104 Recent Literature. [f^^ 



peculiar to the island, many of which are confined to special isolated locali- 

 ties. Many species are met with only at certain seasons, while others, 

 usually very rare, are abundant in places where their food plants occur, 

 during the season when these plants are in fruit." 



There are interesting notes on the habits of many of the species peculiar 

 to the island, which includes such isolated forms as Dulus and Cahjpto- 

 philus. The occurrence of fifteen species of North American warblers is 

 worthy of remark. — W. De W. M. 



G. B. Grinnell on the Wild Turkey. — In two recent numbers of 'Forest 

 and Stream' Dr. George Bird Grinnell has given a very full account of 

 "America's Greatest Game Bird," the Wild Turkey,' including its names, 

 geographical races, former and present range, and habits. Dr. Grinnell 

 quotes Mr. Brewster ^ respecting its former range in the New England 

 States, and presents much (in part previously unpublished) information 

 concerning its former presence in southern South Dakota, Nebraska, and 

 Colorado. It appears to have never quite reached the Black Hills, and that 

 it "seldom or never crossed the divide between the north and south forks 

 of the Platte," but appears to have extended up the Missouri River as far 

 as the mouth of the Cheyenne River. 



As is well known, the Wild Turkey has been exterminated over much of 

 its former range. Says Dr. Grinnell: "In the Southern States turkeys 

 have always been abundant and their stronghold is still there — parts of 

 Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, 

 Missouri and Texas. Merriam's turkey is said to be almost extinct in 

 Colorado, but is still abundant in Arizona and New Mexico. That there 

 should be occasional outlying colonies of a few birds in Iowa and Nebraska 

 . . . .seems very surprising, but such colonies cannot last long unless pro- 

 tected by the owners of the land on which they live .... Throughout the 

 farming country of the North and West the turkey is gone and gone for- 

 ever." — J. A. A. 



■Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey, 1909.^ — This 

 lieport, by Dr. C. Hart Merriam, treats, as usual, of the varied activities 

 and the interests subserved by this important Government Bureau, the 

 functions of which are primarily economic and incidentally scientific. The 

 work, as defined by Congress, comprises: (1) Investigations of the eco- 

 nomic relations of birds and mammals; (2) investigations concerning the 

 geographic distribution of animals and plants with reference to the deter- 

 mination of the life and crop belts of the country; (3) supervision of 



1 The Wild Turkey. America's Greatest Game Bird. By George Bird Grinnell. 

 Forest and Stream, Vol. LXXIII, Nos. 22 and 23, Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, 1909, pp. 

 852-854, 891, 892, with 2 half-tone illustrations. 



2 Birds of the Cambridge Region. 



3 From Annual Reports of the Department of Agriculture. 8vo, pp. 24. 



