the region and season in which these notes

were taken. We would be glad to have seen lists comparing summer and permanent re,i- dents and likewise areal lists, because the life zone of the coast is evidently not' the same as that inland. This number starts a series of special papers, which we foresee will play no small part in western ornthology. We are bound to say the first number fnlfils the requirements of a first-class publication and does credit to the club which is responsible for launching it into a world already flooded with so many good efforts. W. IK. 1 . NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA NO. 9 contains the "Results of a Biological Reconnoissance of the Yukon River Region," Alaska. The "An- notated List of Birds" is by Dr. L. B. Bishop, who accompanied the expedition as a volunteer assistant. The List proper consists of x7x species and subspecies, all of which are stated to have been seen or obtained by the party. There are .more or less extended field notes, and in some cases.tecllnical remarks. Preced- ing the list is a four-page "Introduction" and a "Classified List of Species." The map accompanying this numberof the JVorth 4mer- ican Fauna serves to show the route traversed by the expedition. But we are sorry to find that only a very few of the localities mentioned iu the text are indicated on the map, a fault which is quite obvious to one no[ hving at hand any recent charts of Alaska. Over 2ooo mile of Alhskan territory were covered by the expedition, including nearly the whole length of the Yukon River. This being all accomplished within four' months' time, a thorough. exploration of any single locality passed through could not be expected; and at the most, the time for observation and collecting at any one point was altogether too short. The results of this trip are, therefore, qnite remarkable. Eighteen species are recorded for the first time' from the Upper Yukon. They are as follows: Trin,fa baitalii, %yrnphemia semipalmata inornata, Buteo bore- alis calurus, PMco sparverius, nlopus borealisl ntopus richardsoul saturalus, Empidona:c lrailli alnorum, Empidonaa: hammondi, 3inus pinus, Spizella socialis arizonce, tsserella iliaca, IYelminthophila pereffrina, Dendroica townsendi, Filsonia pusilla pileolata, Sitta canadensis, IYylocichla aonalaschka', I-L aona- laschkce pallaM, Sa:cicola ananlhe, Nine species are newly recorded from south- eastern Alaska, mostly taken in the vicinity of Skaguay and Glacier. These are: Echnophorus occidentalis, Ama sabinii, Luffopus letwurus, ?icoides americanus alascensis, Co.ttopu rich- ardsoni sauralus, Empidona.r hammondi,Junco byemalls connectens, Wtla cauadensis, l[erula mtiratoria. tfalirectus albicilla, the (;ray Sea Eagle, is THE CONDOR I Vol. It for the first time recorded from western North America, on the strength f a young specimen found dead at Unalaska. Larus philadelphia, Trina maculata, Tringa acuminata and Loa:ia curvirostra minor are also recorded as new to Unalaska. Larus philadelphia and Trina acuminata are added to the avifauna of the Pribilof Islands. A number of recently described races of western birds are recognized in the list, among which we note Canachites canadensis oscoocli BISHOP, which has seemed to us to be identical ith C. canadensis labradorins BANGS, no mat- ter what ought to be the case from a zoo-graph- ical point of view. We hope the A. O. U. Committee will be enabled to see a good series of Alaskan Canachites before passing on the alleged race. The biographical notes on some of the spe- cies, although brief, are of especial interest. For instance, under the Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) which s found to be ' more or less common along the 'pper Yukon, may be qtoted: "They were nesting about the cliff as a rule, but several times we saw them enter 'holes in banks similar to those of Clivicola riparia, while at lort Sel- kirk they were nesting in the interstices between the logs of the cabins." Townscarl's Solitaire was also found on the Upper Yukon, and its remarkably beautiful song is described at length. Thus are the birds f even the most remote corners of North America rapidly becoming known. Alaska seems to be a region of espec- ial interest just now. But there certainly still remains many surprises for the observer who is willing to make systematic' notes and collec- tions for an extended period in any one of the many out-of-the-way districts, especially of the gouthem oast of Alaska. J.G. YEAR BOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT Ol* AGRI- CUI.XURE 899. Washington, '9oo). The present year book is an .unusually interesting volume, embracing as it does the report of acb bureau of "the progress made in the applica- tion to agriculture of the particular science with vhich it is concerned." Ornithology and its progress during the century is ably handled by Dr. T. S. Pahuer in 'a noteworthy contribu- tion entitled "A Review of E'eonomic Ornithol- ogy in the United Srats." 'The 3esults of four- teen years' work of the BiOogi M,Sfirvey are sixown, and the commercial 3ses of birds taken up with reference to thei[.i,lue as game and as egg, guano and feather pr,olucers, while on the other hand, their value' as insect and weed lestroyers is forcibly pointed out. A resune of the various laws enacted for bird protection is given and the pap/- is illustrated with two full-page plaes, one showing the wholesale col- lecting of albatross eggs and the other a vast