Chapter VII: Part 7

=Notes from a Connecticut Pine Swamp.=—The pine swamp of which I write is situated in the township of Ledyard, Connecticut, two miles east of Gales Ferry and the Thames River, and about eight miles north of Fisher’s Island sound. It runs north and south for about half a mile, and is three hundred feet above sea level. In it grow tall white pines, though many which formerly grew along the edges of the swamp have been cut down. It is a wild place, containing the usual “Bottomless Pit,” the old time farmers, with their longest poles, being unable to find a bottom. Once upon a time, also, a wildcat inhabited it—so sayeth tradition! The native Rhododendron (_R. maximum_) grows here in profusion attaining a height of twenty-five, or more, feet, and is a wonderful sight when in blossom in July. There is also much laurel and many hardwood trees on the edge of the swamp. On July 5, 1918, walking here among the Rhododendrons, listening to the songs of the Hooded Warbler, I made a discovery. The Hooded Warbler is quite common in this locality and sings freely. I heard the two songs on this day—one of which seems to say “you’re it, you’re it, you’re it, you’re it yourself” sung rapidly and varying in the number of “you’re its.” The other song seems to say “Nobody can touch me-ë.” a rising inflection on the end. They made me think of children playing tag. Suddenly a strange distant song drew my attention and I hastened along listening intently—then as I stood on a rock surrounded by Rhododendrons out flew a beautiful Black-throated Blue Warbler, which alighted on a tree and sang. It flew about from tree to tree quite near and sang over and over again, and was answered by the same song from a more distant bird. The song was much finer than the books lead one to suppose. About six zees—the first three seeming to have a sort of double resonance and the last longer drawn out and higher. Of course the birds were nesting here, but although I visited the spot every few days and heard and saw the bud near the same locality, I could never locate the nest, in the wild tangle of growth. The last time that I heard the song was on August 1. In Dr. Bishop’s ‘List of Connecticut Birds’ the Black-throated Blue is given as nesting at Eastford in 1874 and 1881, in Kent in 1905 and in Litchfield in 1905. Near this same place some Broad-winged Hawks were nesting and every time I visited the spot one of them would perch in a tall tree and whistle—a shrill penetrating whistle, although at times they could do it quite softly. They seemed to be unafraid and it was amusing to see one of them watching my dog as he ran among the bushes; it would stretch its neck and twist its head from side to side in a very funny way. For two years now the Solitary Vireo has nested in this vicinity and delighted us with its song all summer.

Still another rarity has been found nesting in this swamp, the Canada Warbler. Dr. Graves found it there on June 25, 1884, and again thirteen years later on July 17, 1897; at this later date he saw and heard a number of them singing. Although looking for it here for the last ten years I have yet to find it nesting.—FRANCES MINER GRAVES, _New London, Conn._

=The Name “erythrogaster.”=—I have been interested in the discussion about _erythrogaster_, _erythrogastra_, _erythrogastris_, etc. in recent numbers of ‘The Auk.’ From analogy, both in the Greek and Latin tongues, I make no question of this being an adjective. Thus in Latin, from _longus_ and _manus_ comes the adjective _longimanus_ _-a_, _-um_, long-handed. In Greek form (using the Roman alphabet) _leukos_ and _lithos_, _leukolithos_, _-on_. The older naturalists, as many botanists still do, printed specific names that are nouns with an initial capital, those that are adjectives with a lower-case initial. Linnæus, for instance, who observed this distinction, wrote _Anas erythropus_, _Hirundo fissipes_, _Fringilla erythrophthalma_, _Parus atricapillus_, etc., showing that he rightly considered these specific names to be adjectives.

From _erythros_ and _melas_ comes the adjective _erythromelas_, fem. _erythromelaena_, neut. _erythromelan_, red and black. Now if _Piranga_ is considered feminine, as it is (_Piranga rubra_), the Scarlet Tanager’s name is _Piranga erythromelaena_. There is no escape from this except for those who refuse to make an adjectival specific name conform in gender to the generic name with which it is associated.[33]—WALTER FAXON, _Lexington, Mass._

=Constant Difference in Relative Proportions of Parts as a Specific Character.=—In the oft-recurring discussions of what constitutes a species and the difference between subspecies and species, one interesting kind of intergradation which might be termed “pseudo-intergradation” had not been mentioned.

This is well illustrated by certain of the Guadalupe Island forms, notably the Rock Wren (_Salpinctes_) which has at times been regarded as a species and again as a subspecies even by the same authority.

The Guadalupe bird, together with its near ally of San Martin Island, differs from its relatives of other islands and the mainland in its longer bill, relatively shorter wing and darker coloration. The difference in proportions is constant so far as known; only exceptionally short-billed specimens agree in the length of this member with the longest billed individuals of other forms, while only very long-winged examples fail to differ from short-winged birds of the related races. This, however, has been held to be intergradation and on these grounds the Guadalupe bird, _S. guadeloupensis_, was degraded to subspecific rank by Ridgway in 1904, even before the somewhat intermediate race _S. g. proximus_ was discovered.

Individuals agreeing in the length of the bill, however, naturally exhibit the maximum difference in the length of the wing, while those agreeing in the wing can be distinguished by the length of the bill. In other words the ratio of bill to wing length in the two species _S. obsoletus_ and _S. guadeloupensis_ is constantly different and furnishes a diagnostic character by which the species may always be distinguished. In the former the wing is more than three and a half times the length of the bill, in the latter less than three and a half. In addition there is a well-marked difference in color.

It seems reasonable to consider such differentiation in proportions when developed to the point where there is constant difference in ratio as of specific value. Measurements appear to indicate that this point has been reached in the Rock Wrens, and that the dark, long-billed forms should therefore be regarded as specifically distinct from the paler, shorter billed races. The same conclusion was arrived at by Swarth in 1914 (Condor, XVI, p. 216).

The Guadalupe Junco (_Junco insularis_) easily fulfills the above requirements of a species. Indeed as it averages 10 mm. less in length of wing than its nearest relative _J. townsendi_, and its bill is nearly 2 mm. longer, there is small likelihood even of ordinary intergradation. There are also well-defined color characters.

