AS saan Aca ; > “Wo Fa for ae 3 PISA SY ows AAAS j eS PIPES Joe AAR '$ 7 E: ‘ POX pe WR saw SGN RADIOS Gp AA IIIS AGIOS Ak | kk Nebel te SOU ave OOOO MOY wr Seow MV) Mh = / a. v = a 4 * SBS iby hd 5 Sp MOORS ms ‘ i Divina nt OC mates rs. a) Pi) it Ha ii ph Aisi 1 by ‘ ‘Mia AYA ND. ; ; fi / i Me \ f Ce A en ae Moe iy ih i ath | My POT ¥ iu f Ni vi) cri ak a iy i i on Ay MN yt aN i Lin a4 A NYG dine list t i) Pye. RA ny y Kt ih sf Aly ‘ Vi (| iin Np wage Op SERIES, ] CONTINUATION OF THE § New SERIES, VoL. XXVIII. § BULLETIN oF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CruBy |) Von. xox ‘The Auk A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology EDITOR Ja A LEN ASSOCIATE EDITOR FRANK M. CHAPMAN Sa Uf VOLUME XxX PUBLISHED BY The American Ornithologists’ Union CAMBRIDGE, MASS. Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post Office at Boston, Mass. nerves CONTENTS, OF VOLUME, XX: NUMBER I. Tue A. O. U. Cuecx-List —Its History anp Its Future. By Ja As Allens. F : : : : : : : : ; Birps OF Porto Rico. By B.S. Bowd/sh. (Concluded.) MIGRATION OF RICHARDSON’S GRousE. By A. W. Anthony. AN ORNITHOLOGICAL Visit TO Los Coronapos IsLanps, LowER CALIFORNIA. By J. Grinnell and F. S. Daggett. : THE VERNACULAR NAMES OF Birps. By Edwin W. Doran, Ph.D. ARIZONA Brirp Nores. By Herbert Brown. : : - . NoTEs CONCERNING CERTAIN BirpDs oF Lone IsLanp, N. Y. By William C. Bratslin, M. D. : : 3 : ‘ i : Tue Diary OF A CARDINAL’s NEst. By Gertrude Fay Harvey. ’ (Plate I.) 4 : : : é : : : : : : AN EprIpEmic oF Roup IN THE CANANDAIGUA Crow Roost. By Elon Howard Eaton. (Plate II). ‘ 3 : : F TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ Union. By John H. Sage. GENERAL NOTES. Breeding Grounds of the Black and Socorro Petrels.— A Correction, 63; a Hybrid Duck, 64 ; The Wood Ibis again in Colorado, 65 ; The Stilt Sandpiper in Knox County, Maine, 65; Massachusetts Breeding Dates for Bartramia longicauda, 65; Recent Records of the Wild Pigeon, 66; Turkey Vulture at Moose Factory, James Bay, 66; Black Vulture at Taunton, Mass., 67; Golden Eagle in Middle Southern Ohio, 67; Richardson’s Merlin (Falco columba- rius richardsoniz) on the Coast of South Carolina, 67; The Barn Owl on Long Island, 67 ; Barn Owl in Northern Chio, 67; Yel- low-billed Cuckoo’s Egg in a Robin’s Nest, 68; Breeding of the Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax tratllé alncrum) near Plainfield, N. J., 68; Western Evening Grosbeak Nesting in Mexico, 68; Another Record of Thryothorus ludovictanus in Massachusetts, 69; The Blue-gray Gnat-catcher in Massachusetts, 69; Ohio Notes, 70; Birds Killed by Hailstones, 70; Vernacular Names of Birds, 7o. RECENT LITERATURE. Ridgway’s ‘Birds of North and Middle America,’ Part II, 73; Mrs. Bailey’s ‘ Handbook of Birds of the Western United States,’ 76; Brewster’s ‘ Birds of the Cape Region of Lower California,’ 78; Henshaw’s ‘Birds of the Hawaiian Islands,’ 80; Snodgrass and Heller on the Birds of Clipperton and Cocos Islands, 81; Knight’s ‘The Birds of Wyoming,’ 82; Henninger’s List of the Birds of Middle Southern Ohio, 83; Blatchley’s ‘A Nature Wooing,’ 83 ; Keyser’s ‘ Birds of the Rockies,’ 84; Burroughs’s ‘John James Audubon,’ 85; Strong onthe Development of Color in Feathers, 86; Publications Received, 89. iv Contents of Volume XX. NOTES AND NEWS. Obituary: Dr. James C. Merrill, 90; Dr. Emil Holub, 92 ; Chester Barlow, 92; Ludwig Kumlien, 93 ; Curtis Clay Young, 94; Perry O. Simons, 94. Announcements of new Publications, 96; The Mcllwraith Ornithological Club, 98; Third Annual Conference of Audubon Societies, 99. SUPPLEMENT. REPORT OF THE A. O. U. COMMITTEE ON THE PROTECTION oF NorTH AMERICAN Birps. By William Dutcher. (Plates II and IV.) IOI NUMBER III. PAGE. Tue Domestic AFFAIRS OF BoB-WHITE. By John N. Clark. Won OccURRENCE OF THE EMPEROR GOOSE IN HAWAII. By aa Henshaw. . : : F ; ' ; ‘ ; 5 ‘ 164 PRESERVING EQUILIBRIUM BY THE USE OF ONE WING. By William Hubbell Fisher. (Plate VII.) , : ; 4 : 167 Birp MIGRATION AT SOME OF THE BAHAMA LiGuTHousEs. By ,/. EBew7s Bonkote, VM. A., FZ. S. LV BO} U. ; : 169 A List OF THE LAND Birvs oF LAKE VALLEY, CENTRAL SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA. By Milton S. Ray. (Plates VIII and IX.) ; ; ; : : ; : : : 180 Foop Hasits oF SomME WEsT INDIAN Birps. By B.S. Bowdish. 193 A REVIEW OF THE GENUS CATHERPES. By Harry C. Oberholser. 196 A SYNOPSIS OF THE GENUS PSALTRIPARUS. By Harry C. Ober- holser. : é : : : : ; F : 4 LOS A List of LAND BIRDS FROM CENTRAL WASHINGTON. By Robert E. Snodgrass. : ; : 5 a BOR GENERAL NOTES. The Dovekie (Ad/e alle) on Long Island, N. Y., 209; A Hybrid Duck, Anas boschas X Nettion carolinensts, 209; A Correction, 210; Wood Ibis in Montana, 210; Woodcock Notes, 210; A Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) Taken in the Mid-Pacific, 210; Nesting of the Goshawk in Southern New Hampshire, 211; Barn Owl on Long Island, N. Y., 212; The Short-eared Owl (Asvo acc¢pitrinus) ‘Taken Far Out at Sea, 212; Note on Pstttacula modesta Cabanis, 213; Breeding of the Evening Grosbeak in Captivity, 213; A Fur- ther Note of the Subspecies of Passerculus sandwichensis inhabit- ing Labrador, 215; A Winter Record for the Chewink on Long Island, N. Y., 216; Note on Sylzuza cerulea Wilson, 216; A Late Fall Record for the Cape May Warbler (Dexdro:ca tigrina) in Eastern Massachusetts, 218; Late Records for Eastern Massachu- setts, 218; A Case of Mistaken Diagnosis, 218. Contents of Volume XX. RECENT LITERATURE. Ornithological Magazines. ‘The Condor,’ ‘ Bird-Lore,’ ‘The Wilson Bulletin,’ 219; Jacobs’s ‘The Story of a Martin Colony,’ 226; Pycratt on ‘The Significance of the Condition of Young Birds at Birth,’ 227; Strong on a Case of Abnormal Plumage, 228; Trowbridge on ‘The Relation of Wind to Bird Migration,’ 228; Richmond on Birds from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 229; Richmond on Birds from the Coast and Islands of Northwest Sumatra, 230; Fisher on a New Tern from Necker Island, 230; Bonhote’s ‘Field Notes on Some Bahama Birds,’ 230; Mrs. Wheelock’s ‘Nestlings of Forest and Marsh,’ 231; Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, 231; Publications Received, 232. CORRESPONDENCE. Some Suggestions, 234; Vernacular Names of Birds, 236; A Rare Work on American Ornithology, 236. NOTES AND NEWS. Obituary: Thomas Mcllwraith, 242; John Nathaniel Clark, 242; Edward Stanley Waters, 243. The Michigan Ornithological Club, 244; Vermont Bird Club, 244; Proposed A. O. U. Meeting to be held in California, 245; Bird Groups at the American Museum of Natural History, 246; Work of the A. O: U. Bird Protection Committee, 246. NUMBER III. NOTES ON THE ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS OF PETER KAM. By Spencer Trotter. < : ‘ : : : : : NOTES ON THE BIRDS oF MApISoN County, NEw York, wItH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO Empopy’s RECENT List. By Wit- liam Maxon. ; : 5 ‘ : : F ; : z Nores oN WINTER Crow Lire in THE DELAWARE VALLEY. By Witmer Stone. P . 5 - i ; é ; 2 ON THE GENERIC NAMES OF THE NorTH AMERICAN Owts. By Witmer Stone. é : ‘ : ; ; ; - : NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF THE CARIBOO District, Bririsu CoLum- BIA. By Allan Brooks. (Plate X.) . : : : : : NoTES ON THE HapiTs oF CERTAIN VENEZUELAN BIRps. By Austin H. Clark. : , : é : x : : RECOGNITION OF GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN NOMENCLATURE. By Leverett Mills Loomis. . : Bi F : 5 : ; THE CALIFORNIA MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ Union. By /. A. Allen. Pace, 249 262 267 vi Contents of Volume XX. GENERAL NOTES. Great Black-backed Gull in Oneida County, N. Y., 303; Additional Records of the European Widgeon (Mareca penelope) in Indiana, 303; Hybrid Duck— Mallard (Azas boschas) + Pintail (Dajila acuta), 303; The King Rail in Plymouth County, Mass., 304; Early Record for the Piping Plover (gvzalitzs meloda) in Rhode Island, 305; Richardson’s Owl (Wyctala tengmalmi richardsont) in Illinois, 305; Nesting of the Red-bellied Woodpecker in Har- ford County, Md., 305 ; A Much Mated House Sparrow, 306; The Louisiana Water-Thrush in Minnesota, 307; Lofhophanes vs. Beolophus, 308: Balancing with One Wing, 308; Ohio Notes, 309 ; Louisiana Migration Notes, 309. RECENT LITERATURE. Mudge on the Tongue Muscles of Parrots, 310; Winkenwerder on the Migration of Birds, 311; North American Water-Fowl, 313 ; The ‘New’ Edition of Nuttall, 314; Scott’s ‘The Story of a Bird Lover,’ 315; Mrs. Bignell’s ‘My Woodland Intimates,’ 316; Walter’s ‘ Wild Birds in City Parks,’ 316; Snow’s Catalogue of Kansas Birds, 317; Proceedings of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, 317; Fisher on the Birds of Keam Canyon, Arizona, 318 ; Stone on a Collection of Birds from Sumatra, 318; McGregor on Birds from Norton Sound, 319; McGregor on Philippine Birds, 319; Bangs on New Subspecies of American Birds, 320; Bangs’s Revised List of Birds of the Liu Kiu Islands, 320; Barrett-Hamil- ton on the Position of the Legs of Birds in Flight, 321; Dubois’s ‘Synopsis Avium,’ 321; North’s Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds, 321; Madarazs’s Birds of Hungary, 322; Seth-Smith’s Handbook of Parrakeets, 322; Shufeldt on the Osteology of the Steganopodes, 323; Shufeldt on the Classification of Certain Groups of Birds, 323; Publications Received, 324. NOTES AND NEWS. Obituary: Thomas Edwards Slevin, 326, George H. Ready, 3 Mrs. E. S. Mogridge, 327. New Natural History Journals, 3 Meetings of Ornithological Societies, 328; Birds in the New York ZoOlogical Park, 329; Moa’s Eggs, 330. TWELFTH SUPPLEMENT TO THE A. O. U. CHEcK-LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS . . : : : : : : : BBA NUMBER IV. PAGE. FURTHER NOTES ON THE PHILADELPHIA VIREO, WITH DESCRIP- TION OF THE NEST AND EccGs. By William Brewster. (Plate xXehs) ; : f : ; : : : ; ; : ; ANDUBONIANA. By S. NV. Rhoads. . : 5 : : : ae aS Contents of Volume XX, NoTES ON THE Birps PECULIAR TO LAYSAN ISLAND, HAWAIIAN Group. By Walter Kk. Fisher. (Plates XII-XVL.) THE BLACK-WINGED PALM TANAGER. By Austin H. Clark. Notes ON THE ANATOMY OF Geosfiza, Cocornts AND Certhidia. By flobert E. Snodgrass. (Plates XVII-XX.) A CONTRIBUTION TO THE LirE HiIsTORY OF THE HERRING GuLL (Larus argentatus) IN THE UNITED STATES. By Wellcam Dutcher and William Baily. Plates XXI and XXII.) A NEw SUBSPECIES OF NIGHTHAWK FROM THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. IBY i teh Jeeway GENERAL NOTES. Sabine’s Gull at Monterey, California, 433 ; The Snowy Plover in the Bahamas, 433; Richardson’s Owl (Nyctala tengmalmi richarda- sont) in Illinois, 433; Capture of the Barn Owl (Str7: tx pratincola) on Long Island, New York, 434; The Second Known Specimen of Centurus nyeanus Ridgway, 434; Nighthawk Migration in New Hampshire, 434; Nests and Eggs of Caligena clemenct@e 435 ; Mortality of Purple Martins (Progue purpurea) at Brattleboro, Vt., 435; Sand Swallows (AzAaria riparia) ) Nesting in Sawdust, 436; An interesting Solitary Vireo (Vireo solitarius), 437; Bell’s Vireo (Vireo belli?) in Colorado, 438; Nest and Eggs of the Swainson’s Warbler (Heléxata swatnsonit), 438; Springfield, Mass., Bird Notes, 439; Some New Records for Nova Scotia, 439; Formalin Fails as an Insecticide for Dermestes, 440. RECENT LITERATURE. Macoun’s ‘ Catalogue of Canadian Birds,’ Part II, 1; Dresser’s ‘A § ’ 44 7 Manual of Palearctic Birds,’ 441; Huntington’s ‘Our Feathered Game,’ 443; Degen on the “Perennial Moult” of the Australian Piping Crow, 444; Weed’s Bibliography of Economic Ornithol- ogy, 446; Howe and Sturtevant’s Revised List of the Birds of Rhode Island, 446; Stone on Birds of Southern New Mexico and Western Texas, 447 ; Oberholser, on New Birds from Texas, 447; Bonhote’s List of Birds collected in the Bahamas, 447 ; Sher- born’s ‘Index Animalium,’ 448; ‘The Index Zoologicus,’ 450; Ornithological Magazines —‘ The Osprey,’ 451; Chapman’s ‘ The Economic Value of Birds to the State,’ 453; Publications Received, 454. CORRESPONDENCE. The Use of Trinomials, 454. NOTES AND NEWS. The Twenty-first Congress of the American Ornithologists’ Union, 457; Obituary: Prof. Wilbur Clinton Knight, 457; Dr. Gustav F. R. von Radde, 458. Discovery of the Breeding Area of Kirt- land’s Warbler, 459; Annual meeting of the British Ornitholo- gists’ Union, 1903, 459; Parrots in the London Zodlogical Society's Gardens, 460; ‘Our Animal Friends,’ 460. vil viii Contents of Volume XX. INDEX . : c : : 5 : ‘ : ; : : 5 Alon ERRATA : F ; : : : : . : é : ee OO CONTENTS OF VOLUME XX. ; : ; 3 : : . é iii OFFICERS, COMMITTEES, AND MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGIST’S UNION, 1902-1903. : : : : : ix LIST OF PLATES. Plate I. Cardinal, Nesting in a Conservatory. “« II. Crows, dead from an Epidemic of Roup. “Ill Map showing States which have adopted the A. O. U. Model Law. “ IV.) Map showing States which have Audubon Societies. “ V. Fig.1. Brown Pelican and Nest; Fig. 2. A Corner of Pelican Island. “ VI. Fig. 1. Common Tern on Nest; Fig. 2. Young Common Tern, hiding. “ VII. Preserving Equilibrium. “VIII. View in Lake Valley, California, showing Transition, Cana- dian, Hudsonian, and Alpine Zones. “IX. Wright’s Lake, northwest of Pyramid Lake, California. “« X. Young Ducks (various species). “ XI. Nest and Eggs of Philadelphia Vireo. XII. Laysan Finch and Nest. \ “ XIII. Fig. 1. Laysan Finch eating Tern’s Egg; Fig. 2. Laysan Rail eating Tern’s Egg. “ XIV. Acrocephalus familiarts and Nest. “XV. Laysan Rail-and Nest. “XVI. Nest and Young of Laysan Teal. “ XVII-XX. Anatomy of Geosfiza, Cocornis, and Certhidia. “ XXI. Fig. 1. Rocky Shore, Great Duck Island, Maine; Fig. 2. Herring Gulls, Great Duck Island, Maine. “ XXII. Young Herring Gulls and pipped Eggs. 1 Plate III should be numbered Plate IV and Plate III should be num- bered Plate III, to correspond with the references to them in the text. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. 1902-1903. Expiration of Term. MERRIAM, (© OEVART, 2°vest@ent to. o0250-0 «24s 02-22. November. 1903. Cory, CHARLEs B., \ a ; BATCHELDER, C.F., | VAGe-Prestdentsiyacn ane. ses ae st 1903. SAGE OHNG Hiss SCCHEZAIY wslers ans sesiicen sae cee sacs Bt 1903. IDonrOsD, WGN NI, MAO Pancdooo8 oooeloda4 onc a 1903. ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. APMAYD RA} UV. ANG sali oflaioNelfay vt (akutiailiaitcievasiohewai(a: ehiels Tel eftel shee) enctlewe ovember, I902. CHAPMAN, FRANK M N ber, 1903 TB PACNTES GROUT ELVIN fos che 7Ne asase Sustctors) fle fier aioe scien tSievelaranvausrore ee 1903. DD) WG EWGIy ea) ONEACELAIN ih Jileog tena susnetchecivete clsueteis steuerarche rs airs a 1903. ID IBSVE DOTY PACs A Bear a. Sent iin BLOUSE REE cI EEN SB IRer enc CREPE aE oroic trae a 1903. NIESON ID, Wooo ooseae SR otiG ERED Teste wero Ope es Se 1903. INOBERIG yO WH OMAGH) hem aclsrolere 2d ier Mert cise tele etacle 2s 1903. SALON Sy WEED MUEERGS strceceichedy leteas ts axes Payslue) vaisraaveeeve ie: greys Gotten ss 1903. /NIGI ONG: 6 ls onion SEs EOC CE PGT chee CRT Nene IB RIB W.SIDIGR aa VLE DA Iva te teh cmt ones, Sian oteealiarexte set othe d ai oete ieee 5 be Ex-Presidents. ESTATAR siya) sa (Gomencmeme ph oncuany teueheliats one icaeoee ornate lak enone aioe RAD G WANS IROBICRSD cvsisveieiel oicis\eieis) o's 6 Gels oye existe tele elaveisialerele EDITORIAL STAFF OF ‘THE AUK.’ JNUIUIDST No. Akon «JOCK Aon 060 6:00G SOO UAC OO Cane GaemC on sor November, 1903. CHAPMAN, FRANK M., Associate Edittor........ 0.000 $f 1903. COMMITTEES. Committee on Publications. MERRIAM, C. Hart, Chatrman. PNVIUDISI No AN SAGE, JOHN H., Secretary. CHAPMAN, FRANK M. DUTCHER, WILLIAM. Committee of Arrangements for the Meeting of 1903. MERRIAM, C. Hart, Chairman. loysinenye NYe Uy SAGE, JOHN H., Secretary. PENNOCK, C. J. STONE, WITMER. x Fellows. FELLOWS !, MEMBERS, AND ASSOCIATES OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. OCTOBER, 1902. FELLOWS. [Omission of date indicates a Founder.] Date of Election. NSE DRICH,) LLOn. \CHARIEES =D) eCsmVloinesy lo walearietetesiated) trite setae = ATUEN, Dr. J. Al, Alm. Mus: Nat. Hust..New Work '@ity <---> ne — ANDHONY, VAs Wie 7Ols Savier St, hOrtlamd Orem selene jc. otters ie. 1895 BANGS, OuTRAM, 240 Beacon St, Bostom, Masse.-ae see ee ere. 5oG0 coubo900G0e0GnUGNGdC 1884 WATERHOUSE, F. H., 3 Hanover Square, London, W...............1889 ZELEDON, Don Jost C., San Jos¢,-Costa Rica. .<+ <2.- 62. sceccese oe 1884 MEMBERS. ALLEN, HRANCIS EH. 4 Park St., Boston, Mass. -5 sj... 62 e viene IQOI TALS ONGHANID Ria wale ODS [a tenes yet « wis Sr evoretarcees sistiatetis ole cas atveleuet as ees 1902 xiv Members. ATTWATER, H. P., Houston, Texas...... aioe mw eieenete Saleretateey csctiereiy crete I9O1 BaiLey, Mrs. VERNON, 1834 Kalorama Ave., Washington, D. C..... 19OL BaILEy, VERNON, 1834 Kalorama Ave., Washington, D. C.......... I9OL BaILy, WILLIAM L., 421 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa-..---....... 1gOI BARTSCH, PAUL, Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C.............1902 BENT FART EUIRS Ge, altos INLaSSrer citenereiaoreierete eieieve eo ererchaciener onan ore 1902 BEYER, Prof. GEorGE E., Tulane Univ., New Orleans, La..........- IQOL Bonp, FRANK, 1412 15th St., N. W., Washington, D. C...-.-....... 1901 BRAISLIN, Dr. WILLIAM C., 217 St. James Place, Brooklyn, N: Y..... 1902 BROW Ne EER BER dee yom AMZ Ollaate tel tatd etek elelal tel ole leNelale/el=telate/ate) (ol eleyey ele 1901 BRUNER, Prof. LAWRENCE, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb........ IQOI BRYAN, WILLIAM ALANSON, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, H. I....... IgOI BURNS, PRANK L., Berwyn, Pale. cic cicls «ceo «oncice ilies a= ele eee ns lee 19OI But_Ler, Amos W., 52 Downey Ave., Irvington, Indianapolis, Ind-.1g901 CHERRIE, GEORGE ie 27 Fairview Place, Brooklyn, N. Y..---.----- 1901 Cxiark, Prof. HuBERT Lyman, Olivet College, Olivet, Mich........ 1902 DAGGETT, FRANK S., 255 Ramona St., Pasadena, Cala.--.--.-.... 1901 DEANE, WALTER, 29 Brewster St., Cambridge, Mass..........-.... IQOI EVERMAN, Prof. BARTON W., U.S. Fish Comm., Washington, D. C..1901 FANNIN, JOHN, Provincial Museum, Victoria, B. C......-.......-..- 1901 FISHER, WALTER KENRICK, Palo Alto, Cala.-.--+++...+.eeeese eee 1901 FLEMING, JAMES H., 267 Rusholme Road, Toronto, Canada........-- 1901 FUERTES, Louis AGASsiIz, 13 East Ave., Ithaca, N. Y...---....-.... IQOI GOLDMAN, EDWARD ALFONSO, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.1902 ISUNMoNe, IMCNISitat, Indehynery WENTIec ooo boo cOoanIOoOs opoodboSd Coun Gncdo- IgOI HOFFMANN, RALPH, Belmont, Mass.....2 200 ccc= cece cess sees wee- 1901 Howe Lt, ARTHUR H., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D.C..... 1902 JeFFRies, Wm. AuGustus, P. O. Box 2013, Boston, Mass..------++- I9OI Jos, Rey seEL ORB DRG er MCC mts @ Olmert tetelenesetstelol=lelelela clo leltelaterstelsteyelanetotets 1901 Jones, Lynps, College Museum, Oberlin, Ohio...--.++-++++--+---- IQOI JORDAN, Prof. DAvID STARR, Stanford University, Cala............. 19OI Jupp, Dr. SyL_vester D., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.---1901 KNow .tTon, F. H., U. S. Nat. Museum, Washington, D. C.......... 1902 Mackay, GEORGE H., 114 State St., Boston, Mass...--..+++++-+--5- 19OI MAILLIARD, JOHN W., 307 Sansome St., San Francisco, Cala.......- 1901 MAILLIARD, JOSEPH, San Geronimo, Cala---.+sssee cece cece eee eee Igo! McGreoor, RicHarp C., Philippine Museum, Manila, P.I......-. I9O1 MILLER, Mrs. OLIvE THORNE, 827 De Kalb Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y----1901 Murpocu, JOHN, 38 Whiting St., Roxbury, Mass..---++-++++-eeeeee- I9OL Norton, ARTHUR H., Westbrook, Maine. AGO do do RbodoTaTaA 5 QUO” OsGoop, WILFRED Hupsovn, Dept. of Agr foultare Washington, D. i I9OI PEARSON Oe GIEBERT, Greensboro, Ne Carico cinta einai 1902 PENNOCK, CHARLES J., Kennett Square, Pa........- non capoaaNDCaDs IOI PREBLE, Epwarp A., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C......-1901 PRICE, WILLIAM W., Alta, Cala-...... a eialate auc eveloversvanskotomene Bieta. wieltene ee 19OI Ratpu, Dr. WILLIAM L., U. S. Nat. Museum, Washington, D. C.-.-1901 Associates. XV RATHBUN, SAMUEL F., 217 14th Ave., No. Seattle, Wash............ 1902 RuHoApDs, SAMUEL N., Audubon, N. Jo--- eee cere ee cece ee cece ee eee IQOI Rives, Dr. WILLIAM C., 1723 I St., Washington, D. C............ 19OI RVOBINS ONAA Capt WER Ws) 52) Avy WAIT OUI WA pstelie ey si etauateyale =) toe) ieie Igol SETON, ERNEST THompson, 80 W. goth St., New York City........ IQOI SILLOWAY, PERLEY MILTON, Lewistown, Montana.............+.. 1902 SORNBORGER, JEWELL D., Cambridge, Mass.......--+-+-s2e+e seen 1901 STEPHENS, FRANK, cor. University and Fillmore Aves., San Diego, Siac orarer ava euavases ove 0 ciaksveveuerelleters) sVetessy ete) o e/ele wiee sieve ove\veue elwieleleusieuere 1901 (Maia, ANieisxonrae Ink, Miorershovereiey INS Isls occsomquenoc 9606 cooapouoKde I9Ol Topp, W. E. CLyprE, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pa............ IQO1 TORREY, BRADFORD, Wellesley Hills, Mass..-.--...-.- esses eeeeee IQOI TOWNSEND, CHARLES H., N. Y. Aquarium, Battery Park, New York City Mavetclolishetercieletehehoreyoleletensieheleleyel sisleieite) cisions) shelisel viclclell siatcrouekcherste sieve IQOI Trorrer, Dr. SPENCER, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa...... I9OI WHITMAN, Prof. CHARLES OTIs, Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, Ill..... 1902 WRIGHT, Mrs. MABEL OsGoop, Fairfield, Conn......---..s+-eeeeee I9O1 ASSOCIATES. ABBOTT, CLINTON GILBERT, 153 W. 73rd St., New York City...... 1898 ANIDVNMG WWlins NWAdbicabn Ie Jertdesineliol WhSscono860 opoocdbcco Fo Dd aude 1900 ADAMS, EmILy B., 167 Maple St., Springfield, Mass.--............. 1900 ADvAMS, C. WALLACE, 947 Rhode Island Ave. N. W., Washington, D. C.1901 ADAMS, Mrs. Emma S., 439 Elm St., Chicago, Ills.................. 1899 AIKEN, CHARLES EDWARD Howarp, Colorado Springs, Colo.......1898 ALLEN, CLARENCE JONES, 180 Biddle St., Milwaukee, Wis.......... 1899 ALLEN, GLOVER M., 68 Perkins Hall, Cambridge, Mass.............1896 ALLEN, WALTER Fox, 62) Prospect St, Drenton, N. Ji---0..3.2...0. 04 1902 Ames, J. H., 96 Bay St., Toronto, Cinco bho be coldocdan bo boogie Glee ANGELL, WALTER A., 354 Westminster St., Providence, R.I......... 19OI ARMSTRONG, EDWARD HENRy, 140 Wood St., Providence, R. I.......1897 ARNOLD, EDWARD, 126 Van Buren St., Battle Creek, Mich........ 1894 ATKINSON, Dr. DANIEL ARMSTRONG, 2417 Carson St., Pittsburgh, Pa.1899 Bagsson, W. A., Upper House, Lawrenceville, N. J..-------.---..-- 19OI BACHMAN, J. W., 1D. D:, Chattanooga, Tenm...--.-...-..---- 222-000. I9QO1 BACON, _CARRINGTON C., Imboden, Arkansas. cciis% ...b0.:- e+ = ne «+ O90 BAGG PUGBERM 4244 Genesee: St.) Witicas INemYer1n))<1fel eiers oe) ecieeioe ie 1883 BAILEY, CHARLES E., Manning Manse, No. Billerica, Mass......... 1890 Barrp, Miss Lucy HunTer, 1708 Locust St., Philadelphia, Pa.......1899 IsyNuaR, [OTH Ibo, IDYesahaneNel es Monlooaso0c 5500 conn Goon bboOmeo0 O55r IQOI BAKER ARTHUR BENONI, 1845 Lanier Ave., N. W. Washington, D.C..1902 BAKER, Miss CHRISTINE VIRGINIA, 8 West 57th St., New York City. 1899 Baker, Miss EmIvir H., 8 West 57th St., New York City...........1899 BAKER, Mrs. Henry B., 8 West 57th St., New York City.......... IQOI xvi Associates. BALL, CARLETON R., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D.C... ..1902 BALL, Miss HELEN AuGUSTA, 43 Laurel St., Worcester, Mass.....1893 BANGS, EDWARD APPLETON, 501 Pemberton Bldg., Boston, Mass....1884 BARBER, CHARLES M., 407 No. Oregon St., El Paso, Texas.. yh eae 1900 BarRBourR, Prof. ERwWIN H., Univ. of Neb., Lincoln, Nebraska....... 1892 BaRBOouR, Rev. ROBERT, 62 Walnut St., Montclair, N. J.-.-....-.-- 1902 Barsour, Mrs. Wo. D., 235 Madison Ave., New York City.-....... IQOI BARNARD, JoB, 1306 Rhode Island Ave., Washington, D. C...-...-- 1886 Barnes, Hon. R. Macoon, Lacon, III. bbaoobes .. 1889 BARROLL, Miss NINA LiviNGsTon, 684 Salem ree Pilizaperh! N. Th 1899 Bates, Mrs. ABBY FRANCES CALDWELL, Waterville, Maine.........1894 BAXTER, GEORGE STRONG, Jr., 17 William St., New York City..... 1894 BEARD, DANIEL CARTER, 204 Amity St., Flushing, N. Y........... 1887 BEcK, RoLLo Howarp, Berryessa, Santa Clara Co., Cala........... 1894 BEEBE, CHARLES WILLIAM, N. Y. Zoological Park, 183rd St. and Southern Boulevard, New York City..---.---+ +--+ +222 000: 1897 Beers, HENRY W., 91 Denver Ave., Bridgeport, Conn........-.... 1895 BENNETTS, Wo. J., 154 U. St. N. W., Washington, D.C......-.... Igo! BENSON, see G:, (845 Broad St., Newark,)No J... > ene a> 1902 BERGTOLD, Dr. W. H., 1460 Clayton Ave., Denver, Colo......... 1889 BERIER, DE ca Port Chester, N. Y. Hie Hae . 1885 BipDLE, Miss Emity WILLIAMS, 2201 Sancont St, Piiladeiphie) Pa.1808 BiGELow, EpWarRD F., Stamford, Conn.....---...+sss sees sees eens IgO1 BiGELow, HENRY BRYANT, Cohasset, Mass..-.--++-+--+- ceceeeees 1897 BiGELow, Homer LANE, 511 Washington St., Boston, Mass........ 1902 BIGELOW, JOSEPH SMITH, Jr., Gohlassete Wlassmiccelci.s cieielat seers ieirite 1896 BIGNELL, Mrs. EFFIE, 135 College Ave., New Brunswick, N.J...... 1899 BLACKWELDER, ELioT, Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, Ill..............1895 BLAIN, ALEX. W., Jr., 131 Elmwood Ave., Detroit, Mich...........1901 BeAGE RAN CIS) Gp 1Oleank ot.) DroOklumersNUASS (peter cls) sieielenet eel I9OI BLATCHLEY, W. S., State Geologist, Indianapolis, Ind...-.......... 1895 BLOOMFIELD, Mrs. C. C., 723 Main St. W., Jackson, Mich......... IQOL Biunt, Miss Er1zA SINCLAIR, 99 Mt. Vernon St., Boston, Mass..--.1go1 BoHLMAN, HERMAN T., 46 Ninth St., N., Portland, Oregon......... 19OI Bonn, Harry L., Lakefield, Minn..----+-+. esse cere eee eee cee e eee 1890 Bowptsh, B. S., 50 W. 98th St., New York City-------+ +--+ sees eee 1891 BowpiTcH, HAROLD, Jamaica Plaine IBOStOM se NlaSS sete cieielereieree elec cteiele 1900 BowLes, JOHN Hooper, 401 SonGiot.lacomia, Walsbiicia- 1s si = ole 1891 BRACKEN, Mrs. HENRY MARTYN, 1010 Fourth St., S. E., Minne- apolis, Wihavtlosacasobo MC. o UO Oo OL oO DOOD USO MOCO SOCIO DO.40 1897 BRADFORD, Mrs. Mary F., 3804 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, La..1897 BRADFORD, Moses B. L., 295 Beacon St., Boston, Mass........-.-- 1889 BRADLEE, THOMAS STEVENSON, 107 Beacon St., Boston, Mass...... 1902 BRANDRETH, FRANKLIN, Ossining-on-Hudson, N. Y.---++-+---++.-+-- 1889 BRENNAN, CHARLES F., Mount Carmel, WWilsageaeasdigcepo Sso6 505006 1902 BRENINGER, GEORGE FRANK, 560 N. 6th Ave., Phoenix, Arizona....1898 Associates. XVii BREWSTER, EDWARD EVERETT, Iron Mountain, Mich............ 1893 BripGe, Mrs. Lipian E., 52 Wyman St., West Medford, Mass...... 1902 Brock, HENRY HERBERT, M. D., 687 Congress St., Portland, Me...1894 BROCKWAY, ARTHUR WILLIAM, Lyme, Conn............2220+e0e- 1898 BROOKS He NEA NGO MOK sk Cisicleloncicuess) sie ss 10:5 1c ate) e)s)cseye eis stots ay c.cletancrelate 1902 BROOKS, Rey. HARLE AMOS, Waverly, W. Va..........+--seees cos 1892 BROOKS, CLARENCE MORRISON, 105 West St., Keene, N. H.......... 1900 BROWN, EDWARD J., Lemon City, Florida...................-.00-. 1891 BROWN, HuBpRa He, 7o (Collier St, Loronto, Ontario... 00... - 1889 BROWN, STEWARDSON, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa............. 1895 BROWING WiLEMOd Wiest |G Vest somerville, Massy... 2.0 ie sceee ce 1892 Buck, HENRY ROBINSON, P. O. Box 213, Hartford, Conn.......... 1897 JeIGsciewys, Ieuanncy ery Tale, (Cehsytony (Oanoadae ongoodoocacedocsoo Gemodc 1889 Bumpus, Dr. HERMoN C., Am. Mus. Natural History, New York City.1901 BURGESS, JOHN KINGSBURY, Dedham, Mass................0..-00- 1898 BURKE, WM. BARDWELL, 130 Spring St., Rochester, N. Y.......... IQOI BuRNETT, WILLIAM L., 128 N. Sherwood St., Fort Collins, Colo....1895 BurTis, HenrRY MotT, Babylon, N. Y...-..-+-2..+.-cccecsesnee -+s* LOO] BUSWELL, WALTER MARDIN, Charlestown, N. H......-csceccceececs 1897 Buxpaum, Mrs.CLaArRA 5., St. Joseph;! Michs .<:. 0...c ceils seecnciscsses 1895 CAMPBELL, HORATIO NELSON, Jr-, Providence, R.I..............-.-. 1899 CANKIEED, J: B.; Bridgeport, Comtieers a... «oc .cviec ce seine cia cle ajesave eels IQOI CARPENDER, Rev. CHARLES, KNAPPy Polo, Millen cc. «clos oiclsis sce) sels siete 1894 CNRIROIIE, |PNMISS Ino WENO, Medic pongo doocHobunOooODoDoD OdudoU oUce 1898 (CARS IMboruRigsar, IN(Elbier oy, IN@lja56000cuc000 Hudodn coCOuGOeaGoO bane ode 1898 Case, CLIFFORD M., 89 William St:, Hartford, Conn.............0-. 1892 @xcu, HARRY A’,,.54/Spring (St:, (Pawtucket; Ro Es cS verse alesse 1898 CHAMBERLAIN, CHAUNCY W., 36 Lincoln St., Boston, Mass......... 1885 CuaPIn, Prof. ANGIE CLARA, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.. .1896 CuasE, Mrs. AGNEs, 5515 Monroe Ave., Hyde Park, Chicago, IIl...1896 Cries, |JO@rok ILiniiais, Iornll eerie, Is, Wesooolbosnoocdansocdouubsoad 1900 CuRISTY, BAYARD H., 403 Frederick Ave., Sewickley, Pa............ 19OI CHUBB, SAMUEL H., Am. Mus. Nat. History, New York Cittivieini OSawatomic, mi anSasicl.- > cfelcieeleleicl eriesia nie cciceie 1896 ComeEAU, NAPOLEONDA.; Godbout, P. Qie oiit.c% 0's eles oc avs iels ssines dis ee 1885 Comey, ARTHUR C., 54 Concord Ave., Cambridge, Mass........... I9OL XVili Associates. Commons, Mrs. Marie A., 2437 Park Ave., Minneapolis, Minn..... 1902 Conant, Mrs. MARTHA W., 331 W. 1o1st St., New York City........ IOI CONGDON,; JAMES) W.., 202 S.oth St., Wa Crosse, Wits. >= --j0-)-1-10 01. 1902 Cook, Miss LILIAN GILLETTE, 165 W. 82d St., New York City.... 1899 CooLipGE, PHILIP TRIPP, 17 Garfield St., Watertown, Mass........ 1902 Corn, ALBAN, butler Hospitalsenowid ences Relies cle a1) snalersiouoneisteiete 1885 Cope, FRrANcIs R., Jr., E. Washington Lane, Germantown, Phila., Pa. 1892 CopELAND, Dr. ERNEST, 141 Wisconsin St., Milwaukee, Wis........ 1897 COPELAND, MiAnron,, Mamnitom, Massel cleuercia| io 1= c1)~ etelslerape) aterare 1900 CoveEs, Dr. WILLIAM PEARCE, 90 Charles St., Boston, Mass......