BULLETIN No. 36 81 



In this memoir Dr. Shufeldt gives particular attention to 

 the osteology of the Geococcyx calif ornianiis; most of the plates 

 are well executed, especially those of the skull and pelvis, 

 which structures receive detailed attention in the text. Taking 

 Geococcyx as a basis for comparison a number of different types 

 are considered, as Crotophaga, Centropiis, Diplopterus,Coccyius, 

 and others, it is of interest to note that in Coccy^us the 

 trachial rings are as completely ossified as are any of the trach- 

 ial rings among the Fasseres. There is also herein included 

 some notes on the osteology of a nestling of the Coccyiiis 

 americaniis. At the end of the paper there is a " Synopsis of 

 the Principal Osteological Characters of the three subfamilies of 

 of the United States Cuculidae "; which probably will be found 

 quite useful, and finally Dr. Shufeldt closes the subject with a 

 very brief but none the less interesting discussion of cuculine 

 kinships. W. E. R. 



Yearbook of the United States Tfepartment of Agriculture, 

 I goo. The value of this publication to the people it reaches is 

 undoubtedly great. 500,000 copies are issued yearly. Orni- 

 thologically, two papers interest us. The first: How Birds 

 Affect the Orchard, p, 291-304. By F. E. L. Beal, B. S., gives 

 an informal annotated list of some birds important to the fruit 

 grower, which include Woodpeckers, Titmice, Nuthatches, 

 Brown Creeper, Cuckoos, Baltimore Oriole, Warblers, Vireos, 

 Birds of Prey, and Shrikes. Under the somewhat misleading 

 subtitle of " Birds Harmful to the Orchard," we have the Pur- 

 ple and House Finches, Robin, Catbird and Cedar Waxv\ing. 

 Although the varities of fruit eaten, extent of damage, and 

 localities affected are cited in the text; the wisdom of so placing 

 some of our Eastern birds, particularly the Robin, in this cate- 

 gory might well be questioned, as even the qualifying after- 

 thought expressed in the investigator's belief '• that the dama^^e 

 is usually caused by an abnormal abundance of a species within 

 a limited territory," cannot wholly efface the impression already 

 received. The omission of the European House Sparrow, v\'hich 

 unquestionably destroys a greater variety and quantity of cul- 

 tivated fruits in many sections of the country than all the native 