In Dr. Dwight’s recent paper on the Juncos (Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., XXXVIII, 1918, p. 269) he has reduced this Junco as well as _Junco townsendi_ to subspecies, on the grounds that their characters are _quantitative_ rather than _qualitative_. But _are_ their peculiarities merely _quantitative_, and do not the differences exhibited by these forms more nearly approach the characters commonly regarded as of generic value than do the “_qualitative_” color differences between the forms regarded by Dr. Dwight as species?—W. DEW. MILLER, _American Museum of Natural History, New York City_.

=“Off” Flavors of Wildfowl.=—Following is an extract from a letter on this subject by Dr. L. C. Jones of Falmouth, Mass., who has been quoted in a previous article[34] on this subject. It will be noted that one of Dr. Jones’ theories is much the same as that advanced by the writer in the last sentence of his first communication on fishy flavor.[35]

“I would like to advance a new theory which I think may explain the cause in many cases. I refer to the possibility of “fatigue toxins” in the flesh of birds which have taken long flights and are thin or emaciated and obviously out of condition. The same might hold in those birds which have been shot previously but not wholly disabled. Many of these have intestines agglutinated with peritonitis, local abscesses, or suppurating wounds in the skin or muscles where shot has entered. Unpleasant as it may be to think of this, practically all of these birds reach the market and are undoubtedly eaten, chiefly of course by those who do not dress their own game.

“The more you consider this explanation, the more points you will find to support it. For instance, I have eaten many ducks in the beginning of the season, Redheads, Bluebills and Black Ducks, birds which have just arrived from the north and I think without question that most of them have been comparatively unpalatable. Birds from the same flocks, shot a fortnight or so later, even when the diet has consisted almost entirely of eelgrass seed from the salt water bays and estuaries, have been plump and delicious. May not fatigue with starvation, or rest with repletion, be the great determining factors in the flavor of migrating fowl? You may readily conceive that in certain instances of excessive fatigue or when the abdominal organs were badly infected, the flesh of such birds might be distinctly poisonous....” L. C. JONES, M. D.—W. L. MCATEE, _U. S. Biological Survey, Washington, D. C._

FOOTNOTES:

[30] ‘The Auk,’ I, No. 3, July, 1884, p. 236.

[31] Rep. Expl. and Surv. R. R. Pac., IX, 1858, p. 734 (type by monotypy, _Totanus brevipes_ Vieillot).

[32] Birds of Australia, III, part 3, 1913, p. 206.

[33] It is interesting in this connection to note that Ridgway (Bird N. and Mid. Amer., II, p. 101) rejects _P. erythromelœna_ Salv. 1868 because of _P. erythromelas_ Vieill. 1819 but does not alter the latter!—Ed.

[34] Auk, Vol. 36, No. 1, Jan., 1919, pp. 101-102.

[35] Auk, Vol. 35, No. 4, Oct., 1918, p. 476.

RECENT LITERATURE.

‘=The Game Birds of California.=’—One of the most notable of recent American bird books is the handsome work on ‘The Game Birds of California’[36] by Grinnell, Bryant and Storer issued by the University of California, as one of its Semicentennial publications. The life histories of game birds have never been so well studied and written up as those of certain other species, because those who have had the best opportunities have been more interested in killing the birds than in studying them. We may search the columns of the sporting journals and while we find an abundance of information on how to shoot game birds, how they act in reference to the gunner, and what fine times the gunner had when shooting them, there is a lamentable lack of careful observation on the life and habits of the birds. State Game Commissions are usually made up of hunters rather than of trained ornithologists and consequently their activities are directed along the same lines and their publications are mainly of the same nature though there are notable exceptions. The supervision of the enforcement of the Migratory Bird Law and the succeeding Treaty with Canada, by a committee of the Biological Survey at Washington, has opened the eyes of the public to the importance of entrusting this sort of work to trained experts and the present volume is an example of a state game publication prepared by just such experts. We have had some similar publications by state or local authorities, notably Mr. E. H. Forbush’s admirable ‘History of the Game Birds, Wild Fowl and Shore Birds of Massachusetts and Adjacent States,’ issued by the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture, but they are few, and some State Boards unfortunately adopt an attitude of hostility to the Biological Survey and to scientific research, which is unfortunate and deplorable.

The attitude of the University of California, through its Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy, in turning to practical advantage the information accumulated through the researches of its trained experts is most commendable. We go to the universities for expert information on all sorts of subjects and why not go to their zoölogical departments or to the great museums for information on wild life and its preservation?

Dr. Grinnell and his associates have had the advantage of Mr. Forbush inasmuch as they have been engaged in the personal study of game birds along with their other field work for many years, and consequently have accumulated a vast store of original information, while he was forced to compile a large part of his data in a very short period of time. Their report is therefore an advance over his and is undoubtedly the best work on game birds that has yet appeared in America.

The preliminary chapters treat of the decrease of game, natural enemies of game, gun clubs, introduction of non-native game, game propagation and legislation. From these we learn that the serious decrease in game birds, especially the waterfowl, in California, was first noticed about 1880, since which time it has increased at an alarming rate. In the Fresno region in 1912 flocks of geese were still to be seen in certain sections but ten to twenty years earlier the whole San Joaquin Valley literally swarmed with wild geese during midwinter. “From the windows of a moving train myriads of geese were to be observed, reaching as far as the eye could see on either side of the railroad from Fresno to Stockton—certainly a thousand fold more geese than can be seen today along the same route.” The number of ducks sold in the markets of San Francisco according to careful estimates has decreased from 350,000 in 1911-12 to 125,000 in 1915-16. These are but a couple of illustrations from the many facts collected by the authors of this work. Their conclusions are set forth as follows: “The causes of this decrease are many and diverse but all are due in last analysis to the settlement of the state by the white man. Some of these factors, such as excessive hunting and sale of game, are subject to control; but others such as reclamation of land, and overhead wires are inevitable.... The game supply of the future must rely upon correct inductions based upon careful study of the entire problem, and final adoption of those means which it is found feasible to employ.”

