SCIENCE. 



FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1886. 



COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 

 The international copyright law has re- 

 ceived new interest by the introduction of Senator 

 Hawley's recent bill. It is remarkable with what 

 unanimity the better class of authors, periodicals, 

 and publishers have long sought unavailingly the 

 passage of such a bill. In the recent hearing 

 before the senate committee, a number of our 

 most prominent authors spoke in favor of the 

 passage of some law on international copyright. 

 Prominent among those who favored the meas- 

 ures were the Rev. Dr. Crosby, Mr. Henry Holt, 

 Mr. George Ticknor Curtis, Mr. H. E. Scudder, 

 Mr. James Russell Lowell, Mr. Estes, Mr. Samuel 

 Clemens, and others. A memorial signed by over 

 two hundred prominent authors was also pre- 

 sented. The arguments used by these gentlemen 

 were, that the present system of copyright law 

 was not only disadvantageous, but dishonest and 

 unjust ; that it worked to the great disadvantage 

 of American authors, and prevented the publi- 

 cation of many meritorious works ; that it made 

 books dearer, and lowered our literary taste. Mr. 

 Lowell was satisfied that the reading public of 

 America being much larger, and the demand for 

 cheap books greater, the result of a copyright 

 law would be the transfer of the great bulk of 

 the book-trade to America. Of course, in the 

 passage of such a law, measures should be insti- 

 tuted to protect those who have been encouraged 

 under our laws to become pirates of foreign 

 books. Some, among whom Mr. Clemens may 

 be mentioned, urged that the bill should require 

 all foreign books to be printed here. 



This country is not alone in its trouble with 

 the silver question. At the meeting of the coun- 

 cil at Calcutta on Jan. 11, the most diverse views 

 were expressed as to the influence the deprecia- 

 tion of silver has had in benefiting the trade of 

 monometallic (silver) India. On this subject pub- 

 lic opinion is said to be hopelessly divided. Speak- 

 ing generally, the commercial men are inclined to 

 agree with Mr. SteeFs view, which he upheld at 

 the council meeting, that India is a distinct gainer 



No. 157. — 1836. 



by the depreciation ; while the rest of the com- 

 munity, following the lead of Sir A. Colvin, Mr. 

 Hope, and Mr. Evans, attribute the extension of 

 trade to other causes, and regard the continued 

 depreciation of silver as a most serious danger, 

 calling for careful consideration and prompt ac- 

 tion on the part of the home government. 



The great decrease in the numbers of many of 

 our birds during late years, brought about in the 

 interests of fashion or other mercenary motives, 

 or through malicious wantonness, has induced 

 the Ornithological union to appoint a committee, 

 composed of a number of our leading ornitholo- 

 gists, on the 'protection of North American birds,' 

 whose object shall be the gathering of informa- 

 tion on the subjects of their destruction and pro- 

 tection. The committee will welcome informa- 

 tion from any source, and those interested are 

 urged to address such to the officers or members. 

 The secretary is Mr. E. P. Bicknell of New York. 



The investigations in economic ornithology 

 began under the department of agriculture, July 

 1, 1885, and have already been successful in 

 bringing together a very large amount of useful 

 material. The scope of the inquiry is, briefly, 

 the collection of all information leading to a 

 thorough knowledge of the inter-relation of birds 

 and agriculture, and concerns both the food- 

 habits and the migration and geographical distri- 

 bution of North American birds. About fourteen 

 hundred observers are scattered all over the 

 country. Prof. W. W. Cook, superintendent of 

 the Mississippi valley district has prepared a 

 report which is the most valuable contribution 

 ever made to the subject of bird-migration. It 

 is now in the hands of the printer. The Eng- 

 lish sparrow exerts a more marked effect upon 

 the interests of the country than any other species 

 of bird. The unprecedented increase and spread 

 of this naturalized exotic, taken in connection with 

 the extent of its ravages in certain districts, is 

 regarded with grave apprehension. The study of 

 this little pest developed the fact, that while it 

 does sometimes eat grasshoppers, cicadae, and 

 other insects, the sum of its injurious qualities 

 probably exceeds and outweighs the sum of its 



