VOL. VI.] REVIEWS. 261 



THE FOOD OF BIRDS. 



An Investigation Concerning the Food of Certain Birds. By 

 John Hammond, M.A. {Journal of Agricidtural Science, 

 Vol. IV., pt. 4, June, 1912, pp. 3S0-409). 



The Food of the Bullfinch. By Walter E. Collinae, ■NLSc, 

 F.L.S., F.E.S. {Journal of' Economic Biology, Vol. VII., 

 June, 1912, pp. 50-57). 



The Food of Birds. By Laura Florence, M.A., B.Se. {Trans- 

 actions of the Highland and Agric. Soc. of Scotland. 

 Vol. XXIV., pp. 180-219). 



Methods of Estimating the Contents of Bird Stomachs. By W. 

 L. I\IcAtee {Auk, Vol. XXIX., pp. 449-464). 



We are glad to observe that investigations concerning the 

 food of birds are gradually becoming more frequent in this 

 country, but we are still far l)ehind other countries such as 

 America and Hungary, and this must necessarily be so so 

 long as such costly investigations are left to private enterprise. 



Of the papers enumerated above, the first two are the 

 most important. Mr. Hammond deals with the food of the 

 Starling and the Sky-Lark, while Mr. Collinge treats of that of 

 the Bullfinch. Both investigations seem to have been 

 carried out on thorough, but by no means exhaustive, lines. 

 Both authors have examined a large number of specimens 

 killed at all seasons of the year, but in each case the area 

 over which the specimens were collected is comparatively 

 small. 



Mr. Hammond comes to the conclusion that the Starling 

 is very beneficial during the late spring, summer and early 

 autumn, but that during the autumn and to a less extent in 

 spring, it does much harm by the consumption of seed-corn, 

 although even at these times it also destroys many harmful 

 insects. Mr. Hammond is on dangerous ground when he 

 asserts that " it is the autumn migrants from abroad which 

 do the damage to seed corn," and suggests that these autumn 

 migi-ants might be killed off in large numbers. He apparently 

 assumes that all our breeding Starlings leave us during the 

 winter, but of course this is not so, and we have definite proof 

 by means of " ringing " that many individuals stay with us 

 all the year round. How then are the immigrant Starlings 

 to be poisoned without also killing our breeding birds, which 

 are so useful to agriculture in the summer. It is a great 

 pity that the author made this recommendation without 

 proper regard to the bird's habits ; and this shows that however 

 carefully the food of a bird may be analysed, an exact 