What will be the eventual outcome of the game situation it is hard to foretell. Certainly in our Eastern States the outlook is not encouraging. With the constant decrease in wild land and the issuing of innumerable hunters’ licenses, 295,000 in Pennsylvania last year, the native-bred game will surely disappear—indeed even now Quail have to be imported and many states restocked. When the same conditions prevail in the states from which Quail are now obtainable the species will be practically extinct. And so with the game that comes to us from breeding grounds far to the north. When these grounds are all reclaimed the supply will end and in future we shall be dependent upon game propagated especially for liberation on the shooting grounds, as is the case in England.

It is well worth while to have this matter placed before us in all its seriousness as has been done in the present volume, so that the public may realize with what sort of a problem they have to deal and see the necessity of securing expert advice.

In speaking of gun clubs the authors give due credit to the importance of the preserves which they establish and the care that is taken to limit shooting days and stop illegal gunning on the grounds. At the same time they point out that the preserves prove so attractive to the birds that practically all individuals normally scattered over large areas are congregated there, where they are exposed to regular slaughter by the most skilful shots and the ultimate destruction is probably hastened. As to the introduction of non-native species the author’s verdict is strongly opposed to the practice. They rightly assert that the native species are better adapted to our country and it is our duty to use all our efforts toward their conservation.

The systematic account of the various species naturally occupies most of the text and is admirably done. Under each heading come paragraphs on: other names; description; marks for field identification; voice; nest; eggs; general distribution; and distribution in California. Then follows in larger type a general account of the habits and history of the species and its relative importance as a game bird. The birds included are the Geese, Ducks and Swan; Spoonbill and Ibises; Cranes, Rail, Gallinules and Coots; Shorebirds; Quail and Grouse; Pigeons and Doves, 108 species in all. The technical nomenclature follows the A. O. U. ‘Check-List’ and so do the vernacular names except where they are not in accord with Californian usage. This is perfectly proper in a work of this kind especially as the other names are usually mentioned as well. It is rather amusing however to the eastern ornithologist to read of the Mud-hen “known in booklore as the Coot.” The authors would find that along the Atlantic Coast “Mud-hen” means the Clapper Rail while “Coot” is by no means a book name in the Eastern States. A little further information on this point might save some of their readers no little trouble, especially as they refer in one place to the “Mud Hen in the east, meaning the Coot.” Twelve of the colored plates are by Fuertes and represent that artist at his best while four are by Major Allan Brooks. They form a valuable addition to the published portraits of American birds and add materially to the attractiveness of this well printed volume.

This work will prove of great importance to many different classes of readers: the sportsman will learn more about the game birds of the state than can be found in any other volume and will find the important recognition characters of each species clearly set forth; the bird student, be he amateur or professional, will find it an invaluable work of reference and the conservationist will find in it the facts and suggestions for which he has been seeking. The bibliographies will also prove of the greatest help to those who wish to carry their studies farther and to consult the other works on the subject.

It is encouraging to know that one of the authors of this work, Dr. Bryant, was called, before his task was completed, to fill an important position in the California Fish and Game Commission, and we wish that all the State Game Commissions might be induced to seek men of this type to carry on their activities—surely that is a most important point in game conservation.—W. S.

=Mathews’ ‘The Birds of Australia.’=—Part IV of Vol. VII of Mr. Mathews’ great work[37] brings us almost to the end of the Cuckoos, only a portion of the text of the Coucal remaining to be completed, so that the next part after considering the Lyre Bird will begin the Passeres.

The present number treats of the genera _Cacomantis_, _Vidgenia_, _Owenavis_, _Chalcites_, _Lamprococcyx_, _Eudynamis_, _Scythrops_ and _Polophilus_. The most interesting species among these is the giant “Channel-bill,” _Scythrops_, which lays its eggs in the nests of Crows and Crow-Shrikes, birds of about its own size. It has a remarkably loud call and is often active at night, resembling in the latter particular our American Black-billed Cuckoo, while curiously enough its appearance is considered to indicate approaching storms and it is known as “Stormbird” and “Rainbird” just as our own Cuckoos are named “Rain Crows.” Further investigation of the origin of this belief would be well worth while for those interested in the “folk-lore” of ornithology. There are eleven plates of the various species and one of the tails of Bronze Cuckoos, all by Grönvold, and among the best that have appeared.

We notice one new genus, _Vidgenia_ (p. 327), type _Cuculus castaneiventris_ Gould, and one new race _Cacomantis pyrrhophanus vidgeni_ (p. 326).—W. S.

=De Fenis on Bird Song in its Relation to Music.=—This paper[38] is one of the most important and carefully prepared contributions to the study of bird song that has recently appeared. M. de Fenis has considered his subject systematically, under various headings and the results of his investigations are summed up in his conclusion that “The laws of musical development are the same for the music of man as for the song of birds,” which corresponds essentially with Mr. Henry Oldys’ views on the subject.

The topics which are discussed in the paper are: song of birds in its relation to habits and habitat; difficulties encountered in the notation of bird song; birds which repeat their song regularly; birds which vary their melody but preserve the same rhythm; birds which imitate; birds which improvise.

Many musical and syllabic representations of songs are presented showing some original methods of notation, and illustrating the variation in the song of a single species, especially of the Wren and the Nightingale. An interesting table also shows the relative pitch of the songs of various species of birds in comparison with the range of the human voice and other sounds. In this there seems to be a fairly regular correspondence between the weight of the bird and the pitch of the voice; the highest notes belonging to the smallest and lightest birds.

Those interested in this fascinating subject, which demands considerable musical as well as ornithological knowledge, will do well to read M. de Fenis’ valuable paper.—W. S.

=Dwight on a New Gull.=[39]—In an examination of a series of upwards of fifty specimens of the Western Gull (_Larus occidentalis_) Dr. Dwight shows that the species is clearly divisible into two races, the typical bird of Audubon ranging south at least to Trinidad, California, and a darker mantled form with less gray on the primaries, ranging along both coasts of Lower California north to the Farallon Islands. This latter race Dr. Dwight describes as _Larus occidentalis livens_ (p. 11).—W. S.

