Recently published Ornithological Works. 375 



Monograph of the Pieidae. The German ornithologists 

 should see to this, as it would he a great reproach to them 

 not to keep things in such good order as their French prede- 

 cessors. The Strashurg Collection on the other hand is, we 

 are glad to say, spoken of as being in excellent condition. 

 Herr Leverkiihn gives us some interesting remarks on the 

 question of the two forms of Turdus turquatus (cf. Seebohm, 

 Ibis, 1888, p. 309). 



66. Merriam's Report for 1888. 



[Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture for the year 1888. 

 Report of the Ornithologist and Mainmalogist, C. Hart Merriam, M.D., 

 for the year 1888. 8vo. Washington : 1889.] 



Dr. Merriam's Report to the Commission of Agriculture 

 of the U.S.A. upon the operations of the Division of Econo- 

 mic Ornithology and Mammalogy for the year contains 

 several items of interest. It appears that " four flourishing 

 colonies of introduced Pheasants now exist in the Pacific 

 coast-region." One of these colonies is in Vancouver Island, 

 another on an island in Puget Sound, and the two remaining 

 colonies in Oregon. The birds in Oregon do not belong to 

 the ordinary Phasianus colchicus, or what we are accustomed 

 to call by this name in England — which is really a cross-race 

 between P. colchicus and P. torquatus, — but to three Eastern 

 Asiatic species, the Gold Pheasant [Thaumalea picta), the 

 Japanese, Phasianus versicolor, and the true Ring-necked 

 P. torquatus. They were imported in 1882 and subsequent 

 years, and seem to have thriven well. A new crime of the 

 American Crow {Corvus americanus) has been brought to light 

 — " the distribution of noxious seeds." A single pound of the 

 dried excrement of some of these birds was ascertained to con- 

 tain 1041 seeds of Poison Ivy {Rhus toxicodendron) and 341 

 seeds of Poison Sumach (Rhus venenata) . On testing these 

 seeds it was found that their vitality was unimpaired ; they 

 germinated even more quickly than fresh seeds. Although 

 of benefit to mankind in some ways, the final verdict is that 

 " the harm which Crows do appears to far outweigh the good." 

 The Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Hedymeles ludovicianus) , on 



