V °g' X ] Recent Literature. 201 



ous in another, as the Great Horned Owl, etc., which in the East preys 

 upon game and poultry, and in parts of the West is highly useful in 

 destroying the superabundant hares and other rodent pests. (4) Those 

 positively harmful, as the two species of Hawks already named, and the 

 Goshawk, Duck Hawk, and Gyrfalcons. The Fish Hawk also comes into 

 this category as it "eats fish, and fish only, and is often a nuisance to the 

 fish culturist. ... If its fine presence and magnificent flight do not 

 sufficiently plead in its favor, then it must be put on the black list." 



The species and subspecies are each taken up in detail, their habitats 

 stated, their food habits explained, followed by a brief description of the 

 species, with a table showing the results of the examination of stomachs. 

 A very good colored plate is given of all the more important or prominent 

 species, thus affording easy means of identification to the farmer or others 

 interested. As a sort of badge of character, the various species are repre- 

 sented as holding in their talons or beaks specimens of their characteristic 

 food, as reptiles, insects, mice, spermophiles, squirrels, birds or poultry, 

 as the case may be. The plates were drawn by Mr. J. L. Ridgway, and 

 their reproduction has been effected with varying degrees of success, 

 some of them being excellent and others far from faultless, either in color- 

 ation or artistic effect. 



From an economic standpoint this long-expected report should be of 

 the highest importance, and should do much to enlighten not only the 

 farmers but the public at large that a bird is not necessarily to be black- 

 listed and hunted to extermination simply because he is clothed in the 

 garb of a hawk or an owl. It will, however, take much reiteration and 

 intelligent missionary work to allay the unreasoning prejudice against 

 hawks and owls, which from time immemorial has everywhere been incul- 

 cated, because, forsooth, there are a few black-legs in the guild. The 

 utility of systematic research concerning economic problems in natural 

 history by experts under government auspices is again abundantly dem- 

 onstrated in this valuable report upon a long misunderstood but important 

 subject, the relation of birds of prey to agriculture. — J. A. A. 



Bolles's 'Chronicles.' — Mr. Bolles's 'At the North of Bearcamp Water" 

 is a companion volume to his 'Land of the Lingering Snow' (see Auk, 

 IX, p. 62), being the second volume of the 'Chronicles of a Stroller,' this 

 time in the New Hampshire highlands. The book, like its predecessor, 

 is very little given to moralizing about what the author sees, and is 

 perhaps for this all the more novel and refreshing. From the naturalists' 

 standpoint Mr. Bolles's record is not less graphic and minute, and quite 

 as readable and more 'scientifically' accurate than the volumes which have 



1 At the North of Bearcamp | Water | Chronicles of a Stroller in | New England | 

 from July to December. | By | Frank Bolles | author of "Land of the Lingering 

 Snow" I [Vignette] | Boston and New York. | Houghton, Mifflin and Company. | The 

 Riverside Press, Cambridge | 1893. i2mo. pp. 297. 



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