° 1914 J Recent Literature. 423 



were 347 boxes of which 66 per cent were occupied. ... In 1913, 75 per cent 

 of the boxes were occupied." 



One cannot believe that our birds are so different from those of Europe 

 that similar success in increasing birds may not be had in this country. 

 Let us at least make the attempt. Dr. Hewitt's paper gives directions for 

 making a cheap form of nest box such as was used in England, and contains 

 a good general statement of the value of birds. The entomologists of 

 England and her colonies are unanimous in giving high rank to birds aa 

 enemies of insects. — W. L. M. 



Menegaux on Birds as Enemies of Mice.* — This is a collation of the 

 results published by Dr. A. K. Fisher, in the United States, Dr. George 

 Rorig in Germany, MM. M. de la Faye and G. de Dumast in France, and 

 by a few other authors. The economic tendencies of various rodents are 

 discussed, as well as methods of destroying the animals. It is asserted 

 that the chief cause of the steady increase of noxious rodents is the destruc- 

 tion of their bird, mammal and serpent enemies. 



Details are given of the food of numerous species of birds of prey, espe- 

 cially of those common to the old and new worlds. The conclusion is 

 that birds are an underestimated but indispensable factor in the control of 

 these and other injurious animals. — W. L. M. 



A note on ' The Effect of Extent of Distribution on Speciation.' ^ 



— A paper by Asa C. Chandler, with the title quoted is devoted to an 

 exposition of certain conceptions apparently brought forward as new. 

 Nothing could be more obvious, however than the main thesis of the paper, 

 which is, that wide-ranging orders, families and genera, as a rule contain 

 proportionally more families, genera and species respectively than similar 

 groups of more restricted distribution. I do not wish to comment further 

 on this over-elaboration of a fundamental concept, but desire merely to 

 point out a prior statement and argument of the case. Professor Dean C. 

 Worcester in his " Notes on the distribution of Philippine birds," ^ says: 

 " that in the Philippines the larger the island and the greater the diversity 

 of its surface, the larger the percentage of genera represented by more than 

 one species, and the larger the average number of species into which they 

 are differentiated." (p. 611.) Earlier versions of the idea undoubtedly 

 can be found. — W. L. M. 



Henshaw's ' Birds of Town and Country.' ^ — In 1913 the Biological 

 Survey of the U. S. Department of Agriculture under the direction of the 



» Menegaux, A., Lea Oiseaux ennemis naturals des sourls et des campagnols. 

 Rev. Scl. 52, No. 19. May 9, 1914. pp. 586-593. 



- Am. Nat.. Vol. 48, March. 1914. p. 129-160. 



3 Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus.. Vol. 20, pp. 667-625, 1898. 



« Birds of Town and Country. By Henry W. Henshaw. National Geo- 

 grapliic Magazine. May, 1914. pp. 494-531. 



