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THE 
CONDOR 
| Vol. VIII 
which the enthusiastic naturalists encountered 
in their wanderings. Their trip covered a 
wide range of country with great diversity of 
climatic conditions. They were thus provided 
with a considerable variety of experiences 
which their freedom from the cares of ‘col- 
lecting’ enabled them to appreciate to the ful- 
lest extent. 
The numerous illustrations, from photo- 
graphs, of both animals and scenery greatly 
add to the attractiveness and value of the book, 
which is, in the best sense, a natural history 
narrative. — W. K. F. 
Stone and Rhoads “On a Collection of 
Birds and Mammals from the Colorado 
Delta, Lower California. Early in 
1905 Mr. S. N. Rhoads made a trip thru 
the northeastern portion of Lower Califor- 
nia in quest of specimens for the Philadel- 
phia Academy. These are reported upon by 
Mr. Witruer Stone in the present paper, the 
field notes being quoted from Rhoads. 258 
birds were secured, of 49 species. Among 
these, the record of 5 specimens taken of 
Passerculus rostratus rectifies the error of W. 
W. Price who recorded the bird found at the 
mouth of the Colorado as gutiatus. (Bull. 
Cooper Orn. Club 1, Sept. 1899, page 92.) 
Mr. Stone incidentally records another speci- 
men of Dryobates scalaris lucasanus from 
California (exact locality apparently unknown), 
but concludes from the four skins taken in 
northern Lower California that lucasanus is 
not deserving of full specific rank, as urged by 
Brewster. 
Besides the 49 species represented by speci- 
mens, a list of 58 additional species is appended 
as seen by Rhoads. Many of these are very- 
doubtful, as often confessed by the use of the 
question mark. The catbird, western winter 
wren and broad-winged hawk seem to be par- 
ticularly dubious cases. 
Thus about 107 species were noted by 
Rhoads where Price (in the paper cited a few 
lines above) recorded 91 for the same locality at 
about the the same season. The region will, 
however, bear a good deal more tlioro attention 
than has yet been given it. — J. G. 
COMMUNICATION 
A New Bird Book 
Editor The Condor: 
Prof. Lynds Jones having, in the latest issue 
of the Wilson Bulletin, spoken very kindly of 
my forth-coming work on the “Nesting Ways 
/ From tlie Proceedings of the Academy of Natural 
Sciences of Philadelphia, September, igos.Issued Dec. 6, 
1905. Pages 676-690. Birds, pages 681-690. 
of North American Birds’’ to the equal surprise 
and gratification of the compiler of the work, 
it becomes necessary to say somewhat in pub- 
lic, at once, concerning what has hitherto been 
exploited only in private. From the chronicl- 
ing of personal records covering one hundred 
and ninety-five species and sub-species of birds, 
this work has grown, thru painstaking and 
minute elaboration and abridgement from 
“data” books, bulletins and magazine files, and 
the hearty co-operation of ornithologists, pro- 
fessional and amateur, until records that have 
been assorted, adapted or digested into manu- 
script now cover all but one hundred and two 
species and subspecies of the birds occurring 
north of the Rio Grande River (including, 
however, the ornis of the California coast 
islands; and that portion of the birds of the 
Greater Antilles that have a place on the A. O. 
U. List). The nomenclature will be brought 
up to the date of going to press. Geographic 
races recognized as subspecifically distinct by 
competent ornithologists will be appendixed 
in the above work, even tho not recognized by 
the A. O. U. Committee on Classification. 
The scope of the work 's the whole field of 
nesting habits, save for considerations of shapes, 
colors, sizes and textures of eggs; this portion 
of the field being already fairly well covered. 
Everything available in print has now been 
drawn upon except the great files of bulletins 
and proceedings which are to be found only in 
the larger city libraries; and not, by any means, 
in even all of these. The work now being 
done is in this direction, and it is a work both 
laborious and costly. 
In the preparation of large masses of mate- 
rial, never as yet adequately found in print, the 
Preparator of the proposed book has enjoyed 
the generous help of just forty bird students 
and field workers. Of these, twenty'-five are 
men of national reputation in this domain. 
When this work is ready for the press, the 
student who shall look to it for information 
concerning times, places, number of eggs, 
nesting conditions and distinctive habits of 
birds during the nesting season may confidently 
look to find, in “Nesting Ways,” the vital facts, 
so far as known, for all North American birds. 
Here, in reasonably brief space, he will readily 
find thru careful lists and indexes that which 
would cost him no less than two hundred dol- 
lars, if bought in original form, and which 
would involve, even then, literally mouths of 
perplexing and wearisome research. The illus- 
trations will be full, and wholly original. A 
large number of the subjects portray-ed have 
never before been photographed; and there will 
be found in this work not a few facts that are 
absolutely new to science. 
The book in question, incubating in the 
Preparator’s mind for many years, has not been 
