360 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



"The society hopes to follow up its organization this winter with 

 several public meetings, where illustrated talks will be given by 

 those ju'oniinent in bird protecti(Hi and ornitliology (whieh seems 

 still to be one of the most successful ways of reaching the general 

 public), and by special work among the schools." 



Considerable literature has come to our desk. One of the most 

 commendable was Bulletin No. 30, by the Biological Survey, of the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, entitled "Birds of California in 

 Relation to the f'ruit Industry." This consists of one hundred 

 pages with five plates and will prove of considerable interest to bird 

 students. We regret to be obliged to chronicle the suspension of 

 a valued and interesting publication known as "Birds and All Na- 

 ture," by the Nature Publishing Company, of Chicago, as this pic- 

 tured objects in natural colors, and was commendable in its popular 

 instruction. The Ornithologist of your Board has prepared a set of 

 colored slides of birds and occasionally gives popular lectures on 

 this subject, the last having been as recent as last Friday night 

 to a church audience in Harrisburg. We recommend further activi- 

 ties in bird protection and intelligent legislation along this line. 



Several reports have reached us concerning the increase of the 

 English Starling and the damage done by this bird, which appears 

 to be in its habits and luuints or place of living intermediate be- 

 tween the Blackbird and the English Sparrow. We regret its intro- 

 duction into this country, and recommend its destruction. It ap- 

 pears to be a grain eater and fruit eater without much value as an 

 insect killer. We here show specimens of the same, with the hopt* 

 that it will be more readily recognized than from descriptions. 

 These specimens were kindly loaned for this purpose by Dr. William 

 Deutcher, of the American INfuseum of Natural History, who is 

 president of the A.merican Association of Audobon Societies. The 

 Starling resembles a brownish blackbird with white specks or small 

 spots on the back, but its long drawn whistling note enables it at 

 once to be distinguished from any blackbird found in the State. 



REPORT OF GEOLOGIST NO. 1. 



Soils, Forestry and Practical Geology. 



BT Dr. Isaac a. Harvet, Lock Haven, Pa. 



Upon assurance that I might be indulged in some digression from 

 the usual and routine or conventional form of report, I venture to 

 submit some thoughts, in a cursory way, on Soils, Forestry and cer- 

 tain aspects of Practical Geology, as it affects the material interests 

 of the farmer. 



In the past year, I have received very few inquiries relative to the 

 various subjects, which, in my province as an Economic Geologist, 

 are of direct import or concern to the farming community; but I 

 have been engaged, largely, in the development of mineral prop- 

 erties, and assume that it is entirely proper to avoid any technical 



