TIIE CONDOR 
VOL. XI 
birds. The “umbrella blind” is illustrated 
and described as being the most successful as 
well as convenient contrivance yet devised for 
the purpose. 
Among the “Part” titles, especially indica- 
tive of subject matter, may be cited the follow- 
ing: — The Bird-Life of Two Atlantic Coast 
Islands; Gardiner’s Island and Cobb’s Island; 
Florida Bird-Life; Pelican Island, Cuthbert 
Rookery, etc.; Bahama Bird-Life: The Fla- 
mingo, Egg Birds, etc. ; Bird-Life in Western 
Canada: The White Pelican, etc. 
Naturally of most interest to us is the Part 
(VI) entitled “Bird Studies in California”, 
with the following divisions: The Coastal 
Mountains at I’iru; The Coast at Monterey; 
The Farallones; The San Joaquin Valley at 
Los Banos; Lower Klamath Lake; The Sierras. 
Each of these sketches is thoroly enjoyable 
and seems to be for the most part beyond any 
reasonable criticism. 
The habit of the Northern Plialarope of se- 
curing food particles by whirling about in 
shallow water and thus stirring up the sedi- 
ment is interestingly described (page 271) and 
illustrated by two photos. This significance of 
the Phalaropes’ behavior, however, is not new, 
as implied, for it had been clearly set forth by 
D. W. Prentiss, Jr., and William Palmer sev- 
eral years ago. [See Osprey , Vol. I (new 
series), July 1902, p. 100.] 
We are informed (page 257) that the Desert 
Song Sparrow “owes its colors to the direct 
action of the aridity of its environment, and 
not to a natural selection which lias brought it 
into a fancied harmony with its immediate sur- 
roundings. ” The finality with which this 
statement is made is not at all justified by any 
evidence known to the reviewer. Here seems 
to be another case of unwarranted deduction 
from Beebe’s meager and altogether (as fully 
admitted by himself) inconclusive experiments 
with caged birds. 
Whatever of further fault can be found in 
minor points, it must remain indisputable that 
Mr. Chapman’s “Camps and Cruises of an Or- 
nithologist’’ is the most entertaining bird 
book we have read for many a year. — J. G. 
Catalogue of a Collection of Birds 
from Guatemala by Ned Dearborn, As- 
sistant Curator of Ornithology. [ = Field 
Museum of Natural History. Publication 125. 
Ornithological Series. Vol. I, No. 3; pp. 
69-136. 1 plate, 3 maps.] 
Following a brief description of localities 
visited, and route traversed, is a careful sys- 
tematic account of the 305 species and sub- 
species of birds that were taken. The collec- 
tion comprised 1187 specimens, of which Dr. 
Dearborn himself, in three months, collected 
one thousand, while the remainder were se- 
cured at different times by Messrs. Edmund 
Heller and Charles M. Barber. Carefully de- 
tailed information is given as to the place and 
manner of occurrence of each species, and, in 
many instances, valuable data regarding the 
moult is placed on record; while the exact in- 
formation relating to the color, in life, of the 
“soft parts” of many species, often so remark- 
able in tropical birds, and usually so altered in 
prepared specimens, should be of the greatest 
value not only to the systematic worker as 
such, but also to the curator who desires to 
place mounted specimens of such birds on ex- 
hibition, and would wish them to have some- 
thing of the appearance they bore in life. 
Saucerottea cyanura gnatemahx , Diglossa 
montana , Regains scitrapa darns , and Planesti- 
cns tristis rubicundus are described as new, 
while the known range of several species is 
considerably extended, noticeably that of 
Vireo belli among United States birds. Maps 
are given showing the distribution of the races 
of Planesticus tristis and Calocitta formosa, 
there is a plate showing the breast and remark- 
ably developed trachea of the male Ortalis 
vetula plnmbeiceps , while a map illustrating 
the route followed by Dr. Dearborn forms the 
frontispiece. 
The brief notes regarding the life histories 
of many species are of such interest as to cause 
one to regret that this phase of the subject was 
not dwelt on at greater length. As a whole 
the paper must be regarded as an exceedingly 
valuable addition to the literature of Central 
American ornithology, tho several unfortunate 
typographical errors detract somewhat from 
the appearance of the publication. 
One notes with surprise that this paper is 
only the third of the first volume of the ornith- 
ological publications of the Field Museum, one 
of the largest institutions in the United States, 
if not in the world, devoted entirely to natural 
history. — H. S. S. 
Parts II and III (March and September, 
1908) of Godman’s “Monograph of the 
Petrels” have been received.* As remarked 
of Part I, reviewed on page 96, Volume X, of 
this magazine, the above-titled brochure is 
perhaps the most elegantly gotten up bird 
publication of recent years. The splendid 
hand-colored plates constitute the feature of 
the work, altlio the care which has evidently 
been bestowed upon the text both technically 
and typographically appeals to the student of 
ornithology with scarcely any less force. 
Part II consists of pages 69 to 152, plates 20 
to 39. Two genera are treated, Cymodroma , 
with one species, and Pnffinns, with 24 species. 
Of the latter genus the following species are 
ascribed to the west coast of North America: 
♦ Publish! by Witherby & Co., 326 High Holboru, 
London. 
