314 Recent Literature. Te 
of New York, a work now well under way and likely to prove a very 
important publication. It is Dr. Farr’s ‘intention ‘‘to include all the 
birds known to occur or to have occurred in our State, and only those 
forms have been admitted that have actually been taken in New York.” 
As thus limited the list includes 380 indigenous and 4 introduced species, 
and is followed by a ‘ Hypothetical List’ of 17 species which are likely 
to occur from their having been taken in adjoining States. The list has 
been made up with great care and discretion, and shows that the author 
has his work thoroughly in hand. It is printed on only one side of the 
paper, leaving the opposite page and wide spaces between the species 
for annotations, which will prove a great convenience to those wishing 
to add their own annotations. Dr. Farr states that any corrections or 
additions to the list will be gratefully received. In the present list the 
annotations are limited to the rare or accidental species, arid consist of 
footnotes citing the place of record for their occurrence. —J. A. A. 
Palmer on Legislation for the Protection of Birds.'— This is a very 
important and timely publication in the interest of bird protection. It 
serves to show how imperfect and crude most legislation has hitherto 
been, and clearly points out the necessity fora more uniform and more 
efficient system of bird laws for the different States and Territories of 
the United States and the Canadian Provinces. As Dr. Palmer says, 
‘“the protection of birds is a national, not a local, question. It deals 
largely with migratory species which breed in one section, winter in 
another, and traverse several States in passing to and from their breed- 
ing grounds.” While absolute uniformity may be unattainable, it 
“‘seems to be feasible to secure a much greater degree of uniformity 
than at present exists.” Dr, Palmer has done much to pave the way for 
this by exposing the defects of present laws on the subject and pointing 
out how they may be immensely improved. Notwithstanding the 
increased interest shown of late years in the subject, and the growing 
sentiment in favor of bird protection, both from economic and esthetic 
considerations, still, as Dr. Palmer says, ‘‘ bird destruction is going on 
rapidly in the United States, and in many regions there is a marked 
decrease in the abundance of certain species. Cheap guns, lax laws, the 
mania for collecting and shooting, and more especially the enormous 
demand for birds for market and for the millinery trade, are responsible 
for this reduction in bird life.” 
Dr. Palmer’s brochure is divided into three parts. Part lis entitled 
1 Legislation for the Protection of Birds other than Game Birds. By T.S. 
Palmer, Assistant Chief, Biological Survey. Prepared under the direction of 
Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Chief of Biological Survey. Bulletin No. 12, U. S. 
Department of Agriculture, Division of Biological Survey. Washington, Gov- 
ernment Printing Office, 1900. 8vo. pp. 94, 2 pll. and 8 text figures. 
