Bird lore - Project Puffin

United States,' and in Bird-Lore for July-
August, 1912 (by F. H. Kennard), with
many additional notes and comments
by Mr. Forbush.
As slight addenda, the reviewer might
mention that the flowers of the American
beech (Fagtis amcricana) are eaten greed-
ily by Purple Finches, that beechnuts are
said to be a favorite food of the Redheaded
Woodpecker, and that he knows
the pin oak {Quercus palnstris) to have an
important influence on the presence of
Red-headed Woodpeckers and Tufted
Titmice, and that the alders {Alnus
incana and A. rugosa) are a winter attrac-
tion for Redpolls.
The pamphlet closes with instructions
as to what to do and what not to do in
planting and setting out seeds and plants.
—C. H. R.
Second Annual Report of Bird Counts
IN THE United States, with Discussion
OF Results. By Wells W.
Cooke, Assistant Biologist. Bull. No.
396, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 20
pp., I map.
The report of the first season of this work
(Preliminary Census of Birds of the United
States, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture Bull.
No. 187), also by Professor Cooke, was
reviewed at length, and its objects and
value discussed, in Bird-Lore last year
(Vol. XVII, No. 2, p. 136). The counts
of 1915 on farms in the northeastern
states "make it practically certain that
the conclusions drawn as to the numbers
of birds on these farms is very nearly
accurate." These conclusions are that
there is an average of 124 pairs of birds
on the average farm of 108 acres.
"On farms where counts were made in
that part of the Plains region east of the
one hundredth meridian and in the whole
of the southern states, for the part of the
farm surrounding the farm home there is
almost exactly the same density of bird-
population—for the former, 125, and for
the latter, 131 pairs of nesting birds to each
100 acres—but the counts so far received
do not furnish a suflicient basis for estimat-
ing the birds on the remainder of the farm.
"The data received tend to indicate that
Book News and Reviews 377
the western part of the Plains, the Rocky
Mountain region, and the Pacific slope
contain a smaller number of birds per
acre than the eastern states, but as yet
no numerical statement may be at-
tempted." As an example of the effect of
irrigation may be mentioned two reports
from western Colorado: "The irrigated
land supported a bird-population at the
rate of 66 pairs to 100 acres, while on the
contiguous non-irrigated land the bird-
life shrank to 5 pairs to 100 acres.
"The further counts made in 1915
emphasize the statement of a year ago,
that birds are too few on the farm and
that their numbers may be largely in-
creased by protection and a little care in
furnishing natural food and shelter. A
bird-population of 70 pairs of native birds
of 31 species on 8 acres, at Olney, 111.;*
135 pairs of 24 species on 5 acres at Wild
Acres, Md.f; 192 pairs of 62 species on 44
acres, at Indianapolis, Ind.t; and i8g
pairs of 40 species on 23 acres, at Chevy
Chase, Md., a half-acre of which showed
20 pairs of 14 different species, all indi-
cate how largely birds will respond to
food, shelter, and protection."
It is probable that this work will be
continued in 191 7, and, if so, all who can
will be urged to take part in it, but it
should be remembered that each enumera-
tor should "be able to identify with cer-
tainty all the birds nesting on the area he
covers, or be able to give a recognizable
description of those he is unable to name."
— C. H. R.
The Ornithological Magazines
The Auk.—The October issue opens
with an annotated list, by Mr. S. F. Rath-
bun, of 'The Birds of the Lake Crescent
Region, Olympia Mountains, Washing-
ton.' The half-tones showing views of the
country are of unusual excellence. There
is also a list by Mr. R. F. Hussey, 'Notes
on Some Spring Birds of La Plata,' and
one by Mr. .•\. Wetmore on 'The Birds of
*See Bird-Lore, XVII, 1-7, 91-103, January-
April, 1915.
tThe 191S record for density of population; see
Bird-Lore, XVII, 77-84, March-April, 1916.
JMuch the highest record in variety.