72 THE 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 Kookery, 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 Pirn; 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 Phalarope 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 !902, 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 has 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 ItROM 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 ?uch, 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. Saucerollea cyanura gualemakv, J9iglossa montana, Regulus satrapa clarus, and ?lanesti- cus 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 ?lanesticus tristis and Ualocitta formosa, there is a plate showing the breast and remark- ably developed trachea of the male Ortalis vetula plumbeiceps, 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 tie feature of the work, altho 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 Pu?inus, with 24 species. Of the latter genus the following species are ascribed to the west coast of North America:
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