May 1913 
PUBLICATIONS REVIEWED 
131 
the trip, Melospisa in. inexpectata and Passer- 
clla i. altivagans, were described in an earlier, 
preliminary paper, confined to descriptions of 
these races, the present report being a 
general account of the entire collec- 
tion. The region visited, comprising ad- 
joining portions of southern Alberta and 
British Columbia, includes parts of two 
very different faunal areas, and a study of the 
material collected is accordingly productive of 
many interesting and illuminating facts in re- 
gard to the manner of occurrence of certain 
of the species and sub-species encountered. 
Among the critical comments the following 
seem to be of particular interest to Californian 
crnithologists : Breeding specimens of Lcucos- 
iictc t. fcphrocotis from this region are de- 
clared to be indistinguishable from birds from 
the California Sierras. Zonotrichia Icuco- 
phrys and Z. gainbcli are considered to be 
specifically distinct, as both were found breed- 
ing at the same locality, each retaining its dis- 
tinctive characters, and no intergrades being 
found. Jiiuco Iiycinalis and Juiico orcgantis 
are also believed to be distinct species, a con- 
viction shared by the present reviewer, upon 
very similar evidence to that advanced by Mr. 
Riley. The Orange-crowned Warbler of the 
region is called I'' ennivora cclafa celata, Ober- 
holser’s l\ cclata orestcra not lieing recog- 
nized ; similarly in treating the Myrtle War- 
bler {Dendroica coronafa), IMcGregor’s D. 
coronata Jioovcri is ignored. Robins collected, 
declared to be intermediate in characters be- 
tween Plancsticus in. inigratoriiis and P. m. 
propiuquits , are considered as “belonging un- 
doubtedly to the form described as Plancsticus 
luigratorius catirinns Grinnell”, but the name 
luigratorius is used to designate them. 
Specimens of Wilsonia piisilla pusilla were 
taken at a British Columbian- locality, and JV. 
p. pilcolata at a point in Alberta, farther east, 
a peculiarity of distribution not explained or 
commented upon by the author. 
The report contains a quantity of valuable 
and authoritative data from a little known 
region, and is a correspondingly welcome ad- 
dition to the ornithological literature of the 
west. — H. S. SWARTH. 
Coi.OR Standards and Cotor Nomencla- 
ture. By Robert Ridgway. pp. (1-4); i-iv ; 
1-44; frontispiece; pis. i.iTi. Washington, D. C., 
1912 [January 16, 1913]. Published by the 
author. Price $8.20. 
The names of colors as well as names of 
animals and plants need to be exact and sta- 
ble. No scientific worker whose investigations 
necessitate the use of color names can fail 
keenly to realize both the indefiniteness of 
most color designations, and the lack of a 
standard of color values that in exactness and 
systematic arrangement adequately meets the 
requirements of modern science. Most of the 
existing color manuals are very unsatisfactory- 
in practical use, either from want of proper 
designations or sufficient number of colors, 
from cumbersomeness, or poor arrangement. 
Furthermore there is no correlation between 
them. The best one is Mr. Ridgway’s pre- 
vious color book, “Nomenclature of Colors for 
Naturalists”, which, however, has long been 
out of print. 
The present work, confessedly not a tech- 
nical treatise on color, aims definitely to 
standardize colors and color names, and to 
provide an adequate nomenclature, with sam- 
ples of color sufficient for all practical descrip- 
tive and other related purposes. To this task 
Mr. Ridgway brings a lifetime of experience 
as artist and zoologist, and twenty-five years’ 
special study of the subject. That he has suc- 
ceeded is evident from even a cursory ex- 
amination of this book. 
The text treats first of the plan of the work, 
including the classification and preparation of 
the colors, of the scales adopted, and their 
designation and arrangement on the plates. 
Linder “Color Names” the selection of the 
terms adopted is discussed, and the almost 
ridiculous chaos of pre.=ent color nomenclature 
is clearly shown. Linder “Color Terms” our 
author defines some of the most important 
terms used in the literature of color. Then 
follow the tables of percentages adopted as 
the standards in the present work ; a list of 
the actual pigments used in the preparation of 
the fundamental pure colors; and an alpha- 
betical list of the colors represented on the 
plates, with their proper symbols. All the 
names of colors in the author’s original “No- 
menclature of Colors for Naturalists” have, 
for the purpose of perpetuating these stand- 
ards, been adopted in this new book, and a 
list of such of these as are not represented on 
the plates is given, together with the sym- 
bols by which they may be designated. A list 
of some of the most important books on the 
subject of color completes the text. 
The fifty-three plates constitute, of course, by 
far the most important part of the volume. 
The color samples, each 25 by 12.5 millimeters, 
are mounted on a background of neutral gray, 
which for this purpose has many advantages 
over a white page. They have been prepared 
with great care by an improved process which 
produces an even matt surface, much more 
satisfactory for comparisons than a smooth or 
glossy color ; and also insures absolute uni- 
formity throughout the entire edition of the 
book. 
The colors are arranged on each plate in 
three vertical rows, each representing a cer- 
tain hue, together with three tints (mi.xtiires 
■with definite percentages of white) and three 
