62 The Ottawa Naturalist. [June 



some specimens of obscure plant remains seen. Mr. Nichols 

 pointed out a fault in the rock on the opposite side of the brook 

 in view of the audience. The strata on the western side of the 

 . fault dips at a considerable angle and gradually becomes nearly 

 horizontal at some distance away, while on the east side the 

 layers are almost undisturbed. Attention was also called to the 

 erosion of the clay Ijeds and soft shale through which the small 

 brook has cut a deep gull v. 



J. W. G. 



BOOK REVIEW. 



Birds of New Yorks by Elon Howard Eaton; Part I, Intro- 

 ductory Chapters; Water Birds and Game Birds: New 

 York State Museum, Albany, N.Y., Memoir 12. 

 This sumptuous volume of 390 pages, beautifully printed 

 on the best of paper, has just recently appeared. It is in every 

 way fullv up to the high standard of the other excellent Memoirs 

 of the New York State Mtiseum, the authorities of which have 

 done so much to stimulate research in natural history. The 

 economic importance of a study of birds is now widely recognized. 

 Much investigation into their feeding habits has proved beyond 

 doubt that they are extremely important friends of the agri- 

 culturist, in fact, of the whole communit\' at large. 



At the present time it is stated that there are 411 species 

 of Inrds wdiich have been recorded as occurring in New York 

 State. The species have been grouped into six classes, viz.: I. 

 Residents, II. Summer residents. III. Transients, IV. Winter 

 visitants, V. Summer visitants, VI. Accidental visitants. In 

 an interesting chapter near the beginning much useful informa- 

 tion is given on life zones, as well as charts to illustrate the dis- 

 tribution of the birds which breed in the three life zones of New 

 York. In a chapter on "Increase and Decrease of Species," it 

 is remarked that it is the general testimony of authors that there 

 has been a marked diminution in the bird life of New York State 

 during the pavSt century.',iThe"reasons why this is so are clearly 

 set forth and are only too well: known.'./ Modern agriculture is 

 responsible for the death of many birds. Telephone and tele- 

 graph wires, electric lights, plate glass windows, cats and 

 thoughtless boys, in cities and towns, all add to the danger to 

 many species. "Perhaps the most destructive class are the 

 thoughtless boys who go birds' egging and shooting indiscrimi- 

 nately; also foreigners, mostly Italians, who often kill all kinds 

 of birds for food, as thev have been accustomed to do in their 

 native country; and the pot hunters and market gunners, who 



