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A Review of Economic Ornithology in 

 THE United States. By T. S. Palmer, 

 Assistant Chief of Biological Survey. 

 Reprint from Yearbook of Department 

 of Agriculture For 1899. Pages 259- 

 292, 3 Pll. I Fig. 



After tracing, in the development of 

 the Science of Ornithology in America, 

 the beginnings and growth of the study of 

 the economic value of birds, which lead to 

 the establishment of the Division of Eco- 

 nomic Ornithology and Mammalogy (now 

 the Biological Survey) in the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, Dr. Palmer 

 reviews the work of this Division and then 

 presents a broad general survey of the 

 commercial value of birds to man. The 

 use of birds and their eggs for food, the 

 employment of their feathers for decorative 

 purposes, and the gathering of bird-guano 

 are here discussed in the light of numer- 

 erous statistics of the utmost interest and 

 importance. 



Having thus reviewed the strictly eco- 

 nomic status of birds. Dr. Palmer consid- 

 ers their destruction under bounty laws, 

 their preservation under protective laws, 

 and also the introduction of foreign birds. 



It is impossible to go into details, but 

 we may briefly say that no general paper 

 known to us so clearly defines the bird's 

 economic standing. It abounds in facts 

 and figures and should be in the possession 

 of every bird-student and especially of 

 these advocates of bird-protection who 

 would base their arguments on sound, 

 logical ground. — F. M. C. 



Abstract of the Proceedings of the 



Delaware Valley Ornithological 



Club of Philadelphia. No. Ill, 



1898-1899 Published by the Club. 



The Delaware Valley Ornithological 

 Club meets at the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences, in Philadelphia, on the first 

 and third Thursdays of each month from 

 October to May, inclusive. The average 

 attendance during the two years covered 

 by this report is shown by it to be about 20, 



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and the character of the papers and notes 

 presented, with the discussion thereof, 

 prove the club to be a thoroughly active 

 organization, doubtless the most active 

 local bird club in this country. 



In addition to abstracts of the reports 

 of meetings, this publication contains the 

 following papers presented in full : 'Birds 

 of the Blizzard of 1899,' 'Migration Data 

 on City Hall Tower ' by William L. Baily, 

 wherein are given the data connected 

 with the 527 birds of 56 species which 

 were killed by striking the tower from 

 August 27, 1899 to October 31, 1899, and 

 the ' Summer Birds of the Higher Parts 

 of Sullivan and Wyoming Counties, Pa.' 

 compiled by Witmer Stone, an extremely 

 interesting list of 98 species of which no 

 less than 13 are representative of the 

 Canadian fauna. — F. M. C. 



Check List of the Birds of Ontario and 

 Catalogue of Birds in the Biological 

 Section of the Museum, Department 

 of Education. Toronto By C. W. 

 Nash. 8vo , pages 58. 



The author lists 302 species and sub- 

 species of which all but nine are represent- 

 ed in the museum of the Department of 

 Education The annotations are good as 

 far as they go but, to our mind, seem too 

 brief for the large area covered, and the 

 addition of definite records of migration 

 from several points in the Province would 

 add greatly to the value of the list for 

 students.— F. M. C 



Check List of New York Birds. By 

 Marcus S. Farr. Bulletin of the New 

 York State Museum, No. 33 Vol 7. 

 April, 1900. 8vo Pages 409 25 cents. 



This is a nominal list of the birds 

 which have been recorded from New York 

 State, 380 in number, published in advance 

 of a more detailed work, as a convenient 

 check-list for students. For this purpose 

 it is printed on only one side the page, 

 blank pages being left for the entry of 

 otes. This plan of preliminary publi- 



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