cue ri? geist Oye so eis )e) ly Lo 13 
naturally would not reveal such quantity, but when multiplied by the 
height of the tree, such a result appeared very reasonable. Most plots 
sampled above fifteen wings. 
Crows and jays still nest on Silent Waters, and welcome. Though they 
might pilfer eggs and nestlings of insectivorous birds during their nesting 
season, their season of greatest stress, to fill the insatiable maws of their 
fledglings, the nesting season is very short and a small account against 
the long season of usefulness to follow. Further, the pilfering of eggs and 
fledglings is a control measure ecologically evolved for the well-being of 
the victim. There are as yet no records of predators completely exterminat- 
ing their prey, a role in which man stands alone. Thus cowbirds here may 
continue to claim the nests of wood thrush or song sparrows on Silent 
Waters, English sparrows may get away with the lion’s share of grain at 
the feeding station without interference from the hand of man. While we 
may regulate and destroy floral weeds, evidences of neglect, the weeds have 
done their work to improve the soils for the higher floral successions. Our 
avian world is still in a state of flux in which lower beneficial forms of 
birds, the ‘‘undesirables” are a necessity. 
ft ft ft 
An Ornithologist’s Criticism 
By MARGARET MorRSE NICE 
THE BEEPS. THE FLIGHTS AND CRUISES OF THREE MISSOURI TREE SPARROWS. 
Byevirginia Holton. John Day Co!, N. Y., 1939. 6x6 in., 192 pp:~ $2.00. 
In “this true account” we are told that the birds followed Lieut. and 
Mrs. Holton ‘for nearly 50,000 miles even to the interior of China and 
back.” It began in Kansas City where Mr. and Mrs. Beep were in the 
habit of following Lieut. Holton to the office every day and also accompany- 
ing the Holtons as they drove in the country. Later they followed the 
Holtons’ car to New York City and back; then rode the train to San 
Francisco; stowed away on the boats to Hawaii and China and thence 
followed the Holtons in all their wanderings until at last their (the 
Beeps’) descendants accompanied them to New York. These “tree spar- 
rows” “married” “Chinese sparrows” in China and “California sparrows” 
and “New York sparrows” in this country. The Holtons never actually saw 
the Beeps on the ocean voyage to China, although they searched for them, 
(p. 87); on the return trips the Beeps are apparently assumed to have 
hid and fasted for two weeks at a time between ports (p. 190). This was 
a feat in itself, since Dr. Kendeigh (1934) found that English sparrows 
cannot live more than two days without food. 
The adventures in the Far East were most amazing. The Beeps “told 
all the neighborhood birds about me” (p. 161), and persuaded a tailorbird 
to come along on the cruise from the Philippines to China. The Beeps did 
“not like to have me near evil people.” 
“The psychic Beeps enjoyed the Eucharistic Congress held in Manila. 
They seemed to sense the spiritual atmosphere. . . . The Eucharistic 
Congress seemed to the Beeps a very fitting thing in that many of the 
meetings were held just before sundown and the beautiful music of the 
choir blended in with the Beeps’ evening worship.” (p. 163.) 
