378 Recent Literature. [f^ 



beetles had congregated." ! Records of the Biological Survey show this 

 beetle to be devoured by the following additional species of birds : Killdeer, 

 Least Flycatcher, Starling, Orchard Oriole, English Sparrow, Gray-cheeked 

 Thrush and Robin.— W. L. M. 



Dissemination of the Chestnut-blight Fungus. — In 'The Auk' for 

 January, 1915, 2 the writer reviewed a paper on birds as carriers of the 

 chestnut-blight fungus. 3 It was then remarked that " the part birds play 

 in the general spread of the disease is so small that it will never* be seriously 

 urged as a reason for diminishing bird protection." If further argument 

 were needed to buttress this position, it is available in abundance in a 

 paper by the same authors (plus one) on " Air and wind dissemination of 

 Ascospores of the Chestnut-blight Fungus." 4 



Two paragraphs of their conclusions are quoted: " In and near badly 

 diseased chestnut groves or forests the number of ascospores falling on each 

 square foot of exposed surface following a period of rain, as indicated by 

 exposure plates, is very large and is sufficient to offer abundant opportunity 

 for new infections." 



" All of these experiments point to air and wind transport of the asco- 

 spores of the chestnut-blight fungus as one of the very important methods 

 of dissemination. ... It can now be said with absolute certainty that 

 following each warm rain of any amount ascospores are carried away from 

 diseased trees in large numbers. Since they have been obtained in large 

 numbers at distances of 300 to 400 feet from the source of supply, the con- 

 clusion of the authors that they may be carried much greater distances is 

 justified. During dry periods wind dissemination of ascospores does not 

 occur at all or sinks to a very insignificant minimum." 



If the blight is freely distributed by so omnipresent an agency as the 

 wind, the part that birds play in the dissemination must be reckoned as 

 comparatively unimportant. — W. L. M. 



The Ornithological Journals. 5 



Bird-Lore. XVII, No. 2. March-April, 1915. 



Bird-Life in Southern Illinois. III. Larchmound: A Naturalist's 

 Diary. By Robert Ridgway. 



A Mysterious Bird of the Marsh. By Verdi Burtch. — A study of the 

 Bittern with excellent photographs. 



1 Conradi, A. F. & Eagerton, H. C. The spotted click beetle (Monocrepidius 

 vespertinus Fab.). Bull. 179, Dec. 1914, p. 7. 

 • Vol. XXXII, No. 1, p. 119. 



3 Journal Agr. Research, II, No. 6, Sept., 1914, pp. 405-422. 



4 Journ. Agr. Research, III, No. 6, March, 1915, pp. 493-525. 



6 The name of the editor and publisher of each journal will be found in the 

 January number of 'The Auk.' 



