^oofe jl^ehjg antr fftebietnsf 



Pets: Their History and Care. By 

 Lee S. Crandall, Assistant Curator of 

 Birds, New York Zoological Park. 

 Henry Holt & Co., New York. lamo. 

 XII + 372 pages, numerous illustrations. 



Mr. Crandall's book treats of Mammals, 

 Birds, Reptiles and Batrachians, and the 

 Aquarium. "Every normal child," he 

 writes, "of whatever race or creed, is 

 born with an innate love of wild things. 

 If allowed to languish from lack of intelli- 

 gent parental interest and supervision, 

 this natural instinct is gradually lost or 

 degenerates into unintentional cruelty of 

 ignorance. Properly fostered and devel- 

 oped, it is certain to exert a beneficent 

 influence on the trend of developing char- 

 acter. . . . The sterling qualities of 

 kindness, responsibility and regularity are 

 acquired, and many of the problems which 

 perplex the adolescent adjust them- 

 selves normally by constant contact with 

 reproductive life." 



This is so true that we sometimes 

 regret that the stringency of our laws pro- 

 hibits us from keeping as pets, under proper 

 conditions, certain of our birds which ap- 

 pear to thrive in confinement under proper 

 conditions. 



However, there are many other forms 

 of life which take kindly to captivity and 

 with which we may establish those inti- 

 mate relations resulting from daily asso- 

 ciations with creatures that are dependent 

 upon us for existence. It is the longing to 

 establish this relation rather than the 

 desire to imprison, which causes us to con- 

 fine our pets. No pet is loved more than 

 the one which, given its freedom, still 

 shows its fondness for us by refusing to 

 make good its escape. 



Here lies the chief charm of 'bird gar- 

 dening.' Our lunch-counters, bathing- 

 places and nest-boxes promote an under- 

 standing between us and our bird pen- 

 sioners and tenants which turns the 

 species into the individual; the passing 

 acquaintance into a friend. — F. M. C. 



(2 



The Ornithological Magazines 



The Auk.— The April issue is largely 

 filled with semi-popular articles that are 

 well worth the perusing, while a sprinkling 

 of the technical leavens the loaf. An 

 obituary on Prof. W. W. Cooke, an A. O. 

 U. Fellow, from the facile pen of Dr. T. S. 

 Palmer, pays tribute to the excellence of 

 the life-work of this indefatigable toiler 

 whose chief contributions cover the field 

 of bird migration in North America. A 

 portrait accompanies the obituary. 



Dr. C. W. Townsend 'In Audubon's 

 Labrador' takes us, in 191 5, with him over 

 the same ground traversed by the great 

 ornithologist in 1833 and shows us photo- 

 graphs of the country and some of its 

 feathered denizens. It is of interest to note 

 that on the original trip Audubon named 

 Lincoln's Sparrow after a member of his 

 party who secured it, and this was the 

 only new species he added to his Hst. Dr. 

 Townsend also discusses the status of 

 'The Labrador Chickadee {Penthestes 

 hudsonicus nigricans) in Southward Mi- 

 gration,' and Mr. H. W. Wright, writing 

 under, a similar title, deals with the 'wave' 

 of this bird that reached Boston and the 

 vicinity in the fall of 1916. 



Swinging to the other side of the con- 

 tinent we may read what Mr. F. S. Hersey 

 has to say on 'The Present Abundance of 

 Birds in the Vicinity of Fort St. Michael, 

 Alaska.' Comparing his observations with 

 those of Mr. E. W. Nelson, the pioneer of 

 1877-1881, the most marked changes in 

 the bird-life of this dreary locality seem to 

 be in the diminution of the Ducks and 

 Geese. 



Mr. J. A. Farley in 'Ornithology at St. 

 Marks' strikes an original vein, cleverly 

 and pleasantly introducing us to the 

 various birds represented in the mosaics in 

 the ceiling of the atrium of the ancient 

 Venetian basilica. 



Mr. H. Mousley records 'The Breeding 

 of the Black-throated Blue Warbler at 

 Hatley, Quebec,' and in 'Notes and News, 



13) 



