688 Beccntly pnbUshcd Ornithological Works. 



XXXV. — Notices of recent Ornitholoyical Publications. 



Bryant on the Economic Status of the Meadow-Lark. 



[Investigation of the Economic Status of Nou-Game Birds. By II. C 

 Bryant. I'p. 1-20, ligs. 1-8. Sacramento, Cal. (State rrintiug Office), 

 n.d. 8vo.] 



[The economic value of the Western Meadow-Lark in California. By 

 Harold C. Bryant. Bulletin no. 23G of the Agricultural ]"].\periment 

 Station, College of Agriculture of the Univ. of California. Pp. 1-1(5. 

 1913. Svo.] 



]\Ir. Bryant has recently taken up the question of the 

 economic importance of various uon-game birds iu Cali- 

 fornia from the point ol' (he farmer, and while in the first 

 of these pampldets he gives a general account of his methods 

 of investigation, iu the second one he discusses the alleged 

 depredations of that well-known favourite the Western 

 Meadow-Lark (Sturnclla neglecta). Field investigation has 

 shown that this species on occasion destroys sprouting 

 grain, boring down into the ground beside the young plant 

 and extracting the seed from the ground. This is especially 

 the ease with oats, which are grown in large quantities in 

 the great ccntial valley of the State. 



On the other hand, Mr. Bryant shows that GO per cent, of 

 the food of the year consists of animal matter, and that this 

 is almost entirely made up of insects injurious to crops, and 

 that when a balance is struck there remains no doubt that 

 the bird deserves protection for the benetiis which it confers 

 on agriculture, Avhile the damage di^ne to the sj)routing 

 grain can be largely minimised by planting more deeply and 

 drilling instead of bioad-casting the seed-grain. 



Bucknill on Cyprus Birds. 



[Natural History and Sport in Cyprus. By John A. Bucluiill, K.C., 

 M.A., M.B.O.U. Forming Part VII. iu the 'Handbook of Cyprus," 1913.] 



]\rr. Huckuill has here reprinted his list of the birds of 

 Cyprus, 2i);) in number, from the articles in ' The Ibis ' 

 for 1909-1911. To this he has added an interesting 

 hi^torical account of our knowledge of Cypriote Zoology 



