nor of the very next trouble-to avoid attempting to take off the thin abdominal walls with the skin, as beginners almost always do. We are in the habit of directing that the cut be begun a trifle above the lower border of the sternum, since, as nothing but skin can be lifted away there, a guide is found at the outset. We think there is a better way of cleaning off the leg and wing muscles than that the writer advises. We nip off the head of the bone by introducing the closed scissors between the muscles, and opening them just wide enough to grasp the bone; then we strip the muscles from above downward, and snip all the tendons at a single stroke below. Practically, with small birds at least, this is done with the thumb-nail, in an instant. Except in the cases of certain long-winged birds, we do not agree with the author that the humerus should be left in; we remove it, and the radius too, leaving only the ulna, which we separate from both the other bones and all the muscles by cutting its head away from the elbow-joint, stripping the muscle off from above downward, and then removing humerus, radius and all the muscle by a transverse stroke of the scissors just above the carpal joint. A description should have been given of the neat and rapid way of removing the brain and all the head-muscles by the four special cuts that may be made in an instant; instead of the general directions for scooping out and scraping the skull. We think the writer hardly puts the tyro sufficiently on his guard against stretching a skin unduly, particularly at the neck, and so producing that ugly bare space on each side, difficult to rectify afterwards. Except in the cases of large birds, where main strength and awkwardness do well enough, no skin should be pulled, or even drawn, off; but should be pushed instead; and as soon as it hangs by the neck, with legs and wings dangling, it should be supported in one hand to prevent stretching. For the "make-up” of a skin more explicit directions would not have been amiss; more than one novice will probably do all that he is here told, and then spoil his specimen. We should like to make a few suggestions regarding this matter, but want of space prevents, as it does our even alluding to a score of little points which will not be found in this or any other book on taxidermy that we have seen, but which are nevertheless very good things to know; and after all, a few hours actual practice under the eye and tongue of a competent taxidermist, will be found more valuable than any treatise upon the subject can possibly be made.

In Part II, Mr. Maynard gives what we find to be a very complete and otherwise excellent list of the birds of Eastern Massachusetts. We do not notice a single species that we would erase, and believe that but very few remain to be added. In the nomenclature of the species he adopts the changes that Dr. Coues has shown to be necessary or advisable in certain families; and in matters specific he is nearly as conservative* as

Thus he does not admit Turdus Alicia Baird, Troglodytes Americanus Aud., Ægiothus exilipes Coues, Larus' Hutchinsii Rich., and L. Smithsonianus Coues. Our Certhia and Eremophila respectively he refers to the European C. familiaris and E. alpestris. Whilst our hand is in, we may mention the following cases, all in a single order, where the writer might have con

Mr. Allen. The notes of habits, etc., are very valuable and useful, and, like Mr. Maynard's directions for collecting, are evidently an original record of the observations of an excellent field naturalist. We have thus the large amount of definite information that is always afforded by good local lists. While we believe that the list gives us no actually new names (its main points, if we recollect rightly, having been already presented in the NATURALIST by Mr. Allen), several of the entries are of special interest and importance. Among these may be mentioned Centronyx Bairdii, Argytira maculata (accidental), Xanthocephalus icterocephalus (accidental), Tyrannus dominicensis (accidental), Passer domestica (introduced), Chondestes grammaca (accidental), Turdus nævius (accidental), Helmintho phaga peregrina, Falco sacer (unusually southern), Strix pratincola (rarely so northern), Micropalama himantopus (rare), Macrorhamphus scolopaceus, Thalasseus acuflaridus, Pelecanus trachyrhynchus, and P. fuscus (both of these last accidental). The first named Mr. Maynard considers as more likely to be a winter visitor from the north, than a straggler from Nebraska. Quiscalus major, Egialitis Wilsonius, and a few other species occurring in Allen's or Coues' lists, he dismisses as resting upon insuffi cient evidence; probably in most instances he is correct in so doing. The supposed Buteo "Cooperi" turns out to be a state of B. lineatus. A good description of the nest and eggs of Helminthophaga chrysoptera is given. The plumages of Scops asio, and the relationships of Sterna macrura and S. hirundo, as well as those of Troglodytes aëdon and T. Americanus, are discussed at some length. In the case of the Scops it is evident that ornithologists will not be likely to come to any agreement, until they conclude, as we did long ago, that the variations in the plumage are purely accidental. In an appendix, Mr. Maynard tabulates all the species in convenient form.

