ist in any one field of natural history without at the same time knowing something of the general problems, laws and theories of biology. No student of birds should pursue his narrow line of study, oblivious of the main results of work with the other classes of animals. The all-important facts and processes of organic evolution are as essential a feature of ornithological knowledge, as of a knowledge of insects, or fishes, or of plants.
In their new book, titled as above, Jordan and Kellogg present a well-selected series of facts bearing on the subject of evolution, derived from the latest work in both Europe and America. The early theories and argumeuts of Darwin, Lamarck and others, and the recent laws and theories of Mendel, Galton, DeVries, and Burbank, are succinctly presented. And the views of the authors themselves appear to us to reflect the very sanest of recent opinions on the many disputed points discussed. The treatment is popular, in the sense of being clear and easily understandable by the lay reader. The abundant illustratious are lessons iu themselves.
In fine, we would recommend the book as the very best and most up-to-date on the subject of evolution, a book that every bird student should read and study, in order to have a broad foundation-knowledge upon which to build his ornithology.
We regret to note not a few typographical or perhaps chirographical slips, such as doubtless resulted from hurried proof-reading. A few minor errors are noticeable; such as the nest of "Rufous hummingbird" photographed at Stanford University, (Fig. ?74) very improbably that species, but the Allen hummingbird (Selasphorus alleni). Nor have we ever seen any species of "Aythya" marked like those in Fig. 276. The composition in places could have beeu smoothed over a bit.
But the subject-matter and mode of presentation of the book cannot be criticized, as far as we are concerued. We urge those of our readers who wish to acquire a familiarity with the latest evolutionary views, to make use of this, the best exposition of the entire subject as it now stands to be obtained.—J. G.
The Birds | of | North and Middle America: | A Descriptive Catalogue | [etc. 7 lines]. | By | Robert Ridgway | Curator, Division of Birds | | Part IV. | Family Turdidæ—Thrushes. Family Zeledoniidæ | Wren-Thrushes. Family Mimidæ—Mockingbirds. Family Sturnidæ—Starlings. Family Ploceidæ | Weaver Birds. Family Alaudidæ—Larks. Family Oyxruncidæ—Sharp-bills. Family Tyrannidæ—Tyraut Flycatchers. Family Pipridæ—Manakins. Family Cotingidæ—Chatterers. | | Washington: | Goverument Printing Office. | 1907. (our copy received August 24) = Bulletin U.S.N.M. No. 50, Part IV, | pp i-xxii, 1-974, pll. I-XXXIV.
In the four volumes of this great work now published there have?"been described 1,675 species and subspecies, or somewhat more than half the total number of North and Middle American Birds." The amount of work represented in the 4000 closely printed pages already issued is marvelous, when we bear in mind that it means the labor of one man. The synonymies alone constitute an undertaking of great magnitude. There is not the least doubt in our minds but that Mr. Ridgway's work is not only the greatest in point of size, but the most thoro, of all the systematic treatises on American birds ever issued.
The title, above quoted, indicates the scope of Part IV. We will simply call attention to a few of the points of interest in regard to Western. species.
Mr. Ridgway enters in full standing both the Monterey Hermit Thrush (Hylocichla guttata slevini) and the Sierra Hermit Thrush (H. g. sequoiensis) while the alleged Hylocichla ustulata œdica is included under H. ustulata ustulata. lxorieus nrevius meruloides, a supposed northern form of the Varied Thrush., is considered inseparable from ?rvvoreus nrevius proper.. Planesticus is introduced as the genus name for the Robin. The range of the San Pedro Bluebird (Sialia mea:icana a?abelre) is extended to include the "mountains of san Diego and southern Los Angeles counties, California, and along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada as far as Mount Lassen," The Pasadena Thrasher ( Toxostoma redivlvum adenense) is not considered separable. f3om the California Thrasher ( T. r. redivivum ). The Horned Larks are entered practically as worked out byOberholser. A sort of dichromatism is ascribed to certain Empidonaces, as hammondi, wri?htii and griseus. This discovery is of ex- treme interest; yet it still more complicates the differential characterization of these difficult species. The genus Contopus, for the Wood Pewees, becomes Myiochanes. In lack of the long-delaying new A. O. U. check-list, it seems to us that students can do no better thau follow Ridgway's lead implicit- ly in matters of nomenclature. Iu fact we do not know but what the check-list had better give way for the present to the ' 'Birds of North aud Middle America," leaving the latter as the only recognized authority.--J. G. RESEARCr? x? Cr?x?A [ Expedition of i9o3 - 04, under the direction of Bailey Willis I -- ] REPORT ON ZOOLOGY [ by ?, ELIOT BLACK- WELDER I [extracted from Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication No. 54, [ Research in China, Volume I, Part II, pages 48I-5o8, 6 plates, [vignette] [ Washington, D.C.: [ Pu
