The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1879-06-07
Birds OF the Colorado Valley.

~--O
A recent government publication Of
much value to the agricultural interest, as
we'll as to ornlthological science, is en-.
titled Birds of the Colorado Valley" by
Elliott Coues, of the staff of the Hayden
Survey. This work is designed as COM
Elementary to the authors former treat.
ise, Birds of the Northwest" and is
marked by the same thoroughness of exc
cution and accuracy of detail characteriz-
ing his many previous works, and must
prove one of the most useful as well as
popular contributors to American ornith-
ologicaI science. In perusing the VOL
ume it is evident that the authors purpose
of 80 divesting the biographical portion
OF technicality as to meet the tastes and
wants of the general public has been
| fully obtained. DR.. Coues, when he
chooses to relax from the rigidity of pure
ly scientific style, possesses happy fac
ulty of combining scientific and pleas
| antly popular element in his writings,
and no one can depict bird life with more
vivacity and tru.hrulness than he. Often
the reader will find it impossible to reprcss
a smile in contemplating the serio-comic
truthfulness of his application of human
motives and characteristics to the birds,
which, if he be at all familiar with them,
will appeal forcibly to his own, perhaps
unconsciously received impressions.
As implied III the title, most of the bio
-raphical portion of the work Is limited
to those species inhablting that region
drained by the Colorado river of the West
and its tributaries, including Arizona,
much of New Mexico, Utah and Nevada,
a part of the State of Colorado, and some
of southern California. All other species,
however, known to occur within the limits
of the United States are synonymatically
and descriptively treated, truly rendering
the work "a repository of scientific and
popular information concerning North
America ornithology."
Or EACH species the synonym is e1-
haustye.r presented, this being followed
by complete external description, in
cldding sexual and seasonal p1umage
variation, preceded by a concise enu-
merltion in Latin of fdiagnostic characters.
The latter portion # The volume is dev1-
ted to " photographed Appendix" or
list of publications relating to North
American ornithology, and is unique in
point of thorOughncss aDd mode of ex-
ecution. 1t is really but an instalment
of a general photography of the ornitho-
logy of the world upon which the author
has long been engaged, and consists of
the titles and digests of works and pa
pers relating solely to the birds of North
America indiscriminatcly, collectively or
in general" and must prove an invalua-
BILE source of assistance to future workers
in this field. Indeed, to the general
reader it possesses peculiar in terest as
showing the rapid progress of this branch
of sci-nce, from the perfect alusion to
our most abundant and familiar birds i'm
publications of the seventeenth century,
to the elaborate and comprehensive
treatises on the suject of the present day.
The Birds of the Colorado Valley" being
a government publication is not for sale
but can perhaps be obtained through |
Congresmen or consulted in the public |
libraries. 1t will please all who have
taste for bird studies.