242 
Recent Literature. 
other winters it does not occur at all. It is not wary, and does not even 
know enough to keep out of the way of dogs along the shore. It is well 
named the “Foolish” Guillemot, for both its habits and appearance deserve 
this appellation. In fact it looks like a perfect idiot, swimming over 
on one side as if one leg were broken, and staring vacantly at its enemies 
without attempting to escape. Its tout ensemble is stupid and gawky. 
During the winter of 1875 they were so exceedingly abundant that Mr. 
Comeau shot about a thousand for their feathers, and his dog caught over 
fifty. They were all in very poor flesh, some being little more than 
animated skeletons, and a great many died and were washed ashore, 
t 147. Utamania torda. Razor-billed Auk. — Not common here, but 
breeds on the Mingan Islands. 
Scant literature. 
The Coues Check List and Ornithological Dictionary.* — The 
April number of the Bulletin contained (p. 111) a brief preliminary notice 
of this work, prepared from advance proof sheets. It was not published 
until June, and therefore too late for the appearance in our July number 
of a satisfactory review. As stated in the title the work is a second edition 
of the “Check List” which originally appeared in 1873 and was reissued 
in 1874 in connection with “Field Ornithology,” as a reflex of the classi- 
fication and nomenclature of the “Key to North American Birds” (1872), 
though containing a few additional species. The original List gave 778 
names; the present one gives 888, subtracting iof and adding 120. 
“In revising the List,” says the author, “for the main purpose of de- 
termining the ornithological status of every North American bird, the 
most scrupulous attention has been paid to the matter of nomenclature, — 
not only as a part of scientific classification, determining the technical 
relations of genera, species, and varieties to each other, but also as in- 
volved in writing and speaking the names of birds correctly. The more 
closely the matter was scrutinized, the more evidences of inconsistency? 
* The Coues Check List of North American Birds.. Second Edition, Revised to 
Date, and entirely Rewritten, under Direction of the Author, with a Dictionary of the 
Etymology, Orthography, and Orthoepy of the Scientific Names, the Concordance of 
previous Lists, and a Catalogue of his Ornithological Publications. [Monogram.] 
Boston. Estes and Lauriat. 1882. 1 vol. imp. 8vo. pp. 165. 
f The 10 species retired are : Aigiothus fuscescens; Centronyx ochrocephcilus; Sphy- 
ropicus williamsoni; Lampornis mango; Agyrtria linneei; Momotus coeruleiceps; Ibis 
thalas'sina; Ardea wuerdemanni; Sterna “ ibngipennis" (S.pibii Lawr.) ; Podiceps cris- 
tatus. The list of added species (too long to print here) is given on pp. 6-8 and 10 
of the Check List. 
