Meteorology. 695 



pigeon liawk. sparrow hawk, fishbawk, barn owl, long-eared owl, short- 

 eared owl, barred owl, screech owl, and great horned owl. The positive 

 economic benefit of many of these species is urged. 



Two tables are appended, one givin=g- a resume of the lists of stomach 

 contents for each species, and the other giving the percentages of poultry 

 or game, mice, and insects found in the food. 



The weasels, B. H. Warren {Pennaylvania Sta. Rpt. 1893, pp. 159- 

 168, x)ls. 2). — Descriptive notes on Putorius erminea and P. vuhjaris, with 

 notes on their habits. The change of color from brown in summer to 

 white in winter is described at some length, and colored illustrations of 

 each pelage are given. Their food is remarked upon, and their destruc- 

 tiveness to poultry and game especially noted. A table is included 

 giving the condensed reports of 100 observers in regard to the food and 

 habits of weasels. 



The destruction of animals injurious to agriculture, J. Danysz (Ann. Sel. 

 Agron., 10 {1S93), I, Xo. 3, pp. 410-401).— K review of work on the destruction of 

 rodents and insects hy means of contagious diseases. 



METEOROLOGY. 



Winds injurious to vegetation and crops, Gr. E. Curtis ( U. 8. 

 Dept. A(jr., Weather Bureau Bui. 11, pt. 2, Rpt. Intcrnat. Metcorolog. 

 Congress, 1893, pt. 2, pj). 435-444). — Destructive winds are placed in one 

 of the following classes: (1) Violent winds; (2) cold winds; (3) hot 

 desiccating winds. 



In the United States tlie tornado, the derecho, and the West Indian 

 hurricane are the most violent of the class of winds which destroy by 

 their force alone, but as they occur only over limited areas, or at very 

 long intervals, their aggregate damage to fruits and crops is much less 

 than is caused by the winds which frequently accompany local thunder- 

 storms, and by the severe gales which often prevail during the passage 

 of intense general storms. 



The region of greatest destruction by violent winds in the United 

 States is the Great Plains region, from Illinois westward to the bound- 

 ary of cultivation. The greatest destruction is effected when such 

 winds prevail at a late stage of the ripening grain, wheu the heads 

 are thrashed out by the beating winds. 



Tliere are two classes of injurious cold winds: (1) Mountain and val- 

 ley winds; (2) anticyclonic winds, or northerly winds associated with 

 and following cyclones. In the United States mountain and valley 

 winds do not occur to any marked extent, but in part of Europe these 

 winds are exceedingly injurious to the vine and other tender fruits. 

 The second class of cold winds includes those called blizzards and 

 northers in the United States, and the mistral and bora of southern 

 Europe. The fruit orchard is the principal victim of these piercing 

 blasts. These cold winds are the principal enemy of the tender peach 



