Recent Literature. 
57 
cling the occurrence of the Blue-winged Yellow Warbler and the Clapper 
Rail in New England would be entered here. 
Having explained the scope of this piece of bibliography, we may now 
turn to its general character. On this point we will let the author explain. 
“ There is little to be said,” he says, “ of the way in which the work has 
been done ; for if it cannot speak for itself, the less said the better. It 
should be stated, however, that the compiler has habitually regarded The 
Title as a thing no more to be mutilated than a man’s name ; and that 
he has taken the utmost pains to secure transcription of titles verbatim^ 
literatim , et punctuatim.. It may be added that, excepting in certain speci- 
fied cases, no title in this Bibliography has been taken at second hand .” The 
titles are generally followed by remarks, explanatory rather than critical, 
but in certain cases tersely stating the merits or demerits of the work to 
which they refer. A short resume is given of all the more general and 
important works, with a list of the species or genera newly described, 
named, or figured in them. The titles are presented in chronological order, 
with a secondary alphabetized arrangement under each year. Facility of 
reference, however, is afforded by means of duplicate indexes, the first 
relating to authors and the second to localities. The indexes, besides af- 
fording ready access to any title, are really secondary bibliographies, show- 
ing at a glance, first, a list of the papers referred to in the bibliography 
any author has published, and secondly, a complete list of the papers that 
relate to particular geographical areas, the two indexes alone occupying 
nearly forty pages. 
In point of completeness, mode of execution, and general usefulness, the 
bibliography here under notice far excels any natural history bibliography 
’ known to us, and deserves to rank with the best bibliographies of any de- 
partment of literature, and may well serve as a model for future workers 
in similar fields. While we regret that it does not cover quite the whole 
field of North American Ornithology, ornithologists cannot be too deeply 
grateful to Dr. Coues for erecting so elaborate a guide-board to the litera- 
ture of the subject. We shall certainly await with impatience the comple- 
tion of the arduous task he has so resolutely and energetically undertaken, 
and trust that finally his general “Bibliography of Ornithology ’’will be sup- 
plemented by a special and complete bibliography for the Ornithology of 
North America, — though this may be unnecessary to any one having 
access to the general work, which we understand is already about half 
compiled. 
As regards the general work, or the “ Birds of the Colorado Valley ” as a 
whole, no more important contribution to the subject of North American 
Ornithology than this promises to be has for a long time appeared, and 
none covering all points of the field here taken ; and the speedy publica- 
tion of the remaining parts of the work must be looked for with equal 
eagerness both by specialists and those who simply love and admire birds, 
and can appreciate a pleasant rehearsal of the habits and traits that render 
them objects of such universal interest. — J. A. A. 