-. 1888 Cox, ULyssEs O., State Normal School, Mankato, Minn............ 1894 CRAM IC -) 20) lancock, Awe une eEnoit, IVltChierssste teletsls rahe terriers 1893 GRANDATE | 1G OWiss VO OGUSIC ES Nic may ceversicvciel lloieretetoterefeveve tebe retereie te ieueueieiens 1891 Cro.tius, Miss ANNE A., 815 Carnegie Hall, New York City...... 1897 CRONE, JOHN VALENTINE, 1319 8th Ave., Greeley, Colo............ 1902 CURRIE, JOHN D., 2006 Laurel Ave., Minneapolis, Minn............ 1902 CurRRIE, ROLLA P., U. S. Nat. Mus., Washington, D. C........... 1895 CURRIER, EDMONDE SAMUEL, 909 Franklin St., Keokuk, Iowa...... 1894 DANIEL, JoHN W., Jr., 1794 Lanier Ave., Washington, D.C.......- 1895 Dart, LESLIE O., 1603 4th Ave., So. Minneapolis, Minn........... 1898 DAVENPORT, Mrs. ELIZABETH BRAXTON, Brattleboro, Vt..........- 1898 Davis, Miss Mary A., 44 W. 93rd St., New York City.............. 1898 IDPS; Suioyw Nan, INferemornnactis Jee hts No souodcopdcocd ongbaacodout 1899 DDARVIS VVEAT DERE. NCW UO IVUAGSie\eis)e «/elevete) elelsye1e tcl s)aretalalielctarelatanel'steteyaie 1900 Davison, DONALD B., 204 Prospect Park, Davenport, Iowa.......... IQOI Dawson, Rev. WILLIAM LEON, Station A, Columbus, O............ 1895 Day, CHESTER SESSIONS, 280 Newbury St., Boston, Mass..........- 1897 Day, FRANK MILEs, Phil. Ellena & Greene Sts., Germantown, Phila. Eee take feveverertetayee eueniere) aie ulots teva, oxen ataiiotaislicis) ekaheeia ersile, Goetel cael ede vor he ove meneieteae IgOt DEAN, R. H., U. S. Weather Bureau, Lexington, Ky................ 1893 DEANE, GEORGE CLEMENT, 80 Sparks St., Cambridge, Mass........ 1899 DEARBORN, NED, Field Columbian Museum, Chicago, Ill.......... 1902 DE EbAV EN ISAAC INOR RIS, (Av ta OLE sb Alea ts! oteie/acleeis ie! sin elolore eValialele\ailers 1893 DERBY, RICHARD, 13 Holworthy Hall, Cambridge, Mass............ 1898 Dewey, Dr. CHARLES A., 53 So. Fitzhugh St., Rochester, N. Y..--1900 Dewey, Miss MARGARET, 168 Pearl St., Springfield, Mass.......... 1892 DILLE, FREDERICK M., Care of Rural Delivery, Longmont, Colo...1892 Dron Gel peleay all Wintiyz.sm| Qi ebeGss Cala elsrercrieietetetereteletstolatelsiel =| elelata 1893 Dixon, FREDERICK J., Elm Ave., Hackensack, N.J..--.--------.--- 1891 DoOEBIN, WILLIAM L., 7 Beverly St., Rochester, N. Y...-.......... 1902 DopGE, CHARLES W., Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, N. Y....-....- 1900 DODGE, FRED CLINTON, 125 Milk St., Boston, Massi.- 252 esesce- 1897 DovuBLEDAY, Mrs. FRANK NELSON, I11 E. 16th St., New York City. .1897 DovuGHERTY, Col. WILLIAM E., Governor’s Island, N. Y..---.+----- 1890 Draper, Miss DoRoTHEA, 18 W. 8th St., New York City.......... 1899 DROWNE, FREDERICK PEABODY, 20 Benefit St., Providence, R. I..... 1899 Associates. xix DuGMoreE, ARTHUR RADCLYFFE, Newfoundland, N. Joc cece cece eee 1899 DUEE, Mrs.-AWP. i. 211 No: Front st., Harrisburg, Pa.--....\....s6 1900 DURFEE, OWEN, Fall River, Mass.......- - .1887 Durcuer, Dr. Basi Hicks, U. S. me War Depts W seen: D. Cc. 1886 ION doieda, Jeter, Ibe IO a bennrsarcey IMbinkgeooobo copa ddo0 OGodGananooUOnGS 1886 Dvice wy NRT RE CURLIS. DiiG Se water, NUASSi« lle) cfe\els (el akelaie ale, slolele\ete 1902 EASTMAN, Harry D., Framingham, Mass......-- +++ seeeee cece sees 1891 EATON, ELON HowarpD, 209 Cutler Bldg., Rochester, N. Y.......... 1895 EDDY, NEWELE A. 615°North Grant St., Bay City, Mich... .... 5... 1885 EDGAR, NEWBOLD, 26H. 39th St., New York City. 0.0... 2cce00 6. 1891 Epson, JoHN M., 2210 Victor St., Whatcom, Washington.......... 1886 DUGRHD, AUG, 132 ©) Shen Irbaverolliay IN\Clojao onda odoooo 5 oocou 0000 Goon 1902 EIFRIG, Rev. GUSTAVE, 232 N. Center St., Cumberland, Md........ IQOI HEROD, Prot. Me], 205.9. 5th St-, Missoula, Montana---i--- -<--)- 1892 ELY, Mrs. THEODORE N., Bryn Mawr, Pa..--.-.--.-+ seececcere cece I9OL EMBODY, GEORGE CHARLES, 78 Seymour St., Auburn, N. Y........ 1898 EMERSON, Guy, 78 Powell St., Brookline, Mass..................-. 1902 IDitione, Wihess Zaluxpsnis, (Coy IMiikiord ny Wieoode cosuoDodboGoc00 OonoKn 46 1897 EMLEN, ARTHUR Cope, Awbury, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa....1896 HMory, Mrs. MARy DitLE, Morgantown, W. Va...-..2-.......5.. 6% 1899 ERICSON, LAWRENCE, 155 Rogers Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.........---- IQOI EWANS CHARTERS Eien SOWAISINCTIGS Vibelele cise ols crsye) siete releleleleyelele)< eisietersrers IQOI Evans, ERNEST MERWyYN, Awbury, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa.-1897 EVANS, WILLIAM B., Moorestown, N. J.--- +--+ see ccce rece cere sacs 1897 EVERETT, WILLIAM M., 200 W. goth St., New York City............ 1902 EVERETT, CHRISTABEL M., 200 W. 99th St., New York City........ 1902 BARR MARCUS io», a2 )Maple St, rincetom, Nis)icu sees sitar estan ete .. 1900 FARWELL, Mrs. ELLEN DRUMMOND, Lake Forest, Ill................ 1896 MAR WEL. Nirss HRANGTS CooLMYeweake: Honest, lle. «ci-ierole oleic 1898 IR NGAI, IDWS INiay Mlevehigoyoy Io \|-oso obs noee odooaponac se cand coor 1902 BAY) Prot, CHAS. .R:, L633.7th Ave.,{New York City=.0n-- 2s --ecn 1901 BEEGER) ALVA HOWARD; 2029 Clayist., Denver, Col:....:-.-.4sse: 1898 FERNALD, ROBERT HEywoop, Washington Uniy., St. Louis, Mo....18g90 HERR) OHNE AR WEI, Neale sOTesti, ellie les.-sieelaista el ete iclehsteior|=p-leleli setae 1894 FIELD, EDWARD Bronson, 981 Asylum Ave., Hartford, Conn....... 1898 FIELD, EUGENE DwWINELL, 200 Beacon St., Hartford, Conn......... 1899 Likes MUHERON Ruy. Carevor Natl Bk. Denver, Coloce. as. soeeee eee 1900 FIsHER, Miss ELIZABETH WILSON, 1502 Pine St., Philadelphia, Pa. ..1896 MISHER, WittrAm HH: 1320) Bolton’ St., Baltimore, Md-=-:..2.-... -- 1895 FISHER, WILLIAM HUBBELL, Wiggins Block, Cincinnati, Ohio...... 1883 FLANAGAN, JOHN H., 392 Benefit St., Providence, R.I............... 1898 HEBnGHER.» Nirs MuARye Hs.) edlows oViernmlOmts wacls leelelels oie creiciere neler 1898 FLint, Harry W., Yale National Bank, New Haven, Conn......... 1888 Foote, Miss F. HuBERTA, 90 Locust Hill Ave., Yonkers, New York (Cie Cb bobe more cddoriod op Op Jee P Cre Coca Gor ap gCo Cee obo Tn 1897 TOK Associates. Forpyce, Geo. L., 40 Lincoln Ave., Youngstown, Ohio............ IQOl FOSTER, FRANCIS APTHORP, 15 Oxford St., Cambridge, Mass........ 1893 HOWELER, HREDERICK HAmr., PalovAlto, (Galati. ef0)s 210) cleisis)elelels sieleley ore 1888 JUDD PME MER Cando No Dalcotaiitiinlacidacier cere eas 1895 KEAYs, JAMES EDWARD, 41 Oxford St. W., London, Ont...........- 1899 KEIM, THoMAS DANIEL, 405 Radcliffe St., Bristol, Pa.............. 1902 KELKER, WILLIAM A., Box 114, Harrisburg, Pa---................. 1896 KELLOGG, Prof. VERNON L., Stanford University, Cala.........-.... 1888 KENDALL, Dr. WILLIAM C., U. S. Fish Comm., Washington, D. C..1886 KENNARD, FREDERIC HEDGE, Brookline, Mass..-....2-.+++seeeeee- 1892 KEYSER, LEANDER S., D. D., 108 Third Ave., Canal Dover, Ohio....1891 KInG, GEORGE GorDON, 16 E. 84th St., New York City........-.... 1888 KinG, LE Roy, 20 E. 84th St., New York City.....--.-----+.e- eee. 1901 KIRKWOOD, FRANK C., 1811 Maryland Ave., Baltimore, Md........ 1892 ISNisansyorsr, Ivers, INIA, WMiilssaoconedcncobo0ca05 CnnoodacnoDeode 1898 KNIGHT, ORA WILLIS, 84 Forest Ave., Bangor, Me--............+«- 1893 KNOLHOFF, FERDINAND WILLIAM, 28 Winans St., East Orange, N. J.1897 LGMORe, ORGS Cry hil SuziveMs\inn Javicllougers INI Mi osao beep nce dado osaaoos6 1897 KNox, JoHN CowING, Jackson, Minn.... 22. .20e cee cece eden cece ee 1899 Koss, WiLLiAmM H., 125 High St., New Haven, Conn............. 1898 RO Cisiy IEROIG NOE San, Malllienonsjoxortes eho oes jose gsacose0cdcoooDe oboC 1891 Korscez, H. J., 845 Broad St., Newark, N. J--.--.+...seccsecccsenss 1902 KOHN, GUSTAVE, 136 Carondelet St., New Orleans, La.............. 1886 Kopman, HENRY Haz itt, 5509 Hurst St., New Orleans, La........ 1899 KouMLy, Rey. PiRMINE M., St. Benedict’s College, Atchison, Kans. .1892 IGACEY.. HOWwAR DIGEORGE, KMernville, Dexa’ = sie<. a2 cists lelers otare ele seats 1899 ICANOS ALBERT Atk) DVEUmiis) «lle + clelsloie SOS ART OLN ate ao incons 1890 LANTZ, Prof. DAvip ErRneEstT, Agl. Exper. Station, Manhattan, Kans.1885 CAR ABBE AUS miN@e.)) Gardiner; mM lisse) eroeieicialelslele!si=! a ote |= eters Deisecen 1902 LATIMER, Miss CAROLINE P., 63 Remsen St., Brooklyn, N. Y........ 1898 LAURENT, PHILIP, 31 E. Mt. Airy Ave., Philadelphia, Pa...........- 1902 LEE, Miss Mary, 241 W. Seymour St., Germantown, Pa............ 1898 LEUTLOFF, HERMAN C. A., 626,E. 135th St., New York City........ 1896 LEVERING, THomaAs Henry, Richmond St., Washington, D. C..... 1898 Leverson, Dr. MonracGuE R., 81 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y---1901 IBEX, ORIN GRANT, University,) No Dakotar nn. .ac.ciesen enclose oye 1900 LiLoyp, ANDREW JAMEs, 310 Boylston St., Boston, Mass...........- 1900 Lone, Horace B., 14 Anna St., Worcester, Mass.....+...........-- 1889 TEGONETS, JOHN Ac iMereta, Meas exo eicleivieloiein aia ieistn nee tka faininlenelely- 1887 [EeoRp, Rev. WM: Re ouPark’St:,Boston, Mass... «.1.cec tam deecins bee IQOI LORING, J. ALDEN, Owego, New York: «0-06 56020 ee cene cece cece 1889 Loucks, WiLu1aAm E., 319 S. Washington St., Peoria, Ill............ 1902 Associates. Xxill Lowe, WiLLouGHBY P., Okehampton, Devon, England............. 1893 LupLAM, CHRISTOPHER, Ocean City, Md...-....eeee cece cece eeeeee 1900 MacDouGa.t, GEorGE R., 131 W. 73rd St., New York City........ 1890 MAHER, J. E., Windsor Locks, Conn...... esses cece cc eeee cece eeee 1902 MartTIn, Mrs. Marra Ross, New Brunswick, N. J.---..+--2+++----- 1902 Mappock, Miss EMELINE, 2025 DeLancey PI., Philadelphia, Pa..... 1897 MAITLAND, ROBERT L., 35 Nassau St., New York City..-.....-...-- 1889 MarsH, DANIEL J., Springfield, Mass...-.--.+ cece cece cece cece eens 1894 MASTERMAN, ELMER ELLSwortu, New London, Ohio...-...-....-- 1895 MATHEWS, MissiCAROINE, NWatervillle; NUCt al vial fe erel o'ol Sin ot ohne! ote cr helteterae ey ters 1895 RiIcHARDS, Miss HARRIET E., 36 Longwood Ave., Brookline, Mass...1900 RICHARD Sau OLN TONG a UR Vier re NTASS se ete c <1 sleyalchtw sigs, sell nels 1888 RICHARDSON, JOHN KENDALL, Wellesley Hills, Mass................ 1896 RICKER, EVERETT WILDER, P. O. Box 5083, Boston, Mass........-- 1894. Kempe WAY, |OHN Iu, (Chevy Chasey Midile iy. c.ns cles love taerstele Wturm sls alone ate 1890 icin, CLARENCE S:,..Maplewood, Nii ]\.. mst. sm alesse @eliaiee 3a eleleye 1885 RIbEY, OSPR EM a. Malilsn@hiunchi) Vide eet cls «see + are aversteele o slelsyel= 1897 RRCHIE | SANEORD, Overs MiGs eics city 2% seid slevevsits neleaheie osme's ovoh oer 1900 ROBBINS, REGINALD C., 373 Washington St., Boston, Mass...-...... IQOI Rosins, Mrs. JULIA STOCKTON, 114 S. 21st St., Philadelphia, Pa..... 1895 Roperts, WILLIAM Ey, Swarthmore Col., Swarthmore, Pa-.-..--- 1902 ROBERTSON, Howarp, Station A, Los Angeles, Cala............... I9OI Roppy, Prof. H. Justin, State Normal School, Millersville, Pa...... 1891 IMOOSEVEL DT, HRANKEIN DELANO, Eliyde ian ke Ne) Xoaae ae ae ce secs: 1896 ROOSEVELT, THEODORE, Jr., White House, Washington, D. C...... +1902 INOMZ EIT, UO GemWier jo NaeDerthy, Palas «ec siete clicleial) cescleeste ore lene esslelete al 1893 ROWLAND, Mrs. ALICE Story, Public Library, Plainfield, N.J...---- 1897 ROWLEY, JOHN, Jr., Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City........-.-- 1889 SAGE, HreNry M., care of H. S. Sage\& Co., Albany, N. Y.......:.<: 1885 SAMPSON, WALTER BEHRNARD, 36 S. California St., Stockton, Cala.1897 SAMUEL, JOHN HuGHEs, 58 Church St., Toronto, Can............... 1902 HAND, ISABEELA Low, Ardsley-on-Hudson, Ni Yui... 66 08.004 400% « 1902 SANDS, AUSTIN LEDYARD, Greenough Pl., Newport, R.I.-.--.-+-.-- 1902 SANFORD, LEONARD C., M. D., 216 Crown St., New Haven, Conn...1902 DARGEND, ARR Ya CLEVELAND, | ChOCOnUAy Ne Ele sass: celeeele onesies 1900 DAVAGE; [AMES, 134. Abbottist,, Buttalo,(N. Yoe% o. 3 eee ee sie ool oa» 1895 SAVAGE, WALTER. GILES, jasperCity, Mois. <. 5 tiie. ts wt cicte dee tces aie 1898 SCHMITT, DR. JosEPH, Laval Univ., Quebec, Canada..........++.+- I9O1 SCHOENEBECK, AuGusT JOHN, Kelley Brook, Wis...............055- 1898 SCHRAFET, NELSON, Union Ave., Irvington, Ni. Ja... .00esc.. eee. sone 19OI ScHurR, Prof. THEoporeE A., 164 Linden St., Pittsfield, Mass........ 1888 ScHwas, Rev. LAWRENCE H., 549 W. 156th St., New York City..... 1892 SHALE, ALVIN, bishop: Mus., HonolulapH. Dis ..aso. 0. foe ecthen a Beet 1900 SEISS, COVINGTON Few, 1338 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia, Pa-..1898 HVS ON: w EEN ve ees WIN CCONMEs WAS ona sa seretels 2) eels ae eee 1902 SHAGEUCK, 2 BWIN HAROLD, Granby; Conn ss)ssie% cieciclecele ola s/ sizes 1898 SHATTUCK, GEORGE CHEEVER, 135 Marlboro St., Boston, Mass..--.- 1896 XXVI1 Associates. SHAW, Hotton A., 610 8th Ave., Grand Forks, No. Dakota......... 1898 SHAW, OUTS MNGASSIZ,(Chestiut Eli iNagsi:. crise) -lolelats\a elel-lelacleteiet= IQOI SHEPARD, MARSHALL, 134 W. 73d St., New York City.........-..-- 1899 SHERRIE WV ede diasicellll salexcisuian pate. ebearteiietelaelteloevenenevenc nieadee anes 1896 SHIELDS, GEORGE Q., 23 W. 24th St., New York City........2...00- 1897 SHOEMAKER, FRANK H., Omaha Nat’! Bk. Bldg., Omaha, Neb....... 1895 SHROSBREE, GEORGE, Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wis............. 1899 SHRYOCK, WILLIAM A., 21 N. 7th St., PBhiladeliphiiay Palisa eltelistt 1893 SILLIMAN, HARPER, 562 5th Ave., New York City.... 2.2.02 -.20 000+ 1902 SMITH, CHARLES PIPER, 2106 Central Ave., Indianapolis, Ind....... 1898 MINH, EORACE, G., 20916, Lafayette St:, DenveriColo. .... 2. 0. .enlaniens 1888 SMITH, Dr. HucH M., 1209 M St. N. W., Washington, D. C........ 1886 SMITH, Louts IRVIN, Jr., 3908 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa........ IQO1 SMILE. Mrs... DWIN. 423 James St., Syracuse, NisYo.-. les. vas eae 19OI SHULPH OB HRI WINDSOR Muar kwoods Galecen eee on acetone 1895 SMITH, THEODORE H., 22 Essex Ave., Orange, N. J-------+++s-e00-: 1896 SmMyTu, Prof. ELLIsoN A., Jr., Polytechnic Inst., Blacksburg, Va..... 1892 SNODGRASS, ROBERT EvaANs, Stanford Univ., Cala..............-- 1902 SNMDER AVL I DWN, weaver Wat, VViS slclolae tele!) «lelalelole oleis esac 1895 SOUTHWICK, JAMES M., Mus. Nat. Hist., Providence, R.I..........- 1896 Sparp, Prof. ARTHUR R., 1819 Delaware Ave., Wilmington, Del..... IQOI SPAUMDING PERM MBs, lancaster iN. eli sclelcroleieleiais/s\e ssleteye/eielele sietelte ele 1894 Spinney, HERBERT L., Seguin Light Station, Popham Beach, Me...1900 STACK, FREDERICK WILLIAM, 824 Park Ave., Plainfield, N. J.---..--. 1900 SEANTON, Erote)..¥., Bates College, Lewiston; Mei.c.. 25st oe 1883 STEPHENSON,.Mrs. Louise McGown, Helena, Ark..........e.e000. 1894 SOM, Dakar IDE, | Eevelsbalen IN, \Cago denon spcouocodUddUacdcaso0de0 1891 STRONG, Dr. REUBEN M., Univ. Chicago, Chicago, Ill.......-.... 1889 STURTEVANT, EDWARD, St. George School, Newport, R.I........... 1896 SURBER, SHERRARD McCiure, Santa Rosa, N. M................-- 1902 SURFACE, HARvEy ApaM, Dept. of Agr., Harrisburg, Pa............1897 SWAIN, JouN INIGORET. ON PANU SOS tel pV Ue toler = tat ohep=) alia ssa) = hels\eyettelote) ear ehcteliepetele telat 1899 SWALES, BRADSHAW HALL, 135 Warren Ave., E., Detroit, Mich...... 1902 SWARTH, Harry S., 512 Coronado St., Los Angeles,,Cala.-...-....- 1900 SHI IDURGSON Woy IRoVbie Ay IPI hios, WOO sc55unoodooDoFdd booGHOuGC 1902 SWEZEY, GEORGE, 66 Jackson St., Newark, Ni J...2 2200 soev wees ces I9OI TALLEY, Prof. THomas WASHINGTON, Tuskegee, Ala............... 1896 TAVERNIER, Percy A., 6207 Greenwood Ave., Chicagos lll yeeros 1902 TAYLOR, ALEXANDER O’DRISCOLL, 132 Bellevue Ave., Newport, R. 1.1888 Test, Dr. FREDERICK CLEVELAND, 4401 Indiana Ave., Chicago, IIl..1892 Srna Rem OLN MEE TO TamluamGastets iViaSs\e\-cer) cfelate\ eleloie! sietaielcicre clear ai aie 1898 Tuomas, Miss Emity Hrnps, “Hindsbury,” Bryn Mawr, Pa........ I9OI THOMPSON, Miss CAROLINE B., Clapier St.,Germantown, Philadelphia, NE aaswele vole si(o\ > poke Vavsiis te cole oucegs pahevat ode Wo Takonmacbep eve tons Veloiie eos ote aaiciswa relearn eels 1900 Toppan, GEORGE L.,.18 E. 23d St., New York City... 2. .5.2..0. 1886 TOWNSEND, Dr. CHAs. WENDELL, 76 Marlborough St., Boston, Mass. 1901 Assoctates. XXvVili TOWNSEND, WiLmoT, 3d Ave. and 75th St., Bay Ridge, N. Y..---.-- 1894 TREAT, WILLARD E., Silver Lane, Conn......+-..+---seeeeeeeeeees 1885 TROTTER, WILLIAM HENRY, Jr., 36 No. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa..1899 TurtLe, Dr. Cart, Berlin Heights, Ohio......-. eee eee eee ee ee eee 1890 TweEepy, EpnGar, 336 Main St., Danbury, Conn.....-.-..eee seen ee ee 1902 UNDERWOOD, WILLIAM LYMAN, Mass. Inst. Technology, Boston, Mass.1900 WATE ELER BER TMK euGlem Govern Ne Visieleisjer) sleisiels, ho! «lcleinys els olelcl= aileloleliele 1902 VAN CoRTLANDT, Miss ANNE S., Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y...----+:. 1885 VAN DeENnBURGH, Dr. JOHN, 1626 Turk St., San Francisco, Cala...-- 1893 Van NAME, WILLARD GIBBS, 121 High St., New Haven, Conn...... 1900 Van NoRDEN, WARNER MONTAGNIE, Rye, New York....--+--++-++ 1899 Van Sant, Miss EL1zaABETH, 717 N. Y. Life Bldg., Omaha, Neb.----1896 Varick, Mrs. JouHn B., 283 Orange St., Manchester, N. H...--....-- 1900 VETTER, CHARLES, D. D. S., 152 Second St., New York City.-.-..-- 1898 WALES, EDWARD H., Hyde IPbiAR. IN Wo onde soo sboo0dcundGo00dGC Goud 1896 WALKER, Dr. R. L., 355 Main St., Carnegie, Pa.-..---+++-+se eee. 1888 WALTER, HERBERT E., 435 Belden Ave., Chicago, Ill........-...-- IQOI WEATHERS ED RUANTKG 7 Wise TOZG Steg ING Wr XOlK: Cibyieree< jee eters rere 1902 WarRREN, Dr. B. H., Box 245, Westchester, Pa......+sseeeeeseeece 1885 WARREN, Epwarpb Royat, 20 W. Caramillo St., Colorado Springs, (So) Oka. es syoter a ctaccp ates aie depeuertael ssn avekecchah aha el siacrals: cin snayel aecnnarate, clavegs 1902 Watson, Miss SARAH R., Clapier St., Germantown, Phil., Pa....... 1900 WATTERS, ROBINSON CATOR, 9 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, Md.--- 1900 WEBSTER, Mrs. Mary P., 1025 5th St., S. E., Minneapolis, Minn...-1900 WEIR, J. ALDEN, 11 E. 12th St., New York City........---2+see0--- 1899 WELLS, FRANK S., 916 Grant Ave., Plainfield, N. J.-----+---++-eeee: 1gO2 WENTWORTH, IRvING H., Matehuala E. de S. L. P., Mexico...-..... 1900 WEsT, JAMES A., Savoy, Ill... -- se ee ee ee cece ee cece ne ce cececccnce 1896 West, Lewis H., Roslyn, Nassau Co., N. Yo-++-e ee ee cece cece ees 1887 WESTFELDT, GusTaF R., P. O. Box 601, New Orleans, La........--.- 1902 WETHERILL, Wm. H., 126 So. 30th St., Philadelphia, Pa........-... Igo! WETMORE, Mrs. HELEN H., 343 Lexington Ave., New York City-.--1902 WHEELER, EDMUND JAcos, 95 Jefferson Ave., New London, Conn...1898 WHEELER, JOHN B., East Templeton, Mass..-.-.-.+-+eeeeeeeeeceees 1897 WHEELOCK, Mrs. IRENE G., 1040 Hinman Ave., Evanston, Ill..----- 1902 Wuitcoms, Mrs. ANNABELL C., 721 Franklin St., Milwaukee, Wis-..1897 WHITE, FRANCIS BEACH, 6 Phillips Place, Cambridge, Mass.......--- 1891 Wuirtes, W. A., 158 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, N. Y...-----+-+-+++ 1902 WICKERSHAM, CORNELIUS W., 5 Linden St., Cambridge, Mass...---. 1902 Wicks, M: Ic., Jn:, Hellman Block, Los Angeles, Cala.....-.-.--.2.. 1890 WiLsur, Appison P., 4 Gibson St., Canandaigua, N. Y..-+-+.++++++- 1895 Witcox, T. FERDINAND, 115 W. 75th St., New York City....- Ve eeee 1895 WILDE, Mark L. C., 315 N. 5th St., Camden, N. J.------+-+sseeeeee 1893 WILLARD, JNO. MELVILLE, 2221 Elm St., Oakland, Cal...-..----+-+-- 1902 WILLIAMs, J. BICKERTON, 15 Wellington St. E., Toronto, Can....... 1889 WILiiaMs, RICHARD FERDINAND, P. O. Box 521, New York City--.1902 XXViii Deceased Members. WILLiAMs, RoBERT STATHAM, Botanical Gardens, New York City..1888 WILLIAMS, ROBERT WHITH, -Jr.. Tallahassee, Flac ccs ee oie ei 1900 Winerenans 2 Wiel/-1 be) tlollamd PatenitpINemyaercrctersiclotsteelrl sulle hmeeteleiet: 1893 WiIEETAMSON, H.08:.) Bilutitomie lindas ce itevetiterecietecietetotersietetarcne eres tineels 1900 WEESon, JAMES FRANKLIN, (Basin, Momtanandectatciele an ctelecsicesies se cle 19O1 WILSON, SIDNEY S., 1021 Sylvania St., St. Joseph, Mo.........0.00- 1895 WINKENWERDER, HuGo Aucust, High School, Sheybogan, Wis-..--1900 WotcotTtT, Dr. Rospert H., Univ. of Neb., Lincoln, Nebraska....... IQOI MGURE;«WalEnAM: BP pwARD, Wray, (Colom ale= assine «ile. 2 eeldeidtenils 1900 Woon, DrwtowaRD ls, Grotony, Comms icrsjs eis cinie'ss «+ vin(elei6 eye lelelehie eine 1901 WOOD s)- (CLAIRE 079-1 7thirSt., Detroit, Niichiasn: Scns ace Clacls Senos 1902 Woop, NELSON R., Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C..... 1895 Woopcock, ARTHUR Roy, Corvallis, Oregon.......--.2+00eee0 eee 19OI WoovrurF, EpwARD SEYMOUR, 14 E. 68th St., New York City...... 1899 Wooprvurr, Lewis B., 14 E. 68th St., New York City............-+- 1886 WoopwarbD, Dr. LEMUEL F., 52 Pearl St., Worcester, Mass...-----+-190I WoopwortTH, Mrs. NELLY Hart, 41 Bank St., St. Albans, Vt....... 1894 WorcESTER, Prof. DEAN C., U. S. Philippine Comm., Manila, P. I..1895 WORDHEN- 4 OMAR ESU RG), oVWiaESAW sp Lllillesstoiorevafoielscle syste sietelotle lerolnisiensierereiare 1891 WORTHINGTON, WILLIS W., Shelter Island Heights, Suffolk Co., N. Y.1889 WiRIGITT, RANK: 525551 GENESEE Sb, ATIDUDI,) Nov +/e-ereteleran eelnjehoietedione 1894 WRIGHT, Horace WINSLOW, Jefferson Highlands, N. H............ 1902 WriGut, Mrs. JANE ATHERTON, 2 Main St., Greenfield, Mass......- 1902 WRIGHT, Miss Nora GirALDA, 387 Plainfield St., Olneyville, R. 1-...1896 WiRITGET, Svan (Conshohockensbd oiccicsleis relive 2 ctciersiels) che Sialietec nel el tehareve 1895 NWORKES, Dir ENR. BP oOslamds Dlllie d.ic'e c «sjetelors sya ucla ter eteusereereteteierehe 1891 DECEASED MEMBERS FELLOWS. Date of Death BATE OBEN CHR Ui HRM ON talelsselal stelelel aie eieletalelajeisicia/sjelislclets Aug. 19, 1887 Bisioniman, (Civ. Biggooodes 600d BOOS bao Gone UIaUsaGU Gonbone Feb. 4, 1897 (WOU BS s ADE PTO DT ayes cle etereeie nbele yo Davele peiake) oo icjoleleieceln eet aerate « Dec. 25, 1899 GOSSHINGES feiiiavciscctl cote cvsiceeereteene ators tauenaiscclclevarstelerevonslaralats-cisiets March 10, 1891 FIOL DER, JOSEPH 'B'<.t.> sac+ oils vcns s noc June 17, IVIATRIS CHAT pAn tM ste ele arches: oforolaitetats sats o/a.terey Sie. tie) eeisie ernie eave ano OG: itive MALMGREN, ANDERS JOHAN. «++ esse ceed cece ee eeeeeeee April 12, MIDDENDORFF, ALEXANDER THEODOR VON..-.....+-+--++++-Jan. 28, Mosjisovics, F. G. HERMANN AUGUST +++ ee seer ee eee Aug. 27 PREJEVALSKI, N. Moos on cece ccc cess cece ccce owcceseee sss Oct. 20, EARIDINGRIS S541) WWAISB IEE Rictererese vere «)sve(oletele oie eversie¥evers e/a) 10) clove ee gi NOW? 19, PRYER, HARRY JAMES STOVIN. «+++. eseceeeeeeeceteceeeee+Feb. 17, SCHRENCK, LEOPOLD VON ss see cece eee ee cece eee eeeeeeeee Jan. 20, SELEYS-LONGSCHAMPS, EDMOND DE..--.-+.--00eeeee+e++-Dec. II, XXix 1892 , 1897 1896 1890 1900 1895 1890 1895 1900 1890 1891 1898 1884 1895 1890 1900 1900 1893 18g 1888 1902 1899 I1g00 1887 1895 1902 1889 1900 1896 1887 1897 1894 , 1897 1887 1899 1888 , 1894 1900 SX Deceased Members. ENV, FURRUINZ NV 7IN Feelin ptetstik ove io wuics neileis fe senchcohevetveles soliels abel de ape wane ae RS Feb. 8, Ssriawimicony, Inliompovap od oo oGoowoOlon do cobo od baDoDaboudoncc Aug. 18, WEED ATR RONG UIE NIRV SU Se Sictys late tele nec yortinn sev eeSheuclee da: Sua Re esse Sept. —, MEMBERS. ANDYNM IS (CSUN ILS) IG o bocca ooo aoc Ado o UAbODNOd COMO babe May 20, ATEN MOLINE Sl OVibRictalcileisieicisleielsieisieverclersiele)aistecleneievehsciaene Oct. 15, INGER pal alo NGO pA OU GO DD DU DOOD CODD DG boodUS Ooo OB anOOod OF May 19, PANTS VS, WALA GUIS ELINDA'Nie i. (oy c1e yee sysievovencyele\sverei curiae ois/s levelore March 11, IARI copii (Cishacurisionno domooesaGucmoboU boss co ocG0 on oloooGor Nov. 6, Baur, GROR GR yaletsaiate breve ole le eteveleysvors saree ole kemaveteteta alohevevetes olievetere June Di, BECKHAM, CHARLES WICKLIFFE «..2.- 0.0002 scc-c0sccccs ces June 8, Srey fp GNA to Sis teyorarege ie Voter ake (ouete y= te lotolecaloisieyelisvereloisteuelstereieteesieroiteks April —, BIRTWELL, FRANCIS JOSEPH ++ --++esccce cs cccs cece ce cece June 29, IROARUDIMEIN, (Gisrorverm vo Gadooo DOnnOD UoODdooGoooDO DOOnGD GOORr Jan. 11, JEOMvIPG, [PRUNING oboac ObS0d0 pDdO0 > Donde DOCOUD J00000 Hogan Jan. 10, BRN, IMO SitiN Inlogooon cooco0 Oooo ODOoGDOOOdbn Oncoe00 Jan. Bi, ERIE SED eAV Vides TSCA CIN Tis lepiettoyiavero tol <1¥o) oNohakere) oletolaletereiekeieie]-feversieretette) aleieiie}eters IDEe 7) ESR ORCAWV Pas AVY isla, nin) s she nje/sleio'p sieys.ohele a"a\eieile)svela eis «a: miaibiaie viaietels Sept. 3, BROWN, JOHN CLIFFORD -.-- 2+ 0+ ceee cece cece cece eccesececs Jan. 16, BROWNE, FRANCIS CHARLES++.0.-eccececceees cerecs neccncs Jan. 9, CAIRNS, JOHN S..--ee cece eee c eee cece re cere eee eeeee weeeee June 10, GAT PAB RAD SNS REIN) OINieie te iellefale/el's foals) clone llevectetteloneheVetelateliorrehetelsta Nov. 20, CANTER EET MOB ERIE ARIG YE Dts foleless ls (eile tateless;tole ole foie telelotots eve/elers April —, (Camarmmin, IRD aikieccasuocccdes cgon0 ododda.ccoso0 GodGun NEC RO AUROMOEUNGN my ofa miehsln foie vte asteroids infelabs Arehale istaelstea, apcommenoeeE Jan. 14, (COILIEWIRAK, Wis Wis cooovd DoodHd ca poop GuodOo UdboDoDOUbOUDOOGOS Oct. 175 COLEMER wATONSO Nit a7 fe 4co tases ache oO ADE ne oreo ee ae Aug. 22, CORNING, ERASTUS, Jr STA COr OO RAOO CO OSA ISRO SOA OOO DIS April 9, CO AW Nai torece covsyiotiet ate orel on etalntaharvo) store's sesalata’oraic) stele vavetevaleieleca ere April 26, IDVAINiniosr, Wasi leis ooudeo a9 Boooudaend oo0a dduo oo00sn OodGoc April 21, DAKIN, JOHN Awe seeece ee eeeeececee ce eees lstpoouppocauoaoe Feb. 21, ID shinai, INfoAOINIa at ooDndddd OOM OOO G Ood oO Aebo oD UH Oo goons lili Aya IG TLOMUI Oe le OME: asaterclietelen cl ohelotNelishel eros label evalacstcuejeseisielsticuesel olste Feb: 11, FAIRBANKS; FRANKLIN. «+0 )0c0le cess cccccs secs ccccice soceee April 24, FOWLER, J. Leese cece cece eect cece eee e cece eee ee ee veee July 11, (GisSINR Atm lisests, cc oyralerila teloreyoistal cusietcinel clever) ratetettyeteelohers tole April 30, SOSS ENA MAINE nis intel On ieiajayniloverele nls) obeforeictede ero iereRalslsia ete are? aie July 6, HATCH, JESSE MAURICE. «+206 ceceee cece cece cece eee eens cece May 1, IRIOVNDVEIONG) IMolDD Niel alga sanaoood ono obdsoUsoddou dade o505 Feb. 26, HOWLAND, JOHN SNOWDON: ..-6 oc00 cece hoes cocscccecces Sept. 19, INGERSOLL, JOSEPH CARLETON: «.6+ e000 ceedceee cece cece eres Octu2: JENES, JOHN) W. Pie wien ccieie oie oie ele oe cis ninliewieie s o.6le mute «ein Sept. 27, JOU, PEIERRE LOUIS % ei oie ma i0'% 0, Helo aiais @ )tyel ele eleiela'slintainlalalninic March 22, 1885 1888 1895 1893 1893 1885 1894 1902 1898 1888 1897 I9OI IQOI 1894 1900 1889 1897 IQoOI 1900 1895 I9O1 1897 1900 1903 1899 1902 1893 1885 1902 1900 IQOI 1889 1895 1899 1895 1893 1898 1895 1885 1898 1894 1894 Deceased Members. Xxxi RENT GID WILBUR KC LEN TON. oss oe op wcleese ies, clea sie ars dae ee July 8, 1903 UNITE N le UD WIG cece eityeicie bio sis ramet Lieven wrote oe Dec. 4, 1902 GURNEE NG POINT ROE ele tsl mn sieve diets 9) .c/6/s1ciie areiclots ackels «cele nate giaretares Aug. 5, 1888 LEN WRN CH INOBERCE El Oils sats arsie sis stercoe aletoe s casts: cites aise rere April 27, 1897 ETAT Nigel @ EUATRISH, Siefolora) ce svalrele: «ier yes ioleisss sini ieieh sa a6 as odds o6c'c Feb. 3, 1888 UAT IB Eyres GoD DIE @IN Get ors ere erevore: leveieousietia Gtovena cue o e'erici cle tee « Geniere Aug. 15, 1900 MARBLE, CHARLES C...... Deke faiiaiersi ata oC ote maces syorshiaiaoretat cue ohare Sept. 25, 1900 IN TAR ok OT EWEN sia) crate teres e aie ei8 wigiers cieaue sei eles ao etude aialietalteueye March 19, 1899 Maris, WILLARD LORRAINE....... SDOEAG OUD aoOUDO Aaa. Dec. 11, 1895 McKIn.tay, JAMES aliotaet sirel alts eis yePereve sf evel arava cocicu ast hae eh recut een Nov. 1, 1899 DEAE CODE ENS late oa ioxerata'G pod Sines elses osu acne ethele ge Nemes s June 19, 1901 AVION OLE NR va MD AVAD Stave terelofolsis) «is cic isis s Gc, sels: cieiei(e..6 sues sleletenete Novy. 13, 1890 MORRMER CLARENCE ELENRY » « cas sss oie «vie cleise pe een Oe July 15, 1902 INICHOUS, ELOWARD GARDNER = « or5 ca 25 \a/e oic's o oaia vse ich s dees June 23, 1896 NORTHROP, |@isorr bode coadmueouacU Daou conn pour udoscos boc June 26, 1891 PARRA BT Nip diet ovate), c) sia! i aiareie eile: (oiese goaky wa) te eve. coo sre) erence he ee Sept. 22, 1893 RINGS DATE e Gin ORG Ey sbd eteye stole) sess. rele esas ere/0.ajia le ateleicloishere ofe March 25, 1895 SERSRWAW) YA Grit ORG: Bo pod tose teyoiG oifo!.0 ce Taye fa vore) oe) 3's, asus ciezore die andua eveve, otra March 20, 1903 FST GEAR SON AP EUNINIE SSioieree sh aleleie cla) ola) c¥ole es) efateleletiac) cieie eisieiele --June 24, 1893 SHEOUS MER CYa OHERIBOR Nicci se) «is cle oa 0s sisielcie-e eros velaieue oe April 7, 1900 SILA, ||| MvaC ls So onloousouna caboose eobanconnate coodecn” Feb. —, 1895 SBE AUN CET O MEAS IBMTD IVA IRD) Siete. 6, s/citeloia) eisieieieaess aheseremenmile oie erenenertiere Dec. 23, 1902 SIWNLIL,, TDIDCUNO0- Noe picnic on mae eke Oca DO Ee emanate crciane April 24, 1884 SOMME CARIN CH PAU BWR Iysi59. Trochilus colubris. Gundlach, 1878. » 60. Bellona exil’s. Cory, 1886-88. ’ 61. Tyrannus tyrannus. Cory says: “Accidental in Cuba, Porto Rico? San Domingo?” 62. Pyrrhomitris cucullata. Gundlach, 1878. (Introduced.) 63. Hirundo erythrogaster. Gundlach, 1878. 64. Tachycineta bicolor. Gundlach, 1878. 65. Riéparia riparia. Gundlach, 1878. 66. Vireo olivaceus. Gundlach, 1878. 67. Dendroica cerulescens. Gundlach, 1878. Evidently not common in Porto Rico. 68. Dendroica striata. Gundlach, 1878. 