=McAtee on the Food Habits of the Mallard Ducks.=—The latest ‘Bulletin’ issuing from Biological Survey treats of the food of the Mallard and Black Ducks.[40] A very large amount of data is presented showing what a great variety of animal and vegetable species go to make up the bill of fare of these birds.

Ninety per cent of the Mallard’s food we learn consists of vegetable matter, more than a third of which is made up of the seeds, roots, leaves and tubers of sedges and grasses, and about a fifth, of similar portions of smart-weeds and pond weeds. Of the ten per cent of animal matter mollusks contribute 5.73 and insects 2.67.

The food of the Black Duck differs materially from that of the Mallard, largely owing to its frequenting the salt marshes and bays along the coast. Only about three fourths of its food is vegetable and fully half of this consists of pond weeds and other submerged plants. Half of the animal food is composed of mollusks, the edible mussel being the favorite, while crustacea furnish eight per cent.

The Southern Black Duck (_Anas fulvigula_) living in a region where the food supply is not affected by cold winters, feeds more largely upon animal matter, forty per cent of its food being of this nature, the greater portion consisting of mollusks. Its vegetable food is largely grasses and smart-weeds.

This report is of especial interest on account of the extensive propagation of these ducks in a semi-domesticated condition and it is another illustration of the thoroughness of Mr. McAtee’s researches along these lines. A half-tone plate of the Mallard and Black Duck from a drawing by Fuertes illustrates the pamphlet. In connection with duck food attention should be called to a recent note by Mr. Alex. Wetmore[41] on lead poisoning among water fowl, in which he states that the shot gathered up by ducks in the neighborhood of shooting stands proves fatal to many individuals. It is ground up in the stomachs by the pebbles therein contained and causes severe diarrhœa followed by slow paralysis. By experiment it was found that six number six shot, when swallowed, were fatal in every case.—W. S.

=Stone on Birds of the Canal Zone.=—In ‘The Auk’ for 1913, pp. 422-429, there was published a list of North American birds observed in the Panama Canal Zone by Lindsey L. Jewel. Mr. Jewel died before he was able to prepare a report on the main portion of his collection. His birds later became the property of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and have been identified by Dr. Stone, who has reported upon them in the present paper.[42] In order to make the list of more general use he has added the names of all other species which had been reported from the Zone by previous writers. The list therefore includes 432 species of which 236 are represented in Mr. Jewel’s collection.

An introduction calls attention to the collections which had been made in the Zone in previous years, while the list proper contains numerous field notes on the various birds, taken from Mr. Jewel’s manuscript memoranda, including accounts of the nest and eggs of a number of species. The South American Swift _Chætura chapmani_ Hellmayr, is recorded from the isthmus for the first time on the basis of two specimens secured at Gatun, July 9, 1911, while the capture of a specimen of _Stelgidopteryx serripennis_ (Aud.) Gatun, December 18, 1910, would seem to extend its range somewhat to the southward.

Under the note on Reiffer’s Hummingbird, Dr. Stone presents reasons for reverting to the name _Amazilia_ for this and other species recently called _Amizilis_ and designates _Ornismia cinnamomea_ Less, as the type of the former genus. Besides containing much original data the paper will be a convenient hand list for future students of Panama bird life.—S. T.

=Shufeldt on the Young Hoatzin.=—Dr. Shufeldt[43] has studied the skeleton and pterylosis of some young Hoatzins submitted to him by Mr. Robert C. Murphy. While his observations seem simply to confirm those of previous writers he has presented some good photographs of both the external appearance of the young bird and the skeleton and has compiled a useful bibliography of papers relating to this interesting species.—W. S.

=Riley on Celebes Birds.=—In studying a collection of Celebes birds obtained by Mr. H. C. Raven in the north peninsula and the mountains of the middle part of the Island, and presented to the National Museum by Dr. W. L. Abbott, Mr. Riley[44] found a number of new forms which are described in the present paper in advance of the complete catalogue of the collection.

A Thickhead apparently allied to _Pachycephala_ is regarded as representing a new genus is described as _Coracornis raveni_ (p. 157), while a Cuckoo Shrike related to _Malindangia_ of the Philippines also becomes the type of a new genus and is named _Celebesia abbotti_ (p. 158). The other new forms are, _Caprimulgus affinis propinquus_ (p. 155); _Collocalia vestita aenigma_ (p. 156); _Rhamphococcyx centralis_ (p. 156); _Lophozosterops striaticeps_ (p. 157); _Cataponera abditiva_ (p. 158); and _Cryptolopha nesophila_ (p. 158).—W. S.

=Oberholser’s ‘Mutanda Ornithologica V.’=—This[45] is the fifth of a series of papers which Dr. Oberholser has been issuing calling attention to necessary changes in the nomenclature of birds in various parts of the world. The species here treated are all Woodpeckers. _Iyngipicus pygmæeus_ (Vig.) he shows must hereafter be known as _Yungipicus mitchellii_ (Mahl.), the specific name being preoccupied and the generic name not following the original spelling. _I. auritus_ (Eyton) becomes _Y. moluccensis_ (Gmel.), the latter specific name being earlier. _Dendropicos minutus_ (Temm.) is preoccupied and is renamed _D. elachus_ (p. 8) while _Campethera punctata_ (Valencien.) becomes _C. punctuligera_ (Wagl.), for the same reason. _Gecinus striolatus_ (Blyth) is in like case and becomes _Picus xanthopygius_ (Bonap.), _Gecinus_ giving way to Picus as explained by Hartert (Vögel Palaarkt. Fauna VII, p. 889).—W. S.

