" i9i9 J Recent Literature. 0U7 



' California Fish and Game n for April contains an article of the insec- 

 tivorous habits of the Herring Gull, by A. C. Burrill, a convincing argument 

 in favor of the bird, while in ' Fins, Feathers and Fur,' 2 Thaddeus Surber 

 has an interesting paper on the Pine Co. Minnesota Game Refuge as a 

 playground, and there is a remarkable photograph of Mallards at Crane 

 Lake, Illinois. Taking the opposite view from that expressed in the 

 ' Audubon Bulletin ' this journal unhesitatingly condemns the Crow and 

 endorses the national crow shoot. — W. S. 



Report of the National Zoological Park. 3 — The second annual report 

 of superintendent Ned Hollister shows a slight increase in the collections, 

 notwithstanding the restrictions of war times. The birds include 190 

 species, represented by 706 individuals in comparison with 182 species and 

 683 individuals in 1917. Among the more notable acquisitions of the year 

 were six Keas (Nestor notabilis) and eight Wekas or flightless Rails (Ocy- 

 dromus) from South Island, New Zealand; a pair of Straw-necked Ibis 

 (Carphibis spinicollis) from Australia ; a pair of Thick-billed Parrots (Rhyn- 

 chopsitta pachyrhyncha) from the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona; and a 

 Santo Domingo Parrot (Amazona ventralis). Forty-five birds were hatched 

 during the year, including several American Coots. This is apparently the 

 first record of the breeding of this species in captivity, at least in this 

 country. Waterfowl (Anseriformes) constitute the largest group in the 

 collection. Of the 40 species represented, two-thirds are North American. 

 These birds are kept in an enclosure provided with a large pond, where they 

 can be readily seen, and thus form one of the most attractive exhibits in the 

 Park. A noteworthy feature of the report is the complete list of mammals, 

 birds, and reptiles by species and individuals and the care exercised in the 

 use of correct scientific names. — T. S. P. 



Annual Report of the New York Zoological Society. 4 — The report 

 for 1918 shows commendable progress in the various activities of the New 

 York Zoological Society in spite of adverse conditions due to the war. Two 

 sections of this report contain notes of ornithological interest. The Depart- 

 ment of Birds, in charge of Lee S. Crandall, Curator, and William Beebe, 

 Honorary Curator, has maintained its collections " somewhat reduced in 

 numbers but still rich in rare and unusual forms." Only 16 species new to 

 the collection were added during the year. Of these, the most important 



1 California Fish and Game. Published quarterly by the California Fish and Game 

 Commission, Sacr.imento, Calif. 



2 Fins, Feathers and Fur, Official Bulletin of the Minnesota Game and Fish Department, 

 Carlos Avery, Commissioner, St. Paul, Minn. 



3 Report of the Superintendent of the National Zoological Park for the Fiscal Year 

 ending June 30, 1918. Reprint from Ann. Rept. Smithsonian Institution for 1918, pp. 

 66-S1, Washington. Govt. Printing Office, 1919. 



4 Twenty-Third Annual Report of the New York Zoological Society, 1918, 8vo, pp. 156, 

 1919 (Dept. of Birds, pp. 67-70, Tropical Research Station, pp. 84-86). Office of the 

 Society, 111 Broadway, New York. 



