530 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



complaints have reached the Department of the mischief wrought by them 

 in grain and potato fields. Other farmers, and in places where Pheasants 

 are most numerous, do not complain, some of them even speaking favourably 

 of them. 



The Year Book of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1896, 

 has also been received. As in Canada, bounties are paid for the destruction 

 of noxious animals, and during the last twenty-five years 3,000,000 dollars 

 have been thus expended. In some regions the losses on account of Wolves 

 and Coyotes are so serious as to threaten the success of the Sheep industry. 

 It was estimated in 18S2 that in New Mexico, where the Sheep were valued 

 at 4,556,000 dollars, such losses varied from 3 to 7 percent.; in Nebraska 

 the value of Sheep was about 2,000,000 dollars, while the losses amounted 

 to 5 per cent., or 100,000 dollars; and sheepowners in Central Texas 

 suffered losses on account of wild animals to the extent of 10 to 25 per cent. 

 The larger animals are gradually becoming rare, particularly in the East; 

 but it cannot be said that bounties have brought about the extermination of 

 a single species in any State. Wolves are now almost extinct east of the 

 Mississippi river, except in Florida and a few other States; but their 

 present rarity is due rather to the settlement of the country than to the 

 number killed for rewards. 



Mr. F. E. L. Beal has studied the habits and food of the Blue Jay, 

 Cyanocitta cristata, which seems to have hitherto enjoyed a somewhat 

 uudeserved bad character. The accusations of eating eggs and young birds 

 are certainly not sustained, while in destroying insects the Jay undoubtedly 

 does much good. " The Blue Jay gathers its fruit from nature's orchard 

 and vineyard, not from man's; corn is the only vegetable food for which 

 the farmer suffers any loss, and here the damage is small. In fact the 

 examination of nearly 300 stomachs shows that the Blue Jay does far more 

 good than harm." 



Asparagus was introduced into America with the early settlers from 

 Europe, and is credited with having been cultivated there for two hundred 

 years before being troubled with insects. Now two beetles destroy the 

 crop, both introduced from Europe — Crioceris asparagi, which arrived about 

 1856, and C. duodecimpunctata, whose presence was detected in 1881. 

 Fortunately they have found enemies in the land of their adoption. 

 C. asparagi receives the attention of the spotted ladybird, Megilla maculata, 

 whose larvae appear " to have no other occupation than that of devouring 

 those of asparagus beetles." Two Hemipterons, Podisus spinosus and 

 Stiretrus anchorago, also destroy the larval pests, and some species of wasps 

 and small dragonflies do a similar service. Mr. F. H. Chittenden has 

 contributed the memoir on this subject. 



