Nov., 1903 I 
THE CONDOR 
161 
authors, namely A. p. psaltria, A. p. arizo 7 ue and A. p. ^nexicanus. He concludes that the last 
two are the same as Ariznncr, ironx Fort Wingate, N. M. was based 
on the immature parti-colored plumage of psa/tria, and mexicanus is nothing more than the fully 
perfected black-backed plumage of the same subspecies. All three of these so-called races have 
been found breeding together in Colorado. All adult males from Lower California, California, 
Nevada, Arizona and Utah “have the back olive green, apparently never assuming the black 
plumage of true psa/tria.” This form is described as Astragalinus psaltria tiespei'ophilus, the 
type being taken from San Bernardino. 
Birds in their Reda.tions to Man. By Clarence M. Weed and Ned Dearborn. 8vo. 
380 pages, and many full-page and text illustrations. T. B. Lippincott Co., Philad. 1903. 
This excellent book is, as the title-page states, “A Manual of Economic Ornithology for the 
United States and Canada.” It is written in an entertaining style, and is certainly a very valu- 
able addition to the literature of economic ornithology. As a storehouse of facts for the lay- 
reader, as well as for the professional ornithologist, it will be warmly welcomed, and its mission 
of education is one to be highly commended. In such a short notice it is difficult to give an 
adequate idea of a book of this character, which necessarily deals with many details We would 
therefore advise the reader to procure a copy, if he is interested in this important branch of 
ornithological study. 
The Economic Value of Bird.s to the State- By Frank M. Chapman. State of New 
York Forest Fish and Game Commission, 4 to, pp. 1-66, 12 colored plates. Sept. 1903. 
In this excellent paper Mr. Chapman has presented a treatise on the economic status of the 
more important land birds of New York state. But from the nature of the subject his remarks 
have a much wider application, and omitting certain species would apply very well to California. 
Of necessity much of the paper is compilation, but the author has exercised good judgment in 
the selection of extracts, and in the choice of his sources. 
The paper opens with ‘The Bird and the State,’ followed by ‘What the Bird Does for the 
State,’ under which is considered, ‘The Bird and the Forester,’ ‘The Bird and the Fruit-grower,’ 
‘The Bird and the Farmer,’ and ‘The Bird and the Citizen.’ Then follows ‘What the State does 
for the Bird, ‘What the State Should Do for the Bird,’ and ‘The Facts in the Case.’ The princi- 
pal families of land birds are taken up in order, and the commoner or more important economic 
species are considered under each. Copious references are given to original sources, which makes 
the paper a most handy compendium of economic ornithology. 
The twelve colored plates are by Mr. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and are well reproduced. They 
represent twenty-four species, of the leading types, from hawks to thrushes. The plate repre- 
senting the red-tailed and Cooper hawks is particularly fine, both in the pose of the birds and in 
coloring, and we are also much taken with that of the screech owl, representing the gray and 
rufous phases of this familiar bird. 
Notes on the Anatomy of Geospiza, Cocornis and Certhidia. By Robert E. vSnod- 
GRASS. From ‘The Auk,’ XX, pp. 402-17, plates XVII-XX. 
Mr. Snodgrass compares at some length the anatomy of Geospiza, Cocornis and Certhidia. 
Certhidia is usually considered as belonging to the Mniotiltidse and Geospiza and Cocornis to the 
Fringillidae, but “in all structural points Cocornis really resembles Certhidia more than it re- 
sembles Geospiza. To be sure, the adult males of Cocornis and most of the Geospiza species 
are almost plain black, while the adults of Cei'thidia are gray with admixtures of olive and 
brownish. Yet, in the shape of the bill and in the structure of the skull Certhidia and Cocornis 
are almost identical. On the other hand, the structural differences befween Cocornis and Geos- 
piza are slight — the slender-billed Geospiztx differ from Cocornis in the characters of the skull 
and skeleton of the bill scarcely more than Cocornis does from Cei'thidia. The difference is not 
nearly so great as that between the slender-billed forms of Geospiza itself. Hence, a study of 
these three genera, is suggestive of a possible derivation of Geopiza from Cocornis and of Cocornis 
from Certhidia. This however, would place Geospiza in the Mniotiltidie!” 
There is no objection to this, Mr. Snodgrass. Certain learned authorities group together in- 
to the family DrepanididiE birds as dissimilar as our redstart and cardinal grosbeak. Verily 
classification plays some queer pranks! — Walter K. Fisher. 
