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iSoofe jBteto0 ant) 3^etoieto0 My Birds in Freedom and Captivity. By the Rev. Hubert D. Astley. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. London: J. M. Dent & Co. 1901. 8vo. xvi + 254; 22 full-page photogravures; 17 line cuts. The author of this beautiful volume writes from extended experience both in the field and in the aviary. As a keeper of caged birds he insists that the captive shall be well housed, well fed and well watered, and under these conditions he believes that, as the bird cannot reason or "look back- ward or forward in actual thought," it has therefore neither regrets nor longings, and with all its wants properly cared for is presumably happy. Wild and untamable birds, he adds, should never be caged. Many of the birds treated have been studied both in confinement and in nature, and it is apparent that the intimate knowledge of a bird's traits which may be derived from a close study of captive individuals is of de- cided assistance in studying the ways of the same species in its haunts. Of special in- terest to American readers is the account of the breeding of a released pair of Car- dinals. The illustrations in photogravure and line are all by the author and are a very decided addition to the text. Several in- deed, particularly of the line cuts, we should rank among bird drawings of the first class. Both as author and illustrator, Mr. Astley has therefore paid fitting tribute to feathered friends in whose companionship he lias evi- dently found life-long pleasure. — F. M. C. The Birds of Massachusetts. By Rec;i- NALD Heber Howe, Jr., and CJi.over Morrii.i. Am. en. Published by subscrip- tion. Cambridge, Mass. 1901. 8vo. 154 pages. After devoting eight pages to an outline of the faunal areas of Massachusetts, the authors present annotated lists of (i) 362 species and subspecies as entitled to recog- nition as Massachusetts birds, (2) four ex- tirpated species, (3) two extinct species, (4) fifteen introduced species, (5) seventeen er- roneously recorded species and ^6) two hypo- thetical species. The main list "gives the status of each species, then the dates of arrival and departure of species in Massa- chusetts, followed by annotations taken from already published local lists of importance, and others supplied by trustworthy orni- thologists from desirable localities, especially along the coast." Evidently both care and judgment have been duly exercised in bring- ing together the information here presented, the authors' conservatism in excluding spe- cies of doubtful status as Massachusetts birds being especially commendable, and adding greatly to the value of their work. It is unfortunate, however, that they evi- dently did not avail themselves of the guid- ance of some one whose wider experience would have prevented them from rejecting the only system of classification current in this country. It was to establish and main- tain a standard system of classification and nomenclature that the ornithologists of this country formed the American Ornithologists' Union, and in failing to follow the classifi- cation of the Union's Check-list, the authors of 'The Birds of Massachusetts' have greatly impaired the practical value of their work and have shown an undesirable, because un- warranted, spirit of independence. — F.M.C. Mr. Chupes and Miss Jenny. The Life Story of Two Robins. By Effie Bignei.i.. New York. Baker and Taylor Co. i6mo. xi+250 pages; 8 half-tones. I'he author of this volume may claim to be a bird- lover in the best sense of the word. Having rescued two Robins, one from cats, the other from caged life, she evidently devotee! the greater part of her time to their care. That they more than repaid her, no one who reads this account of their lives, with its many surprising illus- trations of individualitv and intelligence, will doubt. The book is attractively writ- ten, and its author's evident sympathy with her subjects, and close observation of their I143I