46 THE CONDOR Vol. XXI blemishes. But that absolute perfection is beyond human reach is occasionally dem- onstrated even in the present painstaking product. For example, grammatical lapses in the following quotations from page 164 are apparent: "The duties of incubation were shared by both sexes; in two instances the male was setting and in three the fe- male." Whatever of misgiving may be aroused in the mind of the reader of Loomis's paper in regard to some of the theoretical interpre- tations and to the peculiarity. in handling geographic variation, the paper must be commended for the extraordinary care exer- cised in gathering and publishing the multi- tude of facts therein made available in re- gard to the relatively little known Tubin- ares.--J. GRINNELL. THE HAWKS OF THE CANADIAN PRAIRIE PROVINCES IN THEIR RELATION TO AGRICUL- TURE, by P. A. TAVERNER. Canada Geological Survey, Museum Bulletin No. 28, Biological Series no. 7, August, 1918, pp. 1-14, 4 plates (8 colored illustrations), 7 figs. in text. It is to be hoped that this bulletin will be given the widest possible circulation, espe- cially among the farmers of the region cov- ered, for although the treatment of the sub- ject is necessarily of the briefest, the author has nevertheless compressed within these few pages much accurate information upon a generally misunderstood subject. The writ- ten descriptions and the illustrations should together suffice for ready identification of 'the species by the layman, and the nature of the food of each is concisely indicated. Emphasis is rightly placed upon the harm- lessness of most hawk species, as regards human interests, and the absolute benefits accruing to the farmer through the activi- ties of many of them. Such educational work as this is valuable and should be pushed farther. It has been neglected in the past with results familiar to all ornithologists. The fate of the White- tailed Kite in California and of the Mississip- pi and Swallow-tailed kites in Illinois are fair examples of what is happening else- where throughout the country,--the destruc- tion of beautiful and harmless birds through ignorance and thoughtlessness. Printed matter calculated to offset such action is of the scarcest, and seldom reaches the indi- vidual who should be convinced of the error of his ways. Of United States government publications, the one and only report ade- quately covering the subject, Dr. A. K. Fish- er's Hawks and Owls of the United ?t?tes,-- it needs no eulogy here--which should have been forced upon the attention of every far- mer and sportsman in the country, has lapsed into the position of a prize for the ornithological bibliophile! As such it now fails of useful service to any important de- gree. On the other hand, there are popular mag- azines of wide circulation on whose pages may be seen advertisements of ammunition dealers, showily placed and attractively il- lustrated, calling upon the sportsman to go forth and shoot "hawks", propaganda that reach scores of people where there is one who ever hears a word on the other side. Audubon societies as a rule seem to have p?ld but scant attention to this phase of bird protection, the members thereof doubt- less having for the most part but hazy no- tions of the true character of most predace- ous birds; and Federal and state biologists have lately found all-engrossing occupation in the destruction of "noxious" animals-- some of which used to be kept in bounds through the assistance of the formerly abundant Raptores. So, with most people lacking the knowledge to discriminate be- tween harmful and beneficial species, usual- ly in ignorance even that there are any useful kinds, and with the ever-present irre- sponsible gunner eager to shoot at such a mark, even should there be laws against do- ing so, the hawks suffer in conseclu?nce. For all of these reasons it is a pleasant privilege t.o call special attention to Mr. Taverner's excellent paper, and to urge the desirability of the broadcast distribution of reports such as this one is.--H. S. SWARTH. MINUTES OF COOPER CLUB MEETINGS NORTHERN DIVISION Auo?;sT.--The regular meeting of the Northern Division of the Cooper Ornitholog- ical Club was held at the Museum of Verte- brate Zoology at 8 P.M., August 15, 1918. Dr. Evermann presided and the following mem- bers were present: Messrs. Carriger, Grin- nell, Lastreto, Loomis, Noack, Swarth and Trenor; Mesdames Allen, Grinnell, Kluegel, Schlesinger; visitors, Miss Daniels, Miss Guthrie, Mr. Kelly, Mrs. Swarth, and Miss Hittell. By special request the program preceded the business meeting. Mr. Levererr M. Loomis' read an instructive paper on bird migration, in which he ascribed conflicting observations as due to reports of delayed migration rather than actual flight,' and