We have been so pleasantly impressed with the book, and others will doubtless find it so useful, that we feel the less hesitation in criticising some things in it that we cannot praise. A little care would have prevented such slips as "carpel" for carpal (p. 20), "coccygus" for coccyx, or for os coccygis, "arctea" for arctica (p. 152), “Argyria” for Argytira (p. 164), "penguin" for peregrine (p. 134), etc. We fear, however, that the writer himself is responsible for such awkward blunders as "where the humerus joins the sternum" (p. 40); and the mention of the wrists and heels of sheep and deer as "knee joints" (p. 49). The figures we cannot speak well of; in fact, they are very bad, and we should judge that they will hardly answer the purpose for which they were designed. Thus we

sistently questioned specific validity: Falco anatum, Astur atricapillus, Pandion Carolinensis, Otus Wilsonianus, Brachyotus Cassini, Nyctale Richardsoni. There are many others, as nearly allied to European types, that he allows to stand. Though we agree with the writer in being rather inclined toward conservatism, we could wish that, before discussing the grave questions that arise from our varying acceptation of the term "species," he had adopted a more lucld and less ungrammatical definition than this: "Species consists in a bird's having certain characters so well defined, although inconstant (but never variable beyond a certain point), that it may readily be distinguished from others." (p. 85.)

trust that Fig. 3, Plate vm, was not taken from an example of the author's handiwork! The book is well printed and handsomely gotten up. We hope it may acquire the popularity to which its merits entitle it.

ORNITHOLOGICAL RESULTS OF THE EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-WEST.* This memoir gives the first published results of the Russo-American Telegraph Expedition, organized to explore preparatory to the connection of San Francisco and St. Petersburg by electric telegraph. The officers of the company arranged with the Smithsonian Institution and Chicago Academy, in broad and liberal spirit, for the scientific exploration of the country by a corps of young naturalists headed by Major Robert Kennicott. The party left San Francisco in July, 1865, by several vessels, touching at various points, where collections were made. Starting again, July, 1866, after wintering in San Francisco, Mr. Dall visited Plover Bay, East Siberia, and afterward St. Michael's, Norton Sound, where he learned of Major Kennicott's death, in consequence of which the direction of the scientific corps devolved upon him. Messrs. Pease and Bannister accompanied the remains to San Francisco, while Mr. Dall and his party started for the Unalaklik River and the Yukon, reaching Nulato in December, 1866, and remaining there all winter. In the spring they proceeded to Fort Yukon, and then returned to St. Michael's, where intelligence was received of the termination of the enterprise. Notwithstanding this Mr. Dall decided to finish the scientific reconnoissance of the Yukon River, remaining in the country alone and at his own expense. He proceeded with Eskimos to Unalaklik, where he remained until November, 1867, and in March, 1868, went to St. Michael's, after examination of the country both east and west of Nulato. Crossing the portage in June he descended the Yukon to its mouth, and shortly afterward embarked for San Francisco, from St. Michael's, touching at Pribylof and other islands. The ornithological results thus obtained by Mr. Dall and others, during several years of travel and exploration, are worked up in the paper now under consideration, and in the one we shall presently notice.

We find the memoir to be one of special interest and importance, as was to have been anticipated, no less from the character of its authors and of the other naturalists whose collections contributed towards it, than from the nature of the ground explored, and other fortunate circumstances. It is not too much to say that no single paper has appeared for the last decade, and perhaps for a longer period (although we do not forget the results of Mr. Xantus' explorations), that has added so positively to our knowledge of the geographical distribution and habits of our birds, or that has so largely and at once increased our bird-fauna. In noticing so important a contribution to ornithology we cannot refrain from presenting some of the leading points in detail, although even a bare epitome of all the results obtained would exceed our limits. Before so

* List of the Birds of Alaska, with Biographical Notes. By W. H. Dall and H. M. Bannister. Trans. Chicago Acad. Sci., Vol. 1, Art. ix. 1869.

doing we have only to add, in expressing our sense of the intrinsic value of the paper, and in according all the praise to its authors, that they so justly deserve, our impression that the symmetry of the paper is somewhat marred by the circumstances, unknown to us, which resulted in the preservation of the individuality of the joint-authors; not so much from the recurrence of initials, as from the duplication of some paragraphs and the confliction of a few others.

One important result attained, regarding geographical distribution, is the clear illustration of the western trend of the boundary line of the eastern province as this passes northward; so that several characteristic eastern birds occur in "Russian America," either associated with, or replacing, western species whose occurrence was rather to have been antici pated. The fact has been made more and more apparent, of late years, by other collections from the North-west; and the present one may be regarded as demonstrating it. Thus we have Picus villosus and P. pubescens instead of P. Harrisis and P. Gairdneri; Colaptes auratus instead of C. Mexicanus; Scolecophagus ferrugineus instead of S. cyanocephalus; Dendræca coronata instead of D. Auduboni; Querquedula discors instead of Q. cyanoptera, etc.; with Seiurus aurocapillus (though this has lately been known also from the Southern Pacific coast), Parus atricapillus, P. Hudsonicus ("abundant at Nulato"), Passerculus savanna (associated with the three other varieties, or species), Junco hyemalis,* Passerella iliaca, Bonasa umbellus, Gambetta flavipes. The presence of "Uria lomvia" (Lomvia troile), with both U. Californica and U. arra (svarbag), is probably rather a matter of circumpolar distribution. We note on the other hand, among absentees that might have been expected, Zonotrichia leucophrys, Limosa fedoa and Numenius longirostris.

