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The North American Eagles and Their 

 Economic Relations. By Harry C. 

 Oberholser. Bulletin No. 27, Biological 

 Survey, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 

 Washington, 1906. 8vo. 31 pages, 2 

 illustrations, 2 maps. 



Mr. Oberholser here presents biographical 

 sketches of the Bald, Gray Sea, and Golden 

 Eagles, and a summary of the ascertainable 

 knowlege of their food habits. 



Of the first-named, he concludes that " all 

 things considered, the Bald Eagle is rather 

 more beneficial than otherwise since much 

 of its food is of little or no direct economi- 

 cal value, while the good it does more than 

 compensates for its obnoxious deeds ; and, 

 furthermore, it seems not likely ever to be- 

 come abundant enough in any locality to 

 be seriously destructive." 



The Gray Sea Eagle is considered "to do 

 more harm than good," but "in North 

 America the species occupies an area so 

 small and so far to the northward that it is 

 not likely ever to become an economic factor 

 of importance." 



The Golden Eagle is stated to be good in 

 some respects but bad in others, and, on the 

 whole, is believed to be " more harmful than . 

 beneficial." 



Mr. Oberholser has evidently weighed 

 the available evidence, for and against, 

 carefully, and pronounced an unbiased 

 verdict. In our opinion, however, it is 

 extremely undesirable either to commend, or 

 condemn, any animal as a species. A bird's 

 food habits may vary so greatly with locality 

 that it is as deserving of protection in one 

 place as it is unworthy of it in another. Mr. 

 Oberholser, himself, shows that in western 

 California the Golden Eagle is eminently 

 beneficial as a destroyer of spermophiles. 

 Why saddle, therefore, on the Golden 

 Eagles of this region the sins of the sheep- 

 killing Eagles of Wyoming? In cases of 

 this kind, would it not be more just to sum- 

 marize the results of economic investigation 

 in such a manner that one may readily 

 determine where a bird is useful, where 

 harmful, rather than to present a generalized 



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conclusion in which the elements of good 

 and evil are considered without reference to 

 place?- F. M. C. 



Distribution and Migration of North 

 American Ducks, Geese and Swans. By 

 Wells W. Cooke. Bulletin No. 26, Bio- 

 logical Survey, U. S. Dept. of Agricul- 

 ture, Washington. 1906. 8vo. 90 pages. 



The rapid decrease of the birds of which 

 this bulletin treats, due to excessive shooting 

 and settling of their breeding-grounds, re- 

 quires the application of more stringent 

 measures of protection if the birds are to 

 be preserved. 



Professor Cooke has therefore brought 

 together the existing knowledge concerning 

 the breeding and winter range, routes 

 and times of migration, in order that these 

 data might be available for legislative 

 purposes. 



The work has, of course, much purely 

 ornithological value, also, and to sportsmen 

 should be especially interesting for the 

 exact information it contains, as well as for 

 comparison of its dates with those they have 

 recorded through personal observation. — ■ 

 F. M. C. 



Camp Kits and Camp Life. By Charles 

 Stedman Hanks, New York. Charles 

 Scribner's Sons, 1906. i2mo, xii+259 

 pages; numerous half-tones. 



Your genuine camper, who camps not 

 primarily to hunt or fish, but for the love of 

 life in the open, generally has his own way 

 of doing things, and* as Mr. Hanks says, will 

 never accept advice about his kit or admit 

 that another man's kit is better than the 

 one he has packed himself. We believe, 

 however, that even a veteran of the woods 

 would find valuable pointers in Mr. Hanks's 

 book, while to the fortunate one who has 

 still to learn the tricks of camp-life it should 

 prove a guide, counselor and friend. 



The illustrations illustrate, and the small 

 one of a Ruffed Grouse, on page 177, is 

 worthy of a full-page in Bird-Lore! — 

 F. M. C. 



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