150 
THE CONDOR 
Yol. XVI 
We are informed at some length of the ad- 
vances that have been made in the methods 
used in such economic studies, and, as be- 
fore remarked, there seems but little doubt 
that the author and other present day work- 
ers in the same field, use much more exact 
methods than were formerly in vogue. Also 
there is much said for and against meth- 
ods used by different workers at the pres- 
ent day. These arguments would be much 
more impressive if it were not for the fact 
that the various different schools all seem 
to arrive at approximately the same re- 
sults! Thus it is fair to say, that, giving 
Mr. Bryant all possible credit for working 
out and making known all manner of inter- 
esting details in regard to the Meadowlark, 
almost any intelligent observer and collect- 
or of birds would, from his own general 
observations, have arrived at approximately 
the same result, namely, that the bird does 
some little harm, more good, is an attract- 
ive feature of the region, and should not 
be sentenced to destruction. We do not 
mean at all to decry such studies as the one 
under consideration; but, to draw a simile 
from another field, in getting average di- 
mensions of birds or mammals, it matters 
little whether one hundred or two hundred 
pertinent specimens be measured, the re- 
sults will be about the same. Similarly, 
while such exhaustive studies as this one of 
Mr. Bryant’s may yield many interesting 
facts, it is safe to say that the final decision 
thus reached will not be markedly at vari- 
ance from what could be learned from a 
somewhat more cursory consideration of the 
subject. For immediate, practical use by a 
Commission seeking to apply the acquired 
information in the furtherance of legisla- 
tion, it would seem that substantially the 
same results could be secured with a lesser 
expenditure of resources and energy. This, 
of course, in no sense militates against the 
excellence and desirability of Mr. Bryant’s 
work, as here presented. 
Another possible suggestion is that in 
some respects the paper might have bene- 
fited by being more rigidly confined to the 
limits indicated in the title. There are vari- 
ous discussions of greater or less length, of 
questions not particularly germaine to the 
subject, containing some rather sweeping 
assertions which the author naturally can 
not here stop to discuss at any length, and 
which can not be considered as established 
facts. Thus, among other things, we are 
casually informed that birds from the 
northwestern coast region of California are 
appreciably darker in color than those from 
the southeastern part of the state (p. 478), 
and also that the number of young success- 
fully raised is less than with most other 
birds (p. 404), statements which do not 
carry conviction, and which might well have 
been omitted. A possible weak place in the 
weighing of evidence is afforded in the ten- 
dency shown towards taking “rancher’s 
verdicts” at face valne when such are favor- 
able to the birds, while antagonistic views 
are commented upon as though likely to 
have been based upon evidence that was 
“circumstantial” and “probably exagger- 
ated”. 
These criticisms are all of relatively un- 
important points, of course, which do not 
affect the general excellence of the paper. 
This is thoroughly deserving of all praise. 
A difficult and complicated problem is 
treated in a most competent and convincing 
manner. The tedious drudgery of stomach 
examination, and the patient care of field 
observation, are alike gone through with 
most accurately and painstakingly; while 
the resulting facts are weighed and as- 
signed their due relative importance in a 
manner beyond criticism. 
It is greatly to be regretted that circum- 
stances did not permit the further pursu- 
ance of this work by the California State 
Fish and Game Commission, under the di- 
rection of Mr. Bryant, who has shown him- 
self so well fitted for this line of investiga- 
tion. In appearance, arrangement, etc., this 
paper leaves nothing to be desired, while 
the several excellent plates and text fig- 
ures arp well chosen and instructive. — H. S. 
SWAKTH. 
The Ganxet | a Bird with a History | by 
I J. H. Gueney, F. Z. S. I Author of [two 
lines] I Illustrated with Numerous Photo- 
graphs, Maps and ] Drawings, and One Col- 
oured Plate by Joseph Wolf [ Witherby & 
Co. I 326 High Holborn, London | 1913 (our 
copy received November 25); frontispiece 
(colored distribution map), pp. li-|-567, 136 
illustrations, unnumbered and chiefly in 
text, two colored. Publisher’s price, 27 1 6 
net. 
The present tendency in ornithological 
study and literature towards concentrated 
attention upon single species cannot fail to 
gratify a very large proportion of our gen- 
eral scientific readers. It is not for a mo- 
ment to be justly inferred that systematic, 
faunistic or morphologic lines of work are 
on the decline in importance, but that more 
nearly a balance of attention is being 
reached whereby the one-time threatened 
monopoly of the ornithological field by sys- 
tematists and their literature is averted. 
Of the several monographic treatises upon 
single bird species, which have appeared. 
