Book News and Reviews 



3T^S 



The Ornithological Magazines 



El Hornero. — The third number of 

 El Hornero (The Oven-bird), organ of the 

 Sociedad Ornitologica del Plata, which, we 

 believe, is the only ornithological society 

 in Latin America, maintains the high 

 standard set by the two preceding issues. 

 Dr. Dabbene continues his helpful studies 

 of the Gulls and Terns of Argentina with 

 an illustrated paper on the latter group 

 containing a detailed 'Key,' some synon- 

 omy and distributional data; he also 

 presents the second part of his paper on a 

 collection of birds from the island of 

 Martin Garcia, and, under 'Notes,' 

 describes as new Penelope nigrifrons and 

 Spinus ictericHs magnirostris from north- 

 western Argentina, both descriptions, it 

 may be added, with their accompanying 

 comments and data being most satisfac- 

 tory expositions of the matter in hand. 



Anibal Cardoso makes a further con- 

 tribution to what might be called anti- 

 quarian ornithology in the second part 

 of his 'Ornithology of the Conquistadores;' 

 Renato Sanzin gives a list of the birds 

 contained in his collection from the 

 province of Mendoza., and Pedro Serie 

 gives full instructions, illustrated with 

 excellent cuts, on how to make birds' 

 skins. May we suggest that the label 

 shown attached to the specimen on page 

 175 is unnecessarily large. A label two and 

 ■a half inches long by half an inch wide 

 proves in practice to be large enough for 

 the largest bird. Carlos Spegazzini de- 

 scribes an exceedingly interesting case of 

 melanism in small Doves (Columbina 

 picui) which, in captivity, acquired a 

 blackish plumage, but when released 

 regained their normal coloration at the 

 first molt after they had been given their 

 liberty. When these birds were recaged 

 they again became melanistic. 



Other biographical notes of more than 

 usual interest relate to a common Argen- 

 tine Duck (Metopiana peposaca) and the 

 short-eared Owl {Asia flammeus). The 

 former is believed by Demetrio Rodri- 

 guez not to have a nest of its own, but, 

 like our Cowbird, to be parasitic upon 



other aquatic species; the latter is shown 

 by Antonio Pozzi to capture tucu-tucus 

 {Ctenomys), a small rodent resembling our 

 gophers {Geo my s) in appearance and habits, 

 by sitting at the openings to the subter- 

 ranean runways with extended claws in 

 the attitude depicted in the accompanying 

 drawing, which we reproduce from El 

 Hornero. 



THE SHORT-EARED OWL AS A 

 GOPHER TRAP.— From El Hornero 



Under the head of 'Notes on the Birds 

 of Paraguay,' the well-known Paraguayan 

 ornithologist, A. de W. Bertoni writes of 

 the insect-eating habits of Herons, includ- 

 ing the White Egret (Herodias egretta), 

 of the effects of a cold wave on the bird- 

 life of the upper Parana, and upon the 

 little - known nesting habits of certain 

 Paraguayan birds. 



A record of special interest to North 

 American ornithologists is contained in a 

 paper on the birds of northwestern Argen- 

 tina by Luis Dinelli, who states that 

 Bobolinks in great flocks arrive at Tucu- 

 man at the beginning of summer [Novem- 

 ber]. True to the unfortunate habit which 

 has recently caused our Biological Survey 

 to declare an open season on these birds, 

 Senor Dinelli says that they visit the rice- 

 fields where, feeding at this season only on 

 rice, they cause appreciable damage. 

 The Bobolink's song, Senor Dinelli writes, 

 is not lacking in melody, but since the 

 birds all sing together, it is not possible to 

 determine its individual character. 



In a presidential address delivered before 

 a meeting of the society held in the 

 National Museum at Buenos Aires, 

 September 5, 1918, Dr. Dabbene presented 

 a most encouraging review (p. 198) of itg 



