8 INDEX TO PAPEKS RELATING TO FOOD OF BIRDS. 



ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PAPERS RELATING TO THE FOOD 

 OF BIRDS. 



The first part of this bulletin consists of a bibliography of the 

 publications of the Department of Agriculture that were written by 

 members of the Biological Survey and contain information concern- 

 ing the food of birds., with brief reviews of the papers. The bibliog- 

 raphy is divided into sections, arranged in the following order: 

 Bulletins, Circulars, Fanners' Bulletins, Faunas, Annual Reports, 

 and Yearbooks. 



BULLETINS. 



Bulletin 1. The English sparrow {Passer domesticus) in North 

 America, especially in its relations to agriculture. By Walter B. 

 Barrows. 405 pp. 1 pi. (frontispiece). 9 figs. 1 colored map 

 [by F. E. L. Beal]. 1889. 

 This comprehensive publication includes discussion of the introduction of 

 the sparrow, method of diffusion, rate of spread and increase, natural enemies; 

 checks by climate, limits of food supply, and by man; its economic status in 

 Great Britain ; injuries to fruits, vegetables, garden seeds, and grain ; its 

 relations to other birds and to insects; and an account of miscellaneous in- 

 juries. Tables showing the results of analysis of contents of 636 stomachs 

 fill 10 pages. Recommendations for legislation and for private efforts to re- 

 duce the numbers of sparrows, a general consideration of bounty laws, and 

 a review of the existing legislation affecting the species are given. The bulle- 

 tin includes also the following special reports : 



Insectivorous habits of the English sparrow, by C. V. Riley, pp. 111-133. 

 Destruction of the sparrow by poison, by Dr. A. K. Fisher, pp. 174-178. 

 The trapping of sparrows for sporting purposes, by W. T. Hill, pp. 178-191. 

 History of the house sparrow {Passer domesticus) and the European tree 

 sparrow (Pa&jer montanus) at Saint Louis, Mo., by Otto Widmann, 

 pp. 191-194. 

 Pages 197-357 present in detail the evidence from correspondence and pub- 

 lished sources upon which the foregoing parts of the bulletin are largely 

 based. The quotations refer to experience with the English sparrow in 

 Europe, America, Australia, and Now Zealand, and include casual references 

 to the economic value of a number of foreign and native birds. A list of all 

 persons whose testimony appears in the bulletin and an unusually complete 

 index are given. 



Bulletin 2. Eeport on bird migration in the Mississippi Valley in 

 the years 1884 and 1885. By W. W. Cooke. Edited and re- 

 vised by Dr. C. Hart Merriam. 313 pp. 1 colored map. 1888. 

 Includes casual references to the character of the food of 11 species, mostly 



birds of prey. 



Bulletin 3. The hawks and owls of the United States in their rela- 

 tion to agriculture. By A. K. Fisher, M. D. 210 pp. 26 

 colored pis. 1893. 

 The introduction (pp. 9-18) to this bulletin summarizes the food habits of 



the various species and groups them according to their economic value. Then 



