1915 J Recent Literature. 119 



Birds as Carriers of the Chestnut-Blight Fungus. 1 — Birds have 

 been charged with distributing various plant diseases, but their relation 

 to chestnut blight is the only case of this nature that has been scientifically- 

 investigated. The writers of the article here cited examined 36 birds be- 

 longing to 9 different species which were collected among diseased chest- 

 nuts in Pennsylvania. Using a most careful and thorough technique, 

 they found that of the 36 birds tested 19 were " carrying spores of the 

 chestnut-blight fungus. The highest positive results were obtained from 

 two Downy Woodpeckers, which were found to be carrying 757,074 and 

 624,341 viable spores of Endothia parasitica. The next highest was a 

 Brown Creeper with 254,019 spores." (p. 412) . The other birds upon which 

 spores were found were the Golden-crowned Kinglet, Junco, White-breasted 

 Nuthatch, and Sapsucker. Three species, the Black and White Creeper, 

 Flicker, and Hairy Woodpecker gave negative results. It was found also 

 that the birds carried spores of a large number of fungi other than that 

 producing chestnut-blight. 



The authors conclude that "birds in general are important carriers of 

 fungous spores," and that in particular " birds which climb or creep over 

 the bark of chestnut trees are important agents in carrying viable pycno- 

 spores of the chestnut-blight fungus, especially after a period of consider- 

 able rainfall." 



" Birds are probably not very important agents in spreading the chest- 

 nut blight locally, on account of the predominance of other and more 

 important factors of dissemination, as, for example, the wind." 



" The writers believe, however, that many of the so-called ' spot infec- 

 tions ' (local centers of infection isolated from the area of general infection) 

 have had their origin from pycnospores carried by migratory birds. Some 

 of the birds tested were not permanent residents of eastern Pennsylvania, 

 but were shot during their migration northward. These, no doubt, carry 

 spores great distances. Each time the bird climbs or creeps over the trunk 

 or limbs of a tree some of the spores may be brushed off and may lodge in 

 crevices or on the rough bark. From this position they may be washed 

 down into wounds by the rain and may thus cause infections." (p. 421). 



The findings of this paper are based upon umimpeachable evidence and 

 the conclusions must be accepted at face value. Nevertheless, the part 

 birds play in the general spread of this disease is so small that it will never 

 be seriously urged as a reason for diminishing bird protection.- — W. L. M. 



Reichenow's "Die Vbgel." 2 The second volume of this important 

 work was distributed on October 24. It follows the plan of volume one, 



1 Heald, F. D., and Studhalter, R. A., Journ. Agr. Research, ir. No. 6, Sept. 

 1914, pp. 405-422, PI. XXXVII, 2 figs. 



2 Die Vogel. Handbuch der Systematischen Ornithologie von Anton Reichenow 

 Zwei Bande. Zweiter Band. Mit 273 text bildern gezeichnet von G. Krause. 

 Verlag von Ferdinand Euhe. Stuttgart, 1914. 8vo. pp. 1-628. Price, M. 

 18.40. 



