Book News and Reviews 



377 



United States,' and in Bird-Lore for July- 

 August, 191 2 (by F. H. Kennard), with 

 many additional notes and comments 

 by Mr. Forbush. 



As slight addenda, the re\ae\ver might 

 mention that the flowers of the American 

 beech (Fagiis americana) are eaten greed- 

 ily by Purple Finches, that beechnuts are 

 said to be a favorite food of the Red- 

 headed Woodpecker, and that he knows 

 the pin oak (Qiierciis palustris) to have an 

 important influence on the presence of 

 Red-headed Woodpeckers and Tufted 

 Titmice, and that the alders {Alnus 

 incana and A. rugosa) are a winter attrac- 

 tion for Redpolls. 



The pamphlet closes with instructions 

 as to what to do and what not to do in 

 planting and setting out seeds and plants. 

 — C. H. R. 



Second Annual Report of Bird Counts 

 IN the United States, with Discus- 

 sion OF Results. By Wells W. 

 Cooke, Assistant Biologist. Bull. No. 

 396, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 20 

 pp., I map. 



The report of the first season of this work 

 (Preliminary Census of Birds of the United 

 States, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture Bull. 

 No. 187), also by Professor Cooke, was 

 reviewed at length, and its objects and 

 value discussed, in Bird-Lore last year 

 (Vol. XVII, No. 2, p. 136). The counts 

 of 19 1 5 on farms in the northeastern 

 states "make it practically certain that 

 the conclusions drawn as to the numbers 

 of birds on these farms is very nearly 

 accurate." These conclusions are that 

 there is an average of 124 pairs of birds 

 on the average farm of 108 acres. 



"On farms where counts were made in 

 that part of the Plains region east of the 

 one hundredth meridian and in the whole 

 of the southern states, for the part of the 

 farm surrounding the farm home there is 

 almost exactly the same density of bird- 

 population — for the former, 125, and for 

 the latter, 131 pairs of nesting birds to each 

 100 acres — -but the counts so far received 

 do not furnish a sufficient basis for estimat- 

 ing the birds on the remainder of the farm. 



"The data received tend to indicate that 



the western part of the Plains, the Rocky 

 Mountain region, and the Pacific slope 

 contain a smaller number of birds per 

 acre than the eastern states, but as yet 

 no numerical statement may be at- 

 tempted." As an example of the effect of 

 irrigation may be mentioned two reports 

 from western Colorado: "The irrigated 

 land supported a bird-population at the 

 rate of 66 pairs to 100 acres, while on the 

 contiguous non-irrigated land the bird- 

 life shrank to 5 pairs to 100 acres. 



"The further counts made in 1915 

 emphasize the statement of a year ago, 

 that birds are too few on the farm and 

 that their numbers may be largely in- 

 creased by protection and a little care in 

 furnishing natural food and shelter. A 

 bird-population of 70 pairs of native birds 

 of 31 species on 8 acres, at Olney, 111.;* 

 135 pairs of 24 species on 5 acres at Wild 

 Acres, Md.f; 192 pairs of 62 species on 44 

 acres, at Indianapolis, Ind.J; and i8g 

 pairs of 40 species on 23 acres, at Chevy 

 Chase, Md., a half-acre of which showed 

 20 pairs of 14 different species, all indi- 

 cate how largely birds \vill respond to 

 food, shelter, and protection." 



It is probable that this work will be 

 continued in 191 7, and, if so, all who can 

 will be urged to take part in it, but it 

 should be remembered that each enumera- 

 tor should "be able to identify with cer- 

 tainty all the birds nesting on the area he 

 covers, or be able to give a recognizable 

 description of those he is unable to name." 

 — C. H. R. 



The Ornithological Magazines 



The Auk. — The October issue opens 

 with an annotated list, by Mr. S. F. Rath- 

 bun, of 'The Birds of the Lake Crescent 

 Region, Olympia Mountains, Washing- 

 ton.' The half-tones showing views of the 

 country are of unusual excellence. There 

 is also a list by Mr. R. F. Hussey, 'Notes 

 on Some Spring Birds of La Plata,' and 

 one by Mr. A. Wetmore on 'The Birds of 



*See Bird-Lore, XVII, 1-7, 91-103, January- 

 April, 1915. 



tThe 191S record for density of population; see 

 Bird-Lore, XVII, 77-84, March-April, 1916. 



JMuch the highest record in variety. 



