I 12 
Recent Literature. 
[April 
technical portions, the text is well written, and possesses the attraction of 
being mostly new and original. The mechanical execution of the work 
reminds us to say that “official” printing — paper, typography and binding 
— is generally so bad, that we wish we could instance the present case as 
an exception to the rule, though it might easily be worse than it is. 
Dr. Wheaton is one of the pioneers in Ohioan ornithology, his publica- 
tions upon the subject extending over a period of more than twenty years ; 
and the Survey is certainly to be congratulated on the result of not intrust- 
ing the report to other hands, as we believe was at one time contemplated. 
— E. C. 
Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of the Birds of Ohio. — 
We are always glad to record the continuation of this great work, the mer- 
its of which we have already sufficiently indicated. The last number 
which has reached us is a double one, being Parts 14 and 15, October 1882 
and January 1883, published together about January 1, raising the text to 
p. 154, and the illustrations to pi. xlv. PI. xl, representing Icterus sfiurius, 
is very characteristic as well as artistic; pi. xli, Petrochelidon lunifrons , with 
the bird itself protruding from the nose of the bottle ; pi. xlii, Thryothorus 
bewicki, very prettily executed, and probably the first representation of 
the nest and eggs of this bird ever published ; pi. xliii, Astragalinus 
tristis, in the crotch of a rank thistle ; pi. xliv, Melanerfies erytkrocefihalus , 
the wood sawn to show the shape of the excavation, with the eggs at the 
bottom. Plate xlv introduces a new feature which was sure to come be- 
fore the end, in cases where no nest is constructed, or the nest is too 
bulky to be represented, consisting of the eggs, three each, of Tringoides 
macularius , fig. 1, AEgialites vociferus , fig. 2, Asio accipitrinus , fig. 3, and 
Corvus frugivorus , fig. 4. — E. C. 
Brown’s Birds of Portland.* — This excellent local list — desirably 
supplementing those of Maine birds by Holmes, 1861 ; Verrill and Board- 
man, 1862; Hitchcock, 1864; Hamlin, 1865; — is stated to be prepared 
from notes systematically taken during the past twelve years, and to con- 
tain the names of scarcely any species which have not passed under the 
author’s personal observation. Its reliability is therefore evident. The 
number of species given is 250, of which Passer domesticus and Coturnix 
communis are artificial introductions. The annotations, though not exten- 
sive, are to the point and seem judiciously adapted to convey a fair idea of 
the part each species plays in the composition of the Avifauna. This is 
really a more important matter than the mere enumeration of names, 
however nearly complete ; for about half of the birds actually occurring 
in a given locality stamp the facies of its bird-life more clearly and char- 
acteristically than the other moiety of rare transients, irregular visitants, 
and “accidents.” We could wish that this matter had been brought out 
*A Catalogue of the Birds known to occur in the vicinity of Portland, Me. [etc.]. 
By Nathan Clifford Brown. Proc. Portland Soc. Nat. Hist., Dec. 4, 1882. Also sepa- 
rate, Portland, 8vo, pp. 37. 
