May, 1914' EDITORIAL NOTES 149 and it will have-to be far more cogent than any evidence heretofore put forth, before the advocates of the sale of game can be said to have proven their position as cham- pions of the poor man. There seem always to be more lazy men with money, who insist upon their right to eat game regardless of conservation, than there are vigorous men with guns who appreciate the game more for its recreative than for its food value, and who believe in careful conservation. Since the weight of practically all author- ity, governmental and scientific, is unequiv- ocally in favor of laws prohibiting the sale of game, and since non-sale laws have be- come popular as game laws the country over, it is anticipated that the people, if warned as to the significance of thes? meas- ures, will record their decision aright. The danger lies in the possibility that many vot- ers will not adequately understand the prop- ositions as they appear on the November bgllot. Here lies the opportunity of all in- terested in the wild life. The Referendum holding up the law pro- hibiting the sale of ducks and wild pigeons, in addition to other game, stands, and will appear on the ballot in November. Efforts are now being made to place on the ballot an Initiative measure providing for the sale of deer, quail, trout, doves, ducks, grouse and other game. What are we going to do in behalf of Cal- fornia's Wild Life?--WALTER P. TAYLOR, Chairman 2gorthern Division Committee on Conservation, C. O. C. PUBLICATIONS REVIEWED X DETERMINATION OF THE ECONOMIC STAT- US OF THE WESTERN MEADOWLARK (Sturnella ?glcta) IN CALIFORNIA, By HAROLD CHILD BRYANT. (Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., vol. 11, no. 14, pp. 377-510, pls. 21-24, 5 text figs. Published February 27, 1914.) For some years past the Western Mea- dowlark has been a subject of contention in the California legislature, there having been several attempts, strongly supported, and as strongly opposed, to deprive the bird of its legal protection, leaving it subject to the onslaughts of the farmers who claimed that it was harmful, and of the hunters who wished to regard it as "game". Mr. Bryanifs studies, carried on under the auspices of the California State Fish and Game Commis- sion, were designed to ascertain the truth or falsity of the many contradictory state- ments that have been made regarding the bird, primarily in order that the Commis- sion could shape its course intelligently in the future, in guiding any pertinent legis- lation. How thoroughly this work was done is shown in the published report here under consideration. There are but few species of birds that have been given as close and critical scru- tiny and study as has the subject of this paper, or that have had any one phase of their existence reported upon in such detail. The results here tabulated and commented upoh obviously represent 'an immense amount of painstaking labor and observa- tion, and apparently leave little or nothing further to be said upon the subject. Many points in connection with the methods pur- sued are of decided interest, and in one re- gard at least, the author was exceptionally favored by the circumstances under which his studies were pursued. Working with the backing of the State Fish and Game Commission, he was enabled to call upon the entire force of wardens to supply him with material, hence he had the unusual advant- age of extensive series of specimens ob- tained from whatever points, and at what- ever seasons, seemed most desirable. This study, therefore, is noteworthy in that it is the result of observations on the food of a single species of bird, based on a large amount of material carefully and systemati- cally gathered at the same' localities at reg- ular intervals tl?roughout the year, many points within the state being represented in the collection. The paper throughout presents every evi- dence of careful and painstaking work, in- telligently directed, and Mr. Bryanifs con- clusions will probably be accepted unhesi- tatingly by every unbiased reader of his re- port. Of the methods used, examination of stomach 'contents is of primary importance, nearly two thousand Meadowlark stomachs having been subjected to scrutiny and ana- lysis in the course of the work; this sup- plemented by careful field observation of wild birds. Although experimentation with caged birds is mentioned as sometimes de- sirable, we do not understand that anything of the. sort was attempted in the present study, the nearest approach being the obser- vation, weighing, etc., of nestlings. Altogether, to one who has not specialized on the food of birds, it would seem as though the author had approached his sub- ject from every possible angle, and had given due weight to every conflicting ele- ment, and due prominence to every differ- ent phase of the Meadowlark's existence. His verdict is that the bird deserves the pro- tection at present accorded it, the damage done by the species being of small moment, at restricted localities, and for but a short period of the year, while the eating of in- sects goes on through all the seasons. Although the paper is primarily concerned with the food of the Western Meadowlark, it also has much to say on related subjects, the introductory chapters containing many pages dealing with the different methods used in the study of economic ornithology, and with the evolution of the study. Of adverse criticism, but little suggests itself. The work evidently was most care- fully done, and the results presented accu- rately, and in a fair and unbiased manner. To the non-specialist, however, several questions are sure to suggest therase!ves,
