° 'i9i3 J Recent Literature. * 2o3 



full consideration is given to bird enemies. Wetmore's account 1 of the 

 subject is quoted almost in full and the statement made that " The most 

 efficient enemies of the changa are to be found among the native birds." — 

 W. L. M. 



Protection of Military Carrier-Pigeons. — An interesting article 2 

 by Professor Henri Blanc, informs us that the Military and Interior Depart- 

 ments of the Swiss government in 1915 demanded that a warfare be carried 

 on throughout Switzerland against birds of prey capable of destroying 

 Carrier Pigeons in flight with messages. In following this order some of 

 the cantons offered bounties of as much as four francs per bird. From 

 Sept. 11 to Dec. 13, 1915, Professor Blanc states, 86 hawks were pre- 

 sented for identification at the museum of which he is curator. Among 

 these were 11 Cerchneis tinnunculus and 17 Buteo vulgaris which are 

 deemed especially useful species. Examination of the stomachs of some 

 of these birds revealed only small rodents in those of the former species 

 and large grasshoppers and small rodents in those of the latter. 



Examination of the stomachs of Accipiter nisus, Astur palumbarius and 

 Falco peregrinus yielded only remains of small birds, and in one case of a 

 chicken. " On the basis of these autopsies," the author says, " one must 

 conclude that the rapacious birds killed in the canton of Vaud in 1915 

 have not done the assumed damage to the carrier pigeons of the army." 

 The total number of birds of prey killed in Switzerland in 1915 was 806, 

 of which 506 were Accipiter nisus, 159 Astur palumbarius and 35 Falco 

 peregrinus. This is a very high percentage (more than 80) of destructive 

 bird hawks, and shows greater success in restricting slaughter to these 

 species than has been attained in similar campaigns in the United States. 



A recent issue of the Official Bulletin 3 informs us that the United States 

 army also is losing some of the carrier pigeons in training, but from another 

 cause. The Bulletin says " Any pigeon in the air may be a carrier pigeon 

 flying from a loft under government supervision. Its destruction may be 

 a serious loss to the American Army. All persons therefore, are urged 

 ^o refrain from the shooting of pigeons and to discourage the practice." 

 The birds bear bands with the legend " U. S. A. — 18 " and persons coming 

 into possession of any birds so marked are requested to report the fact to 

 the Chief Signal Officer, Land Division, Washington, D. C— W. L. M. 



Birds Probably not Distributors of Hog Cholera. — The following is 

 quoted from the Annual Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Animal 

 Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture for 1917 (p. 48). " The belief 

 that birds play an important part in the spread of hog cholera led to some 



i Bull. 326, U. S. Dept. Agr., 1916, pp. 9, 10, 21, 31, 32. 



2 Destruction des Oiseaux rapaces diurnes dans le canton de Vaud et en Suisse pendant 

 l'annee 1915. Bull. Soc. Vaud. Sci. Nat., 51, 1917, pp. 315-319. 



3 Washington, D. C. Feb. 5, 1918, p. 8. 



