'I'Hl'; CONDOR 
I \’. I. 1 1 r 
I (,0 
(.11(1 of the stem, hut [nit the part in the 
egg that is soft and white near the joint. 
Respectf ally, 
R. P. SlI.^RPl.RS, 
ll'esfc'ics/rr , /’a. 
^ 
P U B L I C A 'r I O N S R E V I E \ V p: I ) . 
North Ami'.rica^ h'AnNA No. 21 consists 
of two jiapers prepare i by Wilfred H. Osgood 
entitled “Natural Ilis'ory of the Queen Char- 
lotte l‘(laiids, Hriti.sh Coluinhia,” and “Natural 
History of the Cook Inlet Region, Alaska." 
'fhcse are based in the main on explorations 
made during the summer of iqoo by tbe 
autbor, with lA'lmund I Idler as assistant, under 
the direction of the biological Survey. Tliir- 
teen pages of the first paper are occupied by a 
list of tbe birds known to inhabit the Queen 
Charlotte Islands. These 96 species are various- 
ly annotated, but chiefly in a technical vein. 
Two insular forms are described as new, 
Pryobafes piioidcus, related to the Harris 
Woodpecker, and Craiioritfa sfellcri carlottce, 
resembling the .Steller Jay. dark north west- 
coast form of the Saw’-whet Owl is also distin- 
guished as Xyctala aca-.iica scofiea. The author 
has resuscitated an ane'ent synonym of 
Gmelin's Puns ruber for the northwest coast 
race of the Red-breasted Sapsucker, calling it 
'^phyrapicus ruber fPiviventris (Vieilloth The 
reasons for so doing are not clearly explained 
but tbe implication is, a])parentlv, that 
(Hnelin’s ruber should be restricted to the 
form occuiniig the arid boreal Zone of the in- 
terior and southern California. Without dis- 
cussing the matter at length, it has seemed to 
us that this is a most unwarranted procedure. 
.Although the habitat of Picus ruber ''erron- 
eousl\ ?) stated to be “Cayenne," it wa.s ])rob- 
ably based on Ca])iain Cook’s descri))tion, the 
same as Pints flavivent) is blither ruber should 
he rejected altogether, or it should applv, as 
heretofore understood, to the northwest-coast 
form . 
In the second paper, ten pages are devoted to 
a list of the birds of the Cook Inlet Region. Of 
the seventy-seven species enumera'^ed. the 
known ranges of several are no^-ably extended. 
The Dusky Horned Owl, Rufous Hummer 
and Rocky Mouibain Creejrer probablv find 
their westernmost stations in this region. The 
unexpected discovery of the White-tailed Ptar- 
migan so far northwest is also an evidence of 
energetic field-work, in a country where the 
collector docs not always meet with “one con- 
tinual round of pleasure! " — J. Ortnxki.l. 
bUI.I.KTIX No. I.sOF THRU. S. DKI’ARTMEXT 
OP ACRicui/ruRR. Division of bioi.ottiCAi. 
Sc'RVHV, pre])arcd by Dr. .Sylvester D.Judd, 
treats of “The Relation of .Sparrows to Agri- 
culture." .Aside from its bearing aloiig econ- 
omic lines, this paper obviously adds much to 
cur knowledge of the general habits and ecol- 
ogy of sparrow’s. The account of observations 
made in the field is very entertaining, and 
evinces an unusually acute perception on the 
jjart of the observer The ex]ierinients carried 
on with caged birds are also (luite suggestive. 
It was found that so-called “protectively 
colored" insects, even though presented to a 
song sparrow, partly covered by earth of the 
same hues, were discovered and eaten by the 
bird with remarkable promptness; and that 
some “warningly colored” insects, provided 
with odors atid taste very disgusting to a person 
were as greedily devoured; butothers, after the 
first taste, were subse(|uenily avoided. The 
birds showed an extremely acute power of dis- 
crimination, for they carefully avoided stinging 
insects; though stingless species of similar aj)- 
pearance, and which are usually cited as ex- 
amples of “protective mimicry,’' were at once 
devoured. This is rather discouraging testi- 
mony for the theorists. Yet there are many 
enemies of insects besides birds, and these may 
be oftener baffled by the color artifices than are 
the keen-sighted sparrows. 
The conclusions reached in regard to the 
economic value of sparrows, is very favorable. 
In fact they are said to be the most beneficial of 
anv groups of birds so far studied. 'Phis state- 
ment does not however in •hide the Knglish 
s|)arrow, which is declared to be un(|ualifiedly 
(.ibnoxious wherever it occurs, — |. O. 
llK.iiST OF Oam!-: Laws 1 'or 1901. H3' T. 
S. Palmer and H. W. Olds. — It is stated that 
“the o’oject of this report is to present in con- 
venient form the provisions of the laws now in 
force, including the amendments enacted 
during the present \ear ’’ Some 200 changes 
in the game laws of the various states has 
necessitated a complete revision of former bul- 
letins, so that tbe present Bulletin brings the 
game laws of each state and territory into con- 
venient form. Hvery detail has been gone into 
with great s\stem and tables covering almost 
ever\- jiliase of the open and close seasons of 
each species of game have been prejiared, with 
the result that the public has at its command a 
compendium of the game laws such as could re- 
sult from scarcely any other .‘■ource than a 
government bureau with its thorough and sys- 
tematic work. The Imlletin is quite as much 
of a necessity to ornithologists interested in 
bird protection as to sportsmen. — C. li. 
Biriks Of .Madfson Countv, N. V. By- 
George C. Linbody (Bulletin of the Dept, of 
Geology and Natural History’, Colgate Uni- 
versity). Hamilton, N. V., 1901. 
This is one of the neatest local lists it has 
been our jileasure to receive, being, as its title 
indicates, a list of the birds of Madison County, 
Central Neyv York. 192 s]iecies and a hypo- 
thetical list of 16 species are recorded, yvith 