=Miller’s ‘Birds of Lewiston-Auburn and Vicinity.’=—Well prepared local lists have a very definite value and when they are prepared in a way to help the bird student their value is doubled. Such a list is Miss Miller’s well printed brochure on the birds of Lewiston-Auburn, Maine.[46] It consists of notes on 161 species which have been observed in recent times in the region covered, together with 40 additional species of water birds seen by others in the vicinity. Not only is the nature of the occurrence and relative abundance of each species in the main list given, but there are interesting accounts of their habits from personal observation and appropriate quotations from standard works and popular writings on nature, which make the text attractive and readable. Preliminary pages treat of the bird-life of the four seasons and there are some supplementary suggestions to bird students and a table of migrants in the order of their spring arrival. The dedication is to Prof. J. Y. Stanton at whose suggestion the list was prepared and who “was the author’s inspiration in all her bird study.” His death occurred while the work was in press and the addition of the portraits makes it in a measure a memorial to him. We might call attention to the fact that this excellent list does not contain a scientific name except in a reference to the origin of the domestic pigeon. The A. O. U. numbers are given in parentheses and the A. O. U. vernacular names are used with the addition of others when necessary. Thus is a matter that seems to trouble many bird students, easily disposed of! If the use of scientific names were limited to scientific publications there would be far less criticism of the changes in them. Miss Miller’s little book is an excellent model for a present day local list for the use of the amateur bird student who wishes a reliable and helpful hand book.—W. S.

=Recent Papers by Bangs.=—In ‘The Auk’ 1918, p. 441, Mr. Arthur T. Wayne states that on two occasions he saw Black-throated Green Warblers, in the maritime region of South Carolina, building a nest and carrying nesting materials during April. Mr. Bangs[47] now describes one of these April birds as a new subspecies and states that Mr. Wayne sent him a series of seven specimens all of which differed from northern birds in the same way—_i. e._, in duller coloration and smaller bill. The new form is named _D. virens waynei_ (p. 94). In another paper[48] he discusses the species of the genus _Paecilonitta_ as it is now to be spelled, following the original publication. He recognizes _P. bahamensis bahamensis_ (Linn.), Florida to Brazil; _P. b. rubrirostris_ (Vieill.), from southern South America; _P. galapagensis_ Ridgw., Galapagos Isls.; _P. spinicauda_ (Vieill.), southern South America; and _P. erythrorhyncha_ (Gmel.), Madagascar and Africa.

_Peles_ (p. 92) is proposed[49] by Mr. Bangs as a new genus for _Caprimulgus binotatus_ Bp.—A review of the South American Short-eared Owls[50] leads him to recognize three neotropical races. These are _Asio f. breviauris_ (Schlegel) from southern South America; _A. f. bogotensis_ Chapman, from the Bogota Savanna, and _A. f. sanfordi_ (p. 97) subsp. nov., from the Falkland Islands.

Another paper[51] deals with the races of _Dendroica vitellina_ Cory, and a new form is described from Swan Island which Mr. Bangs names _D. v. nelsoni_ (p. 494). It is somewhat intermediate between the other forms—the typical race of Grand Cayman and _D. v. crawfordi_ Nicoll, from Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.—W. S.

=Economic Ornithology in Recent Entomological Publications.=—Items pertaining to this subject continue to accumulate slowly. Those on hand pertain to the following insects:

Larch bark-beetles and borers.—In a general account of insects affecting the larch in Erie County, N. Y., is the following interesting information, relating to the work of woodpeckers.[52]

“The work of woodpeckers is much in evidence and seems to be an efficient agency in reducing to some extent the numbers of the brood of several of the more numerous bark-boring insects. The birds seem to work in two ways—first by making small conical holes through the bark into the sapwood to obtain the larvæ of the larger species of beetles which have gone there to hibernate or to pupate, and secondly by removing practically all of the bark on large areas of the trunk to uncover the brood (larvæ, pupæ and young adults) of the bark beetles.

“In some cases this work reached an unusual degree of efficiency. For instance one particular tree forty or fifty feet high and about 14 inches in diameter, had had nearly all of the bark removed from the ground to the very tip. This tree had been heavily infested with _Dendroctonus simplex_, _Polygraphus rufipennis_ and other borers, but only a small per cent of the original infestation had survived the woodpeckers’ thorough search for food. Of course all of the infested trees had not been so thoroughly gone over by the birds and a number of such trees had apparently not been found by them at all. However, it is safe to say that the woodpeckers were an efficient force, working toward the return of the normal balance of nature which had been upset by the breeding of certain species of insects above the danger level, due to the girdling, season after season, of a number of the larches by farmers. It is not believed that the woodpeckers will be able unaided to reduce the numbers below the danger level, as long as more trees are girdled each year, but should this practice cease it is possible that they would be able eventually to obtain the upper hand and that conditions would return to normal.”

Lepidopterous root-borers.—The grape root-borer (_Memythrus polistiformis_) for which no parasites are known was seen to be eaten in the adult stage by the Crested Flycatcher (_Myiarchus crinitus_).[53] Two other Flycatchers, the Kingbird and Phoebe, are recorded as enemies of both the greater and lesser peach-tree borers (_Sannenoidea exitiosa_ and _Synanthedon pictipes_).[54] All of these insects are not only seriously destructive, but from their secluded habits in the larval stage, have few parasite enemies and are difficult to control by man. They belong to a family of moths all of which in the adult condition more or less closely mimic wasps and other hymenoptera and which have been supposed, probably mistakenly, to derive some advantage from this resemblance, in the way of immunity from predatory enemies.

Cankerworms.—An investigation of the relation of birds to cankerworms near Lawrence, Kansas, has had the same result as those made by several previous students, among whom were Riley, Forbes and Forbush. The following summary of the matter is quoted and abstracted from a report[55] by Mr. Walter H. Wellhouse.

“Next to unfavorable weather, the birds are the most important natural enemies of the cankerworms. Probably no insect is a favorite food of more species of birds than the cankerworm larva. It lives exposed on the outside of twigs and leaves where the birds can easily secure it, and is without distasteful hairs or spines on its integument. The English Sparrow, which is said to have been imported into America to check the ravages of this insect, is no doubt our most efficient cankerworm eater in the cities. We have watched these much-despised birds picking larvæ from the elms at all hours of the day from early morning to twilight, and even during rains. The Robin is also an efficient destroyer of cankerworms, especially of the moths which are found at the base of the tree. The writer has seen flocks of Bronzed Grackles alight in the tall elms in Lawrence, and, moving from branch to branch, noisily devour great numbers of larvæ. Having exhausted the supply on one tree they moved in concert to another tree to continue the feast.

“Many of the more timid birds which are not found in the cities so commonly as the English Sparrow and Robin are just as efficient enemies in the country.

