Correspondence 157 



okxitiiological journals eeceived. 



The Auk, A'ol. XXXI, April aud July, 1914. 



Bird-Lore, A^l. XVI, Nos. 2, 3, 4. 1914. 



Bluebird, Vol. VI, Nos. 10 and 11. 1914. 



The Condor, Vol. XVI, Nos. 2, 3, 4. 1914. 



The Oregon Sportsman, Vol. II, Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7. 1914. 



The Oriole, Vol. II, Nos. 1, 2. 1914. 



The Taxidermist, Vol. 2, No. U. 1914. 



Our Feathered Friends, Vol. I, No. 4. 1914. 



CORRESPONDENCE 



A REJOINDER. 

 By T. C. Stephens. 



There appears in a recent number of the Auk" a criticism by W. L. M. 

 of some -work which has appeared from time to time by students of the 

 Macbride (Iowa) Lakeside Laboratory. Inasmuch as the present writer 

 is largely responsible for this work, and iuasmucli as similar work may 

 appear in the future, it becomes a duty to ascertain to what extent the 

 criticisms are groundeil. 



The criticism is directed wholly at such parts of the work as relate to 

 the food of nestling birds, a field which seems to be guarded zealously 

 by the critic as the peculiar domain of the Biological Survey. 



Let us examine specifically some of the objections raised. He charges 

 the workers with "over-enthusiasm" (a statement rather too vague to 

 detain us), and goes on to say that it is a grievous fault "to publish 

 identifications that could not possibly have been made under the 

 circumstances. ' ' 



Truly, this is a bold and sweeping accusation. Upon wliat does our 

 rash reviewer base- his confidence ? W. L. M. further says, ' ' Now the 

 positive identification of a mosquito, and the distinguishing of the house 

 and stable flies, two obscurely marked species of the same family, require 

 far closer and more definite observation than could possibly be made on 

 specimens in process of being fed to nestling birds." 



This criticism is directed at Gabrielson's work on the catbird (Wils. 

 Bull., XXV, Dec, 1913, pp. 179-180), where, in Table III, 99 "Flies" 

 were recorded as being fed to the young over a period of ten days; and 

 in which the text says ' ' The flies were mostly fish flies, tliough house and 

 stable flies were also noted. ' ' 



* The Auk, XXXX. July, 1914, pp. 420-421. "W. L. M." presumably stands 

 for W. Li. McAtee, of the Biological Survey, but inasmuch as his name does 

 not appear on the editorial staff, and not having been introduced by the 

 Editor of The Auk, the writer regrets to be compelled to refer, in the present 

 note, simply to the initials as signed. 



