Book News and Reviews 



165 



the foundations of our knowledge of the 

 ornithology of northern Canada. 



F. C. R. Jourdain reviews our knowledge 

 of the nesting of the Barnacle Goose on 

 precipitous crags in the north, giving details 

 of observations thereon in Spitzbergen, and 

 a full-page photograph of its nest with eggs. 

 A. A. Saunders discusses flight-songs and 

 mating-songs. A bird's flight-song may or 

 may not likewise be its mating-song. E. R. 

 Kalmbach compares the food of the Starling 

 in Britain and America. With the recent 

 increase of this bird to excessive numbers in 

 Britain, associated with a heavy migration 

 to the island in fall, its food habits have be- 

 come injurious, whereas in America it is still 

 distinctly beneficial to agriculture. Chapin 

 gives the results of an anatomical study of 

 the male American Bittern in breeding season, 

 corroborating Bradford Torrey's observation 

 that the pumping note is dependent on ex- 

 tension of the neck with air, and discussing 

 the probable mechanics of the process (illus- 

 trated). Baldwin presents some details of 

 bird-banding in 192 1 (traps, and handling a 

 bird in banding, illustrated from photo- 

 graphs). Mention is made of two Blue Jays 

 at least six years old, a Cardinal at least five, 

 a White-throated Sparrow of at least six 

 years, which had made five trips to the north 

 (from Georgia) and return, since being 

 banded. A Myrtle Warbler, at least five 

 years old, has made four trips. A transient 

 Chipping Sparrow, passing through in March, 

 is at least five years old. In Ohio, a Chimney 

 Swift which came down the identical chimney 

 in June of 1916, 1917, and 1921, must have 

 been south each intervening winter. 



In faunal papers, M. W. Daly gives an 

 annotated summer list of 90 species from the 

 southern Catskills, 14 being considered mi- 

 grants; W. Rowan presents an annotated 

 list of 106 species, the results of work at 

 Indian Bay, Manitoba, from June 15 to 

 August 4, 1920; and G. Wilson, an annotated 

 list of 178 birds of Bowling Green, Ky. 

 Oberholser lists various proposed changes in 

 the 'A. O. U. Check-list of North American 

 Birds.' 



In 'General Notes' faunal items as usual 

 predominate. From late January through 

 February, 1922, a remarkable assemblage of 



Canvasback Ducks, estimated at 10,000 

 birds, is reported from the Detroit River 

 (E. S. Wilson). An increase of American 

 Egrets is noted in Chatham County, Ga. 

 (W. J. Ericksen). The introduced 'Hunga- 

 rian' Partridge has become established in 

 Saskatchewan (J. S. Dexter). The Black 

 Vulture has been largely driven out of 

 Georgetown, British Guiana, because of its 

 proved pollution of the water-supply (C. A. 

 Wood). In describing a Connecticut nesting 

 of the Henslow's Sparrow, A. A. Saunders 

 comments on hearing "only the short song." 

 The reviewer has been familiar with a colony 

 of Henslow's Sparrows on Long Island each 

 summer since 191 2, and never having heard 

 anything but the short song, has wondered 

 if there could possibly be confusion between 

 the notes of this bird and those of the Grass- 

 hopper Sparrow, the flickering song of which 

 is at times more frequent than its conventional 

 one. The two species sometimes, but not 

 usually, nest in identical situations. 



E. L. Poole records a variety and numbers 

 of northern breeding shore-birds among 

 other water-birds seen at islands off Virginia, 

 June 30 to July 2, 1921, including species, 

 such as Black-breasted Plover and Knot, 

 which would probably not have returned 

 from the north at that date. This is a very 

 interesting record, to discuss which space is 

 not here available. Birds heard passing 

 southeasterly over Iowa at night with a 

 January storm (E. D. Nauman) sound, to 

 the reviewer, like Snow Buntings. In bird- 

 banding William I. Lyon finds that individual 

 birds of a given species differ markedly in 

 temperament. — J. T. N. 



Book News 



The Department of Public Instruction of 

 the State of Pennsylvania, through its Super- 

 intendent, Dr. Thos. E. Finegan, has issued 

 an exceptionally attractive and useful Arbor 

 and Bird Day Manual. (Address, Harrisburg.) 



The contents of the Bulletin of the 

 Illinois Audubon Society for the spring of 

 1922, an illustrated pamphlet of 48 pages, 

 bespeaks the continued activity of this or- 

 ganization as a society not alone for the 

 preservation, but for the study of birds (Ad- 

 dress, 1649, The Otis Building, Chicago). 