“Mr. C. D. Bunker, curator of mammals in the Dyche Museum, secured a hundred birds from a grove four miles from Lawrence and carefully estimated the percentage of cankerworm larvæ found in their stomachs. They were taken near the edge of the timber where they could easily have returned from the surrounding fields with other food, and the grove is composed of several species of trees, only a small per cent being elms infested with cankerworms.”

The hundred bird stomachs reported upon represent 39 species of birds, all but three of which had eaten cankerworms. Eighteen of the species had at least one individual which had eaten 100% cankerworms. Including birds previously mentioned in the literature as enemies of cankerworms the list now totals 75 species.

White Grubs.—Mr. Norman Criddle has an extremely interesting note on the bird enemies of white grubs (larvæ of _Phyllophaga spp._) in a recent article[56] on these pests in Manitoba. He notes that

“Robins are eager seekers after White Grubs, and have been known to frequent infested fields for weeks. Crows, apart from their habit of following the plough, are also very useful as grub searchers; the same may be said of Flickers.”

The following extract contains a specific recommendation that farm practice be planned chiefly with a view of best utilizing the services of birds in destroying white grubs; a remarkable tribute to the effectiveness of practical economic ornithology:

“Birds are most persistent followers of the plough during their breeding season or while migrating; gulls and terns from May 16th to June 22d, and for a short time late in July; crows and blackbirds, including grackles, from the time grubs appear in May until July 1st.

“From the foregoing we reach the conclusion that to attain the best possible results under conditions existing in Manitoba, ploughing should be done between May 14th and July 1st, and at an average depth of five inches. The idea is, of course, to turn up as many grubs, eggs, or pupæ as possible, a majority of which will, in all probability, be picked up by birds. Many eggs will be destroyed by the plough alone, but it is advisable to harrow as soon as possible after ploughing, as by this means numerous egg cells will be broken, causing a large percentage of deaths among the eggs and newly-hatched young, besides exposing them to attack by birds. Exposed pupæ will also be destroyed by this method.

“So far as the interests of farming is concerned, it will be observed that the above recommendations do not in any way clash with the best cultural methods. There is good reason for believing, too, that they will prove of value in the destruction of wireworms.

“With reference to the large part birds are expected to play in this work, it may be claimed that birds are not always present in sufficient numbers, and that their capacity is, after all, limited. Granting this to be true in certain districts, we must remember that white grubs are only found within comparatively close range of trees, and that their principal habitats coincide with the haunts of Crows, the most persistent of all plough followers. Thus, if there are no Crows present the farmer and sportsman are probably largely to blame, and the question then resolves itself into the economic one as to which does most harm, the Crows or the white grubs. We do not think there can be much doubt on this point in grub-infested localities. The writer has personally seen fully ninety per cent of white grubs exposed picked up by Crows when he was himself the ploughman.

“Blackbirds are more dependent upon water than Crows, hence are not so evenly distributed, but when present prove very efficient grub destroyers. Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) are also extremely useful in this respect, and probably largely compensate for their parasitic habits by this means.”—W. L. M.

FOOTNOTES:

[36] The Game Birds of California. Contributions from the University of California Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy. By Joseph Grinnell, Harold Child Bryant and Tracy Irwin Storer. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1918. Large 8vo., pp. i-x + 1-642, 16 colored plates and 94 text figures. Price cloth $6.00 net.

[37] The Birds of Australia. By Gregory M. Mathews. Vol. VII, Part IV, December 19, 1918, pp. 321-384.

[38] Contribution a l’Etude des Cris et Chant des Oiseux dans ses Rapports avec la Musique. par M. F. de Fenis. Bull. Institut General Psychologique July-December, 1917, pp. 87-130. Paris, at the Office of the Society, 143 Boulevard St. Michel.

[39] Description of a New Race of the Western Gull. By Jonathan Dwight, M. D. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Vol. 32, pp. 11-13. February 14, 1919.

[40] Food Habits of the Mallard Ducks of the United States. By W. L. McAtee, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bulletin No. 720, pp. 1-35 and one plate. December 23, 1918.

[41] Journal Washington Acad. Sci., Vol. VIII, No. 11, pp. 375-376, June 4, 1918.

[42] Birds of the Panama Canal Zone, with Special Reference to a Collection Made by Mr. Lindsey L. Jewel. By Witmer Stone. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sciences Philadelphia, 1918, pp. 239-280, November 30, 1918.

[43] Notes on the Osteology of the Young of the Hoatzin (_Opisthocomus cristatus_) and other Points on its Morphology. By R. W. Shufeldt. Jour. of Morphology, Vol. 31, No. 3, December, 1918, pp. 599-606, plates 1-4.

[44] Two New Genera and eight New Birds from Celebes. By J. H. Riley. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Vol. 31, pp. 155-159, December 30, 1918.

[45] Mutanda Ornithologica V. By Harry C. Oberholser. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Vol. 32, pp. 7-8, February 14, 1919.

[46] Birds of Lewiston-Auburn and Vicinity, by Carrie Ella Miller. With an Introduction by Professor J. Y. Stanton. Lewiston Journal Co., Lewiston, Maine [Spring, 1918], pp. 1-80 and two portraits of Prof. Stanton. Paper cover 50 cts., cloth $1.

[47] A New Race of the Black-throated Wood Warbler. By Outram Bangs. Proc. N. E. Zool. Club., Vol. VI, pp. 93-94, October 31, 1918.

[48] Notes on the Species and Subspecies of _Pæcitonitta_ Eyton. By Outram Bangs. _Ibid._, pp. 87-89. October 31, 1918.

[49] A New Genus of Caprimulgidæ. By Outram Bangs. _Ibid._, pp. 91-92. October 31, 1918.

[50] Notes on South American Short-eared Owls. By Outram Bangs. _Ibid._, pp. 95-98. February 8, 1919.

[51] The Races of _Dendroica vitellina_ Cory. By Outram Bangs. Bull. Mus. Compar. Zoöl. Vol. LXII, No. 11, pp. 493-495. January, 1919.

