Book News and Reviews 



85 



however, is, we believe, the first naturalist 

 to demonstrate by actual experimentation 

 the relation l)etween humidity and inten- 

 sity in birds' colors. 



He presents a historical review of the 

 subject, and discusses dichromatism and 

 sporadic melanism, but the chief interest 

 in this paper centers in the results of his 

 subjection of a White-throated Sparrow, 

 a Wood Thrush and Inca Doves to an 

 atmosphere with a humidity of 84 per cent, 

 this being .11 greater than the mean annual 

 humidity of New York City. In each 

 instance, after a period of between two 

 and three years for the Thrush and 

 Sparrow, and as many as six years for 

 one of the Doves, the plumage showed 

 a great increase in pigment, the Sparrow 

 being nearly black, the Thrush and Dove 

 with the black areas largely increased. 

 In no case, it should be noted, was there 

 a change without molt. 



In discussing the philospohic aspects 

 of the case, Mr. Beebe concludes that 

 such ontogentic variations are somatic, 

 and would not affect the offspring of the 

 birds exhibiting them, and that we have 

 as yet no means of telling when or how such 

 modifications would become congenital. — 

 F. M. C. 



Report of the Secretary of .Agricul- 

 ture ON the Work of the Biological 

 Survey. Senate Document Xo. 132. 

 Dec. 1907. 8vo. 29 pages, 6 maps. 



We imagine that even those who are 

 most familiar with the admirable work 

 of the Biological Survey will be surprised 

 by this summary of what it has accom- 

 plished since its formation. The results 

 of its investigations of the food habits of 

 birds have formed the very backbone of 

 bird protection throughout this country, 

 and are cited as models wherever the sub- 

 ject of economic ornithology is considered. 

 Its faunal and systematic work, aside 

 from its importance in establishing 

 Life Areas, is of the highest scientific 

 value, while its activity in game protection 

 under the provisions of the Lacey act, 

 have strengthened the game laws of every 

 state and territory by unifying the interests 



involved, and arousing a spirit of coopera- 

 tion among those whose duly it is to pro- 

 tect our wild life. 



The Survey has published over 7,000 

 pages of printed matter. Most of this 

 is unique in character, or, in other words, 

 if it had not been prepared Ijy the Sur- 

 vey it would not be in existence; which 

 is only another way of saying that if it 

 were not for the researches of the Survey 

 we should not know much more about 

 the general food habits and economic 

 value of our birds and animals than we did 

 twenty-five years ago. 



On the merits of this summary, the 

 Survey clearly deserves to be ranked 

 among those branches of the government 

 service which are making returns of the 

 most practical value to the people. — 

 F. M. C. 



Report of the Chief of the Bure.\u 

 of Biological Survey for 1907. By C. 

 H.art Merriam. From Annual Reports, 

 Department of .\griculture, Washington, 

 1908. 8v(). 23 pages. 



The wide and varied field covered by 

 the Biological Survey is evidenced by 

 this summary of its activities during 1907. 

 In economic mammalogy, the Bureau has 

 investigated the relations of coyotes, 

 wolves, rabbits and other destructive 

 native species, of house rats and bacterial 

 diseases. In economic ornithology, work 

 has been done on birds in relation to scale 

 insects, to fruits and to the cotton -boll 

 weevil. The food of wild Ducks is being 

 investigated and a report on the food of 

 Grosbeaks has been concluded. A report 

 on means of attracting birds is promised, 

 but, in the meantime, information in regard 

 to this subject may be obtained on appli- 

 cation to the Survey. A bulletin is also 

 in preparation on the distribution and 

 migration of shore birds. 



Other phases of the Bureau's work, to 

 which attention is here called, are the 

 distribution of trees, the establishment 

 of life and crop zones, the supervision of 

 the importation of foreign birds and mam- 

 mals and of bird reservations, the protec- 

 tion of game in .\laska, the publication 

 of the game laws of the United States and 



