BULLETIN No. 32. 19 



Notes on Some Birds from Santa Barbara Islands^ California. 

 By Harry C. Oberholser. From the Proceedings of the U. S. 

 National Museum, Vol, XXII, pages 229-234. (No. 1196). 



This is an annotated list of a collection of birds made by 

 Mr. Clark P. Streator, under the auspices of the Bological 

 Survey of the Department of Agriculture, from April 9 to 

 July 20, 1892. The list comprises twenty-seven species. The 

 annotations have chiefly to do with range and plumage. — L. J. 



Birds in Horticulture. By Wm. E. Praeger. 



We have seWom seen twelve printed pages so full of sound 

 logic and indisputable fact, and so full of suggestions that can 

 readily be acted upon, as this one. The author clearly shows, 

 first the damage done by insects to crops in the state of Illinois; 

 second, how much of insect food the birds destroy during the 

 year, and finally estimates how much value in grains, fruits 

 and garden vegetables would be saved if the bird population 

 could be increased by one per cent. The latter part of the 

 paper is naturally devoted to answering the question How can 

 we bring about this increase of one per cent. He w^ould en- 

 courage the growth of wild fruits upon which the birds are 

 wont to feed, instead of cutting it down as so much rubbish. 

 Mulberry trees are possibilities in every yard, and furnish the 

 birds with a royal banquet just at the time when cherries and 

 blackberries ripen. The encouragement of wild fruits ser^^es 

 a twofold purpose ; furnishing the birds with an easily pro- 

 cured food supply and so lessening their appropriations from 

 the orchards and gardens. He does not deny that birds may 

 sometimes do damage, but makes it plain that these few depre- 

 dations can readily be prevented by the use of scarecrows and 

 other harmless devices. We heartily commend the paper to 

 our readers. — L. J. 



Half Hours with the Birds. By Christopher Greaves. 



This little twenty-seven page pamphlet treats of ' ' The 

 Cardinal at Home," "The Blue Jay as He Is," " The Shrike 

 or Butcherbird," "A Chat on Birds' Eggs," " A Remedy for 

 the Sparrow Plague," "The Orioles." These topics are 

 treated in a popular chatty manner, wnth a hint or more about 

 the colors and songs and food habits of the birds, with some 

 touches of life history. It seems to us unfortunate that the 



