Book News and Reviews
A Review of Economic Ornithology in
THE United States. By T. S. Palmer,
Assistant Chief of Biological Survey.
Reprint from Yearbook of Department
of Agriculture For 1899. Pages 259-
292, 3 Pll. I Fig.
After tracing, in the development of
the Science of Ornithology in America,
the beginnings and growth of the study of
the economic value of birds, which lead to
the establishment of the Division of Eco-
nomic Ornithology and Mammalogy (now
the Biological Survey) in the United States
Department of Agriculture, Dr. Palmer
reviews the work of this Division and then
presents a broad general survey of the
commercial value of birds to man. The
use of birds and their eggs for food, the
employment of their feathers for decorative
purposes, and the gathering of bird-guano
are here discussed in the light of numer-
erous statistics of the utmost interest and
importance.
Having thus reviewed the strictly eco-
nomic status of birds. Dr. Palmer consid-
ers their destruction under bounty laws,
their preservation under protective laws,
and also the introduction of foreign birds.
It is impossible to go into details, but
we may briefly say that no general paper
known to us so clearly defines the bird's
economic standing. It abounds in facts
and figures and should be in the possession
of every bird-student and especially of
these advocates of bird-protection who
would base their arguments on sound,
logical ground. — F. M. C.
Abstract of the Proceedings of the
Delaware Valley Ornithological
Club of Philadelphia. No. Ill,
1898-1899 Published by the Club.
The Delaware Valley Ornithological
Club meets at the Academy of Natural
Sciences, in Philadelphia, on the first
and third Thursdays of each month from
October to May, inclusive. The average
attendance during the two years covered
by this report is shown by it to be about 20,
(
and the character of the papers and notes
presented, with the discussion thereof,
prove the club to be a thoroughly active
organization, doubtless the most active
local bird club in this country.
In addition to abstracts of the reports
of meetings, this publication contains the
following papers presented in full : 'Birds
of the Blizzard of 1899,' 'Migration Data
on City Hall Tower ' by William L. Baily,
wherein are given the data connected
with the 527 birds of 56 species which
were killed by striking the tower from
August 27, 1899 to October 31, 1899, and
the ' Summer Birds of the Higher Parts
of Sullivan and Wyoming Counties, Pa.'
compiled by Witmer Stone, an extremely
interesting list of 98 species of which no
less than 13 are representative of the
Canadian fauna. — F. M. C.
Check List of the Birds of Ontario and
Catalogue of Birds in the Biological
Section of the Museum, Department
of Education. Toronto By C. W.
Nash. 8vo , pages 58.
The author lists 302 species and sub-
species of which all but nine are represent-
ed in the museum of the Department of
Education The annotations are good as
far as they go but, to our mind, seem too
brief for the large area covered, and the
addition of definite records of migration
from several points in the Province would
add greatly to the value of the list for
students.— F. M. C
Check List of New York Birds. By
Marcus S. Farr. Bulletin of the New
York State Museum, No. 33 Vol 7.
April, 1900. 8vo Pages 409 25 cents.
This is a nominal list of the birds
which have been recorded from New York
State, 380 in number, published in advance
of a more detailed work, as a convenient
check-list for students. For this purpose
it is printed on only one side the page,
blank pages being left for the entry of
otes. This plan of preliminary publi-
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