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176 Bird- Lore racy, but when as many as one-hundred page references follow a single heading, we feel that an annotated or explanatory index would have more nearly accomplished the end evidently held in view. — F. M. C. The Home Life of Wild Birds: A New Method of the Study and Photography of Birds. By Francis Hobart Herrick. Revised Edition. With 160 original illus- trations from nature by the author. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York and London. 1905. 8vo. xxv -- 255 pages, numerous half-tones. Having reviewed at some length (Bird- Lore, IV, 1902, p. 101) the preceding edition of this important work, we have here only to congratulate its author and publisher on the greatly improved make-up of this re- vised edition, which appears as an octavo instead of a quarto, and to comment chiefly on the changes which have been made in the text. Professor Herrick's original work was based mainly on the study of twenty-six nests belonging to fifteen species of birds, but he has now extended his experience to embrace fifty-nine nests, representing thirty species. Much of the earlier work has been rewritten, " forty-eight new illustrations have been added to the text, in place of a smaller number omitted. The first three chapters have been materially changed ; Chapter XI, on ' Nest-Building' is entirely new, as are also, in large measure, those which follow on the ' Development and Care of the Young' and on 'Life and Instinct.'" It is evident that the value of the book has been much augmented. Not only has its author had a greater amount of material on which to draw, but, recognizing the evil of certain anthropomorphic tendencies which have recently become more or less pro- nounced in our study of animal life, he addresses an authoritative word of warning to those who would read their own lives into that of the particular bird or beast to which they may devote their attention. Wholly aside, therefore, from its interest to bird photographers, this book is of the utmost value to students of the nesting habits of birds, to whom we commend it as the best exposition of the scientific method in the observation of the life of the nest with which we are familiar. — F. M. C. Bulletin No. 1 of the Vermont Birds' Club. May, 1906. Published annually by the Club, Burlington. 8vo. 22 pages. The function of this publication is clearly stated in the following introductory para- graph: "The Vermont Bird Club has been in existence nearly five years. It was formed for the purpose of collecting and preserving information concerning the birds found within our state ; of creating and encourag- ing an interest in birds; of promoting sci- entific investigations and of securing protec- tion of all useful species. Since its organi- zation the feeling has existed among the members that the proceedings of its meetings should be printed, thus giving them tangible and permanent form and allowing those who cannot attend the meetings regularly to keep in closer touch with the work of the Club." The present bulletin includes a history of the Club, now in its fifth year, reports of meetings, a 'List of Birds Observed in Rut- land County, Chiefly Between the Years 1888 and 1906,' by G. H. Ross; 'Nesting of the Duck Hawk,' by U. A. Kent, and abstracts of papers read at the winter meet- ing. While bibliographers, with reason, deplore the increase of ornithological publi- cations, we believe that there is room for State Club Bulletins of this kind, provided their contents be restricted to news of the activities of the organization they represent, and to papers of local value. Observations or the results of researches having general scientific value should be made accessible to a larger public. — F. M. C. The Ornithological Magazines The Condor. — The August number of ' The Condor ' comprises four articles which are of rather less general interest than usual. Finley's paper on ' The Barn Owl and its Economic Value ' is illustrated by six half- tones of photographs taken by Bohlman. ' The Percentage of Error in Bird Migra- tion Records ' is discussed by Stone, who summarizes the results of a study of a series of local records, kept by observers near Philadelphia. He reaches the conclusion