[52] Blackman, M. W. and Stage, Harry H. Tech. Publ. No. 10, N. Y. State College of Forestry, May, 1918, pp. 16-17.

[53] Brooks, L. E. Bull. 730, U. S. Dept. Agr., Dec. 24, 1918, p. 27.

[54] Gossard, H. A. and King, J. L., Bull. 329, Ohio Agr. Exp. Sta. Sept., 1918, p. 70.

[55] Bull. Univ. Kans. Vol. 18, No. 1, Oct., 1917, pp. 301-302, Wellhouse, Walter H.

[56] Agr. Gaz. Can. Vol. 5, No. 5, May, 1918, pp. 449-454.

The Ornithological Journals.

=Bird-Lore.= XXI, No. 1. January-February, 1919.

When the North Wind Blows. By A. A. Allen.—Excellent photographs of winter birds and account of the actions of the White-breasted Nuthatch.

Our Responsibility. By Mabel Osgood Wright.—Another admirable account of winter bird life, in Connecticut.

Notes from a Traveller in the Tropics. Cuba to Panama. By Frank M. Chapman.

An Evening with Birds in Florida. By J. W. Lippincott.

The Great Horned Owl. By F. N. Whitman.—Account of nest and young.

Under ‘Migration and Plumages of North American Birds’ the Ravens are considered, and there is the usual large collection of Christmas lists.

=The Condor.= XX, No. 6. November-December, 1918.

Nesting of the Rocky Mountain Jay. By W. C. Bradbury.—A valuable account with numerous illustrations of the bird, its nest, eggs, and haunts.

Description of a new Lanius from Lower California. By Harry C. Oberholser.—_Lanius ludovicianus nelsoni_ (p. 209), Todos Santos.

Mr. P. A. Taverner has a letter explaining his practice of employing only binomial nomenclature until the necessary specimens and comparisons are available to ensure beyond a doubt to which race the bird in question belongs (see beyond p. 316).

=The Condor.= XXI, No. 1. January-February, 1919.

A Return to the Dakota Lake Region. By Florence Merriam Bailey.—A continuation of this delightful article.

The Solitaires of Shasta. By W. Leon Dawson.—Good account of the bird and its nesting, with illustrations from photographs.

Nesting of the Short-eared Owl in Western Washington. By E. A. Kitchin.—Good illustrations of nest and young.

Problem: Do Birds Mate for Life? By J. Eugene Law.—The same suggestion is made, among others, as is offered in ‘The Auk,’ p. 138, in comment on a paper of similar title by F. C. Willard. A further extended comment on the same paper follows Mr. Law’s, which is by N. K. Carpenter and supports Mr. Willard, although the evidence except in one instance is no more convincing than was his.

Parasitism of Nestling Birds by Fly Larvæ. By O. E. Plath.—This is a valuable account of the same parasites referred to in a letter of Dr. W. W. Arnold in ‘The Auk’ for January, 1919, p. 147, giving a much fuller history of the insect.

=Wilson Bulletin.= XXX, No. 4. December, 1918.

Finding the Nest of the Knot. By W. Elmer Erkblaw.—On the Crocker Land Expedition, in 1916. Eggs now in the American Museum of Natural History.

Migration Records for Kansas Birds. By Bessie P. Douthitt.—This instalment covers the water birds only. The nomenclature does not follow the A. O. U. List but seems to be a compilation from various authors who have ideas of their own on this subject. The result is rather startling. In the Cranes for instance, the author divides our three species, which everyone has regarded as congeneric, into two groups _Limnogeranus_ and _Grus_, names which by the way are synonyms. As we have stated before we can see no result but confusion in departing from the generally recognized A. O. U. names in local lists of North American species.

Revisory Notes on the List of the Birds of Nebraska. By Myron W. Swenk.—In this list too we find names which have not been authorized by the A. O. U. ‘Check-List.’

=The Oölogist.= XXXV, No. 12. December, 1918.

Observations on a Family of Winter Wrens. By Alex. D. McGrew.—Data on the feeding of the young, with photographs of the female, at Endeavor, Pa.

=The Oölogist.= XXXVI, No. 1. January, 1919.

Some Nesting Birds of the Palisades Interstate Park. By P. M. Silloway.

=The Ibis.= (XI Series), I, No. 1. January, 1919.

Notes on Collections of Birds in the British Museum, from Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Part I. Tinamidæ—Rallidæ. By Charles Chubb.—This report covers collections made by Perry O. Simonds in the countries mentioned which have been presented to the Museum by Mr. Oldfield Thomas; as well as the Goodfellow Ecuador Collection and one made by the late Lord Brabourne in northwestern Peru.

The following new forms are described. _Crypturus garleppi affinis_ (p. 8), Rio Blanca, Bolivia; _Chamœpetes goudotii antioquiana_ (p. 22), Valdivia, Antioquia, Colombia; _Odontophorus guianensis simonsi_ (p. 26), San Ernesto, Mapiri, Bolivia; _O. g. panamensis_ (p. 26), Panama; _O. g. buckleyi_ (p. 27), Sarayacu, eastern Ecuador; _Zenaida auriculata noronha_ (p. 36), Fernando Noronha Island; _Leptoptila verreauxi brevipennis_ (p. 45), Trinidad; _Pardirallus rityrhynchus tschudii_ (p. 50), Junin, central Peru; _Aramides cajanea grahami_ (p. 53); Para.

Birds from the North of France. By Capt. A. W. Boyd.—An annotated list covering a year’s service in the British Army in the departments of Pas de Calais, Somme and Nord.

On One of the Four Original Pictures from Life of the Reunion or White Dodo. By Lord Rothschild.—An interesting historical sketch with reproduction of the picture.

A Note on Capt. Beebe’s Monograph of the Pheasants. By H. J. Elwes.—A tribute to the work, with some important criticism on the value of certain races there recognized.

On the Eclipse Plumage of _Sporophila pileata_. By F. E. Blaauw.—Has distinct winter and summer plumages.

List of the Birds of the Canary Islands, with Detailed Reference to the Migratory Species and the Accidental Visitors.—Part I. Corvidæ-Sylviidæ. By David A. Bannerman.—This is a remarkably complete treatment of the subject, the author having made an exhaustive study of the literature and taken a number of trips to the islands. The present publication is preliminary to a proposed book on the subject.

