506 Recent Literature. Loct. 



measures against bullfinches are recommended. An increase in the 

 number of voles in the Midland counties is attributed to the ruthless 

 destruction of owls and the kestrel. " It cannot be too widely known that 

 the short-eared owl, the barn owl, and the kestrel feed very largely upon 

 voles and mice and should be protected." 



In a recent bulletin x of the Ontario Agricultural College Mr. L. Caesar 

 makes certain statements showing that his experience with bird enemies 

 of the codling moth is in harmony with that of most entomologists who 

 have written on the subject. He says " when searching under bands and 

 loose bark for larvae in the spring, we have been surprised at the very 

 large percentage that have perished during the winter. Sometimes as 

 high as 90 per cent or more seem to have been destroyed by various causes. 

 The chief of these, so far as we could see were birds, the grub of a small 

 black beetle (Tenebrioides sp.) and diseases. Many birds at one time or 

 another during the year feed upon either the adults or larva? of the codling 

 moth, but during the winter the most useful birds in this respect are the 

 woodpeckers, especially the downy woodpecker and the chickadee. If 

 these two birds are encouraged during winter by hanging bones or pieces 

 of meat on the tree they will often stay in the orchard all year and search 

 every trunk and large branch carefully for larvae." 



D. B. Mackie reports on the locust pest in the Philippines 2 mentioning 

 several birds among the natural enemies. These are cuckoos, crows, 

 small hawks and gallinaceous birds, including domestic fowls. An im- 

 portant paper 3 on the African migratory locusts by Dr. W. La Baume, 

 discusses the natural enemies of several species. Under general remarks 

 on natural enemies, the author says " there can be no doubt that they play 

 an important part in the destruction of the locusts and are a valuable aid 

 to man in the battle against the pests. Deserving especial mention are 

 the ' locust birds,' accounts of whose gratifying work one constantly 

 meets in the locust literature. It is to be commended that legal orders 

 for their protection have been issued in many parts of South Africa, and 

 demanded for them in other districts." 



After mentioning the mammalian enemies of the brown locust (Pachy- 

 tilus sulcicollis) Dr. La Baume says: " Of far greater importance as locust 

 enemies are the birds, of which certain kinds in South Africa are signifi- 

 cantly called ' locust birds,' because in locust time they persistently follow 

 the migrating swarms and live almost exclusively upon the insects." 

 The principal kinds are: a field swallow (i. e., a swallow-plover or pratin- 

 cole, Glareola melanoptera) known as the "little locust bird "; the jackal- 

 buzzard (Buteo jackal), the two storks (Ciconia alba and Ciconia nigra) 

 generally known as " big locust birds "; the marabou (Leptoplilus crumeni- 

 fer), the blue crane (Anthropoides paradisea) the white-bellied stork 



» No. 187, Jan., 1911, pp. 24, 25. 



2 Philippine Agr. Rev., Ill, No. 4, April, 1910, pp. 227-240. 



s Beihefte z. Tropenpflanzer, XI, No. 2, April, 1910, pp. 65-128. 



