Sept., 1907 



PUBIvICATIONS REVIEWED 



167 



the regions of most distinct vision, called 

 macular regions, and the depressions within 

 their boundaries, calledybzi^i^' (singular, fovea), 

 vary in position in different birds. In hawks, 

 eagles, kingfishers, and insectivorous birds, 

 which have the eyes placed upon the sides of 

 the head so as to increase the size of the field 

 of vision, two macular regions, and generally 

 two fovese, are found in the fundus of each eye. 

 Dr. Wood infers from this that such birds have 

 stereoscopic, or binocular vision in each eye, 

 and accounts for their wonderful powers of fix- 

 ation in this way. It is to be doubted whether 

 this inference is correct. Binocular vision 

 requires the production of tivo similar images. 

 How could two images be formed in the same 

 eye with only one lens? 



That peculiar organ, the pectenor marsupium, 

 comes in for a share of the discussion. This 

 body is possessed by every bird. It stretches 

 out from the ocular fundus into the vitreous 

 humour almost to the lens. The form and 

 complexity of the pecten vary much in dif- 

 ferent species. Its function may be to a^sist in 

 pushing the crystalline lens lorward during 

 accommodative efforts, and it may also have 

 something to do with the nourishing of the 

 non-vascular structures within the eyeball. 



Dr. Wood asserts that the background of the 

 eye furnishes certain data of value in classifica- 

 tion, since "wild species present invariable 

 ophthalmoscopic pictures." On the whole the 

 paper is very readable and well worth consid- 

 eration. — Walter p. Taylor. 



Thk Birds of the Chicago Areai, by 

 Frank M. Woodruff, is a bulletin which, in 

 many respects, is a model of what a local list 

 should be. It contains a full description of the 

 territory included in the Chicago area, its 

 climatic influences, and localities of interest; 

 the latter of special interest to not onl}' local 

 but visiting ornithoK'gists. 



Many of the conditions opposed to birds are 

 well brought out and one can well comprehend 

 why many species once so plentiful about the 

 head of the lake are now rarely seen. 



A dozen full- page half-tones illustrate in a 

 striking manner the more prominent features 

 of the topography. The "List" itself contains 

 316 species and subspecies, and shows a great 

 amount of careful research. It includes, besides 

 the scientific and common names, all the 

 synomyns, both popular and scientific. 



One thing, however, is painfully evident and 

 that is the very small amount of information 

 regarding our birds which has been obtained 

 during the past fifteen years. Mr. Woodruff 

 has been indefatigable in his investigations, 



I The Chicago Academy of Sciences | | The Birds 



of the Chicago Area | by | Frank Morley Woodruff 



I I Bulletin No. VI | of I The Natural History 



Survey | | Issued April 15, 1907; pp. 1-222, frontispiece, 



plates I-XI, all half-tones. 



but aside from an occasional record by one of 

 the few ornithologists of this locality he has 

 confined himself almost entirely to his own 

 personal observations. This fact, and because 

 of the size of the area, some parts of which were 

 visited only at intervals of many years, makes 

 the records scattering and often twenty years 

 apart. To overcome this dearth of notes. 

 Nelson's "Birds of Northeastern Illinois" has 

 been quoted so frequently as to make the list, 

 at times, seem more of a compilation than a 

 record of up-to-date observations. Of about 

 fifty birds listed there is nothing noted since 

 1876. It is therefore evident that many of 

 these species should either be placed in a 

 hypothetical list or else something more recent 

 than a record of thirty-one years standing dis- 

 covered in regard to them. 



It is, however, fortunate for Chicago orni- 

 thology that there is one man among its two 

 million inhabitants who has not succumbed 

 entirely to the spirit of commercialism which 

 prevades the Chicago area, and that he has had 

 the courage to put in the shape of a list the 

 results of twenty-five years labor. 



Nelson 1876, Ridgway 1889 and 1895, and 

 Woodruff in 1906, are all epoch making periods 

 and we can only express regret that such long 

 intervals elapse between them. 



A bibliography, and an index of both scien- 

 tific and common names, complete a very com- 

 mendable effort.— F. vS. D. 



vState of New York; Forest, Fish and 

 Game Commission; 1902-1903, 8th and 9th 

 Reports; Royal 8 vo., pages 456; halftones 

 156, 38 in color, 20 of them birds. — This is one 

 of the most handsome state reports of its 

 nature ever gotten up; and in the fullness of 

 the ground gone over, the forest and game 

 articles will prove instructive as well as inter- 

 esting reading. There are two ornithological 

 papers, dealing with "Birds as Conservators of 

 the Forest" and "The Wild Fowls of the St. 

 Lawrence River." The former article is by 

 Dr. F. E. L. Beal, the expert bird-food 

 authority. New York has choten well a man 

 to show them the beneficial office of birds as 

 destroyers of forest insect pests. 



Dr. Beal opens his paper with an account of 

 "Birds that Destroy Insects": how their busy 

 lives are spent in hunting down the hoards of 

 noxious insects that are daily attacking the 

 forest trees. He mentions how some insects 

 are supposed to be protected by their color, 

 smell or taste; but stomach examination proves 

 otherwise as to the keen senses and sharp ap- 

 petites of their feathered enemies. In many 

 cases where species of insects had strong odors 

 and rank taste which were thought to protect 

 them, these very species were found to form a 

 very important percentage of the birds' food, 

 often eaten to a varying extent by nearly all 