In the reviews the editor of ‘The Ibis’ honors us by crediting ‘The Auk’ with some 300 more pages than actually appeared in the 1918 volume; we hope however that ere long we may be able to live up to his generous allowance!

=Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club.= CCXXXVII. November 30, 1918.

This number contains the annual review of ornithological activities by the Chairman, Mr. W. L. Sclater.

There are also descriptions of a number of new species, as follows: By W. L. Sclater; _Buteo jakal archeri_ (p. 17), Waghar, Somaliland. By E. C. Stuart Baker; _Bhringa remifer peracensis_ (p. 18), Telom, Malay Peninsula; _Picus canus gyldenstolpei_ (p. 19); Sadiya, Assam; _Thereiceryx lineatus intermedius_ (p. 19), Pahpoon, Burmah; _Cyanops duvaceli robinsoni_ (p. 20), Klang, Malay Peninsula; _Pitta cærulea hosei_ (p. 20), Mt. Dulit, Borneo. By Dr. Hartert; _Corvus rhipidurus_ as a substitute for _Corvus affinis_ Ruppell (p. 210). By Charles Chubb; _Gampsonyx swainsonii magnus_ (p. 21), Amotape, Peru; _G. s. leonæ_ (p. 22), Leon, Nicaragua; _Falco rufigularis petoensis_ (p. 22), Peto, Yucatan; _F. r. pax_ (p. 22), Charuplaya, Bolivia. By G. M. Mathews: _Diomedia exulans westralis_ (p. 23), W. Australia, off Albany; _Acanthiza pusilla peroni_ (p. 23), Peron Peninsula, Australia; _Leggeornis lamberti hartogi_ (p. 24), Dirk Hartog Island, Australia; _Urodynamis taitensis belli_ (p. 24); Norfolk Island.

=Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club.= CCXXXVIII. January 3, 1919.

Mr. Chas. Oldham gave an extended account of the breeding of the Black-necked Grebe (_Podiceps nigricollis_).

Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker discusses the races of _Alcedo meninting_ of which he recognizes six. _A. m. coltarti_ (p. 39), from Saddya, Assam and _A. m. scintillans_ (p. 38), Bankasoon, are described as new.

Dr. Hartert proposed _Aegithalos caudatus pyrenaicus_ for a new race recently described in ‘Novitates Zoölogicæ’ but inadvertently not named.

Mr. Chas. Chubb described: _Sclerurus mexicanus certus_ (p. 41) Guatemala, Volcan de Agua; _S. m. macconnelli_ (p. 41), Ituribisi River, British Guiana; _S. m. peruvianus_ (p. 41), Yurimaguas, east Peru; _S. m. bahiæ_ (p. 42), Bahia, Brazil; and the new genus _Poliolæma_ (p. 42), for _Myrmotherula cinereiventris_ (Scl. & Salv.).

=Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club.= CCXXXIX. January 29, 1919.

Mr. Stuart Baker described as new, _Penthoceryx sonnerati waiti_ (p. 47), Ceylon. Dr. Hartert; _Serinus buchanani_ (p. 50), Maktan, East Africa. Mr. Chas. Chubb; _Dendrocincla bartletti_ (p. 50), Chamicuros, east Peru; _D. fuliginosa wallacei_ (p. 52), Para, Brazil; _Xenops genibarbis cayoensis_ (p. 52), Cayo, British Honduras.

=British Birds.= XII, No. 7. December, 1918.

The Moults and Sequence of Plumages of the British Waders. By Annie C. Jackson.—Northern Phalarope, Stilt, Avocet and Godwit. Concluded in the next number, which contains the Curlew, Snipe and Woodchuck.

=Avicultural Magazine.= X, No. 3. January, 1919.

Colour Change in the Plumage of Birds. By Dr. V. G. L. Van Someren.—A most important reply to a paper by Dr. A. G. Butler which claimed color change in a Weaver Bird (_Pyromelana_) and referred to _Turacus_ as a good illustration of the passing of pigment up the vanes of fully formed feathers. The author states that numerous experiments with the crimson feathers of the latter genus from both skins and living birds failed to show any loss of color. Similar experiments in the Philadelphia Zoölogical Garden, it might be added, resulted in the same way. In regard to the Weaver, all Dr. Van Someren’s birds effected the change by molt as might be expected, and they ate many of the feathers which accounts for the lack of cast feathers in many accounts of supposed color change. These observations should settle this vexed question.

=Avicultural Magazine.= X, No. 2. December, 1918.

The Pigeons of the Gambia. By E. Hopkinson.

=The Emu.= XVIII, Part III. January, 1919.

Haunts of the Letter-winged Kite (_Elanus scriptus Gould_). By Sidney W. Jackson.

An interesting account of a trip through Western Queensland with a list of the birds observed. Illustrations of the nest, eggs and young of the Kite.

Notes on Birds from the Gouldian-Gilbert Type Locality, North Australia. By A. J. Campbell.—This paper is an account of a collection made by Wm. McLennan near Port Essington, the spot where Gilbert collected so many of the birds described by Gould. In commenting on the type localities quoted by Mr. Mathews, the author calls attention to the fact that they do not always agree with those given by Gould in his original descriptions, in the ‘Proceedings’ of the Zoölogical Society. Mr. Campbell would do well to consult the paper prepared by Mr. Mathews and the editor of ‘The Auk.’ (Austral Avian Record, Vol. I, No. 6-7), in which the history of the Gould collection is given and individual specimens selected as the types. The collection is not at Washington, as Mr. Campbell supposes, but at Philadelphia, in the museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences, where it has been ever since it left Europe. The fact that Gould described a few birds from the northwest coast of Australia, before Gilbert reached Pt. Essington, as stated by Mr. Campbell, is interesting and would seem to indicate that the latter should not be quoted as the type locality. In such cases, when all the specimens were labelled Pt. Essington, we selected one of them as the type, as it seemed likely that the labelling might be inaccurate and no other possible types seemed to be in existence.