69. Dendroica dominica. Gundlach, 1878. 70. Geothlypis trichas. Gundlach, 1878. Auk Jan. 24 ANTHONY, Migration of Richardson's Grouse. MIGRATION OF RICHARDSON’S GROUSE. BY A. W. ANTHONY, Ir was recently my fortune to spend several months within the range of Richardson’s Grouse, and to witness its very extensive migrations to and from its breeding grounds, migrations so dis- similar to anything with which I am familiar in the other closely allied species, I have thought my notes on the subject worthy of record. : In order that the character of the migration may be more fully understood, it is necessary that I give a somewhat detailed description of the region over which my observations extend. The mining camp of Sparta, which was the base of my opera- tions, lies at the lower edge of the pine belt at 4100 feet altitude at the base of the Powder River Mountains and about fifteen miles west of Snake River in eastern Oregon. North of the camp, the ridges, which for the most part trend north and south, are cut by the deep cafion of Eagle Creek. Running easterly, cutting a gap inthe heavy growth of pine, tam- arack and fir, of from five hundred to one thousand feet in depth and half a mile in width north of the Eagle, the ridges of the main range rise to approximately eight thousand feet above the sea, dividing the waters of Powder River from those of the Wallow. In these higher altitudes is found the true home of Richardson’s, Franklin’s and the Gray Ruffed Grouse. South of Sparta the country falls away rapidly in a series of sage-covered benches and ridges to Powder River, from which it rises with equal rapidity to the divide between its waters and those of Burnt River, known locally as the Lookout Mountains. The higher parts and deeper cafions of this range are well wooded with pine and fir, but from information furnished by the residents, no grouse winter there. On the first of March, 1902, when the first of the migrating grouse made their appearance along the edge of the timber north of Sparta, the snow was from two to four feet in depth, though the lower slopes near Powder River were bare and had begun to show the first signs of sprouting grass. Snow squalls and rough Valea AnTHONY, Migration of Richardson's Grouse. 25 weather seemed to check the southward flight until about the 1oth, although a few birds were passing over daily. The tracks on the snow bore ample testimony as to the manner in which the migra- tion was made. From the higher slopes north of Eagle Canon, the birds sailed until the rising ground brought them to the surface of the snow on the south side of the creek, usually well above the cafion. From this time until the highest point of the ridge south was reached the journey was performed on foot. Immediately north of Sparta lies a conical peak known as Baldy, some seven hun- dred feet above camp, the highest point in the ridge south of Eagle Creek. From the top of Baldy, and in an area not to exceed one hundred feet square, I think fully eighty-five percent of the grouse passing over Sparta take their departure. From east, north and west up the steep, snowy slopes hundreds of trails led toward the top and not one could be found leading down- ward. ‘The flight from the top of the peak was almost invariably undertaken at about sunrise or sunset. It is only when birds are disturbed and driven from the peak that they will attempt to cross to the southern ridge during the middle of the day. Throughout the day grouse are arriving along the upper slopes of Baldy, singly, in pairs, and small flocks that have perhaps formed since the southward march began, as I think they do not winter in com- pany, but the flight from the peak is usually in flocks of from a dozen to a hundred birds. Though the ridge south of Sparta is four hundred feet or more lower than the top of Baldy, it is fully a mile and a half distant in an air line, and the flight is seldom sustained to carry the birds to the top. Usually they alight on the snow half way up the slope, and after a few moments’ rest, continue the journey on foot; those passing over in the evening spend the night, I think, in the pines, the last of which are seen along this divide ; but those arriving in the morning soon pass on, walking down any of the small ridges leading toward Powder River. rom the lava cliffs, which form the cafion along this part of the river, they fly across to the lower slopes of Lookout Mountains, up which they walk, continuing the migration as far, at least, as the valley of Burnt River. On arriving at the first bare ground, gravel is eagerly sought Auk Jan. 26 ANTHONY, Migration of Richardson’s Grouse. for, after which the tender green shoots are greedily devoured, and the remainder of the migration is much more leisurely per- formed. The first birds which I saw the past spring were males, but I could not be sure that either sex preceded the other in migration. A few birds undoubtedly remain and nest throughout the timbered region of Powder River Mountains, but the percentage is small indeed compared with those that nest on the bare sage plains along Powder and Burnt Rivers. Many of the nests are placed in the shelter of the scattered growth of chokecherry, aspen, or cotton- wood that fringes the water courses tributary to the river; and a few of these nests may produce young that reach maturity, but fully as many birds lay in the shelter of a bare rock, or scanty sage brush in the open plain, in company with Sage Grouse; and fortunate indeed is the bird, nesting in such location, that raises its young. In a circuit of not over six miles from my camp on Powder River the past May, were ranged not less than twenty thousand sheep which tramped out the nests so completely, that, while finding dozens of broken nests, I saw not one that had not been destroyed, of either Richardson’s or Sage Grouse, and only one young bird. Nevertheless, many of them do escape, as their numbers testify, although I am told, on good authority, that there are very few in comparison with their former numbers. The love note of the male Richardson’s Grouse bears no resemblance to that of its near kinsman, the Sooty Grouse of the Cascade and Coast Ranges. From a perch in a tall fir, the latter utters a series of hoots, deep and throaty, while the subject of the present sketch has, so far as I have heard, but a single nasal toot, loud and far reaching. When uttered the bird is usually strutting on the ground before a member of the gentle sex, with the tail spread and elevated and the wings drooping, resembling nothing so much as a turkey gobbler in miniature. The note is uttered as, with lowered head and threatening mien, he rushes at the hen, or perhaps at an intruding rival. The return migration is less pronounced in its beginning, and more gradual in its progress. ‘Toward the last of July the broods of well grown young, attended by the adults, begin to appear along the ridges, returning as they came by walking invariably up to the / Vol. XX fess ] GRINNELL AND DaGcGettT, Birds of Coronados Islands, 27 tops of the hills and ridges and as invariably flying as near to the top of the next as their gradually descending flight will carry them. Before the middle of August, the migration is in full swing, and flocks are seen each evening, passing over Sparta. Frequently they alight in the streets and on the house-tops. I recall with a smile the memory of a flock of a dozen or more which lit one evening in front of the hotel. For a time pistol bullets and bird shot made an accident policy in some safe company a thing to be desired, but strange to relate none of the regular residents of the town were injured. The same may be said of most of the grouse, though one, in the confusion, ran into the livery stable and took refuge in a stall, where it was killed with a stick. Straggling flocks from south of Powder River prolong the falh migration until near the first of October, after which none are seen below the high elevations north of Eagle Creek. AN ORNITHOLOGICAL VISIT TO LOS CORONADOS. ISLANDS, LOWER CALIFORNIA. BY J. GRINNELL AND F. S. DAGGETT. ITINERARY, TWENTY miles due south of Point Loma, near San Diego, Cali- fornia, and half that distance from the Lower California coast, in Mexican waters, is a group of small islands known as Los Coron- ados Islands. The group consists of four principal islands with smaller outlying rocks, some of which are only completely sepa- rated from the main islands at high tide. The largest, or South Island, is a huge ridge some two miles long and of varying width. The sides are precipitous and impossible to scale except at the few favorable points. ‘The backbone presents an irregular sky- line like the back of a dromedary. The southern extremity, about six hundred feet high, ends ina bold promontory. At the north the ridge ends in detached rocks. A cove on the east side, about Auk 28 GRINNELL AND DaGGEtTT, Birds of Coronados Islands. Tat one third distant from the north end, affords shelter with good anchorage for small craft, and at present is the landing place of a launch which makes a trip to the island from San Diego whenever five or more persons wish to enjoy the fishing, which in these little frequented waters is said to be unexcelled. About a mile north of South Island appears a jagged point of land, little more than a great irregular rock, and scarcely a fifth of a mile in extent. Lying between these two, though rather out of line to the westward and nearest the latter, is another somewhat larger mass of rock. Both of these together are known as Middle Islands. - Away to the north some four miles, and most inaccessible of all, lies the fourth island, which completes the group and is called North Island. It is almost a duplicate of South Island, if any- thing, more rugged, but not so large. Red sandstone crops out in places, with here and there small caves and overhanging shelves, a feature evidently attractive to many seabirds. An entire absence of water on any of the islands during the long dry sea- son prevents the existence of goats, foxes and other land mam- mals usually present on the larger islands off our southern coast. North Island, however, is literally overrun with mice. These and the land birds must be able to do without water unless they can drink the salt sea water. On August 6, 1902, we availed ourselves of an opportunity to visit the Coronados Islands in the launch rather than trust to the uncertain moments of sailing craft, heretofore the only means of reaching the islands. A few miles out from the pier, at Coronado Beach, opposite San Diego, whence we embarked, we began to meet with birds, singly and in small companies. Cormorants, gulls and pelicans scattered before the sharp puff of the launch, while several Forster Terns seemed to be attracted for a minute, eyeing us curiously before flying off. As we approached South Island, bird life made itself more apparent, the surface of the water being dotted with cormorants and pelicans, many of them being young-of-the-year. Heermann gulls in immature plumage, recent arrivals from their breeding grounds far to the south, kept in constant view. Great patches of white on the rocky headlands and outlying rocks indicated favorite roosting places. | GRINNELL AND DaccoettT, Birds of Coronados Islands. 29 Iinmediately upon our arrival at South Island we struck out in the skiff, towed over for this purpose, to visit the easternmost of the two Middle Islands which looked particularly favorable. We rowed out of the cove and coasted along the rocky shore, a favorite place for turnstones and oystercatchers, past the detached ledges at the north and where pelicans and cormorants roosted to the water’s edge, and finally headed directly across the intervening channel, swerving now and then to avoid masses of kelp. As we neared our objective point several oystercatchers came flying out to meet us, with their loud cries, and in one of these we recog- nized Hematopus frazari, a species neither of us had ever before seen. Making a landing even in calm weather is attended by a feeling of uncertainty, for one has to select a shelf of rock where the water deepens at once, so that the boat will not be thrown down hard against submerged pinnacles by the receding swells. One has to swing the boat in just right on the top of a wave and leap to the exposed rock at the proper moment. We managed to make a dry landing, and get our boat safely hauled up on a flat rock. Six hours later the tide had fallen, and we experienced much difficulty in getting the skiff back to the water uninjured. But such little experiences, if not too serious, lend continued interest to a short vacation trip like ours. This small island proved of unexpected interest, for here we found an accessible breeding colony of petrels. The afternoon was entirely occupied in digging out and taking care of these birds, their young and eggs. One of us made the circuit of the island, meeting with oystercatchers, turnstones, and tatlers on the partly exposed reefs, their feeding grounds. We started back across the channel at dusk. Flying- fish, startled by the oars, darted past us with wonderful velocity,. often passing uncomfortably near. Cormorants and pelicans left the rocks as we glided by, and our entrance to the cove was her- alded by the weird cry of some disturbed gull. The next morning, August 7, we made an early start for North Island, this time leaving both Middle Islands well to the left. Cut- ting through the belt of kelp, which completely girdles North Island, we made a landing at about the center of the east side. Here a short inlet leads to an amphitheatre-like slope which rises steeply to the ridge several hundred feet above. The unusually 30 GRINNELL AND DaGGETT, Birds of Coronados Islands. Fe 8 rugged nature of this island makes it the favored one of the group for the larger seabirds, thousands of which annually nest here. We spent the forenoon in climbing about the rookeries and examining the nesting sites, most of which were by this time abandoned. Our visit was much too late, for most of the young had left. This locality would furnish many an interesting object for the bird photographer during April and May. At noon we returned to the cove at North Island, where the launch met us, and in the evening of the same day we were back at San Diego with many hours of tedious bird-skinning to look forward to. The following is a more detailed account of all the birds we found at Los Coronados Islands. NOTES ON SPECIES. 1. Ptychoramphus aleuticus. Cassin AUKLET.— Large plats of soft ground near the top of North Island were percolated with burrows, larger than the normal ones of petrels. Many were dug into but proved empty save for fragments of white egg-shells and in one case a dead young Cassin Auklet. Large numbers of this species evidently breed here earlier in the year. : 2. Larus occidentalis. WESTERN GuULL.— This species was numerous about all the islands. At North Island clouds of fully fledged young and adults kept circling about overhead during our stay there. A few young still unable to flv were met with toward the south end of this island. These were possessed of remarkable agility in scrambling among the rocks into places of concealment. 3. Larus heermanni. HEERMANN GULL.— Many gulls of this species were congregated over the kelp beds among the islands. All seen were in the dark-headed, immature plumage, not a single adult being observed. These were all probably northward migrants from some winter breeding ground far to the southward. 4. Oceanodroma melania. BLAcK PETREL.— This species was breeding sparingly on Middle and North Islands in company with the Socorro Petrel. We obtained but four specimens, each with an egg. The four eggs were white, though more or less nest-soiled, and unspotted. They measured, in inches, 1.50 X 1.04, 1.44 X 1.03, 1.37 X 1.08, and 1.52 X 1.02, or, in millimeters, 38 X 26.7, 36.7 X 26.4, 35 X 27.5, and 38.6 X 26. Three of these eggs were on the point of hatching, the other being infertile. The nesting burrows of the Black Petrel seemed to us indistinguishable from those of the Socorro Petrel described beyond. Bonaparte’s Procel- daria melania (Compte Rendu, XXXVIII, April 1854, p. 662) was described Vol. XX 1903 ] GRINNELL AND DaGGETT, Birds of Coronados Islands. 3a without any more definite locality than “California” being indicated ; but as many of Delattre’s birds are stated to have come from San Diego, it seems probable that the type of O. melanza was from this vicinity. 5. Oceanodroma socorroensis. SOCORRO PETREL. — The Socorro Petrel was found breeding commonly on both North and Middle Islands, but on the latter they were most accessible, and here on the afternoon of August 6, we secured by continuous hard work twenty-four adults, with many young andeggs. This island presents two jagged peaks about a hundred feet high, with a sag between the two. To one side of this saddle is a basin perhaps two hundred feet across unevenly edged with ragged ledges. The bottom of the basin farthest from the saddle has been under- mined by a subterranean channel connecting with the surf on the outside of the wall. Here one can look down thirty feet or more and see the water surging back and forth with the swell. The rest of the basin sloping up to the saddle is covered by disintegrated rock from the surrounding walls, and supports a scanty growth of dwarfed ‘buck-thorn’ bushes. Where this bush is thickest a few inches of peaty soil has accumulated and this we found to be a favorite burrowing place for the petrels. Other parts of the island were also occupied, but in those places the burrows usually ended underneath or between heavy fragments of rock and so were mostly impossible to reach. We were first made aware of the presence of the colony by the strong and characteristic odor of petrel oil, for of course not a bird is to be seen above ground during daylight. Following the scent we soon found the openings, generally more or less hidden by weeds or stones. A cursory survey showed that the basin was honey-combed with burrows. In the loose talus of the slopes they extended directly down into the ground, turning aside here and there to avoid pieces of rock, and ending, where further excavation had become impossible, in a cavity about twice the diameter of the main burrow. Those in the more level ground were often entirely concealed by wide spreading bushes which had to be cut away before the entrance could be reached. Otherwise these latter were easy of access, for the peaty, fibrous nature of the soil rendered shallow burrows possible, and such were easily uncovered by sliding the hand in and lifting up the top soil. The terminal chambers were larger here than in the burrows among the rock fragments. Often two burrows crossed or united, but always the occupants were in sep- arate terminal cavities. The shortest burrow did not exceed twelve inches in length, the first lifting up of the top disclosing a Socorro Petrel and egg. The longest observed was in stoney ground, and zigzagged about so that in all its windings it extended fully six feet. The nest cavities sometimes showed a sparse flooring of fine twigs and grass, but just as often they were altogether bare of any lining. Most of the nests contained downy young, from newly hatched ones to individuals in which the wing and tail feathers were more than half grown. The juvenals were uniformly smoke gray in color not obviously different from corre- sponding ages of the Leach Petrel. Perhaps some of these belonged to Auk Jan. 32 GRINNELL AND Daccetrt, Birds of Coronados Islands the Black Petrel, for an adult was never found in a burrow with a young bird more than a day or two old. But in some sixteen of the burrows there was an egg, in which case one of the parent birds was brooding, either male or female, indifferently. The Socorro Petrels’ eggs were white, and either immaculate, or showing a faint ring of lavender and cinnamon dots around the larger end. Nine examples average, in inches, 1.20 X 0.90, or, in millimeters, 30.5 X 23. Among our skins of O. socorroensis are four which show more or less white on the rump. One of these (@, No. 4331, Coll. F. S. D.) has the lateral upper tail-coverts from base to tip pure white ; so that the rump may be described as white with a dusky median stripe. This specimen is in this respect not distinguishable from some examples of O. leucorhoa, and in fact the only difference apparent to us is a scarcely perceptible darker shade to the general plumage. Another specimen (No. 4333, Coll. F. S. D.) has only the outer webs of the lateral rump feathers whitish. Another (No. 5246, Coll. J. G.) has a still more restricted edging of white; while one more (No. 4322, Coll. F. S. D.) has merely a trace of pale edging. All the rest of our series of twenty-four specimens have the rump uniform sooty brown like the back. This variation toward the white-rumped condition has been noted in this species before (Anthony, Auk, XV, 1898, pp. 37, 38), and seems to be purely individual. Yet it may reasonably serve to indicate probable recent origin from a widespread, white-rumped ancestor like O. leuwcorhoa, which O. socorroensis otherwise approximates so closely. A comparison of specimens of O. socorrcensts with the fine series of O. homochroa in the California Academy of Sciences collected by Leverett M. Loomis on the Farallones, shows the differences between these two forms to be slight but constant, consisting in some- what paler color and smaller size of the latter. 6. Sterna forsteri. ForRsTER TERN.—Several were seen flying about the launch while we were approaching and yet some distance from South Island. 7. Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus. FARALLONE CORMORANT.— Several pairs were breeding on the south end of North Island. The nests were built up quite substantially on rocks and bushes near the summit of the ridge. Two nests contained two and three eggs respectively, while several others had small young. This species builds separately from the Brandt Cormorant, none of which were seen in company with the former. 8. Phalacrocorax penicillatus. BRANDT CORMORANT.—This was the most abundant cormorant in the vicinity, and many had evidently nested around the sides of North Island, where numerous empty nests were noted. g. Pelecanus californicus. CALIFORNIA Brown PELIcAN.—Large numbers were always to be seen about the islands, either roosting on out- lying rocks or going and coming in undulating lines from their feeding grounds somewhere up the mainland coast. A big colony had bred on North Island, for nests. were numerous there at the south end. Most of the young were full grown and able to fly, but a few were found still in a Vol. XX 1903 | GRINNELL AND DaGceEtT, Birds of Coronados Islands. as more or less helpless state. One nest contained two young about half grown. On being approached they tumbled out precipitately, falling all ina heap. They soon righted themselves, however, and regained their wonted composure with a ludicrous expression of gravity. 10. Heteractitis incanus. WANDERING TATLER.—A lone individual was observed on August 6, at the edge of the surf on Middle Island. 11. Actitis macularia. SpoTreD SANDPIPER.—Two individuals were seen on South Island on August 6. They were feeding along the rocks at the water’s edge. 12, Numenius hudsonicus. HupsoNIAN CuURLEW.—Two were noted flying over South Island on August 7. ; 13. Arenaria melanocephala. BLAcK TurNSTONE.—About a dozen were seen about Middle Island on the rocks at the edge of the surf. 14. Hematopus frazari. FRAZAR OySTERCATCHER.—One was seen on North Island and another secured from Middle Island. This specimen is a male in adult plumage and bears out well the characters assigned to this form by Mr. Brewster. 15. Hematopus bachmani. BLAcK OysTERCATCHER. — Several pairs of this species were seen about Middle and North Islands, all adults, but from their anxious behavior we judged there must be young about. As we approached the former island two Black and a Frazar Oystercatcher came out circling together around our skiff with the usual loud cries. 16. Halizetus leucocephalus leucocephalus. BALD EAGLE.— One was seen at South Island. We were told that a pair had.a nest there. 17. Falco anatum anatum. Duck Hawk. — Duck ! Hawks were seen flying over North and Middle Islands. On the highest ridge of the latter were many remains of gulls for which we thought Duck Hawks might be accountable. In several cases the skins of the victims were neatly turned inside out over the head leaving the attached skeleton picked clean. 18. Corvus corax sinuatus. AMERICAN RAVEN.—A raven was seen flying over Middle Island, and another near the cove on South Island. 19. Salpinctes obsoletus. Rock WReEN.— Rock Wrens were observed on each of the three islands visited. They seemed to be most numerous on North Island where they were seen skipping about among the nests in the old pelican rookery, as well as along the stoney ridges. The specimens secured are all in worn juvenal plumage, or else in the midst of the annual moult. No differences are evident to distinguish these from main- land examples. 20. Carpodacus clementis. SAN CLEMENTE House Fincu. — House Finches were fairly common on South Island, and perhaps twenty were seen on Middle Island. But on North Island only a single individual was discovered, though the vegetation and general conditions on the three islands appeared about the same. On Middle Island, on August 6, a nest was found in a ledge of rock overhanging the petrel grounds. The for- mation was a sort of conglomerate, showing many holes where smooth cobble-stones had fallen out. In one of these natural cavities, ten feet Auk Jan. 34 GRINNELL AND DaGGe_ttT, Brrds of Coronados Islands. above the base of the ledge and overhung by a projecting slab, was a linnet’s nest containing small young. The nest consisted of dry remains of ice-plant amassed to fit the cavity, while the cup-shaped depression was lined with gull feathers. The three young were only about one-third grown, though possessed of lusty voices which served to indicate their whereabouts. On the same island was a flock of linnets composed mostly of full-grown juvenals. The specimens secured agree in differing decidedly from the mainland form. They seem to be identical with the San Cle- mente Island form, for they possess the bulky bill and heavy brown streaking characteristic of clementzs. An adult male taken on Middle Island (No. 5236, Coll. J. G.) has the bill as large as the largest in an extensive series from the Santa Barbara Islands. 21. Melospiza coronatorum. CoRONADOS SONG SPARROW.—We found Song Sparrows on all of the three islands visited. On South Island juvenals were seen along the path which leads back from the ‘ hotel’ at the cove. On the Middle Island, where we found the petrel colony, an old and weather-beaten nest was found under a bush. This contained a faded but still identifiable egg-shell with contents dried. On North Island Song Sparrows were fairly common, and here on August 7, we obtained twelve specimens. As we landed, an individual was fearlessly hopping close at hand among the boulders almost at the edge of the surf. Most of the Song Sparrows, however, were seen higher up toward the crest of the island, where they were haunting the sparse growth of shrubs on the shaded northeast slope. We saw no trace of fresh water anywhere, and the scanty vegetation presented anything but an inviting appearance. Yet here we heard the familiar notes and full song of these birds which on the mainland keep so closesto verdant water courses and damp low- lands. The Rock Wren, always a bird of the dryest localities, did not seem out of place, but the Song Sparrow seemed altogether foreign to such surroundings. Strange that the latter should accommodate itself toa desert place like this, while truly dry-land birds like Amphispiza, Aimo- phila, and Pipzlo are absent altogether. Nevertheless here were the plastic Song Sparrows, and our specimens show that this colony, isolated, for we wish we knew how many decades, has not remained indifferent to its unique environment. Certain constant characters are presented which, though doubtless considered by some as ‘trivial,’ seem to us significant, and therefore entitle the form to a distinctive name. Melospiza ccronatorum, new species. Spec. CHAR. — Most nearly resembling in coloration Melosprza cle- mente, and general size about the same, but tarsus decidedly shorter and bill smaller ; differs from Melospiza cinerea cooper? of the adjacent main- land in much paler ground color, narrower streaking and smaller bill. Tyee.— g adult, No. 5232 Coll. J. G.; Los Coronados Islands (North Island), Lower California ; August 7, 1902. Vol. XX 1903 ] GRINNELL AND DAGGETT, Birds of Coronados Islands. 35 DESCRIPTION OF TyPE (in complete newly acquired adult annual plumage).— Superciliary stripe conspicuously olive-gray, becoming pure white in the supraloral region; median crown stripe posteriorly drab- _gray, becoming white next to the culmen; lateral crown stripes burnt umber ; the whole top of head between the superciliary stripes narrowly streaked with black; postocular stripe burnt umber streaked with black; rictal streak black mixed with burnt umber; suborbital and loral regions whitish flecked with black; auriculars drab-gray; malar stripe white faintly tinged with cream-buff posteriorly ; submalar streak black mixed posteriorly with burnt umber; chin and throat pure white, with a few sooty feather-tips; sides of neck drab-gray and hind neck drab, both obscurely dusky streaked; ground color of back and rump broccoli brown; rump immaculate, but back and upper tail-coverts narrowly streaked with black ; to be more explicit, an interscapular feather has a black shaft- streak margined narrowly with hazel, the rest of the exposed feather externally being drab; breast and sides streaked with black, each exposed feather bearing a cuneate shaft-streak margined on either side very narrowly with hazel; belly and anal region pure white; flanks and crissum pale clay color streaked with sooty brown; tail sooty brown externally edged with pale mars brown ; wing-coverts and quills centrally sooty brown edged with pale mars brown, the coverts and secondaries tipped with pale drab. MEASUREMENTS OF TyPpE.