Among the names to which American ornithologists have been more or less unaccustomed for the past few years, changes involving questions of specific relationships, and indications of rare or specially interesting species (exclusive of the additional ones to be presently examined), we notice the following points: Falco sacer Forster, is used (by Baird) to "indicate provisionally an ash-colored Falcon, with light transverse bars above, found throughout the Anderson River, lower Mackenzie and Yukon region, breeding on trees and cliffs indifferently. It never becomes white, and does not correspond at all with specimens of either gyrfalco or islandicus." Buteo "insignatus" Cass., is given as a variety of B. Swainsoni. The old name of Nyctale "tengmalmi" replaces N. Richardsoni, used of late years; as Picoides "Americanus" does P. hirsutus, after Sundevall's recent showing (Consp. Av. Picin. 1866, p. 15). The Saxicola œnanthe we presume to be the same bird that was described and figured by Cassin as S. "ænanthoides" Vig. (Illust. B. Cal. and Tex., p. 207, pl. 34.). Four species of Passerculus are recognized in the list, though we should judge that with the exception perhaps of P. Sandwichensis, it were

This probably explaining its occurrence, in Washington Territory (Suckley), and Arizona (Coues).

difficult to tell them apart. Melospiza rufing and Passerella Townsendii occurred at Sitka. Corvus caurinus continues to be recognized as distinct from C. ossifragus. The record of Actodromus Bairdii is the north-westernmost as yet; with this and Sclater's recent South American indication it may be considered as an inhabitant of the western hemisphere at large, though it has yet to be detected in the Atlantic province; this, however, may be predicted with some confidence. Bernicla var. occidentalis is recognized in two specimens from Sitka, as is also Pelionetta Trowbridgei; Mr. Dall remarks that "it is not at all unlikely that B. Hutchinsii and lencopareia are one species." The party were enabled to make specially interesting observations on some other water fowl, not only of intrinsic value, but demonstrating over again that many, and probably most birds, however "rare" they may be usually considered through default of specimens or other fortuitous circumstances, yet have their "metropolis or centre of abundance. We may instance in this connection the observations upon Chlophaga canagica, abounding at the mouth of the Yukon, to the exclusion of other species; Lampronetta Fischeri, breeding near St. Michael's; and Somateria v-nigra, abundant on the north coast. — Diomedea nigripes Aud., recently restored by Schlegel and Coues, after being long considered as the young of D. brachyura, is stated to be very common in the North Pacific, though not in Bering's Sea. Larus argentatus (var.) and L. brachyrhynchus are abundant on the Yukon. With the Rissa tridactyla "abundant at Sitka and Plover Bay," Mr. Dall has doubtless confounded, since he does not mention, R. Kot:ebui, a species, or perhaps only a variety, distinguished from tridactyla by the remarkable development of the hind toe. Rissa "brevirostris Brandt" replaces R. brachyrhynchus, recognized of late years. The two names undoubtedly refer to the same species; the difference in the color of the legs to which Mr. Dall alludes, is simply a matter of immaturity, or of fading from coral red to yellow in preserved specimens. We do not recollect now which name has priority. Xema Sabinei, a species highly prized in collections. was found breeding abundantly about Pastolik and St. Michael's, and was not rare at Plover Bay. Colymbus arcticus is recorded instead of C. Pacificus, which was to have been anticipated; and the same may be said of Podiceps griseigena instead of P. Holboelli. The "rare" yellow-billed Loon (Colymbus Adamsii), only recognized of late years, was got at Kadiak by Bischoff. Among the Auks the most interesting occurrence is that of Sagmatorrhina Labradoria Cass. (S. Lathami Bp.), represented by two specimens from Kadiak; these are the first examples of this singular bird that American ornithologists have seen. Bischoff's Kadiak specimens of Brachyrhamphus Wrangeli enabled this long obscured species of Brandt's to be restored (Coues, Proc. A. N. S., Phil., 1867, p. 64). The crested Synthliborhamphus umizusume might have been anticipated; but only S. antiquus is recorded.

Not less important than the record of their geographical distribution, of which we have only outlined some of the more salient points, is that of