitably seek the first. 
The Birds of Montreal. By Ernest D. Wintute. Montreal: 
W. Drysdale & Co. London: John Wheldon & Co. 
Tuts volume is devoted to the avifauna of the district of 
Montreal. The area covered by the work “is principally the 
island of Montreal, situated at the confluence of the Ottawa with 
the St. Laurence River, thirty-two miles long by about ten miles 
broad at the widest part.” It is the centre of attraction for a 
large number of North American birds during the migratory 
periods in the spring and fall, and many species remain to 
breed. Two hundred and fifty-four birds are enumerated, 
arranged in a somewhat unfamiliar classification, commencing 
with the Podicipide (Grebes) and terminating with the Turdide. 
The first part is devoted.to an enumeration, with bionomical 
notes; the second part consists of “ abridged descriptions” of 
the species. The last portion of the volume consists of 
*‘ Original Sporting Sketches’’ by various authors. 
The book is naturally of local interest in the first place; but 
is also valuable for material in the study of avian geographical 
distribution. A few plates are given, but these are of a somewhat 
primitive description, recalling those in old works of travel. 
The preface is dated 1896; but the volume has only just 
reached our hands. . 