—Wing, 2.50; tail, 2.90; tarsus, .77; hind toe and claw, .54 ; middle toe and claw, .80; bill from nostril, .34 ; culmen, .43 ; depth of bill at base, .24. RELATIONSHIP.—A comparison of this with other members of the adap- tive Melospiza cinerea group shows it to be nearest the two California insular forms, clemente and graminea. The coloration seems to be much alike in the three cases; at present nothing can be safely stated on this point, for all the material at hand from the Santa Barbara Islands is in worn summer plumage (March to June). In general size coronatorum is nearer clemente than graminea though with smaller bill and feet than either. It is quite significant that the Coronodos Islands form should thus present characters much more like those of the form on San Clemente Island, seventy miles to the northwestward, than like those of the mainland race twelve miles at most to the eastward. Coronatorum ditfers from MW. c. cooper? of the adjacent mainland in smaller bill, paler coloration and much narrower streaking. The differences from the other California races are still more conspicuous, so that further comparison may not be drawn. The following measurements indicate the ditference in propor- tions between the three insular races. It must be kept in mind that the specimens of clemente and graminea are in worn plumage, so that more or less wearage (say 3%) should be added to the wing and tail lengths given. Most of the coronatorum skins are in complete new fall plumage. The dimensions are given in inches, instead of millimeters, because most of the published measurements of California Song Sparrows have been in inches. 36 GRINNELL AND DaGGett, Birds of Coronados Islands. ae MM. coronatum Wing. | Tail. | Tarsus, | Hindtoe | Bill from | Cylmen. and claw. nostril. 5232 Coll. J. G. @ad.an.| 2.50 2.90 77 54 34 43 B2G Tay wep verti Cee eal ee =53 2.90 77 +55 134 44 5220) - eS od istan.| 2.50 2.75 75 53 32 43 R228) ss fe eee moulting .67 53 30 .40 5230 iH ¥ é ad.an.| 2.31 2.67 .80 .60 32 41 5233 juv. 2.33 2.57 75 54 .32 41 5362 Coll. F.S.D.] ¢ 2.38 2.72 68 os z .40 Ba Ol i re ee 2.50 2.90 .80 59 33 42 Bey it s eran 27 68 54 34 “44 Raye a ss juv. moulting 77 .57 -32 42 53960 ““ ~ ss 2.42 272, Ta 53 +31 “40 AIO) a Pabiee 2.23 2.52 72 53 eau .40 M. graminea Av.7ad. 3h 2.39 2.53 83 57 35 47 Av.3 ad. 99 2.30 2,50 79 56 34 44 Av. 3 juvs. 2.41 2.50 84 57 +32 42 M. clemente Av.1oad.¢ ¢o 2.53 2.78 88 57 237) .46 Av.3ad. 2 9 2.40 2.64 84 S57, 35 “45 Av. 3 juvs. 2.49 2.75 84 +59 nag 44 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 1877. STREETS, T. H. Contributions to the Natural History of the Hawaiian and Fanning Islands and Lower California. = Bull. No. 7, U. S. N. M., 1877. Ornithology, pp. 9-33- Zonotrichia leucophrys intermedia (= Z. 1. gambelz) recorded (p. 11) from Los Coronados Islands without comment. This species and a few others may be expected to regularly visit the islands in winter. 1883. BrLpiNG, L. Catalogue of a collection of Birds made at Various Points along the Western Coast of Lower California, North of Cape St. Eugenio. [Edited by R. Ridgway.] < Proc. U. S. N. M., V, March 21, 1853, pp. 527-532: On pages 528 to 529 occurs a brief description of Los Coronados Islands, where “a few birds only were taken ....the more important of which are the following”: Phalacrocorax penicillatus, Hematopus pal- liatus (= H. frazart) and Hematopus niger (= H. bachmant); only these three are mentioned. 1888. BrRrEwsTER, W. Descriptions of supposed New Birds from Lower California, Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico and the Bahamas. < Auk, V, January, 1888, pp. 82-95. Hematopus frazar?, p. 84, new species; type from Carmen Island, Gulf of California. Belding’s Coronado specimen critically mentioned. 1889. Bryant, W.E. A Catalogue of the Birds of Lower California, Mexico, CARDINAL’S NEST. BY GERTRUDE FAY HARVEY. Plate J. THE Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinals) is a common bird here in southwestern Ohio, and is with us throughout the year. There is one pair which seems never to leave our neighborhood nor to separate, staying together the year round. Every winter we feed these birds to keep them from want, and every summer we con- tinue to feed them because we hate to stop. For three years they have built in our garden, the successful nests being in a heavy honeysuckle vine at a little distance from the house. ‘Twice they built the nest close to the porch, but both times they deserted it before the eggs were laid. So, when the birds made a tour of inspection in the conservatory this spring, we had little hope of their settling in so conspicuous a place, or, at least, of their staying to raise their young. The Cardinal has the reputation of deserting his nest for slight reasons. The Cardinals were first seen in the conservatory on the 13th of April, having entered by an open ventilator in the roof, as all the other windows were closed at that season. Birds often come by accident into the greenhouse, but usually when once inside they make wild efforts to get out, dashing against the glass and flying frantically about. The Cardinals seemed to have come in deliberately, and they showed their superior intelligence by the manner in which they grasped the situation. Walls of glass did not delude them in the least. When their inspection was finished they calmly departed by the little opening through which they had come in. The next day they came again, and a few days later were noticed to have twigs in their beaks, as though planning a nest. On the 2oth of April they selected the site — a fork in a Marechal Neil rose vine, and they began to bring in a great amount of material, which did not take definite shape until the 26th. Throughout the process of building the female gathered the material and did all the work, the male keeping close at her side, Tsay AVOKe, WAIL, XO PLATE I. CARDINAL, NESTING IN A CONSERVATORY. Photographed from Nature. oe, Vol. XX ies Harvey, Diary of a Cardinals Nest. 55 and accompanying her on each trip. They worked in the morning only. The site was a difficult one for building and a great quantity of stuff was wasted before the foundation was finally established. It was interesting to observe that when a stein fell to the floor instead of lodging in the crotch where it was put, the bird never picked it up, but flew off in feverish haste for another. At one stage of the proceeding there was much more nest on the floor than in the vine. When finished, it was unusually strong and elaborate for a Cardinal’s nest, which is apt to be alarmingly frail and slight. They used in it a great amount of paper. The Cardinals’ nests which I have examined always contain one or two pieces of paper, but this one had an entire layer of eight or ten pieces. The supports and outer layer were of fine twigs and weed stems, the next layer paper, the next of the thin bark which they peel from grape vines and honeysuckles, and which is charac- teristic of all Cardinal’s nests. The lining was dried grass. The nest was completed on the first of May and the first egg was laid the next day. Four eggs were laid. The female did all the work of incubation, while the male fed her frequently. Occasionally the female would give a loud whistling call, which the male immediately obeyed, sometimes bringing her food, some- times taking a stand near by while she went out for herself. The conservatory in which the nest was built communicates with the dining room by means of two glass doors and with the kitchen by an open window. The nest was on a level with the eyes of a person standing in the dining room and was about five feet from one door and about eight feet from the kitchen window. The position was very exposed, as the Marechal Neil is a spindling vine, and provides not such covert of leaves as the bird usually selects. The female bird, who in the winter is much less bold than the male, was now exceedingly courageous, remaining on her nest while we watered the very plant in which it was fixed. Noises in the kitchen did not trouble her in the least. As soon as the birds began to build we scattered their seed on a shelf near by instead of in the usual place outside. ‘They did not resort to it much until after the young were hatched. After the little ones were flown the old birds seemed to rely upon this supply altogether, coming to it many times a day. 56 Harvey, Diary of a Cardinal's Nest. ine The female began to sit on the nest on the 4th of May. On the r6th three eggs were hatched, the nestlings of equal size and apparently just out, though as I had been absent the day before I cannot say positively. The fourth egg did not hatch and was removed by one of the birds soon after our finding the others hatched. The parents worked together to feed the young, the male at first passing food to the mother bird for them and after- wards feeding them himself. The food was grubs and insects, which the old birds swallowed and gave to the young by regur- gitation during the first week. Afterwards it was given directly and it was then interesting to see what large mouthfuls the little fellows could accommodate. When nine days old, one of them swallowed, without choking, a grub two inches long and as large as a lead pencil. The birds were remarkably cleanly, removing all excrement from the nest and carrying it outside of the greenhouse. On the 24th of May I noticed the young birds growing very restless and trying to get out of the nest, while the mother reso- lutely pushed them back again. On the morning of the 25th they left the nest, the mother pushing and helping them out. One of the little ones was drowned in a tank of water, another left the greenhouse seemingly urged by the parent birds. The next morn- ing the other left and both were led away to a thicket across the street. For almost a month after that we saw only the old birds who continued to come in for food. On the roth of June the father and the young birds, now full- sized, came for seed, which the parent cracked and fed to, the young. When the little ones left the nest they were dark brown, with very dark bills. When they returned wings and tail were red, excepting a little brown at the tips, and red blotches were appearing on breast and back, so we suppose both: to be males. The bills were still dark. They gave no note but the shrill peep of a young bird. The three came back very often and twice spent the whole morning inside. Often the young birds would come alone and help themselves, though they always demanded to be fed when the father was along. The mother at this time was sitting on a second nest across the street, so we saw her less often than before. ee Eaton, An Epidemic of Roup tn the Crow Roost. =i) During most of July and August I was away, and on my return there were two sets of young birds, but as they were growing more timid and never appeared altogether, I cannot tell their number. On the whole the year’s nests have been more successful than is usual for the Cardinal Grosbeak, and we fondly hope that they will seek the shelter of our roof again next year. AN EPIDEMIC OF ROUP IN THE CANANDAIGUA CROW ROOST. BY ELON HOWARD EATON. Fiaie LL, Asour the middle of December, 1go01, a malady broke out among the Crows (Corvus americanus) of Ontario County, New York, which, ere spring, had decimated the ranks of the local ‘roost.’ As soon as winter had fairly begun, reports commenced to come in of Crows which had been “blinded by freezing of their eyes,” as the farmers expressed it. Upon careful examination it was found that the roup had in- vaded the Ontario flock, and birds were dying daily from its effects. In one field about twenty dead and dying birds were picked up in one day. Nearly every grove or large field within a distance of ten miles from the roosting-grounds displayed one or more dead Crows. Nearly every wandering crow’s track in the snow, after circling round and round in an apparently aimless manner, would lead one to a black carcass lying under a tree or against a fence. Usually they sank down with their bills in the snow and their wings very slightly extended, but sometimes they died in a sitting posture with the feathers of the head ruffled up to their fullest extent. Often the birds died in trees, clutching the branches to the last and then falling headlong into the snow or landing on their backs with the wing tips pointing upwards. All the sick birds were suffering from an acute inflammation of 58 Eaton, An Epidemic of Roup in a Crow Roost. foe the pharynx and the anterior portion of the head, including the nostrils and eyes. Often there was a mucous discharge from the nostrils. The eyes were usually blinded by a membrane forming over the exterior of the cornea. Sometimes only one eye was seriously affected, and this was usually the left one, as far as I noticed. If this membrane was rubbed off, the eye looked quite clear again and sight was temporarily restored, but within half an hour the membrane reformed and the patient would flutter about like a bird with the cerebellum destroyed or with the eyes shot out. That death ensued from the acute disease and not merely from starvation due to blindness was abundantly proved by caring for sick birds and forcing food down their throats, for they died in nearly every instance. While it is true that those birds which survived the disease were, in every instance, birds that had been blinded in only one eye, we believe that this merely indicates that the roup was less severe in those cases, which was the cause at the same time of the slight affection of the eyes and of the bird’s recovery. It was believed by many that these Crows were suffering from having wet snow and sleet freeze on their ‘faces’ at night, and that one eye often escaped because it was more protected by being tucked under the feathers as the bird slept. There is little to support this theory, in fact it seems almost absurd. There have been many winters much more severe which seemed to have no effect on our crow roosts The disease was an epidemic. This is further shown by the fact that no serious plague appeared either in the Rochester roost or in that near Niagara Falls. Nevertheless, the disease disappeared with the coming of warmer weather. A visit to the roost about the last of March failed to discover a single sick bird, although hundreds of corpses were lying about the grove and in the surrounding fields. The last evidence of the disease which I saw was a bird sitting in an open field on the sunny side of the woods on April 6. When approached he flew lazily to a large oak and, lighting on one of the larger branches with some difficulty, proceeded to rub his right eye on the bark. The field glass revealed the fact that his eye was badly swollen, and the surrounding skin was partially bare of feathers. Aisha VOR WAR, POS PEATE ll: SIX DEAD CROWS, LYING AS THEY FELL, UNDER THE PINES. Photographed from Nature, Jan. 12, 1902. SEVENTY-THREE DEAD CROWS, GATHERED FROM A PORTION OF THE ROOST ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FEET IN DIAMETER. Photographed from Nature, April 5, 1902. ee SaGE, Twentieth Congress of the A. O. U. 59 It is probable that one thousand Crows died of this disease during the last winter in Ontario County, but when the roost was visited just before the disbanding in the spring very little difference was noticeable in the immense numbers of birds which gathered at dusk to pass the night in that little grove. The accompanying photographs (PI. II) may give a little help in understanding the conditions as they actually existed. d TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. THE TwentTietH Concress of the American Ornithologists’ Union convened in Washington, D. C., Monday evening, Novem- ber 17, 1902. The business meeting was held at the residence of Dr. C. Hart Merriam, and the public sessions at the U. S. National Museum, beginning Tuesday, November 18, and con- tinuing for three days. Business Srsston.— The meeting was called to order by the President, Dr. C. Hart Merriam. Twenty-one Fellows were present. The Secretary stated that at the opening of the present Congress the membership of the Union numbered 753, constituted’ as follows: Fellows, 48; Honorary Fellows, 16; Corresponding Fellows, 61; Members, 53; Associates, 575. During the year the Union lost sixty-five members, nine by death, fourteen by resignation, and forty-two for non-payment of dues. The deceased members include one Fellow, two Cor- responding Fellows, one Member and five Associates, as follows: Maj. James C. Merrill, U. S. A.,! a Fellow, who died at Washing- ton, D. C., Oct. 27, 1902, in his 50th year; Dr. James G. Cooper,’ a Corresponding Fellow, who died at Haywards, Calif., July 19, 1902, aged 72; Emil Holub,®a Corresponding Fellow, who died at 1 For an obituary notice, see Auk, XX, p. go. ? For an obituary notice, see /ézd., XIX, pp. 421-422. 3 For an obituary notice, see /ézd., XX, p. 92. 60 SaGE, Twentieth Congress of the A. O. U. re Vienna, February 21, 1902, in the 55th year of his age; Chester Barlow,! a Member who died at Santa Clara, Calif., November 6, Igo02, at the age of 26; also the following Associates: Clarence M. Morrell, who died at Pittsfield, Me., July 15, 1902, aged 30 years; William H. Daffin, who died at Philadelphia (Tacony), Pa., April 21, 1902; Alonzo M. Collett,3 who died at Denver, Col., Aug. 22, 1902, at the age of 33 years; Aubrey B. Call, who died at Burlington, Vermont, Nov. 20, 1901, and Curtis C. Young,* who died at Port Daniel, Quebec, July 30, 1902, at the age of 28 years. The report of the Treasurer showed the finances of the Union to be in a Satisfactory condition. All of the officers were reelected, as follows: Dr. C. Hart Merriam, President; Charles B. Cory and Charles F. Batchelder, Vice-Presidents; John H. Sage, Secretary; William Dutcher, Treasurer; Frank M. Chapman, Ruthven Deane, E. W. Nelson, Witmer Stone, Drs. A. K. Fisher, Jonathan Dwight, Jr., and Thos. S. Roberts, members of the Council. Harry C. Oberholser, of Washington, D. C., was elected a Fellow; Ernst Hartert, of Tring, England, and John A. Harvie- Brown, of Larbert, Stirlingshire, Scotland, were elected Honorary Fellows; Arthur J. Campbell, of Melbourne, Australia, W. P. Pycraft, of the British Museum, London, Dr. Hermann von Ihering of the Museu Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Alfred J. North, of Sydney, New South Wales, were elected Corresponding Fellows. Eighty-four Associates were elected, and the following thirteen persons were elected to the class of Members, namely : Andrew Allison, of Bay St. Louis, Miss.; Dr. William C. Braislin, of Brooklyn, N. Y.; Arthur C. Bent, of Taunton, Mass.; Hubert Lyman Clark, of Olivet, Michigan; Edward A. Goldman, Paul Bartsch, Arthur H. Howell, and Dr. F. H. Knowlton, of Wash- ington, D.C.; Arthur H. Norton, of Westbrook, Maine; Prof. J. Gilbert Pearson, of Greensboro, N. C.; Samuel F. Rathbun, of Seattle, Washington; P. M. Silloway, of Lewiston, Montana; and Prof. C. O. Whitman, of Chicago, III. For an obituary notice, see Auk, XX, p. 92. For an obituary notice, see /é7d., XIX, pp. 422-423. For an obituary notice, see /ézd., XIX, p. 423. For an obituary notice, see /é7d., XX, p. 94. ola SaGE, Twentieth Congress of the A. O. U. 61 Drs. Allen, Dwight, Merriam, and Richmond, and Messrs. Brewster, Ridgway and Stone were reelected ‘Committee on Classification and Nomenclature of North American Birds.’ Pusuic Session. /irst Day. The meeting was called to order’ by Vice-President Cory. The first paper of the morning was ‘ Notes on the life of Edward Harris, with extracts from his Journals,’ by Geo. Spencer Morris. Next came ‘Summer Bird Life of Eastern North Carolina,’ by Prof. J. Gilbert Pearson. ‘This paper provoked much discussion and many inquiries were made regarding the protection of birds in North Carolina. Dr. Bishop spoke of the slaughter by market- men and milliners’ agents of the species found along the coast, and Mr. Dutcher on proposed legislative bills for the preservation of such birds. Dr. Palmer told of the immense number of ducks annually taken to the northern markets from the North Carolina coast. He thought the upland as well as the shore birds needed protection. Prof. Pearson referred to the destruction of the Bob- white and of the illegal methods used in shipping them north. The third paper was ‘The Development of the Pterylosis,’ by Hubert Lyman Clark. Remarks followed by Dr. Allen, Messrs. Chapman, and Lucas, and the author. The afternoon session was devoted to the following papers, all being illustrated by lantern slides, viz.: ‘Comparison of the Bird Life of Gardiner’s Island and Cobb’s Island,’ by Frank M. Chap- man; and ‘A Contribution to the Life History of the Herring Gull,’ by Wm. Dutcher. Second Day. The meeting was called to order by the President. The first paper, by Dr. J. A. Allen was entitled ‘The A. O. U. Check-List — its History and its Future.’ Remarks followed by the Chair. The second, ‘ A glance at the Historical side of the Check-List of North American Birds,’ was by Witmer Stone, and dealt mainly with the period preceding the founding of the American Orni- thologists’ Union. ‘Evolution of Species and Subspecies as illustrated by certain Mexican Quails and Squirrels’, by E. W. Nelson, was the subject of the third paper. Remarks followed by Dr. Merriam, Messrs. Stone, Chapman, Maynard, and the author. 62 SaGE, Twentieth Congress of the A. O. U. aa Jan. The next, ‘ Form in Bird Music,’ by H. W. Olds, was discussed by Messrs. Brewster, Morris, Dutcher and Fuertes, Mrs. Patten, the Rev. Wm. R. Lord, and the author. The concluding papers of the morning were by- Dr. R. M. Strong, entitled: ‘Change of Color without Molt,’ and ‘ Irides- cence and White Feathers.’ The following papers — all illustrated by lantern slides — were given at the afternoon session, viz.: ‘Some Problems of Local Bird Population,’ by Prof. Walter B. Barrows; ‘ Ancient Birds and their Associates,’ by F. A. Lucas; ‘ Observations on the Herons of the District of Columbia,’ by Paul Bartsch; and ‘ Bird Life in the Bahamas,’ by Frank M. Chapman and Louis Agassiz Fuertes. Third Day. — The meeting was called to order by the President. Mr. Dutcher, Chairman of the Committee on Protection of North American Birds, presented the report of his Committee for the previous year, which was followed by an address by Dr. T. S. Palmer on ‘Federal Game Protection in 1goz2.’ By invitation, Mr. Sheibley, of the U. S. Department of Justice, spoke of certain prosecutions under the Lacey Act. ‘Nesting of the Red-bellied Woodpecker in Harford Co., Md..,’ by Wm. H. Fisher, was the third paper. In the absence of the author it was read by Dr. Palmer. The fourth paper, ‘An Epidemic of Roup in the Canandaigua Crow Roost,’ by Elon H. Eaton, was read, in the author’s absence, by Mr. H. W. Olds. Remarks followed by F. A. Lucas, Wm. Palmer, and Dr. S. D. Judd. The following papers were read by title: ‘Some Variations in the Piping Plover, “gvalitis meloda,’ by Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr. ‘The Significance of Trinomials in Nomenclature,’ by Witmer Stone. ‘Notes on Picoides americanus and Picoides arcticus in Minne-— Sota, by.Dr. P55: Roberts: ‘Some Food Habits of West Indian Birds,’ by B. S. Bowdish. ‘The Domestic Affairs of Bobwhite,’ by John N. Clark. Resolutions were adopted thanking the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution for the use of a hall in the U. S. National Museum for a place of meeting, and for other courtesies Vol. XX Fok General Notes. 63 extended; to the Washington members of the Union for the cordial welcome and generous hospitality shown visiting members ; to Prof. S. P. Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, for his polite invitation to the members of the Union to visit the National Zoological Park; and to the Superintendent of the Park, Dr. Frank Baker, through whom the invitation was received. Dr: S:-Palmers. Mr... Frank’ M: "Chapman and Dr. .C:4W. Richmond were appointed ‘Committee on International Bird Protection,’ and Ruthven Deane and William Dutcher delegates to the forthcoming Congress. The question of holding a Special Meeting of the Union in California during May or June, 1903, was referred to a Committee, with power. On Friday, November 21, after adjournment of the Union, many members visited the National Zoological Park by invitation of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Prof. Langley received the visitors, who were subsequently taken through the Park by Dr. Frank Baker, the Superintendent. The Congress adjourned to meet in Philadelphia, November 16, 1903. Jno. H. SAGE, Secretary. GENERAL NOTES. Breeding Grounds of the Black and Socorro Petrels. — A Correction. — In my recent paper on the ‘ Birds of the Cape Region of Lower Califor- nia,’ I stated (p. 33) that ‘on July 10, 1896, Mr. Anthony found some Black and Socorro Petrels breeding together on one of the Coronados Islands ‘(in the Gulf of California).””. There is a Coronados Island lying close to the eastern shore of the Peninsula in the Gulf of California in about latitude 26° N., anda group of islands bearing the same name situated off the Pacific coast only about twenty miles south of San Diego, California. Just what led me to attribute Mr. Anthony’s observations to the former locality I cannot now remember, but in so doing I was evidently in error, for Mr. Frank S. Daggett writes me that he has definite information to the effect that Mr. Anthony did not visit the Gulf 64 General Notes. Auk Jan. of California in 1896, and further that on July 10 of that year he was at the Coronados Islands near San Diego— where, moreover, Mr. Daggett himself has since taken the eggs of both the Petrels above mentioned. — WILLIAM BREWSTER, Cambridge, Mass. A Hybrid Duck. — After ten years of hunting for real wild hybrids, the writer has finally succeeded in securing a drake which he regards as an even mixture of Mallard and Northern Black Duck. The bird was shot by the writer about a year ago, and he has waited some time for the experience to be repeated —as often happens after one has once succeeded in finding a bird or flower new to him — but Ihave caught no mate for my drake. Several thousands of ducks have been examined in the hope, not merely of finding rare ducks in the market or in the strings of gunners, but especially for indications of a crossed breed. Often I have found ‘ blue bills’ which could be assigned only with great difficulty to the species Aythya affints or to A. maritla. Especially was this true of females. Measurements have been found quite unreliable in deciding these cases, for it is acommon thing to find a male of A. afnis which is up to the smaller measurements of A. marz/a, and often the flank markings are so indefinite, and the head iridescence also, that no one could say with pre- cision what the bird was. Hybrids in these races are practically indefin- able. But between the Mallard and Black Duck we expected to find crosses, and also to be able to distinguish them with certainty. While it has been a common experience to come across Black Ducks which show traces of Mallard blood, as was Mr. Brewster’s experience, I have been unable to find any Mallard which could be said to bear traces of a Black Duck in- fusion. It is true that these latter forms would be harder to distinguish, but the young drakes and females were carefully examined with the possi- bilities fully in mind. These traces of Mallard blood we have found most common in the form recently described by Mr. Brewster as Anas obscura rubripes —birds which we have habitually called ‘‘Winter” or “ Big” Black Ducks in this vicinity. The hybrid here under notice exhibits strong Black Duck characters on the head, neck and back. The pattern and dusky shade of the Black Duck are also shown on all portions of the plumage, even where the Mallard affinities are strongest. Mallard blood shows strongest in the white frame of the speculum which is about one-half the typical width of white seen in the Mallard, in the light shade and wavy cross vermiculations of the scapulars, flanks and belly, in the blackish upper and under tail-coverts, and in the green of the nape and sides of the crown. This specimen was in prime physical condition, an adult male with the testes unusually well developed considering the time of year.— ELON Howarp Eaton, Rochester, N. Y. Vol. XX 1903 General Notes. 