IIO Recent Literature. 



illustrate it in the number of this Bulletin for July, 1SS0. The thirty 

 pages of text now accompanying the plates give a detailed description 

 of the osteology of the bird in question, setting forth with minuteness 

 and clearness the osseus structure of this rather specialized type of the 

 order Striges. The second memoir, in a nearly equal number of pages 

 and one plate, describes in a similar manner the osteology of the Horned 

 Lark.* In point of detail and comparison of special points of structure 

 with other forms there is little further to be desired. The well-executed 

 plates represent the skeleton of each species as a whole, and also the prin- 

 cipal bones in detail. As memoirs of descriptive osteology these papers 

 merit high praise, and may well be welcomed as valuable contributions in 

 a little worked field. — J. A. A. 



Forbes on the Food of Birds. Insects, and Fishes. — In the last 

 number of this Bulletin we gave some account of Professor Forbes's 

 investigations of the food of various insectivorous birds, with a somewhat 

 extended summary of the results attained. We have now a further report 

 of his studies, t about seventy pages of which relate to birds. Of the 

 remainder, fifteen pages are devoted to introductory remarks on the 

 general subject, forty-eight to fishes, and twelve to insects. The spe- 

 cies of birds investigated are, as before, the Thrushes and the Bluebird, 

 and the results given cover not only the observations previously reported 

 but those of the season of 1880, the present report being based on the 

 examination of more than twice the number of specimens forming the 

 basis of the earlier reports. The general showing seems to be favorable 

 to the Thrush family, not excepting even the Robin, respecting which 

 Professor Forbes expresses his belief that while he is too valuable to 

 exterminate he is not so precious that we need to hesitate to protect our 

 fruits from excessive depredation. The Bluebird, however, still maintains 

 a bad record, in consequence of its great predilection for predaceous 

 insects. It is gratifying to observe that these important investigations 

 are now conducted under the authorization of the Illinois State Legisla- 

 ture, and that a small appropriation ($350 fer annum) is available for the 

 prosecution of these researches and the publication of the results. The 

 investigation of the food of predaceous insects is undertaken for the 

 purpose of determining to what extent they are really beneficial, since 

 some of the Carn/>id<ea.re known to feed in part upon vegetable substances, 

 and therefore it has its bearing upon the question of the utility of insectiv- 

 orous birds. — J. A. A. 



* Osteology of Eremophila Alpestris. By R. W. Shufeldt, [First Lieutenant and] 

 Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Army. Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geogr. Surv. Territories, Vol. 

 VI, No. 1, Feb. 11, 1881, pp. 119-147, pi. iv. 



f Studies of the Food of Birds, Insects and Fishes, made at the Illinois State Lab- 

 oratory of Natural History, at Normal, Illinois. Illinois State Laboratory of Natural 

 History, Bulletin, No. 3, November, 1880, 8vo. pp., 1-160. 



