398 Recent Literature. rar 
prey, Grackles and other species in Pennsylvania [by Dr. B. H. Warren in 
1886], comprising in all more than 5,000 stomachs.” 
In recounting the work of the Biological Survey he gives an account of 
the establishment of the Division, its first publications, its functions from 
the standpoint of economic ornithology, and the results of its investiga- 
tions, (1) regarding supposed injurious birds, (2) regarding beneficial 
birds, and (3) a summary of the results of its fourteen years’ work. 
He then takes up the subject of the ‘Commercial Uses of Birds,’ and 
under the subheadings ‘Game,’ ‘Eggs,’ ‘ Feathers,’ and ‘ Guano,’ gives 
some very startling statistics respecting the slaughter for the market 
of such birds as the Prairie Chicken and Passenger Pigeon, and the 
enormous destruction of the eggs of Gulls and Terns, Murres, Guillemots 
and Albatrosses, for commercial purposes, and of Terns and Herons for 
their plumage. The trade in Guano is not necessarily destructive to the 
birds to which its deposition in such vast quantities is due; but the 
statistics here given are of great interest, both from a commercial and an 
ornithological point of view. A map showing the principal Guano 
Islands in the Pacific Ocean ‘‘ bonded under Act of 1856” for citizens of 
the United States, illustrates this portion of Dr. Palmer’s article. ‘‘ Dur- 
ing the thirty years from 1869 to 1898, 283,871 tons of guano, valued at 
$3, 229,832, were brought from islands appertaining to the United States.” 
The paper concludes with a consideration of ‘ Measures for the destruc- 
tion, Preservation, and Introduction of Birds,’ Under this head are given 
the history and results of ‘ bounty laws,’ ‘ game laws,’ ‘ criticism of game 
laws,’ ‘efforts at uniformity in game laws,’ ‘special restrictions,’ and 
‘ prospect for enforcement of game laws.’ Alsoa brief summary is given 
of the introduction of foreign birds and its results. 
In concluding this notice of Dr. Palmer’s excellent paper it may inter- 
est many readers of ‘The Auk’ to know what led to the establishing of 
the Division of the U. S. Department of Agriculture known at present as 
the Biological Survey --a branch of the official work of the Government 
now so far-reaching in its relations, not only in respect to economic 
ornithology, but to scientific ornithology and mammalogy. Dr. Palmer 
says: ‘‘One of the most important results of the organization of the 
American Ornithologists’ Union was the impetus given to the study of 
economic ornithology. Committees on the English Sparrow, bird migra- 
tion, and geographical distribution were appointed at the first meeting, 
and elaborate investigations were at once begun. The work, however, 
had been planned on such a large scale that it soon outgrew the resources 
of the committees, and at the second annual meeting of the union it was 
determined to present a memorial to Congress to secure an appropriation 
for continuing it..... In recognition of the importance of the work, Con- 
gress granted an appropriation of $5,000, to be expended under the division 
of Entomology of the Department of Agriculture, and on July 1, 1885, 
established a section of economic ornithology. Under the direction of 
Dr. C. Hart Merriam investigations were outlined on a broad scale, to 