65 The Wood Ibis again in Colorado. —I am pleased to be able to record for our State two more specimens of Tantalus loculator (Wood Ibis). These two birds were shot by Mr. L. L. Llewellyn of this city (Denver) on Aug. 30, 1902, at a small lake about twelve minutes from the city, and were identified by myself. By the softness of the bones as wellas by the plumage, it is apparent that they are young of the year. They had remained about this lake for at least two weeks before they were shot, and although a house was close by, they were not afraid. They were so tame, in fact, that they were easily approached in the open and both killed at one shot at a distance of about forty yards. When picked up the throat and upper esophagus of one of them contained a carp at least six inches in length, which had evidently been held in that position fifteen or twenty minutes, since their movements had been watched for that length of time and no fish had been taken. — A. H. FELGER, Denver, Colo. The Stilt Sandpiper in Knox County, Maine. —On August 13, 1902, I took a specimen of the Stilt Sandpiper (Wicrofalama himantopus) on Matenic Island, Knox County, Maine. If Iam not mistaken, this is the first record of this species for that county. I was shooting Turnstones on some half-tide ledges between Matenic and Matenic Green Island, when I noticed a bird flying in from seaward which I took to be a Summer Yel- lowleg. When it came within shooting distance I dropped it on the rocks, and on picking it up, was surprised to find that I had a Stilt Sand- piper, which later I found to be a temale. August 23, I found Wilson’s Petrel (Oceanztes oceantcus) in numbers, four miles south of Seguin Island. They were feeding on the wash of the bait from a fisherman’s hook, and were noticed a number of times to plunge beneath the surface of the water for the food they were after. Although I have watched many thousands of Leach’s Petrels while they were feeding, I have yet to see one plunge beneath the surface. —HER- BERT L. SPINNEY, Seguin, Me. Massachusetts Breeding Dates for Bartramia longicauda.— For the last eight years I have had the pleasure of watching some six to eight pairs of Bartramian Sandpipers on the sheep fields of Marthas Vineyard, the remnant of what was formerly not an uncommon breeder there. As a result, I have the following personal breeding records : June 3, 1894. Nest with four eggs, incubation one third advanced. June 4, 1894. Nest with four young, just hatched and running. May 25, 1895. Nest with four eggs, incubation commenced. May 25, 1895. Nest with broken shells, destroyed probably by a Crow. May 30, 1896. Nest with four eggs, incubation one fourth advanced. May 25, 1900. Nest with four eggs, incubation commenced. Mr. Mackay has recorded a nest of three eggs found on Tuckernuck Island on June 22, 1896 (Auk, April, 1897, p. 229), but the date and num- 66 General Notes. Auk Jan. ber of eggs would appear to me to indicate a second laying, the first having probably been destroyed. I am induced to give these records because Mr. Howe has stated in his notes on these birds made at Williamstown, Mass. (Auk, Oct. 1902, p. 404), that the birds did not probably breed in Massachusetts until after the middle of June. This may be true in Berkshire County, but is cer- tainly not true in Massachusetts as a whole. The average summer tem- perature at Marthas Vineyard is 674° and at Williamstown about 65°, but in winter the range is from 32° at the former to 22° at the latter. This causes an earlier spring at Marthas Vineyard and will account for some difference in nesting dates, though I should hardly expect to find it so much as three weeks.— OWEN DuRFEE, Fall River, Mass. Recent Records of the Wild Pigeon. — Occasionally some old-timer writes to the newspapers announcing the return of the Wild Pigeon (Ectopistes migratortus), and in nine cases out of ten the Mourning Dove (Zenaidura macroura), has been the innocent cause. One recent discussion in the Toronto papers was brought to an abrupt and apparently satisfying conclusion by the announcement, copied from a sporting journal, that one of the American consuls in South America had stated that the Wild Pigeon had taken refuge on, I think, the east side of the Andes, anyway that the consul and pigeons were far enough away to satisfy the most inquiring. Ihave for some time kept a careful record of reported announcements of Wild Pigeons, and among them I have selected the following as reliable: 1896. October 22, Toronto. ‘Saw eleven Wild Pigeons flying in a south- west course over Well’s Hill.”— J. Hughes Samuel. 1898. April 14, Winnipegosis, Manatoba. An adult male taken, mounted by Mr. G. E. Atkinson, Winnipeg. 1898. September 14, Detroit, Michigan. Immature bird taken, mounted by Mr. C. Campion, Detroit, by whom it was sent to me. 1900. May 16, Toronto, Ont. Mr. Oliver Spanner saw a flock of about ten flying west over the mouth of the Etibocoke River (ten miles west of Toronto), between 10 and I1 A. M., and about an hour after- wards the same flock returned, flying eastward towards Long Branch. Mr. J. G. Joppling had joined Mr. Spanner and saw the birds return; they were flying low, just over the trees. 1900. July 6, Toronto, Ont. ‘‘Saw five at Centre Island going southwest They passed out over the lake.”— J. Hughes Samuel. 1902. May 16, Penctanquishene, Ont. One seen ; pair seen two days later, in same locality by Mr. A. L. Young.—J. H. FLEMING, Toronto, Ont. Turkey Vulture at Moose Factory, James Bay.—The Rt. Rev. Dr. Newnhan, Bishop of Moosonee, examined a Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) taken by one of his men at Moose Factory in June, 1898. The record was given to me the following year, but I neglected to record it.— J. H. FLlemine, Toronto, Ont. Vol. XX feo General Notes. 67 Black Vulture at Taunton, Mass.—I take pleasure in recording the capture of an adult female Black Vulture (Catharista urubu) at Taunton, Mass., on Oct. 5, 1902. This is the first record for the species in Bristol County, and there are but very few records for the State. The bird was discovered sitting on the roof of a barn, where it remained while its captor went to the house for his gun.—A. C. Bent, Taunton, Mass. Golden Eagle in Middle Southern Ohio.—To my only record of Aguzla chrysaétos tor middle southern Ohio as given in the ‘Wilson Bulletin’ for September, 1902, page 83, I am now able to add another. On Nov. 15, 1902, I received an almost adult female in the flesh, shot Nov. 14, two miles from Waverly, Ohio. It measured: Extent, 2150 mm.; bill, 83 mm. (curvature included); tarsus, 110 mm.; tail, 335 mm.; wing, 620 muin.; length without bill, 820 mm.—W. F. HENNINGER, 7ifin, Ohio. Richardson’s Merlin (Falco columbarius richardsoni?) on the Coast of South Carolina.—Upon looking over some Pigeon Hawks (F. columbarius) that I had packed away for many years, I came across a superb female that struck me at once as being none other than Richardson’s Merlin. Upon comparing the specimen with Mr. Ridgway’s description in his ‘Manual of N. A. Birds’ I found the bird to agree perfectly. The seconda- ries, primaries and primary coverts are margined terminally with white. The outer webs of the primaries (except the second) are spotted with ochraceous. The tail has six light and five dark bands. The specimen is apparently an adult female and was shot and prepared by the writer on October 15, 1895, near Mount Pleasant, S. C. To what extent the list of South Carolina birds can be increased by the capture of northwestern birds there can be no conjecture-—ARTHUR T. WAYNE, Mount Pleasant, S. C. The Barn Owl on Long Island.— When Mr. Beard made the record of this species in ‘The Auk,’ Vol. XIX, p. 398, he evidently had overlooked the previous record of the same family of owls in Vol. III, p. 439.— WILLIAM DuTCcHER, Mew York. Barn Owl in Northern Ohio.—While the Barn Owl (Strix Dratincola) is a fairly common bird in the State of Ohio south of Columbus, records of this bird from northern Ohio are rather scarce (cf. Oberholser, Birds of Wayne Co., Ohio, p. 280). In a local collection here I found two mounted specimens, not sexed, of this species, both killed in the fall of :go1 almost within the city limits of Tiffin. One of these had been kept in captivity for about six months by the coroner of Seneca County. A third speci- men was seen at the time the others were captured.—W. F. HENNINGER, Tiffin, Ohio. 6S General Notes. aA Jan. Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s Egg in a Robin’s Nest.—On July 2, 1902, while examining various nests in a lot back of my house in Granby, Conn., as was my almost daily habit, I found in a Robin’s nest with two eggs, an egg of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus). ‘The nest proved to be deserted, although early on the 1st of July, when the Robin’s eggs were the sole contents, both birds were about. There is no mistaking the eggs; light greenish blue, 1.31 X .93, elliptical. —STANLEY W. Epwarps, Granby, Conn. Breeding of the Alder Flycatcher (Emfzdonax traillit alnorum) near Plainfield, New Jersey.— In ‘The Auk’ for January, 1901, I recorded the probable breeding of the Alder Flycatcher in Ash Swamp near Plainfield, New Jersey. The question was settled the following summer by finding two nests in that locality. The first, which I found on June 16, contained three eggs, which proved to be the full set. On the 20th I discovered another nest with three eggs, which had increased to four on the 23rd. These two nests were only a few rods apart, both placed in wild rose bushes within three feet of the ground. The sitting birds would slip away at my ap- proach and it was with some difficulty that I at length succeeded in seeing one of them actually on the nest. This nest and eggs I took and they are at present in my collection. The above dates show the Alder Flycatcher to be one of our latest breeders, ranking in this respect with the Goldfinch and the Cedar Wax- wing. I found this bird at two other localities in July, 1901 —a small swampy tract a mile west of Ash Swamp, and Great Swamp, Morris County, New Jersey —in each of which it undoubtedly nests. It seems probable, therefore, that it breeds in suitable localities all through northern New Jersey, and it will be of interest to learn how much, if any, further south its breeding range extends. It is not included in Thurber’s ‘ List of the Birds of Morris County,’ and in the recent ‘Birds of Princeton’ it is given as a transient only. While studying this little flycatcher in its haunts I recorded the ordinary song note as kra-teal or great deal. Later I found that Mr. P. B. Peabody had written it grea’ deal. This is, to my ear, the best representative of the note that I have seen. Sometimes, as stated by Mr. J. A. Farley in his recent article, it is given in almost one syllable as krrea/, but I do not think that the apparent length or number of syllables is dependent on the distance of the bird, for I have heard the grea’ deal when within a few feet of the performer.—W. D. W. MILLER, Plucnjfield, N. J. Western Evening Grosbeaks Nesting in Mexico.— Out some 200 miles from the city of Chihuahua and close to the Sonora line, I saw different bunches of Western Evening Grosbeaks (Coccothraustes vesper- Vol. XX 1903 General Notes. 69 tinus montanus). This being in June, all were mated and preparing to nest. One day, while riding up a water-course in the heart of a great pine forest, I saw, but 20 or 30 yards away, a female Grosbeak with a beak full of dry grass, hopping on the ground, closely followed by three males. I drew up at once, and from the saddle I watched the actions of the birds, with the hope that I might discover the location of the nest. The three males, in their anxiety each one to be nearer than the other to the female, caused her to drop her load, and fly into a pine tree, the three males fol- lowing. The whole lot finally disappeared among the pines well up the hill-side. Examination of the tree into which the birds flew revealed nothing, and though I passed this spot every day or two, I saw nothing more of the birds. - At other times I followed pairs that had come some distance to drink, from tree to tree over hills and hollows, with nothing but failure at the end.— Gro. F. BRENINGER, Phenix, Arzz. Another Record of phryothorus ludovicianus in Massachusetts.— As I was returning home about seven o'clock on the morning of September 6, 1902, I stopped near the edge of a damp thicket of bushes and small trees, consisting of willows, red maples and gray birches, with tangles of briars and wild grapes. This tract, several acres in extent, is in the northern part of Fall River, Mass. After a few moments my attention was attracted by a new bird song. This came from a black alder bush, which was so thick I could not identify the singer. After singing there fora few moments, the bird hopped on to an exposed twig, and I at once secured it,—a male Carolina Wren. Dr. Dwight, after examining the bird, has kindly written me that it isa young bird, in juvenal plumage. Among other variations of the song, I noted some which I presume are those Mr. Chapman refers to as the ‘ tea-kettle’ notes.— Owen DuRFEE, Fall River, Mass. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Massachusetts. —I observed a Gnat- catcher, doubtless the Blue-gray (Poléoptcla cerulea) at West Manchester, Mass., November 16, 1902. My attention was at first attracted by a new bird note —a nasal twee — several times repeated. The bird was flitting about in the top of an apple-tree and gave me a good, though brief opportunity to note his catbird-like form and kinglet-like actions before he flew farther off. He was very active and soon disappeared entirely, but not without having shown me his blue-gray color against the green of a Norway spruce. Messrs. Howe and Allen’s list of the ‘Birds of Massachusetts,’ credits the State with six records for this spe- cies — allin the fall (August 27 - December 18). West Manchester is only a few miles from Magnolia, where Mr. Outram Bangs took an immature female, August 27, 1879. — FRancis H. ALLEN, Boston, Mass. 7O General Notes. lees Jan. Ohio Notes.— The Red-headed Woodpeckers (Melanerfes erythro- cephalus) have practically deserted this section. Prior to 1899 they were numerous, but during the past three years they have become less and less common, until now they are almost extinct as far as this locality is con- cerned. Formerly almost every telegraph pole contained one or more nests, but this year I examined poles extending over sixteen miles but found only eleven nests. The only cause that can be assigned for their disappearance is the erection of new poles which were, perhaps, too solid for the construction of nests. The other species of woodpeckers, which usually nest in trees, show no decrease. There has been a noticeable increase in the numbers of Baltimore Orioles in the past two years and now they are as common as Catbirds and Bluebirds. The Bluebirds (S/a/ra szalis) have decreased to some extent, but are still common. Cowbirds have deserted this immediate vicinity, while ten miles west they are numerous.— Nat S. GREEN, Camp Denntson, Ohio. Birds Killed by Hailstones.— On September 20, 1902, we had in ‘ The Highlands’ of this city a severe hail-storm, lasting from 6.00-6.25 P. M., during which time hail from in. to § in. in diameter fell hard and fast. On the following morning, when the storm had cleared away, beneath the tall cottonwood trees at the intersection of West Twenty-fourth Avenue and Boulevard F, lay scores of little bodies of feathered dead. There were beneath fourteen trees eighty-four birds by actual count, one tree alone, the largest of them all, spreading its arms above the forms of twenty-five sleeping songsters. House Finches and English Sparrows, that on previous days had battled among the branches above now lay side by side, with half a dozen Robins interspersed.— A. H. FELGER, Denver, Colo. Vernacular Names of Birds.— In the present number of ‘The Auk’ (pp- 38-42) Dr. Edwin W. Doran proposes certain rules for the construc- tion of vernacular names of birds, relating mainly to the use or non-use of the hyphen in certain classes of names. If the use of the hyphen could be permanently regulated by the formulation of a set of rules, how great a boon would be conferred upon writers, and particularly upon editors! As, however, the use of the hyphen varies within wide limits, in accord- ance with the radically different rules enforced by editors or publishing houses, from its practical non-use to its employment to connect remote elements into a compound word, there is little hope of securing a uniform system of hyphenization in the construction of bird names. Every observ- ing person knows that many of the current magazines have adopted what may fairly be termed an anti-hyphen fad, this greatly abused but very use- ful sign being practically tabooed by them as a connective between the va General Notes. 7 if parts of compound words. Or, to put it still better, compound words are either printed as a single word or their elements are treated as separate words, generally the latter. But in publications which allow the hyphen its time-honored function, great diversity is met’ with in the manner of its use in just the class of cases to which Dr. Doran has called our attention. In discussing this matter by letter with Dr. Doran, I stated that I should greatly prefer current usage to his rules, and write Gyrfalcon and Sparrow Hawk instead of Gyr-falcon and Sparrow-Hawk. I should also write not only such names as Redpoll, Yellowthroat, and Bluebird without the hyphen, but also Kingbird, Nighthawk, and Meadowlark in the same way, as against King-bird, Night-Hawk, and Meadow-Lark, as required by his rules. This, of course, brought up the question of what is ‘current usage’ ; and Dr. Doran replied that he would determine current usage, or “‘ good usage,’’ or ‘general usage” by such authorities as the ‘ Century Diction- ary,’ the ‘Standard Dictionary,’ Murray’s great ‘English Dictionary,’ and Newton’s ‘ Dictionary of Birds,’ and states, no doubt correctly, that his rules conform to those employed in these authoritative works. In other words, hard-and-fast rules are followed for the determination of what phrases are properly to be written as compound words, requiring the use of the hyphen. The ‘Century,’ he admits, writes ‘Kingbird ’ while all the others write ‘King-bird. “One can hardly,” he says, “be said to go counter to good usage, with such authorities as these on his side; there are no better in the English-speaking world.’’? But is there not another side to the subject? The form words finally take in a language is reached by a process of change, or through ‘ evolu- tion,’ by the survival, perhaps not of the fittest, but of the form most favored. Many compound words now almost universally printed as one word without a hyphen, were originally used as two separate and distinct words, and later as a hyphenized compound word, and later still as a single word without any hyphen. For example, the word handbook is still current in three forms—hand book, hand-book, and handbook, though the first is now rare. Many similar cases must occur to every- one, especially among words that are comparatively new, owing their ori- gin to recent inventions and discoveries requiring the coining of new terms to indicate new processes, forces, and substances. Frequency of use of a compound word has obviously much to do with its form. It is common to write ‘forehead’ ‘fore-neck,’ and ‘hind neck,’ 1T trust there is no breach of courtesy in thus referring to a private corre- spondence. Dr. Doran has expressed the hope that a subject so important will be fully discussed, and for this reason preferred to publish his criticism of the A. O. U. Check-List vernacular names in ‘The Auk’; and has further- more had the kindness to suggest that I should publish my views on the sub- ject in the same issue of this journal. 72 General Notes. Rez [ae Jan. the frequency of their use being indicated by the order in which they are here written. Forehead is a common everyday word in constant use ; fore-neck is in less frequent employ and is amore special term, while hind neck is comparatively infrequent; but in modern descriptive nat- ural history writing, where all are in frequent use, the tendency is to give all the same form, writing each phrase as a single word without the hyphen. In the same way we have, in the same class of descriptive writ- ing, ‘ toothrow,’ ‘ underparts,’ and ‘ upperparts,’ although the dictionaries treat each as either two separate words, or as requiring the hyphen. It is thus the users of words and not the dictionary makers, with their fixed rules based on ‘language-principles,’ that determine the form of much- used compound words. When ‘general usage’ has established the form of a word, contrary to the ruling of our ‘standard authorities,’ they later usually fall in line, as shown abundantly by the history of many com- mon word-forms. In the case of bird names (and other animal and plant names as well), it is more common to blend an adjective and a noun, as in bluebird, than two nouns as in nighthawk; and in the treatment of both these classes of words, our ‘standard authorities,’ the dictionaries, are more or less inconsistent, for the reason just stated. For example, ‘flycatcher’ is almost universally written without a hyphen, while ‘ gnatcatcher’ and ‘oystercatcher’ are almost as uniformly written with a hyphen. In the Check-List, and almost universally, except in the dictionaries and in English publications, we have Barn Owl, Orchard Oriole, and Marsh Hawk, instead of Barn-Owl, Orchard-Oriole, and Marsh-Hawk, etc. In the Check-List, we have Meadowlark and Nighthawk, on the ground that in the one case the bird is not a lark and in the other, is not a hawk; and the name in each case is written solid as one word for the purpose of indi- cating the fact by making a new name. The rule requiring the compounding and hyphenizing of such bird names as Ivory Gull, Herring Gull, Wood Duck, Night Heron, Clapper Rail, Stilt Sandpiper, Mountain Plover, Passenger Pigeon, Wood Ibis, Song Sparrow, Clitt Swallow, Tree Creeper, etc., is a purely arbitrary, dictionary ‘language principle,’ so long as Gray Gull, Green Heron, Brown Creeper, Painted Bunting, Varied Thrush, and all similar bird names are treated by the same ‘ language-principles’ as composed of two separate words. The practical inconvenience of enforcing the dictionary rules in such cases is considerable, since in indexes, in looking for Ivory Gull, Herring Gull, and similarly with other names, we would find our gulls scattered under half-a-dozen different letters of the alphabet, and our pigeons, sparrows, pewees, warblers, etc., similarly dispersed. In the case of the Ivory Gull, ivory is just as much a descriptive adjective as gray, or black-backed, referring to its color (inaccurately of course), and not indicating that it is made of ivory or has anything to do with ivory. ‘ Water-Thrush’ is thus written in the Check-List especially to indicate that it is not a thrush, and ‘ Quail-Dove to indicate a group of So ai Recent Literature. ie pigeons that, superficially at least, have a resemblance to both quails and doves. It would be better to write the first waterthrush, in conformity with meadowlark and nighthawk. In short, the whole matter resolves itself into a question of convenience, since convenience determines use, which in turn is ‘current usage’; and current usage as already said, is not necessarily established by our ‘ stand- ard authorities,’ but by the people to whom the words are most necessary, and by whom they are hence most used. In British English many words are spelled differently from what they are in American English, and hyphens are used in the former much more freely, as a rule, than in the latter. In American publications of all sorts, except dictionaries, the names of birds, animals and plants are written, as regards hyphenized words, practically in accordance with the system followed in the A. O. U. Check-List. By the British method, and by Dr. Doran’s rules, we should lose most of our sparrows, gulls, plovers, rails, etc., and should have, in their places, Song-Sparrows, Tree-Sparrows, Field-Sparrows, Sage-Spar- rows, Vesper-Sparrows, and similarly hyphenized gull-names, plover- names, rail-names, and so on to the end of the list, producing little short of a revolution in the arrangement of our bird names in indexes, and in the use of the hyphen in vernacular names of animals in general, and the introduction of a method entirely contrary to present tendencies in American English. Better a little inconsistency than hard-and-fast rules that tend to inconvenient and cumbersome word-forms without any ade- quately offsetting advantage. —J. A. ALLEN, Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City. RECENT LITERATURE. Ridgway’s ‘Birds of North and Middle America.’ Part II.—It is with great pleasure that we record the appearance of Part II! of Mr. Ridgway’s ‘Birds of North and Middle America.’ In reviewing Part I (Auk, XIX, ' The Birds | of | North and Middle America: | A Descriptive Catalogue | of the | Higher Groups, Genera, Species, and Subspecies of Birds | known to occur in North America, from the | Arctic Lands to the Isthmus of Panama, | the West Indies and other Islands | of the Caribbean Sea, and the Gala- pagos Archipelago. | By | Robert Ridgway, | Curator, Division of Birds. | — | Part II. | Family Tanagride —The Tanagers. | Family Icteride — The Troupials. | Family Coerebida — ‘The Honey Creepers.— Family Mniotiltidz — The Wood Warblers. | — | Washington: | Government Printing Office. 1902.= Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 50. Part II. — Svo, pp. i-xx + 1-834, pll. i-xxii. Auk 74 Feecent Literature. Tara Jan. 1902, pp. 97-102) the scope and general character of this great work, the classification adopted, and the method of treatment employed, were stated at some length; it is hence necessary in the present connection merely to state the scope and some of the special points of the present volume. Part | included only the single great tamily Fringillide, while Part II covers the four families Tanagridie, Icteride, Coerebidie, and Mniotiltide, As previously noted, Mr. Ridgway has transterred the genera P7tylus and Sadfafor from the Tanagride to the Fringillide. The genus Calypéo- philus is also now excluded and provisionally referred to the Mimide ; certain species referred by Dr. Sclater to the genus Chlorospiza, forming the genus /leméispingus Cabanis, are removed to the Mniotiltide ; and the genus /»tdophanes Ridgway is transferred from the Caerebide to the Tanagride. As now constituted, 21 genera of Tanagride come within the scope of the present work, and are represented by 112 species and subspecies. The family Icteride comprises 22 genera and 111 species and subspecies, of which 42 are included under the single genus /c/erus, which the author finds himself unable to satisfactorily divide into subgenera. He also confesses his inability to separate the family into subtamilies, notwith- standing the wide extremes in structure and habits shown by its different components. The family Ceerebide includes 6 genera and 29 species and subspecies. The family Mniotiltide has 28 genera and 181 species and subspecies, of which 57 belong to the single genus Dendrozca, 14 to Helminthophtla, 23 to Geothlyprs, and 9 to Basileuterus. “ Helminthophila cinctnnattensts (Langdon) is not introduced into the ‘key’ for the reason that it is ob- viously a hybrid between /7. Pinus and Oporornts formosa”; H. lawrencet and /7. leucobronchialis, however, are treated as species, but the problem of their relationships is considered a very complicated one, it being “altogether probable .... that dichromatism as well as hybridism enters into the question of their origin.” It seems hard to lay the ghost of Wilson’s Muscicapa minuta, or ‘Small-headed Flycatcher,’ which here still masquerades as Welsonta microcephala Ridgway, on account of ‘the peculiar combination of characters indicated in the original description being shared by no other bird to my [Ridgway's] knowledge.” ‘That there could have been any error in Wilson’s description is not intimated. The Sylvia montana of Wilson (Dendroica montana of the A. O. U. Hypothetical List) is, however, synonymised as the young of D. vérens ; but Audubon’s Sy/v/a carbonata is given a place as Dendroica carbonata, although it “continues to be known only from Audubon’s description and colored plate.” Among the new species and subspecies here described for the first time are two from the United States, namely, Compsothlypis americana rama- line (p. 486, geographic distribution added on p. 783), the Mississippi Valley form of the Parula Warbler, which is said to havea breeding range Vol. XX Recent Literature. 