32 8 Recent Literature. [October 
formation of Sparrow Clubs, whose object shall be the destruction of 
these birds by concerted action, the offering of prizes, etc. Shooting in 
winter time of flocks decoyed by food advantageously spread for the 
purpose, and the destruction of nests,and disturbing their roosting places, 
are among the suggestions for their decrease. Directions for the prepara- 
tion and use of poisoned food are also given, which, if used with proper 
care, might yield very satisfactory results. 
With all the light now thrown upon the subject, it would seem that the 
Sparrow can have few friends among intelligent people. Those who still 
believe in him asa desirable addition to our fauna must be of the class 
Mr. Barrows so happily characterizes in his ‘Introduction’ as ‘‘persons 
whose minds are so constituted that nothing is evidence to them except 
what is derived from their own observation, and as this unfortunate 
mental infirmity is commonly correlated with the total inability to observe 
anything which interferes with their theories, it makes little difference 
whether their opportunities have been good or bad, their position is un- 
assailable..... No amount of evidence will change their opinion, and 
fortunately for the good of mankind it makeg little difference what that 
opinion may be.” 
‘Bulletin I’ of the Division of Economic Ornithology is a most thor- 
oughly creditable and utilitarian piece of work, vindicating effectively the 
need and wisdom of establishing such a department of research as a part 
of the legitimate work of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. ‘Bulletin 
IT’ also admirably completes an investigation originally started by a 
Committee of the American Ornithologists’ Union.—J. A. A. 
Davie’s Nests and Eggs of North American Birds.—Under a new title,* 
the words ‘Check-List and Key’ being very properly omitted, the third 
edition of this popular book appears as practically anew work, containing 
six additional engravings and more than twice the matter of previous edi- 
tions. The nomenclature and classification of the A. O. U. Check-List 
is adopted and the habitats allotted to each species and subspecies are for 
the most part taken with little or no change from the same authority. The 
text, which in previous editions was limited to mere descriptions of nests 
and eggs with brief notes on distribution or habits, is now greatly ex- 
tended, a page or more frequently being devoted toa sinyle species, and 
in many cases the remarks form nearly complete biographies. The author 
appears to be well informed on his subject and he has freely availed him- 
self of existing odlogical literature, the work abounding in valuable refer- 
ences, and he also includes much new material derived by him through 
correspondence with other observers. He presents (p. 120) strong evi- 
dence of the breeding of Totanus flavipes in Ohio, ‘‘a well-formed egg” 
*Nests and Eggs | of | North American Birds | by | Oliver Davie | Third Edition, 
Revised and Augmented | Introduction by J. Parker Norris. | Illustrations | by | Theo- 
dore Jasper, A.M., M.D., and W. Otto Emerson | — | Columbus | Hann and Adair | 
1889,—8vo pp. [1-8], 1-455, i-xil, pll, i-xiil, 
