eerie a Deer oeORNe a bl U sol he Let N 15 
and something of its habits and food. The bulletin is well-designed to 
stimulate interest among local bird watchers. 
Eighteen species are known to have bred in this park. This is in contrast 
to two Chicago parks in the last 20 years: in Lincoln Park with over 1000 
acres, 31 species have bred (Clark and Nice, 1950, Chicago Academy of 
Science, Special Bull. 8), and in Jackson Park with over 500 acres, 32 
species have nested (Nice, 1952, Audubon Bulletin, No. 82:3-7). Interest 
in the nesting birds of city parks is a promising project for city dwellers 
and should result in encouragement of the authorities to provide better 
nesting facilities through erection of boxes and protection of shrubbery 
from mutilation. Mrs. Margaret M. Nice, 5725 Harper Ave., Chicago 87 
uct ff fA 
PARENTAL CARE AND ITS EVOLUTION IN BIRDS, by S. Charles Kendeigh (Uni- 
versity of Illinois Press, Urbana, II]., 1952). $4.00 paper, $5.00 cloth cover, 
400+ pages. 
This work constitutes Vol. XXII of Illinois Biological Monographs, Nos. 
1-3. Dr. Kendeigh is professor of the department of zoology, University of 
Illinois, and one of the directors of the Illinois Audubon Society. This is a 
study made not only by frequent and prolonged observation over a period 
of years, but also by accurate measurements made by cleverly designed 
instruments and automatically recorded. The comings and goings of parent 
birds are timed by electrically contacted perches; periods of actual incuba- 
tion are measured by a thermocouple connected with a timing and record- 
ing apparatus. Most of the studies were made on the house wren as the 
most available and easily observed bird. Nine pages are devoted to methods 
of study, 79 to behavior of the house wren, 80 to behavior of miscellaneous 
species, and 184 to the evolution of parental care. 
The instruments of precision used are described and illustrated; various 
graphs and tables are used to summarize the findings. The wrens are 
described and tabulated as recognizable individuals. 
An enormous bibliography is quoted and the methods of other observers 
described. It is interesting that only one of these used the photoelectric 
cell. The index of observers and literature quoted covers 41 pages. Quoting: 
“An attempt was made to cover completely the literature on North Ameri- 
can birds — and the available literature as far back as at least 1930 for 
the rest of the world.” Coming in for honorable mention among others are 
our Mrs. Margaret Nice and Dr. Frank Pitelka. 
In the discussion of behavior patterns the author wonders how the varia- 
tions came about. “Perhaps they show a phylogeny in the same manner as 
do structural characteristics. . . Possibly different behavior patterns... 
develop in different environmental situations.” 
As a source of information for investigators of the physiology and psy- 
chology of birds, this work will stand for many years, until new methods 
of approach, probably now unknown, are discovered. 
Dr. Alfred Lewy, 25 E. Washington Blvd., Chicago 
