28 THE, AUDUBON BU Lal Ee tae 
Dr. Dorst freely acknowledges his indebtedness to many authorities 
in other lands, whom he has consulted and quoted freely throughout the text. 
For instance, many of the maps in the chapter on “Migrations in North 
America” were drawn from Frederick C. Lincoln’s earlier classic on The 
Migration of American Birds. Jean Dorst performed an enormous amount 
of research in preparing his book; the Bibliography covers more than 50 
pages and covers books, papers, and articles on ornithology from almost 
every country. He refers to our own Dr. William Beecher of the Chicago 
Academy of Sciences and to Frank C. Bellrose of the State Natural History 
Survey, probably the foremost authority on waterfowl migration in the 
Mississippi Flyway. 
Probably the most fascinating aspect of bird study is that of migration, 
the seasonal ebb and flow of wildlife. Amateurs and noted scientists alike 
have developed excellent theories and have made significant contributions 
to our knowledge and understanding of how birds move. But little is known 
about the “why” of migration. Great strides are being made in supplying 
answers to this problem now, and the bird-banders are given full credit 
for the tremendous contributions they have made. Dr. Dorst presents a 
country-by-country analysis of bird-banding activity and methods, giving 
the latest figures and evaluating discoveries in relation to the world picture 
of bird migration. 
The book reviews the methods of studying migrations and next covers 
migration in each section of the world, including sea-bird migrations and 
bird invasions. Such aspects as the physiological stimuli of migration and 
the orientation of birds during migration are discussed in careful detail. 
Finally the author outlines current concepts about the origin and evolution 
of migrations. As Dr. Dorst points out, birds have a specific breeding 
territory which may be considered their home, but after the young are 
grown, most birds desert the home area and spend most of the year in 
distant territories. 
His conclusions are significant: ‘Migrations must be considered in the 
framework of ecology, of which they constitute only one aspect. They 
represent a reaction of the animal to changing environmental factors... 
Migration cannot be regarded as a characteristic of species — it belongs in 
the framework of porulations. .. Every avian species forms a mosaic 
of elementary populations, some of whose members breed side by side, 
migrate together, and even spend the winter in the same district... 
Recoveries of banded birds (show) that the young migrate together the 
first year, and that this association seems to last throughout life . .. We 
must be on guard against the over-simplified explanations which have been 
advanced ... Migrations, like birds themselves, are multiple and . . 
cannot be reduced to a rigid formula.” 
The bird-bander and the serious student of birds is sure to find The 
Migrations of Birds a most absorbing book. I can find little about it that 
deserves criticism, other than some obvious misspellings and errors of 
reference that indicate hasty proofreading. We are urged by our daily 
press and by our religious leaders that we should consider human problems 
on a world-wide basis. It is time also that we enlarged our knowledge of 
birds to a global view. This book makes a good beginning. 
Paul H. Lobik, 22W681 Tamarack Drive, Glen Ellyn, Ill. 
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