7 5 1903 . “from Louisiana and Texas to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota”; and Wilsonta pusilla chryseola, separated as a Pacific coast form of W. p. ptleolata, breeding from southern California to British Columbia. The new extralimital forms include Phantcothraupis rubica nelsoni, from Yucatan; Geothlypts ¢ncompta, from Abaco Island, Bahamas; Geothlypis extgua, from Andros Island, Bahamas; Geothlypfis flavida, from New Providence, Bahamas; Geothlyfis nelsont microrhyncha, from Hidalgo, Mexico; Bastleuterus culicivorus flavescens, from the State of Jalisco, Mexico; and /ehodinocincla rosea eximea, separated as the Central Amer- ican form of true vosea of South America.! In respect to generic changes, Megaquiscalus is raised to a full genus for the Boat-tailed Grackles, as is Hlologuidscalus for the West Indian Grackles, thus restricting Qu¢scalus to Q. guiscula and its subspecies. Peucedramus is very properly raised to a full genus for the Olive Warbler ; Oporornis and Chamethlypis are also raised to full genera, and the old genus Sefophaga is restricted to S. ruticilla and S. picta. Under Chamethlypis, Geothlypis poltocephala ralphi of the A. O. U. Check-List is considered inseparable from true poliocephala. Of Piranga rubriceps, introduced into the Check-List as a straggler (standing as [607.1] ) on the basis of its capture in California, Mr. Ridgway says: ‘The identification of the specimen on which the record is based in undoubtedly correct; but even granting no mistake has been made as to the specimen having actually been taken in California, the occurrence must have been wholly fortuitous, most likely an escape from captivity, and the species “has no claim to a place in the North American fauna” (p. 776). It is so exclusively a South American bird that it is treated as extralimital to the scope of the work here under*notice. In all probability /clerus tcterus, a South American Oriole said to have been taken at Charleston, S. C., has no better claim to a place in our list, and should be similarly excluded. It may be added that several ‘Texas’ birds admitted provisionally on the authority of Giraud,—as Setophaga miniata, Cardellina rubrifrons, ELrgaticus ruber, and the two species of Bastleuterus— receive no confir- mation of their claim to recognition as Texas species, the collation of the records and material thus far gathered only serving to throw greater doubt upon the supposed Texas origin of Giraud’s specimens on which these species are alleged to have been originally based. The nearest point of record for several of them is still the highlands of Mexico. Icterus auduboni? is treated as a subspecies of 7. melanocephalus. ‘The 1 We would suggest that it would be a convenience to reviewers and bibli- ographers, and probably to others, if the author would indicate, either in the text, table of contents, or in a separate list, the new forms described, as they are not always clearly indicated in the text, and have to be determined by an examination of the context. Omission is also made, in several instances, to indicate a type specimen for the new form. 76 Recent Literature. * ca an. range of Agelaius pheniceus richmond: is extended northward to include “the coast district and lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas,” which therefore brings it within the limits of the Check-List. Al! the North American forms of Sturnel/a are made subspecies of magna, except neglecta, which Mr. Ridgway continues to look upon as a full species. Mr. Ridgway admits eight forms of the Geothlypis trichas group, and discusses at some length their distribution and relationships, as also the seven forms recognized from the Bahamas. We regret the lack of space to transcribe his very interesting presentation of the case. G. trichas scirpicola Grinnell is considered as not separable from G. ¢. arizela Oberholser. The present volume exceeds the first in size by about one hundred pages, and includes 55 more species and subspecies, Part I] containing 433 — 316 species and 117 subspecies. The 22 plates illustrate the struct- ural details of 77 genera. In execution Part II conforms in all its details with Part I, so that the explanation of methods of treatment, and the high commendation already given for Part I, apply equally to Part II, which is marked throughout by the extreme care and thoroughness so well known to characterize Mr. Ridgway’s technical work. Finally, we heartily congratulate the author and all ornithologists that we have assurance that Part III is so well advanced that we may confidently expect its publication before the end of the present year, it being already in press. —J. A. A. Mrs. Bailey’s ‘Handbook of Birds of the Western United States.’ !— As stated in the publisher’s announcement, ‘‘This book is intended to do for the western part of the United States what Mr. Frank M. Chapman’s ‘Handbook’ has done for the East. It is written on similar lines, and gives descriptions and biographical sketches of all our western birds in a thoroughly scientific yet not unduly technical form, including all the United States species not treated by ‘Chapman, besides those which are common to both sections of the country.” ‘This is a perfectly fair state- ment of the scope and character of the work, which in method of execu- tion and accuracy of detail merits the highest commendation. The author has had rare opportunities for personal observation of the birds in life of which she writes, having spent several seasons in the field in Texas, in Arizona, and in California, and has enjoyed an especially favorable environment for the production of a thoroughly accurate and well- 1 Handbook of Birds | of the | Western United States | including | the Great Plains, Great Basin, Pacific Slope, | and Lower Rio Grande Valley | By Florence Merriam Bailey | With thirty-three full-page plates by Louis | Agassiz Fuertes,.and over six hundred cuts in the text | [Vignette] Boston and New York | Houghton, Mifflin and Company | The Riverside Press, Cambridge | 1902 —12mo, pp.i-xc-++ 1-512. Price, $3.50, postage extra. Vol. XX : oars Recent Literature. 7 7 balanced manual of the birds of the western United States. Indeed, as stated in her ‘pretatory note,’ she has had the advice and the help of experts, and the resources of the National Museum and Biological Survey collections as a basis for the technical side of her work. In an ‘introduction’ of nearly 80 pages are stated, first, the general sources of information upon which she has relied in the general treat- ment of the subject. Then follows a section (pp. xxvi—xxxiii) on collect- ing and preparing birds, nests, and eggs by her husband, Mr. Vernon Bailey, who has also contributed more or less of the biographical matter throughout the book. There are directions for note-taking and keeping journals, and several pages on ‘life zones,’ with a map, by her brother Dr. C. Hart Merriam, of the United States west of about the 100th meridian and northern Mexico, shaded to indicate the various life areas. ‘ Migra- tion’ and ‘economic ornithology’ are briefly treated, and there are half a dozen pages on‘ bird protection’ by Dr. T.S. Palmer. Then follow anum- ber of briefly annotated local lists, most of them here for the first time pub- lished, as: ‘List of the Birds of the vicinity of Portland, Oregon,’ by A. W. Anthony ; ‘ List of Water Birds of San Francisco Bay,’ by William H. Kobbé; ‘ List of Birds of Santa Clara Valley and Santa Cruz Mountains, exclusive of Water Birds,’ by Walter K. Fisher; ‘ List of Birds to be looked for in the vicinity of Pasadena,’ by Joseph Grinnell; ‘ List of Birds of Cheyenne and vicinity, by Frank Bond. A ‘List of the Birds of Fort Sherman, Idaho,’ is compiled from the late Dr. J. C. Merrill’s notes in Vols. XIV and XV of ‘ The Auk,’ and a list for Pinal, Pima, and Gila Counties, Arizona, is compiled from W. E. D. Scott’s papers published in Vols. II-V of ‘The Auk.’ An important but very condensed list of ‘Books of Reference’ occupies pp. 1xxxiii-Ixxxviii. The main body of the work (pp. 1-477 treats of the species and sub- species in systematic sequence, in the order of the A. O. U. Check-List, and following its nomenclature. An appendix gives a ‘ Field Color Key’ to the genera of the more common passerine birds, and is followed by a very full index. The systematic portion of the book is furnished with very freely illustrated keys to the higher groups, as well as the usual keys to the genera and species. Mr. Fuertes’s 36 full-page plates illustrate in full-length figures leading types of the bird life of the region, and a large number of additional heads, by the same author, and here first published, contribute further to the attractiveness, as well as usefulness of the work. Many new outlines of structural features are added from drawings by Miss Franceska Weiser, while a large number of additional illustrations are from the publications of the Biological Survey, ‘The Auk,’ ‘Osprey,’ and the author’s previous works. Besides all these, a large number of photo- graphic illustrations from bird skins are introduced, often with excellent effect, but, owing largely to the small scale of the reproduction, not infre- quently they fail to be either very useful or attractive embellishments. Without going further into details, it may suffice to say that the author is to be congratulated on having produced a very much needed Handbook 78 Feecent Literature. bee Jan. in a thoroughly creditable manner, and has thereby merited the thanks of thousands of bird students to whom her book will truly prove a ‘ boon.’— lip A 2X Brewster’s ‘ Birds of the Cape Region of Lower California.’!— The Cape Region of Lower California, as here defined, comprises the terminal portion of the peninsula “ southward from the northern base of the moun- tains between La Paz on the Gulf shore and the town of Todos Santos on the Pacific Coast,” and is a sharply defined faunal and floral area, charac- terized by peculiar climatic conditions which have left their impress upon the animal and plant lite. It isa mountainous country, separated from the more northern part of the peninsula by a low desert tract which forms a formidable barrier to the extension of plant and animal life, either from the north southward or from the south northward. It has arather humid climate, and is situated on the edge of the tropics, the Tropic of Cancer crossing the center of the region. Its area embraces about two degrees of latitude and one of longitude. The basis of this excellent monograph consists of a collection of ‘up- wards of 4,400 birds”? made for the author by Mr. M. Abbott Frazar in 1887. An ‘Introduction’ of twelve pages is devoted largely to an itiner- ary of the trip, which describes in detail the localities where Mr. Frazar collected, and also defines the region and indicates its peculiar physical characteristics. The ‘Systematic Notice of the Birds’ occupies pages 13-219, and is followed by a bibliography, and a good index. Mr. Brew- ster regrets that there is so little to record respecting the life histories of the species, Mr. Frazar’s field notes proving scanty, and other ornitholo- gists who have visited the region seem to have been more intent on gathering and preparing specimens than on recording field observations. “The main portion of my paper,” says the author, “ treats only of birds which are definitely known to have occurred in the Cape Region, but in dealing with the distribution of such of these as are not confined to this area, I have consulted —and frequently cited, also—all the more impor- tant records that I could find relating to the central and upper parts of the Peninsula as well as to southern California, and in addition I have out- lined, briefly, the general range of each species or subspecies along the Pacific coast, hoping thereby to show more clearly the precise relations in which the different forms stand geographically to the Cape fauna.” Acknowledgment is made to his assistant, Mr. Walter Deane, for the preparation of the bibliography, which includes some seventy titles, and for preparing the synonymy. He has performed the task, says Mr. Brewster, “‘ with infinite care and faithfulness, verifying every citation by 1 Birds of the Cape Region of Lower California. By William Brewster. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zo6l., Vol. XLI, No. 1. pp. 1-241, with Map. September, 1902. Voi. XX ores is iao% FRecent Literature. a 9 direct examination of the original text. A fuller synonymy has been given for the thirty or more birds which appear to be either peculiar to the region under consideration or especially prominent members of the fauna.... The synonymy is intended to serve, at least primarily, merely as an index to what has been published on the characteristic birds of the Cape Region, and on the Jocal history only of those which visit it during migration or in winter, or which breed but casually or very sparingly within its confines.” The number of species recorded for the region is 167, with 88 additional subspecies, or a total of 255 forms. Of these four are described as new, and 36 are recorded for the first time as occurring in the Cape Region. The new forms are: Zotanus melanoleucus frazart, Megascops xantust, Bubo virginianus elachistus, and Tachyctneta thalassina brachyptera. The latter is mentioned as “ an interesting illustration of the recognized fact that isolated, non-migratory birds are given to having shorter wings than those which regularly perform extended journeys.” Mr. Brewster had previously described three new species and nine new subspecies from this same collection, which mdkes sixteen new forms characterized by him from the Cape Region, or one halt of those recognized as peculiar to it. Among the noteworthy points in the present admirable paper is a dis- cussion of the relationship of Brachyrhamphus craveri and B. hypfoleucus, Mr. Brewster reaching the conclusion that the doubts that have been expressed as to their specific distinctness are without foundation. The conclusion is also reached, after the comparison of a large amount of material, that Buteo borealis lucasanus is not separable from B. 6. cal- urus. Specimens from the Cape St. Lucas region are slightly smaller than more northern examples of ca/uwrus, as would be expected, but “ so far as color and markings are concerned they cannot be separated from calurus.”’ Melanerpes formicivorus angustifrons is considered as “ sfect- | fically” distinct “ from its nearest allies,” but no reasons for this opinion are here stated. The Capeform of M/yéarchus ctnerascens is believed to be worthy of subspecific recognition, under the name fertinax applied to it by Baird in 1859, but it has not of late been considered as separable from cinerascens. On the other hand, Mr. Brewster finds that the characters ascribed to Sayornis nigricans semiatra, as distinguished from xzZgricans, are “ too trifling and inconstant to deserve anything more than passing notice.” He agrees with Mr. Ridgway that the so-called Astragalinus psaltria arizone is “ scarcely a definite form.” Ammodramus halophilus is considered as not separable from A. rostratus guttatus, or at least, that it is premature to give it recognition till we know more about it. Vreo gilvus swainsoni is believed to be “a good subspecies.” The case of Hlylocichla guttata nana (Aud.) is discussed at length, and the reasons fully given for the revival of the name zava tor the small Hermit Thrush of the Pacific coast region. The ‘ Cape Region’ of Lower California has long been of special interest, so Recent Literature. Ta owing to its geographical position and peculiar physicai characteristics, and Mr. Brewster’s detailed and painstaking analysis of its bird life is a most welcome addition not only to the literature of ornithology but to geographical zoblogy — J. A. A. Henshaw’s ‘ Birds of the Hawaiian Islands.’'— The author modestly says: ‘There being at present no popular work upon Hawaiian birds, the present little volume has been prepared with the view of breaking ground in this department, and with the hope that it may prove of assistance to those who are already bird-lovers and, as well, may stimulate others to become such.”” While thus avowedly popular in character, it is much out of the line of ordinary popular bird books, inasmuch as it deals with ques- tions outside of the usual range of such works. Nearly the first quar- ter of the book is devoted to such general subjects as the origin of the Hawaiian avifauna, its peculiar environmental conditions, environmental changes disastrous to Hawaiian birds, the diseases of Hawaiian birds, the ornithological knowledge of the natives, the history of ornithological investigations in the islands, faunal zones, etc. This is followed by ‘Part Il. Descriptive, which gives a very full biographical account of each species, and a description of its external characters. Following this is a table showing the geographical distribution of the native species by islands, and an index. The number of species treated is 125, “including residents, migrants and strays, together with a few that are extinct or practically so.” Eleven species have been introduced into one or more of the islands and have become more or less firmly established. ‘ There are 60 species of wood- land Passeres that are endemicand are peculiar to the islands, these being distinctively ##e Hawaiian Birds.” Notwithstanding the fact that in recent years so much has been done to make known scientifically the birds of the Hawaiian Islands, through the great works of Mr. Scott B. Wilson and Mr. Walter Rothschild, and the lesser writings of other investigators, we have here for the first . time an attempt to place within the reach of the ordinary bird lover a descriptive list combined with a full account of what is known of their life histories, based largely on the original observations of the author. “With the exception of a few species,” says Mr. Henshaw, ‘that are evidently comparatively recent comers from America, like the Night Heron, Gallinule, Marsh Hawk, and the Short-eared Owl, Hawaiian birds are quite unlike any others. They fall naturally into a few groups of related species, and so different are they from the birds of other lands that their relationships are traceable only with great difficulty.” Accord- 1Birds of the Hawaiian Islands | being a | Complete List | of the | Birds of the Hawaiian Possessions | with Notes on their Habits | By | H. W. Henshaw | — Price $1.00 | — | Honolulu, H. I. | Thos. G. Thrum, Publisher. | 1902 — 8vo, pp. 146. 4 a Recent Literature. SI ing to Dr. Gadou, the greater part of the distinctively Hawaiian birds belong to the single family Drepanididz, almost beyond doubt of Amer- ican origin, and find their nearest relationship in the American family Ceerebide. They were probably the first birds to obtain a foothold in the islands, and later received a few additions from Australia. Hawaiian birds apparently do not take kindly to innovations, and pre- fer the virgin forests to the proximity of man. “Unlike many European and American birds, which flourish in the garden and orchard and find comfort and safety in man’s protection, none of the island species seem to desire to be on neighborly terms with man, or to be capable of adapting themselves to the changes which foliow in his wake. For a time they are content to fly over his clearings and to feed in the forest hard by; but to nest by his door and profit by his bounty seem to be foreign to their wild natures and presently, unable to reconcile themselves to his unwarranted intrusion into their ancient fastnesses, they retreat to the unvexed and vir. gin forest.” The destruction of the forests, that has followed the invasion of civilized man, is hemming them into constantly diminishing areas, “and in afew years the opportunity to study the habits of some of the unique bird forms which have been developed upon these islands will be lost forever.”” Even slight changes in environmental conditions have a marked influence and species “ wholly inadequate.”” Mr. Henshaw believes that among the causes of the decline of certain species is “the necessity of continuous inbreeding,” and even become extinct when the causes seem gives his reasons at considerable length for this belief, citing examples in illustration. They are also obviously atfected by prolonged storms and slight changes of temperature, and are also subject to diseases, especially by the growth of tumours on the feet, and sometimes about the mouth. These tumours have been found to be of bacillic origin, and are most prevalent on “the windward side of Hawaii, where the annual rainfall is from 130 to 180 inches.” Apparently fully one tenth of the species of Hawaiian birds are either extinct or rapidly approaching extinction, or about one sixth of the distinctively Hawaiian forms. In referring to the work of Mr. R. C. L. Perkins, who began collecting in 1892, Mr. Henshaw notes that as his large collections contained but one new species, we may consider that the list of Hawaiian birds is prac- tically complete, but the still more important study “of their life histories, of their relations to each other and to the avifauna of other lands,” remains as a still more important study. To this end the author’s ‘ Birds of the Hawaiian Islands’ is an important contribution, as well as an incen- tive and an aid to future observers. —J. A. A. Snodgrass and Heller on the Birds of Clipperton and Cocos Islands. !— 1 Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galapagos Expedition, 1898-1899. XI. The Birds of Clipperton and Cocos Islands. By Robert Evans Snodgrass and Edmund Heller. Proc. Washington Acad. of Sciences, Vol. IV, pp. 501- 520. Sept. 30, 1902. 82 Recent Literature. spc Clipperton Island lies in latitude 10°17! north and 109° 13! west, anc about 600 miles distant from the mainland, the nearest point of which is the west coast of Mexico, near Acapulco. It is littie more than a coral reef, practically without vegetation, and its land fauna consists of a few species of sea birds, which resort to it in immense numbers for a breeding station, a single species of lizard, a dragonfly, a beetle, and a few diptera. Cocos Island, situated about five degrees further south and some twenty- two degrees further east, off the west coast of Costa Rica, and about 250 miles from the mainland, is mountainous and covered with trees and a dense undergrowth. ‘The plant species are few, however, and the land fauna consists of a few indigenous birds, a lizard, and a few species of insects. Though visited by several kinds of water birds, it is not, like Clipperton Island, a great breeding resort for sea fowl. Both islands are described in much detail, and most of the birds obtained at each are described at length. The birds recorded from both islands number only 15 species, of which only five —all boobies and terns — are recorded trom Clipperton Island and 10 from Cocos Island, while two are common to _ both localities. Two of the species, a tern and a booby, were first described by the authors of the present paper from specimens taken by them at these islands. Of the four indigenous land birds found at Cocos, three are peculiar to the island, two of them having been first made known by Mr. A. W. Anthony in 1895. —J. A. A. ; Knight’s ‘The Birds of Wyoming.’!— This is a fully annotated and well illustrated list, based in part on “published reports pertaining to the birds of the State,” partly on unpublished observations of ornithologists or collectors of Wyoming birds, and partly on collections made especially for the museum of the University of Wyoming by Mr. Chas. W. Gillmore, now of the Carnegie Museum. Mr. Knight, being a geologist, makes no claim to being an ornithologist, and appears to have prepared the work in response to constant inquiries “for some literature on the birds of the State,” which, as curator of the museum, he felt called upon to furnish. He is entitled to congratulations on having prepared what seems to be an excellent list of the birds of Wyoming, which, with the other per- tinent matter included, forms a ‘ Bulletin’ that must be of great assistance to students of Wyoming birds. The introductory matter includes a résumé of the literature pertaining to the subject, ‘A Note on Studying Birds,’ and a reprint of Prof. Laurence Bruner’s ‘ Birds in their Relation to Agriculture,’ this preliminary matter occupying pp. 1-23, while a supple- 1 The Birds of Wyoming. By Wilbur C. Knight. Bulletin No. 55. Wyo- ming Experiment Station, University of Wyoming, Agricultural College De- partment, Laramie, Wyoming. September, 1902. 8vo, pp. 174, with 48 full- page half-tone plates and numerous text illustrations. Sent free upon request, by the Director of the Experiment Station. Voi. XX 388 Pecent Literature. 8 3 ment gives the Bird and Game laws of the State. ‘A Preliminary List of the Birds of Wyoming, with Notes,’ occupies pp. 22-158, recording 288 species and subspecies, to which is added a ‘ Hypothetical List’ of 12 species. The annotations relate mainly to the manner of occurrence of the species, but include also, in the case of the hawks and owls, copious extracts from Dr. A. K. Fisher’s report on the food of hawks and owls, and in the case of the blackbirds from Prof. F. E. L. Beal’s report on the food of these birds. ‘The numerous plates, and the illustrations of struc- tural details in the text, all drawn by Mr. Frank Bond, and here for the most part first published, add greatly to the usefulness and attractiveness of this praiseworthy effort to give needed information about the birds of Wyoming. —J. A. A. Henninger’s List of the Birds of Middle Southern Ohio.!— This list is based on the observations of the author during the period from August 15, 1894, to July 1, 1902, and is the first formal list of the birds of the region, which is stated to be restricted mainly to Scioto and Pike Counties. The list numbers 216 species, of which two are introduced, and seven are considered as ‘hypothetical’ and placed in a separate category. The list is not put forth as a complete enumeration of the birds of the region, but as a trustworthy list so far as it goes, each record having been carefully scrutinized, while most of the species recorded “‘are represented by speci- mens in the author’s or local collections.” The annotations relate mainly to relative abundance and the dates of migration. The list is thus a wel- come and important addition to faunal literature. —J. A. A. Blatchley’s ‘A Nature Wooing.’ 2— The scene of Professor Blatchley’s little book is mainly the vicinity of Ormond, Florida, and consists of observations, mostly in the form of a journal, on the animal and plant life of the region visited, being only to a small extent ornithological. It is written in a popular vein, by a scientific observer, an appendix of 20 pages giving formal lists of the species of various orders of in- sects collected, while assem there are numerous references to birds, reptiles, mollusks, etc. Pages 174-179 give, with illustrations, an account of the discovery of two humeri of the Great Auk in a shell mound at Ormond, as already recorded in ‘The Auk’ (XIX, July, 1902, pp. 255-258) by Dr. O. P. Hay. The volume will afford pleasant reading to nature lovers, especially those visiting the region to which it relates.— J. A. A. 1 A Preliminary List of the Birds of Middle Southern Ohio. By Rev. W. F. Henninger. The Wilson Bulletin, Vol. IX, No. 3, Sept., 1902, pp. 77-93- 2A Nature Wooing at Ormond by the Sea. By W.S. Blatchley, Author of ‘Gleanings from Nature.’ Indianapolis: The Nature Publishing Company. 1902. 1I2mo, pp. 145, with 12 pll., map, and 63 text illustrations. Price, post- paid, $1.25. 8 4 Recent Literature. coe Keyser’s ‘ Birds of the Rockies.’ !— This is a narrative of the author’s experiences in a rather limited portion of Colorado, supplemented by an annotated list of the birds thus far recorded from the State, based, with due acknowledgment, on Prof. W. W. Cooke’s ‘ The Birds of Colorado.’ The author's field of observation included the immediate vicinity of Pike’s Peak, and other points in the Rockies to the northward and southward, and also excursions to the foothills and adjoining edge of the Plains to the east- ward. He evidently enjoyed his experiences with all the enthusiasm of an ardent bird lover, and recounts them at length in ecstatic phrases for the entertainment of those of similar ilk who may not have enjoyed his opportunities. He is often prolix and repetitive in telling of his feelings under these inspiring surroundings as well as in recording what he saw and learned in the way of new bird acquaintances, but he is evidently so sincere and so much in earnest that much can be pardoned. While the work is not given forth as a record of new discoveries, it cannot fail to be entertaining and enjoyable to the class to which it most obviously appeals —the amateur bird lover. The book is beautifully printed and illustrated, Mr. Horsfall’s vignettes and marginal illustrations being very appro- priate and pleasing. Besides, Mr. Keyser is an intelligent observer, and has a good general knowledge of his subject. In his opening chapter, ‘Up and Down the Heights,’ he has something to say of the vertical migration of birds in the Rockies, and of the faunal differences between this region and the States to the eastward of the Great Plains, —of the eastern forms one misses, of the western types that take their places, and of the representative, slightly differentiated forms that replace familiar eastern species. In the second chapter, ‘ Introduction to Some Species,’ certain eastern and western forms are compared, and in a pleasant way much information is conveyed that cannot fail to interest and instruct the average lay reader. The other eleven chapters, under the titles, ‘Bald Peaks and Green Vales,’ ‘Birds of the Arid Plain,’ ‘Over the Divide and Back,’ ‘ A Pretty Hummer,’ ‘ A Notable Quartette,’ etc., deal with some particular locality or excursion, or with some particular species or group of species, so that in the course of the volume most of the com- mon birds of the region come in for a share of the author’s attention. The colored plates, by Mr. Fuertes, of some of the more characteristic and striking species, contribute greatly to the general attractiveness of a book that is well worthy of extended sale, and which occupies a hitherto somewhat neglected field in the list of popular bird books.— J. A. A. 1! Birds of the Rockies | By Leander Keyser | Author of ‘In Bird Land,” etc. | — | With Eight full-page Plates (four in color) | by Louis Agassiz Fuertes ; Many Illustra- | tions in the Text by Bruce Horsfall, and | Eight Views of Localities from photographs | — | With a complete Check- | List of Colorado Birds | [monogram]— | Chicago. A. C. McClurg and Co. | Nineteen Hundred and Two.