July, 1917 



PUBLICATIONS REVIEWED 



145 



In an attractive little 3% by 6 inch book- 

 let entitled "How to Make Friends With 

 Birds" Mr. Ladd tells of the various methods 

 which are in current use for attracting and 

 helping to increase the number of birds 

 about our homes. The principal field of ap- 

 plication of the book is eastern North Amer- 

 ica, but persons living on the Pacific Coast 

 will find much of use to them as well. 



The author gives specific information for 

 making many different styles of bird houses 

 in sizes adapted to the needs of different 

 species of birds, and also tells how and 

 where they should be put up in order to get 

 the best results. The use of tin cans, gourds, 

 and nest shelves is discussed, and some 

 pages are devoted to the matter of bird 

 baths. Next, the problem of important bird 

 enemies receives attention, and specific in- 

 structions are given for dealing with the do- 

 mestic cat and English Sparrow, including 

 plans for constructing cat and sparrow 

 traps. Then comes the matter of food plants 

 useful to attract birds and protect cultivated 

 crops, and the kinds of "table" food to be 

 offered different species during the winter 

 months and the methods to be employed in 

 placing it. Means of extending the protec- 

 tion afforded birds, a brief mention of the 

 possibilities in artificial propagation, the re- 

 lation of certain birds to important insect 

 pests, and the methods to be used in organ- 

 izing clubs for bird protection form the 

 final chapters. A "brief bibliography" 

 completes the book. 



The book as a whole is cleverly conceived 

 and executed; only the references at the end 

 are a disappointment. The reader may 

 search in vain to discover whether A. K. 

 Fisher's "Hawks and Owls of the United 

 States" is a government publication, and 

 will have no clue to the fact that the work 

 is an economic treatise. — Tracy I. Stores. 



Recent Publications by Edward Howe 

 Forbush. — Three very interesting papers 

 have come to us from the pen of Mr. Edward 

 Howe Forbush, State Ornithologist of Massa- 

 chusetts, during the year which has just 

 passed. Two of these have a direct appeal 

 to ornithologists, namely those on the cat 

 and the natural enemies of birds, while the 

 third shows something of the work and the 

 possibilities in a public office devoted to the 

 interests of birds. 



"Bird Killer, Mouser and Destroyer of 

 Wild Life" 1 are the words which Mr. For- 

 bush uses to characterize the domestic cat, 

 and no one with an open mind who reads 

 his pamphlet on the subject can fail to be 



convinced of the truth of this description. 

 After giving in some detail the history of 

 the cat, the author dwells on the habits of 

 the animal, and compares her with man's 

 other household companion, the dog. Then 

 he goes on to speak of the numbers of cats 

 and of their food habits in considerable de- 

 tail, of their destruction of various kinds of 

 birds and mammals, both wild and domesti- 

 cated, of the economic value of the animals 

 killed by cats, and of the cat as a dissemi- 

 nator of disease. Finally he mentions the va- 

 rious means which have been tried for con- 

 trolling cats, and of the success or failure of 

 these methods. Altogether the pamphlet is 

 an admirable summing up of the case of the 

 cat, pro and con, and even the most ardent 

 cat enthusiast cannot fail to be convinced 

 of the evidence against the animal. A copy 

 of the paper should be in the hands of every 

 bird student. 



In his paper on The Natural Enemies of 

 Birds 2 Mr. Forbush begins by stating in a 

 succinct manner the general relations which 

 exist between birds and their natural ene- 

 mies, particularly of the regulative func- 

 tion which the latter exercise. The elimina- 

 tion of the unfit and the control of total 

 numbers are both useful works of these 

 "enemies". Then he discusses the effect of 

 man's "satellites", the introduced domestic 

 animals, and following these the feral, wild, 

 or natural, enemies. Finally he calls atten- 

 tion to some of the attempts which have 

 been made to "control" these natural ene- 

 mies, by bounties and other means, and in 

 conclusion lays down certain general princi- 

 ples which need to be observed in dealing 

 with the matter of control. 



In Mr. Forbush's ninth annual report 2 one 

 gets a very good idea of the multifarious 

 tasks and duties which a State Ornithologist 

 is called upon to perform in the course of a 

 single year. Preparation of five papers for 

 publication, revision of his book on the game 

 birds of the state, giving numerous lectures 

 and attending to a considerable correspond- 

 ence comprise the general activities of his 



ir rhe Domestic Cat. By Edward Howe For- 

 bush. Massachusetts State Board of Agri- 

 culture, Economic Biolog-y — Bulletin no. 2, 

 112 pp., frontispiece, 20 pis., many figs, in 

 text. 1916. 



2 The Natural Enemies of Birds. By Ed- 

 ward Howe Forbush. Massachusetts State 

 Board of Agriculture, Economic Biology — 

 Bulletin 3, 5S pp., 7 pis., 5 figs, in text. 1916. 



3 Ninth Annual Report of the State Ornith- 

 ologist [of Massachusetts]. By Edward Howe 

 Forbush. Boston, Mass. 26 pp., frontispiece, 

 6 pis. 1917. 



