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Recent Literature. Q " t 



except in rare cases, where individuals attack cultivated fruits and grains 

 our native birds merely preserve the balance of nature by destroying 

 weeds that plague the farmer and by checking the insects that destroy 

 the produce of the agriculturist. The great value of birds is demonstrated. 

 The question is first how to attract them where they have disappeared, 

 and then how to protect the crops from their occasional depredations." 



The English Sparrow comes in for severe condemnation. " It has been 

 shown to interfere with seventy kinds of our own birds, most of which nest 

 about houses and gardens and are beneficial to the farm and garden." Its 

 extermination is advocated. " Bounty laws cannot do this, for, as has 

 been clearly demonstrated, they do more mischief than can be easily rem- 

 edied, as money is usually spent on the heads of valuable birds that have 

 been mistaken for the injurious ones. But the work might be effectively 

 done by State boards or commissioners, who should hire trained assistants 

 to destroy the birds and their nests." 



Miss Merriam's articles are illustrated with numerous cuts of the birds 

 and insects especially mentioned, derived mainly from the recent publica- 

 tions on these subjects by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. — 

 J. A. A. 



Publications Received. — Alfaro, Anastasio. Museo Nacional de Costa 

 Rica. Info'rme presentado al Sefior Secretario de Estado en el Despacho 

 de Fomento por Anastasio Alfaro, Administrador del Museo. .lto, 1896, 

 pp. iv+40. 



Allen, Francis II. Summer Birds of Willoughby Lake. (St. Johnsburv 

 Caledonian (newspaper), Sept. 11, 1S96.) 



Beal, F. E. L. The Meadowlark and Baltimore Oriole. (Yearbook 

 U. S. Dept. of Agric. for 1895 (1S96), pp. 419-430). 



Blasius, R. V.Berichte liber das permanente internationale ornitholo- 

 gische Comite fur die Jahre 1891 bis 1895. Svo, pp. 27, 1896. 



Bocage, J. V. Barboza du. Mamiferos, Aves e Reptis da Hanha, no 

 Sertao de Benguella. (Jorn. de Sci. math., phys. e nat. da Acad, real das 

 Sci. de Lisboa, Ser. 2, IV, No. xiv, May, 1896.) 



Buttikofer, J. (1) On a probably new species of Crypturus. (Notes 

 from the Leyden Museum, XVIII, pp. 1, 2.) (2) On the Genus Pycnon- 

 otus and some Allied Genera, with enumeration of the specimens in 

 the Leyden Museum. (Ibid., XVII, pp. 225-252 ) (3) Rectification of 

 two Generic Names. (Ibid., XVIII, p. 5S.) (4) On a New Duck from 

 the Island of Lumba. (Ibid.. XVIII, pp. 59-62.) (5) Zoologische Skiz- 

 zen aus der niederliindischen Expedition nach Central Borneo. 

 (Compte-rendu des Seances du Troisieme Congres international de 

 Zoologie, Leyde, 16-21 Sept., 1S95, pp. 212-227.) 



Cherrie, George K. Contributions to the Ornithology of San Domingo. 

 (Field Columbian Mus., Orn. Ser., I, No. 1, pp. 1-26, 1896.) 



Fisher, A. K. Summer Roosts of Swallows and Red-winged Blackbirds. 

 (The Observer, VII, July, 1S96, pp. 382-3S4.) 