—8vo, pp. i-xvili,+19-355, pll. 8 (4 in color), 8 full- page half-tones, and 30 half-tone marginal text cuts. Vol. XX 1903 Peecent Literature. 85 Burroughs’s ‘John James Audubon.’ ! — Of the twenty-five ‘ Beacon Biog- raphies’ thus far issued, only two relate to naturalists — Louis Agassiz and John James Audubon. The first was very happily treated by Alice Bache Gould,* and a more fitting author for the second could hardly have been found than John Burroughs, himself an ornithologist and a poet-naturalist, able to weigh Audubon’s work, and to sympathize with his tastes and ambitions. In the brief preface the author very fairly compares Audubon and Wilson, their temperaments, opportunities, methods of work and their achieve- ments. Then follows a‘ chronology’ of the important events in Audu- bon’s life, and a just and very readable résumé of his history, character, and works, based of course on previously published sources of informa- tion. He recounts the meeting of Audubon and Wilson at Louisville, Kentucky, in March, 1810, as told by Audubon himself, and also as briefly noted by Wilson. There are appropriate and very interesting extracts from Audubon’s journals and other writings, but mainly the biography is an admirably condensed account of Audubon’s life and character. In comparing Audubon with Wilson he says (preface, p. x): “‘Both men went directly to nature and underwent incredible hardships in exploring the woods and marshes in quest of their material. Audubon’s rambles were much wider, and extended over a much longer period of time. Wilson, too, contemplated a work upon our quadrupeds, but did not live to begin it. Audubon was blessed with good health, length of years, a devoted and self-sacrificing wife, and a buoyant, sanguine, and elastic disposition. He had the heavenly gift of enthusiasm —a passionate love for the work he set out to do. He was a natural hunter, roamer, woods- man ; as unworldly as a child, and as simple and transparent. We have had better trained and more scientific ornithologists since his day, but none with his abandon and poetic fervor in the study of our birds.” Again (p. 33): ‘Wilson was of a nature far less open and generous than was Audubon. It is evident that he looked upon the latter as his rival, and was jealous of his superior talents; for superior they were in many ways. His drawings have far more spirit and artistic excellence, and his text shows far more enthusiasm and hearty affiliation with Nature. In accuracy of observation, Wilson is fully his equal, if not his superior.” Mr. Burroughs does not hesitate to openly question the accuracy of some of Audubon’s tales of adventure during his early wanderings, some of which “sound a good deal like an episode in a dime novel, and may well be taken with a grain of allowance.” Of his bird paintings, he says: “His bird pictures reflect his own temperament, not to say his nationality; ' John James Audubon. By John Burroughs. The Beacon Biographies of Eminent Americans. Edited by M. A. DeWolfe Howe. Boston: Small, Maynard and Company, 1902. I2mo, pp. xxii + 144. 2 See Auk, Vol. XVIII, 1901, p. 285. S6 Fecent Literature. Auk Jan. the birds are very demonstrative, even theatrical and melodramatic at times. In some cases this is all right, in others it is all wrong. Birds differ in this respect as much as people do—some are very quiet and sedate, others pose and gesticulate like a Frenchman. It would not be easy to exaggerate, for instance, the flashings and evolutions of the redstart when it arrives in May, or the acting and posing of the catbird, or the gesticulations of the yellow-breasted chat, or the nervous and emphatic character of the large-billed water thrush, or the many pretty attitudes of the great Carolina wren; but to give the same dramatic character to the demure little song sparrow, or to the slow moving cuckoo, or to the pedestrian cowbird, or to the quiet Kentucky warbler, as Audubon has done, is to convey a wrong impression of these birds.”” The coloring, as, well as the posing, ‘‘is also often exaggerated.” But in view of all that Audubon accomplished, and often under such adverse conditions, “it ill becomes us,’ says Mr. Burroughs, ‘‘to indulge in captious criticism.” In brief, Mr. Burroughs has well accomplished his task, and placed within the reach of the many persons interested in the personal history of the great pioneer painter-naturalist, in a handy and comparatively inexpensive volume, a concise history of his life, character, and works. The photogravure portrait serving as frontispiece is from the well-known painting by Healy, made in 1838, now owned by the Boston Society of Natural History. —J. A. A. Strong on the Development of Color in Feathers.—In a paper! of 40 pages, illustrated with 9 plates, Dr. Strong gives a detailed account of his investigations of the development of color in feathers. The work was done in the Zodlogical Laboratory of Harvard University, under the direction of Dr. E. L. Mark. It was begun in the fall of 1899, and was continued at intervals for many months, the material used being princi- pally the remiges of the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), but feather germs were also used from ‘ Passerina ctr7s Linn., Passerina cyanea Linn., Munta atricapilla Hume, and the common doye,” and dry feathers from Cyanocitta cristata, Sialia stalis, Pitta sordida, Pitta moluccensts, Cotinga cayana, and Megascops asto. Dr. Strong was well qualified for the task by his special training in the requisite technique of such investi- gations, and enjoyed the exceptional advantages of a well equipped laboratory, famous for its facilities for histological investigation. The paper is necessarily highly technical, and the results and not the methods will here receive notice. A brief introduction is followed by ‘II. Methods and Materials’; ‘ III. The Development of the Feather,’ considered under ‘A. The Feather 1 The Development of Color in the Definitive Feather. By R. M. Strong. Bulletin Mus. Comp. Zo6l., Vol. XL, No. 3, pp. 146-186, pll. i-ix, October, 1902. Voi. XX Rec IE) ; 1903 ent terature 87 Germ’; ‘B. The Differentiation of the Feather,’ as (1) the barbules, (2) the barbicels, (3) the barb, (4) the rhachis, (5) the residual cells, (6) the corni- fication and withdrawal of the feather. ‘IV. The Production of Color in the Feather’; ‘V. The Pigmentation of the Feather’; under which are considered, (A) the chemical nature of feather pigments, (B) the origin of pigment, and (C) the distribution of pigment in feathers. ‘VI. Change of Color without Molt’; ‘VII. Summary’; and ‘ Bibliography.’ In his introduction the author says: ‘‘A theory of change of color with- out molt was the subject of a rather warm controversy about the middle of the nineteenth century, and there has been something of a revival of the discussion in the last few years. It has seemed to me that a solution of the problem could not be attained without a thorough consideration of the causes of color and its development.” Under ‘VI. Change of Color without Molt,’ he states: ‘The changes in color claimed by many writers to occur without molt may be grouped under two heads: (1) the destructive, and (2) the constructive. Under destructive changes are included the results of abrasion and physical disintegration. Constructive changes include supposed regeneration and rearrangement of pigment.” Then follows a reference to the recent writers on the subject, who have claimed change of color without molt, of which he says: “Descriptions of repigmentation have been mostly pure speculation. Within a few years the following remarkable expla- nation of the pigmentation of the feather has beer given by Keeler ('93) ”: which he then quotes. He cites the still more recent work of Birtwell, from whom he quotes concerning the supposed rearrangement of the melanin granules in the feathers of the Indigo Bunting; and also quotes Chadbourne’s argument for a so-called vital connection of the feather with the organism. After noting the claims of these and other authors, and explaining to some extent the sources of their errors, he says: “There is no satisfactory evidence of the occurrence of repigmentation . “Pigmentation takes place, as has been shown, at a very early stage in the differentiation of the feather, when the cells composing its fundament are in an active condition and in intimate relation with sources of nu- trition. In the case of melanin pigments, there are branched pigment cells which supply pigment in the form of rod-shaped granules directly to the feather fundament. The contention for a flow of pigment from the barbs into the barbules, etc. (Keeler), is at once made absurd by the fact that the barbules are pigmented before the barbs are differentiated. “Variations in color patterns are usually correlated with variations in the distribution of pigment in the earlier stages of the feather’s develop- ment. When completed, the feather is composed of cells which have been entirely metamorphosed into a firm horny substance and its pigment is imbedded in that lifeless matter. The cells composing a barbule are fused into a solid, more or less homogeneous structure. The pigment of one portion of the barbule ts as effectually isolated from that of another as 1 Not italicized in the original. 88 Recent Literature. fae ts the coloring of various parts of a piece of agate.' Likewise in the barb and rhachis, pigment is definitely and permanently located either in the solid cortex or in effectually separated cells of the medulla; and there are no pores large enough to admit the passage of melanin granules. The characteristic longitudinal arrangement of melanin granules, which one finds at the close of cornification of the feather, is permanent.... _“ When the feather is completed, the dermal pulp possesses no func- tional connection with it; the barbs and barbules are then practically isolated from the vital processes of the organism and have no further power of growth. “The arguments against change of color without molt through repig- mentation or regeneration may be summed up as follows: ‘““1. Most feather pigments are too resistant to chemical reagents to warrant belief in their solution and redistribution. ‘2. Pigmentation of the feather has been observed to take place only in the younger stages of the feather germ. “3. At the end of cornification melanin granules have a definite arrangement, which is permanent. “4. When cornification has ensued, the various elements of the feather are hard, more or less solid, structures and their pigment contents are effectually isolated from one another. “5. There is no satisfactory evidence of the occurrence of repigmen- tation, and all the histological conditions render such an event highly improbable.” The results of his histological studies on the formation and growth of the feather, the differentiation of the various parts of its structure, the origin and supply of pigment to the feather, etc., are summarized in six- teen numbered paragraphs at the close of the paper, from which we quote the following: “15. Before cornification has ceased, all the pigment which the feather is ever to receive has been supplied to the cells composing its fundament [the growing base of the feather]. “16. Changes in the color of plumage may take place (1) by a molt, during which the new feathers may have the same pigmentation as their predecessors or a different one; (2) by a loss of certain portions of the feather ; or (3) by physical disintegration in the cortex of the feather as the result of exposure. There is no satisfactory evidence of a process of repigmentation, and the histological conditions of the feather render such a process highly improbable.” Dr. Strong’s paper is one of the most noteworthy ornithological papers of the year, and should go far toward the settlement of the much dis- cussed question of the repigmentation of feathers. We have here the results of an impartial investigation by an expert histologist, in opposi- tion to speculation and conjecture, put forth by persons untrained in modern histological methods.— J. A. A. 1 Not italicized in the original. “a Recent Literature. 89 Publications Received.— Bailey, Florence Merriam. Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. 12mo, pp. xc + 512, pll. 33, and 600 text figures. Houghton, Mifflin & Co. Price, $3.50, net. Bangs, Outram, Description of a New Thrush from Chiriqui. (Proc. N. Engl. Zool. Club, III, pp. 91, 92.) Blatchley, W. S. A Nature Wooing at Ormond by the Sea. 12mo, pp- 245, 12 pll. and 62 text illustrations. The Nature Publishing Co., Indianapolis. _ Price, postpaid, $1.25. Brewster, William. Birds of the Cape Region. (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zo6l., Vol. XLI, No. 1, pp. 241 and map.) Finsch, O. (1) Ueber zwei neue Vogelarten von Java. (Notes from the Leyden Museum, Vol. XXIII, 1902, pp. 147-152.) (2) Ueber Diceum sollicitans Hartert. (Zb¢d., pp. 153-155.) (3) Ueber zwei bisher verkannte Arten: Centropus nigrorufus (Cuv.) und C. grilli Hartl. (Zb7d., pp. 156- 161.) (4) Zur VersOhnung Zweier toten Meister. (Hartlaub-Petényi). (Journ. f. Orn., 1902, pp. 349-356.) Girtanner, A. Eine zerstérte Kolonie des Alpenseglers, Afus melba (L.). (Orn. Monatsschr., XX VII, 1902, pp. 376-388.) Henshaw, H.W. Birds of the Hawaiian Islands. 8vo, pp. 146. Thomas G. Thrum, Honolulu, 1902. Price, $1.00. ; Kellog, V. L., and B. L. Chapman. Mallophaga from Birds of the Pacific Coast of North America. (Journ. New York Ent. Soc., Vol. X, pp- 20-28, pl. iii.) Kellog, Vernon L., and Shinkai I. Kuwana. Mallophaga from Birds. (Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., Vol. IV, pp. 457-499, pll. xxviii-xxxi.) Kern, Margaret. Vesper Sparrow; or, What the Birds Say. 12mo. pp. 240. J. S. Ogilvie Publishing Co., New York. Price, $1.00. Knight, Wilbur C. The Birds of Wyoming. (Bull. No. 55, Wyoming Experiment Station, Laramie, Wyo.) 8vo, pp. 174, numerous half-tone plates and text illustrations. Sent free on application to the Director, Experiment Station, Laramie, Wyo. Keyser, Leander. Birds of the Rockies. 8vo, pp. i-18 + 19-355, pll. 8 (4 in color), and many text illustrations. A. C. McClurg and Co., Chicago, 1902. Price, $3.00, net, $3.20, delivered. Richmond, Charles W. Birds collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott and Mr. C. B. Kloss in the Anadaman and Nicobar Islands. (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXV, No. 1288, pp. 287-314.) Sage, John H. Spring Migration. Average dates of arrival of Birds within fifteen miles of Hartford, Conn. Prepared for the Hartford Sci- entific Society, 1902. 16mo, 12 pp. Shufeldt, R. W. Some United States Partridges. (Baily’s Mag. of Sports and Pastimes, Oct. 1902, pp. 251-255.) Snodgrass, Robert Evans, and Edmund Heller. The Birds of Clipper- ton and Cocos Islands. (Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., Vol. IV, pp. 501-520.) Strong, R. M. (1) The Development of Color in the Definitive Feather. (Bull. Mus. Comp. ZoGl., Vol. XL, No. 3, pp. 147-186, pll. i-ix.) (2) A Case of Abnormal Plumage. (Biol. Bull., Vol. III, pp. 289-294.) 7, Auk rete) Notes ana News. Jan. Trowbridge, C.C. The Relation of Wind to Bird Migration. (Am. Nat., Vol. XXXVI, 1902, pp. 735-753.) Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen, Vict. Ritter v. Ueber palearktische Formen. (Orn. Jahrb., 1902, pp. 234, 235). American Ornithology, II, Nos. 10-12, Oct.—Dec., 1902. Anales del Mus. Nac. de Montevideo, IV, Pt. 1, 1902. Annals of Scottish Natural History, No. 44, Oct. 1902. Aquila, IX, 1902. Audubon Calendar for 1903, Massachusetts Audubon Society. Bird-Lore, Nos. 5, 6, 1902. Birds and Nature, XII, Nos. 3-5, 1902. Bulletin Brit. Orn. Club, XII, Nos. XCI, XCII, Oct.—-Nov., 1902. Canadian Record of Science, VIII, No. 8, July, 1902. Condor, The, IV, Nos. 5, 6, 1902. Emu, The, II, No. 2, Oct. 1902. Forest and Stream, LIX, Nos. 13-26, 1902. Journal Maine Orn. Soc., IV, No. 4, Oct. 1902. Knowledge, XXV, Nos. 204-206, Oct.-Dec., 1902. Naturalist, The, A Month. Journ. Nat. Hist. for North of England, Nos. 549-551, Oct.—Dec., 1902. Ornithologische Monatsberichte, X, Nos. 10-12, Oct.—Dec., 1902. Ornithologische Monatsschrift, XXVII, Nos. 9-10, Sept—Oct., 1902. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch, XIII, Heft 5, 6, Sept—Dec., 1902. Ottawa Naturalist, XVI, Nos. 7-9, Oct.—Dec., 1902. Our Animal Friends, XXX, Nos. 2-4, Oct.-Dec., 1902. Proceedings Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, pt. 2, 1go2. Proceedings Indiana Acad. Nat. Sci., 1901 (1902). Science, N. S., XVI, Nos. 404-416, 1902. Wilson Bulletin, The, IX, No. 3, Sept. 1902. Zoodlogist, The, (4), V, Nos. 70-72, Oct.—Dec., 1902. | NOTES AND NEWS. Dr. JAMES CusHING MERRILL, a Fellow of the American Ornitholo- gists’ Union, died at his home in Washington, D. C., on October 27, 1902. He was born March 23, 1853, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his boyhood was. spent and the earlier part of his education obtained. He afterwards attended school in Germany, and on returning to this country entered the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in 1874. About a year later he was appointed Vol. XX 1903 iVotes and News. gI Assistant Surgeon in the United States Army. For many years after this he was stationed at various military posts in the West and Southwest, where he devoted most of his leisure time to studying and collecting birds and their nests and eggs. He also collected insects, especially beetles, and to some extent mammals and fishes, and he was an ardent sportsman and hunter of big game. Nearly all of his specimens were given to per- sonal friends or to museums, the greater part of the bird skins going to Mr. Brewster’s collection, and most of the nests and eggs to the National Museum. On November 16, 1892, Dr. Merrill was married to Mary Pitt Chase of Maryland, and on March 13, 1894, he was made a full Surgeon with the rank of Major. Three years later (April 1, 1897) he was appointed Libra- rian of the Surgeon General’s Office at Washington. Here he spent the remainder of his days, performing, with his accustomed steadfastness and ability, tasks irksome to a man of his temperament, and so very arduous and confining that by degrees his health gave way under the strain. He kept steadily at his work, however, until within a few months of his death, although in the summer of 1902 he was induced to spend a few weeks at White Sulphur Springs, Virginia, in the vain hope that the rest and change might do him permanent good. Dr. Merrill was elected an Active Member of the American Ornitholo- gists’ Union at its first Congress in 1883. He was intensely loyal to its interests and universally beloved and respected by its members, for he had rare personal charm and marked ability as a naturalist, although his extreme modesty prevented him from undertaking tasks and attaining honors to which he might otherwise have successfully aspired. He was by no means uninterested in purely technical matters of science and fully qualified, both by nature and training, for dealing with them effectively, but his published writings relate almost exclusively to personal field observations on the habits and distribution of western birds and mammals. They are not numerous but their quality is of the first order, for he was an exceptionally accurate and intelligent observer as well as a pleasing and finished writer. His more important ornithological papers are :— ‘Notes on the Ornithology of Southern Texas, being a list of birds observed in the vicinity of Fort Brown, Texas, from February, 1876, to June, 1878’ (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. I, 1878, pp. 118-173) ; ‘Notes on the Birds of Fort Klamath, Oregon. With remarks on certain species by William Brewster’ (Auk, Vol. V, 1888, pp. 139-146, 251--262, 357-366) ; and ‘ Notes on the Birds of Fort Sherman, Idaho’ (Auk, Vol. XIV, 1897, PP: 347-357; Vol. XV, 1898, pp. 14-22). In accordance with a standing order of the Union respecting deceased Fellows, a special memorial of his life and work will be presented at the next Congress of the American Ornithologists’ Union, and published later in ‘The Auk.’ — W. B. g2 Notes and News. ‘[ Auk Jan. Dr. Emit Hous, a Corresponding Fellow of the American Ornitholo- gists’ Union, died at Vienna, February 21, 1902, in the 55th year of his age. For the following notice of the life and work of this well-known African traveller and collector we are indebted to ‘The Ibis’ (July, 1902, Pasem)s “Dr. Holub was a native of Bohemia and of Czech descent. He was educated as an apothecary, but emigrated early to South Africa, and practised as a doctor at Kimberly and elsewhere. His original induce- ment to penetrate into the far interior of the country was his ardent taste for natural history, especially ornithology, to the pursuit of which his first seven years of travel were mainly devoted. His journeys were descriked in his ‘Sieben Jahre in Stid-Afrika’ (Wien, 1881), a work which was translated into English and published in London. In conjunction with the late Freiherr v. Pelzeln, the collection of birds made on this occasion was described by him in a volume entitled ‘ Beitrige zur Orni- thologie Sudafrikas’ (Vienna, 1882). Dr. Holub subsequently returned to South Africa, and made a more extended expedition into the Marotse and Mashukulumbe countries north of the Zambesi, now forming part of Northern Rhodesia. During his four years’ wanderings on this occasion (1883-87) a large collection of native arms and implements, as well as of natural objects, was made, and was exhibited at Vienna on his return to Europe. This journey was described in his work ‘ Von der Capstadt ins Land der Maschukulumbe’ (2 vols., Vienna, 1890).”’ CHESTER BARLOw, a Member of the American Ornithologists’ Union, and one of the best known of the younger ornithologists of this country, died at Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California, Nov. 6, 1902. Death resulted from an incurable form of tuberculosis and took place after a few weeks of marked debilitation and but a few days of final confining sickness. Interment was made at Mountain View in the presence of a large number of friends, prominent among whom were many members of the Cooper Ornithological Club of which Mr. Barlow was a founder and the Secretary for nine years. Although but 28 years of age he had accomplished much for ornithology, and the position which he held among his fellows in California and among the younger ornithologists throughout the country was unique. He was a thoroughly self-made man, and the large degree of popularity which he enjoyed was due to sterling qualities combined with a loving disposition and an impressionable nature. He was educated in the com- mon schools of Santa Clara, California, and immediately after gradua- tion took a position as a clerk in the Santa Clara Valley Bank. Indeed, while still in school he helped support his widowed mother by assisting with the accounts at this bank in spare hours, having begun his career as stable boy for one of its senior officers. His ability and integrity soon won promotion, and in the course of a few years he became assistant cashier and later was elected a member of the board of directors. He was married Oct. 15, 1899, to Miss Jeannette Nicholls of Santa Clara, Vol. — Notes and News. 93 903 and his home life was a very happy one. He spent all his leisure in the woods and fields indulging his love for the birds and things of nature, showing an energetic spirit and a rare enthusiasm. He knew the haunts of all the birds near his home in the Santa Clara Valley, and though his time was much occupied by business, he seldom failed to contrive a way to obtain a daily hour or two in the field during the spring and summer months. He was a careful and discriminating collector and a very ardent advocate of bird protection. He was also an enthusiastic and successful photographer, being one of the first in this country to obtain good pictures of birds in their haunts. Although having no special education, and making no profession of wide knowledge of technical ornithology, in his short career he unquestionably accomplished more for the advance- ment of bird study in California than any other one man has done. He was preéminently a man of action—a man who obtained results. He is entitled to all the credit for the original organization and much of the subsequent prosperity ot the Cooper Ornithological Club. To his enterprise and foresight was due the birth of the Club’s ‘Bulletin,’ later ‘The Condor,’ and to his unfailing industry and vigilance, its recognized position at present as the best ornithological journal of its class in the world, As secretary of this club and as editor of ‘ The Con- dor’ he became quite widely known, and his correspondence was exceed- ingly voluminous; and such was the charm of his nature that many who had never seen him learned to love him through the hearty, sympathetic, and likewise virile letters that he wrote them. It was his dearest wish to visit the eastern States to meet some of his correspondents and attend a congress of the A. O. U., and had he lived he would have done so as soon as circumstances permitted. As it is, those who mourn him are on both sides of the continent, and those to whom his death is almost like that of a brother are not a few. —W. H. O. Lupwic KuUMLIEN, an associate of the American Ornithologists’ Union, died at his home in Milton, Wisconsin, Dec. 4, 1902, after long suffering from cancer of the throat, in the soth year of his age. He was a son of the late Thure Kumlien, one of the pioneer naturalists of Wisconsin, anda valued correspondent of Baird, Brewer, Cassin and Lawrence, and was born at Sumner, Wisconsin, March 15, 1853. He was educated at the Albion Academy and the University of Wisconsin, and at the time of his death was Professor of Physics and Natural History in Milton College, to which he was chosen in 1891. He was for a time an assistant in the United States Fish Commission, and a special agent of Fisheries for the Tenth Census, and previously naturalist of the Howgate Polar Expedition, spend- ing two years in the Arctic regions, and forming very important col- lections in various departments of natural history. His report as naturalist of the expedition was published in 1879, forming Bulletin No. 15 of the U.S. National Museum (8vo, pp. 179), entitled ‘Contributions to 94 Notes and News. Auk Jan. the Natural History of Arctic America made in connection with the How- gate Polar Expedition, 1877-78’ (Birds, pp. 69-105). He contributed to the late G. Brown Goode’s ‘North American Food Fishes,’ and to various other publications of the Fish Commission, particularly in reference to the fishes of the Great Lakes, and was for a time employed in scientific work at the Milwaukee Public Museum. He was an occasional contributor of notes and short papers on ornithology to ‘ The Auk,’ ‘The Nidologist,’ ‘Forest and Stream,’ and other natural history publications, but his most important ornithological publication was his report on the birds of the Howgate Expedition. He was married in 1892 to Miss Anabelle Carr, who, with three young children, survives him. Curtis CLay Younc, an Associate of the American Ornithologists’ Union since 1891, died at Port Daniel, Province of Quebec, Canada, July 30, 1902. He was born in New York City, November 2, 1874, and was preparing at the Brooklyn Latin School to enter the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University when forced by ill health to abandon further formal study. His love of ornithology became his chief interest, and remained so until his death. In spite of increasing physical disability he made collecting trips to Port Daniel, Quebec, to Dutch Guiana, the Island of Trinidad, and the Bahamas. He was also a member of the Linnean Society of New York, and of the Brooklyn Institute. His collection of birds, numbering about 800 skins and 400 sets of eggs, is to be placed in the museum of Vassar College. — W. F. PERRY O, Simons, widely known as an energetic and careful col- lector of birds and mammals, and for several years past employed by the British Museum to collect in western Mexico and in western South America, was assassinated by his native guide near Cuevas, Argentina, about the end of December, 1901. Through his career as a collector he accomplished so much for the promotion of science that it seems desirable to place on record in ‘The Auk’ some account of his life and services. For the following biographical sketch we are indebted to his brother, Mr. Luther B. Simons, of Maywood, Nebr., who for several years assisted his brother in his work in South America, and who has kindly furnished the facts here given in response to our solicitation. Mr. Simons was born at Mineral Point, Wisconsin, October 6, 1869, where he spent his boyhood on a farm, and took great pleasure in hunting, fishing, and trapping. In 1886 he left his Wisconsin home and went to Riverside, California. He always had a fondness for books, and a strong desire to secure an education. He was graduated from the River- side High School in 1893, and the following year entered Stanford Uni- versity. He spent four years in Stanford, his special course being electrical engineering. During the summer vacations he visited the mountains of California and Arizona, with other Stanford students, to hunt, fish, and collect specimens of birds and mammals, and soon became Vol. XX 1903 Notes and News. 95 an expert collector. In 1896-97 he was employed by Mr. W. W. Price to collect in Mexico. He left San Francisco November 25, 1896, accompanied by his brother, for Mazatlan, Mexico, and the next ten months were spent in collecting in the States of Sinaloa and Durango. The collection ot mammals was purchased by the British Museum, and gave such satis- faction that Mr. Oldfield Thomas, the Curator of Mammals, soon engaged Mr. Simons fora three years collecting trip to the Andean region of South America. He was again accompanied by his brother. They left San Francisco September 28, 1898, on the steamer ‘City of Sidney.’ Work was begun at Guayaquil, Ecuador, and after collecting for some time at various points near the coast, the brothers crossed the Andes by way of Mount Chimborazo, and camped for some time at Riobamba. ‘From Riobamba,” to quote from Mr. Luther B. Simons’s letter, ‘‘we went down the Rio Chambo as far Rio Topo; then returning to Riobama we traveled southward, visiting Cuenca and Loja, two prominent cities in the high- lands of Ecuador. Leaving Ecuador we entered Peru, traversed the desert of Piura and Sechura, and passed on down the arid coast to Lambayeque, and thence inland to Cajamarca. Here we were detained by a revolution, and witnessed a big battle, but were not molested. “From Cajamarca to Lima we traveled partly in the high Andes and partly along the desert coast, there being not a single trail through the interior of Peru, the country is so broken by deep cafons. From Lima we crossed the Andes by the Lima and Oroya Railroad and made a large collection on the Rio Perené. We then returned to Lima and took passage by steamer for Mollendo, the southern port of Peru. Here we made small collections and then passed on to Arequipa, Puno, Lake Titicaca, and Santo Domingo. After a month’s stay at Santo Domingo we re- turned to Puno and shipped what specimens we had, and then took pas- sage on the steamer ‘Coya’ for La Paz, Bolivia. From this point we went into the interior, to a place called Mapiri, on the upper Madra de Dios River. “We had now been absent two years, which was longer than I had agreed to remain with the expedition, and after making a thorough col- lection at this point I bade my brother a sad farewell, returned with the specimens to La Paz, and then to Mollendo, sailing thence for San Francisco. My brother had intended to hire some native assistants, but later decided to travel alone. Fora year longer he prosecuted his work very successfully, collecting at many points in southern Bolivia and the northern border of Chili. From Antofagasta he went by steamer to Valparaiso, and then by rail to Mendoza, Argentina, collecting at various points in Chili and Argentina. The last letter I received from him was written at Mendoza, December 15, 1901. From information I have received from the British Consul General at Valparaiso, he had dispatched his collecting chest, tent, etc., from a place called Puente del Luca to Val- paraiso, and had attempted to cross the Andes on foot to Los Andes, Chili, with a native guide, who, when near a place called Cuervas, Argen- 96 Notes and News. eee tina, is supposed to have struck him on the back of the head with a ‘penca,’ or loaded knot at the end of a rein, and then to have driven a spike through his forehead, His body was found and buried near where the tragedy occurred. The murderer, whose motive was robbery, is now in prison at Mendoza.” Mr. Simons collected birds as well as mammals, sending large collections of the former to the British Museum, but upon which no formal report appears to have yet been published. Mr. Thomas has described many new species, as well as several new genera of mammals collected by Mr. Simons during his three years’ work in western South America, where he collected at numerous points, both on the coast and at high altitudes in the Andes, from southern Ecuador to northern Argentina. This notice of Mr. Simons may be fittingly closed by the following brief but emphatic tribute from Mr. Thomas pub- lished in the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History’ for April, 1902 (p. 237 footnote): ‘‘ While this paper is in press news has been received that Mr. Simons, the most successful mammal collector that I have ever had to deal with, has fallen a victim to his intrepidity, and has been mur- dered by a guide when crossing the Andes alone with him. Brave toa fault, cheery and enthusiastic, fond of a wild life, successful as a trapper, painstaking, systematic, and extraordinarily rapid in, his work, Mr. Simons was the perfection of a collector, and we shall not easily find his like again. I shall hope to publish later a summary of his Andean journeys and their scientific results.” DurRrnG the absence of Mr. Otto Widmann, of Old Orchard, Mo., on a visit to Germany during the past summer, his house was burned and with it the greater part of his library and his manuscripts, including his twenty-five years’ observations on birds, and the manuscripts of his nearly completed work on the birds of Missouri. Under this terrible dis- couragement he can feel sure of the deep sympathy of his fellow orni- thologists; whose respect and esteem he has gained by his many contribu- tions to American ornithology, and through personal acquaintance. It is to be hoped that Mr. Widmann’s great loss will not prevent his placing before the ornithological world the results of his long experience in a comparatively little known field. A new work on the ‘ Birds of Ohio,’ by William Leon Dawson, with introduction and analytical keys by Lynds Jones, is announced by the Wheaton Publishing Company of Columbus, Ohio, for publication in September, 1903. The work will be a royal octavo of about 500 pages, with 80 coloritype and about 200 half-tone plates, the latter illustrating the “hat tats or favorite haunts of each bird resident of Ohio,” as well as many photographic representations of live birds. It will be sold only by subscription, at from $5.00 to $7.50, according to the style of binding ia Notes and News. 97 RESPECTING the long delayed new edition of the late Dr. Coues’s ‘ Key to North American Birds,’ we have received the following circular of information from the publishers, which we feel sure will interest all readers of ‘The Auk.’ “Messrs. Dana Estes & Co. announce that the fifth revised edition of the ‘Key to North American Birds,’ by Dr. Elliott Coues, so long and patiently awaited by the public, will be ready in the spring of 1903. The reason for the unusual delay in its publication may be briefly stated. When Dr. Coues died in 1899 he left the manuscript wholly finished, but the copy was rendered hard to decipher without the exercise of most intelligent care by reason of innumerable interlineations, erasures, ab- breviations, ‘riders,’ and detached notes, written in a minute, and some- times difficult handwriting. It was evident that had the Doctor lived he would have cast his material, although completed as he left it, into a form which would present fewer difficulties to the compositor. His sudden death left the copy in such shape that the task of revision and preparation for the press required double the amount of work that had been anticipated. The publishers, however, have had the good fortune to obtain the services of a thoroughly equipped ornithologist, who has read the proof with the most painstaking care, which has been ably supplemented by the efforts of a number of professional proof readers. The result is a book which Dr. Coues would have been proud to own as the crowning work of his life. The publishers announce it as being absolutely authoritative and definitive, and express confidence that it is entirely free from errors of statement or form. “Some of the features which will make the work more than ever in- dispensable to ornithologists, professional as well as amateur, may be briefly summarized : “1, The detailed, careful descriptions of species —as in former ‘ Keys.’ “2, The accounts, much fuller than in former editions, of the breeding habits of birds — dates, nests, and particularly the detailed description of eges, with careful measurements of same. “3. The full collation in the fex¢ (not in an appendix as in former editions) of the nomenclature of species in the ‘ Key,’ with the nomencla- ture and numeration of the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List. ““(4) The full synonymies and bibliographical references in the case of nearly all species —a new feature of the ‘ Key,’ and invaluable to students of all degrees of advancement. To the preparation of this important feature of the last edition of his ‘Key,’ Dr. Coues brought his rare gifts as bibliographer and nomenclator. The painstaking character of this work makes it possible for the student to extend with ease his researches in the case of a great many species. ““(5) The professional discussion of questions of classification and nomenclature by perhaps the most eminent of modern ornithologists. ““(6) The introductory (¢.e., general) descriptions of ordinal, family, and other groups, are much amplified over those in preceding editions of Auk Jan- 98 Notes and News. the ‘Key,’ being of a broad scope, which make plain the comparative relationships of North American families, genera, and species of birds, with extralimital forms (Old World and neotropical). This broad treat- ment makes of the ‘Key’ more than the merely taunal work which its title would imply —7z.e., while it is still emphatically a ‘Key to North American Birds,’ it contains, more than ever in the past, much general information in regard to birds. ““(7) An invaluable feature of preceding editions—the scholarly ex- planation of the etymology of scientific names—is retained, and will continue to make the ‘ Key’ unique among works of its class. ‘“Throughout the ‘Key’—in all departments, life histories, de- scriptions, etc.— Dr. Coues’s famous descriptive powers are fully dis- played as in the past.” ‘Lonpon Brrps and other Sketches,’ by J. Digby Pigott, is announced by Edward Arnold (37 Bedford St.; London), a large crown octavo, with photogravure illustrations. ~ It includes, besides several chapters on Lon- don birds and London insects, sketches of the ‘ Birds of the Outer Farnes,’ ‘The Shetlands in the Birds -nesting Season, ‘ Haunts of the Shearwater,” ‘In Dutch Water Meadows,’ etc. ‘ Brrp-LoreE’s’ plans for 1903 include an article on the first (1872) edition of Coues’s ‘Key’ by its financial sponsor Prof. F. W. Putnam which will doubtless contain some interesting historical details, and, in view of the proposed publication this spring of the revised, two-volume edition of the ‘Key’ will be especially interesting. The article will be accompanied by photographically reproduced pages of proof of the systematic portion of the ‘ Key,’ with corrections and characteristic annotations by Dr. Coues. ‘Bird-Lore’ also proposes to publish the photographs of the fifty odd prominent ornithologists forming its Advisory Council and this series, in connection with the group photographs of the Founders of the Ameri- can Ornithologists’ Union, members of the Nuttall Club, and of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, will indeed make this magazine an album of American Ornithologists. The February number will contain an article by Mr. A. J. Campbell of Melbourne, author of ‘Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds,’ on the Mound-building birds of Australia, with, we believe, the first photographs of the singular structures erected by these birds to be published in this country. AmoncG the minor Ornithological Clubs, good work has been done at London, Ont., by the ‘Ornithological Section of the Entomological Section of Ontario.’ At the recent annual meeting of the Entomological Society held in that city the name of the ‘Ornithological Section’ was changed to ‘The MclIlwraith Ornithological Club.’ This was done at the request of the members of the Club, who wished to acknowledge the bie Notes and News. 99 indebtedness of Canadian ornithologists to Mr. Thomas Mcllwraith ot Hamilton, one of the founders of the A. O. U. and the oldest as well as the foremost Canadian in the science. The papers read at the meetings of the MclIlwraith Club are usually published in the ‘Ottawa Naturalist,’ but a few have appeared in ‘The Auk.’ The officers of the Club are: Chairman, J. E. Keay ; Secretary W. E. Saunders. THe THirp ANNUAL CONFERENCE of the Audubon Societies was held in Washington November 19 and 20, in connection with the A. O. U. Congress, a joint meeting of the Audubon Society delegates and the American Ornithologists’ Union being held on the morning of Decem- ber 20, to hear the report of the Chairman of the A. O. U. Committee on Bird Protection, and an address by Dr. T. S. Palmer on the results of the enforcement of the Federal law for the protection of birds. A public meeting of the Aududon Society delegates was held on the evening of the 19th, and the annual business meeting on the evening of the 20th. Dele- gates were present from sixteen of the different State Societies. At the public meeting a number of formal papers were read relating to various phases of the work of bird protection, and at the business meeting the special work to be undertaken by the National Committee of Audubon Societies was outlined, this including an attempt to secure the passage of proper laws for the protection of birds in a number of States which have thus far failed to take such action. A Committee was also appointed, consisting of William Dutcher, Frank M. Chapman, T. S. Palmer, and Witmer Stone, to examine the sample stock of wholesale millinery dealers, with a view to systematic and intelligent codperation between the whole- sale millinery trade and the Audubon Societies. Mr. Dutcher was re- elected Chairman of the National Committee, and funds were guaranteed to defray the cost of employing a clerical assistant to enable the Chairman to carry on the arduous duties that are inseparable from this important position. The educational side of bird protection work was deemed of the highest importance, and steps were taken to bring the Societies in closer touch through coéperative publication of educational leaflets and the establishment of a bureau for the exchange of lantern slides for use in lectures on bird protection. In furtherance of this plan the Chairman has prepared the following : “APPEAL FOR BIRD NEGATIVES. “ One of the most effective methods of educational work employed by the Audubon Societies is the illustrated lecture. é “Very few of the Societies, however, have been able to secure illustra- tions owing either to lack of means or of suitable negatives from which to make slides. IOO Notes and News. fAus Jan. ““ The National Committee thinks it soimportant that all of the Societies should have a number of bird lectures continuously in_use that it appeals to the members of the A. O. U. who have bird negatives which they have ceased to use, tocontribute them to the National Committee in order that slides may be made from them and furnished to the several societies, without cost. ' “Negatives of any species of wild North American birds will be accepted. bs “ Acknowledgment of all contributions will be made in ‘ Bird-Lore,’ the official organ of the Audubon Societ es. WILLIAM DUTCHER, Chairman National Committee of Audubon Societies.” As shown by the report of the Chairman of the A. O. U. Committee on Bird protection, published elsewhere in this number of ‘The Auk,’ very satisfactory progress has been made the past year in securing better laws for the protection of birds, and a better enforcement of those already enacted, and the great extension and important influence of the work of the Aududon Societies. yok ar | DutcHer, fReport of Committee on Bird Protection. TOI 1903 SUPPLEMENT. REE ORy (OF EHE VA. OO. U: “COMMITTEE ON “TRE PROTECTION OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. BY WILLIAM DUTCHER, CHAIRMAN. Plates IT[- VI. I have considered the birds ; And I find their life good, And better the better understood.— GEORGE MCDONALD. THE Scottish poet struck the keynote of bird protection when he said, the more we study the life of birds the better we under- stand them, and he intimates that it is impossible to find anything that is not good in bird life. Nearly a score of years since one of the Fellows of our Society, the late George B. Sennett, first called the attention of ornitholo- gists to the rapid disappearance of our non-game birds, especially the water birds, owing to their use as millinery ornaments, this fashion having then assumed alarming proportions. As the result of his alarm note, the original A. O. U. Bird Pro- tection Committee was organized in 1886 and much good work was accomplished; later a National Aububon Society was organ- ized and managed by ‘ Forest and Stream,’ until it outgrew its pro- moters, or the fashion of wearing the plumage of wild birds seemed to decline, when the Audubon Society and the A. O. U. Protection Committee ceased to exist, except in name. It was hoped that the reform was a permanent one, but a few years later the fashion revived to a greater extent than ever before. Coincident with this revival a few local or State Audubon societies were organized, and have since been doing splendid aggressive work. They are confined, however, exclusively to localities where the most active ornithological work has been done, notably, Massachusetts, Con- necticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Necessarily the work of these societies is local, and it was not until another orni- thologist, Mr. Abbott H. Thayer, appealed to the bird-loving pub- Auk 102 DutcuHer, /eeport of Committee on Bird Protection. Tan: lic for financial support with which to establish a warden system for the protection of the breeding sea birds, that anything of a national character was attempted. How very successful has been the result of Mr. Thayer’s appeal to preserve the bird life of the seashore for posterity is shown by the annual reports of this Committee. While the ornithologists of the country are investigating the habits, food and distribution of birds, they note and call attention to their disappearance, both by natural and artificial causes, and sound the alarm which is responded to by the Audubon Societies that are at the present time doing such energetic, systematic and effective work in bird protection. In this connection it is interesting to note how closely Audubon societies and work for the protection of birds follow in the steps of scientific ornithological work. 2 The accompanying map (PI. III) shows that in the States where the American Ornithologists’ Union has the largest membership, Audubon societies have been established, and that where there are no working ornithologists, no Audubon societies exist, and none are likely to be founded. ‘This is notably the case in the Gulf States and in some parts of the West. This may in some degree be accounted for by the smallness of the population in these localities ; happily, however, where the smallest number of people live is the least need for protection work, the greatest need being in the most densely populated centers, especially near the great cities and towns having a large foreign element among their citizens who will kill anything that flies, be it large or small. The two great bodies of bird-lovers should go hand in hand, one for the purpose of obtaining an intelligent insight into bird life, and the other for the protection of the life of the bird. During the past few years Audubon Societies have been organ- ized quite rapidly, so that now thirty-two are in existence, some of them doing excellent and valuable work, while others are merely organizations in name, being small, and their influence almost re- stricted to the town in which they are located ; however, these latter will serve as the nucleus from which to expand in the future. Many of the most active Audubon workers have for a long time agitated the subject of a national body composed of representatives from each State society who could give attention to all subjects of a national character. eo I Report of Committee on Bird Protection. ] DUTCHER, Vol. XX 1903 TI] aLvTd ner, “MVT TAGOW 'N °O 'V FHL GaLdOdV AAVH HOIHM (pepeys) SHLVLS ONIMOHS dVW xe WON a ony. cet s Auk 104 DurcuER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. jen During the past year, after two meetings of delegates, one held in Cambridge, Mass., in November, 1901, and a second in New York in April, 1902, the idea culminated in the formation of a federation known as the National Committee of Audubon Societies. The primary work of this Committee is to look after legislation, the formation of new Audubon societies, and the distribution of uniform literature, in conjunction with the work of the A. O. U. Protection Committee. As the work done by these two bodies is so closely related, and as the same person acts as the chairman of each, but one report is deemed advisable. Before, however, detailing the actual results accomplished during the past twelve months the Chairman takes this opportunity of suggesting certain lines of activity for the coming year, as well for members of the American Ornithologists’ Union as for the members of the various Audubon Societies. Every ornithologist should be the center of bird knowledge in his locality, not working for his own pleasure only, but seeking to gather about him all of the bird lovers in his section to instruct them in the life history, and especially the economic value, of birds. He should especially seek to interest the young people and chil- dren, for he may thus be educating and developing a learner who will some day develop into an Audubon or a Baird. These local groups will enlarge, their influence spread, and soon may result in an Audubon Society, if one does not already exist, or in strengthening the one now at work. The ornithologist should also make himself thoroughly acquainted with the game and bird laws of his State, and if they are satisfactory and comprehensive, should never in the slightest degree violate them, either in spirit or in deed, and he will thus be in a position to exact from every other citizen a like strict conformity with the bird statutes. If the bird laws are not satisfactory he should at once agitate the subject of adopting the American Ornithologists’ Union model law for his State, and should by every means in his power seek to create public opinion in favor of a new bird law. Besides his knowledge of the distribution and migration of the birds of his vicinity he should acquire a comprehensive knowledge of the food habits of the birds, in order that he may intelligently direct the attention of the agriculturists of his locality to the good | DutcHer, /eport of Committee on Bird Protection. 105 that the birds are doing and how great an asset to the State they are from an economic standpoint. To get this professional knowl- edge it is not necessary for him to collect bird stomachs for investigation, for the necessary investigations have already been admirably made by the Division of Biological Survey of the United States Department of Agriculture. The many excellent reports issued as the result of the work of the corps of experts of this division, should be studied carefuliy by every person who con- siders himself an ornithologist. Again, an ornithologist should seek to attract attention to the economic and ethical side of bird life and to mould public opinion through short, pithy articles in the press. Strictly scientific state- ments clothed in a popular and attractive dress will always be read and do good, and will often be republished by many widely separated papers. If prejudice exists among the people regard- ing certain birds, such as owls, hawks, etc., and if any birds which are really non-game birds are considered as game birds, a well devised and instructive series of articles regarding these species should be contributed to the press. Prejudice is always the result of lack of knowledge and the ornithologist should seek to inform the public by every means in his power of the good offices of birds and thus change prejudice to ardent friendship. The work of the Audubon Societies follows somewhat the same channels, but instead of being the effort of a single individual, is that of a number of well equipped individuals who work as a unit, and direct the efforts of a large number of helpers known as local secretaries. Every well equipped Audubon Society should have an Executive Committee with an active, energetic chairman who, if possible, should be an ornithologist, or if this be not feasible there should be one on the committee. One of the members should be a lawyer to whom should be referred all legislative and legal matters that need attention. The treasurer, if such can be obtained, should be a person who can successfully, by personal influence, finance the affairs of the society, and the secretary should be a person who is capable and willing to devote much time and labor freely to the work. On the committee should be some person who is ready with the pen, and capable of establishing active relations with the public press. Moreover, the executive 106 DutcHerR, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. Ress committee should never be a large one, but one harmonious in feeling, easy to get at and responsive to an urgent call. The president of the society need not necessarily be an ornithologist, but should be a man or woman well known in the State and of widespread influence. The larger the list of vice-presidents the better ; these should be well known and influential persons from all portions of the Commonwealth, and should include teachers, preachers, legislators, agriculturists, etc., but only those who are heartily and earnestly in sympathy with-the work ‘of bird pro- tection. With this equipment for the work let us consider briefly ~what the work of an active, energetic Audubon Society is. First. — As rapidly as possible the State should be organized into small districts and in each one should be established a local board, with a secretary to carry out the plans suggested by the parent society, and also to secure members for the society and to create local sentiment in favor of bird protection, and the enforce- ment ofthe laws. Second.— A number of illustrated lectures should be kept actively in circulation among the local branches. These lectures should not be too scientific in character, but the narrative of bird life, explaining the lantern /Slides, should deal briefly with the food habits, and especially witl®the song and home life of the bird. Everything in the lecture should induce a desire in the hearer to continue the study of the bird as a fellow citizen, entitled to love and protection. ‘The lectures may be efficiently supplemented by bird charts, if scientifically correct in drawing, and by well selected libraries of bird books, to be loaned for stated periods to the local clubs or branches. Third. —In the United States at the present time there are enrolled in the public and private schools nearly 18,000,000 children. It is with this vast body of plastic minds that the Audubon Societies must deal and must bend every energy to see that they are early taught to know and love the birds. The hope and promise of bird protection in this country lies in the education of this vast army of young people. If they can be brought into sympathy with the Audubon movement, as it now exists, there will not be so much need of legislation, nor will so many wardens be needed in the future. The Societies in each State should get in Vol. XX aes ] DutcHerR, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. 107 touch and establish working relations with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to the end that educational bird leaflets may be distributed among the teachers, who will have them read to or distributed among the pupils. The seed thus sown among the children will bear fruit of love for nature that will affect the parent and the home. fourth. — Another activity of the Audubon Societies should be to exact strict conformity to the bird laws of the State, not by prosecutions in their own name, but by securing legal evidence of violations of bird laws that come under their notice and furnishing it to the legally constituted authorities, usually the game commis- sioners, for use in prosecutions. All such violations as killing protected birds by pseudo sportsmen, wantonly for sport or practice, by boys who rob and destroy nests, or kill birds with catapult or airgun, by the foreign element who imagine that liberty means license, by all who engage in the barbarous practice of what is known as side shoots, and by the pot hunter who kills protected birds and sends them to market where the dealers may keep them in cold storage for future use; by the plume hunters who shoot the breeding birds that the devotees of fashion may be pampered at the price of suffering and cruelty. In every section of the country may be found large and flourish- ing organizations of women, banded together for mutual improve- ment. These women’s clubs can be made powerful auxiliaries and helpers of the Audubon movement if the matter is brought to their notice in a reasonable and intelligent manner. On numerous important occasions during the past year a consideration of the Audubon movement has formed one of the subjects of debate by conventions of women’s clubs. If the club women of America frown upon the use of birds’ plumage for millinery ornaments very much ground will have been gained for the cause. That it is necessary to watch the markets and millinery establish- ments at the present time is only too well known. Very recently nearly 80,000 Snow Buntings were found by a State game warden in a cold storage house in one of the larger eastern cities, and were identified by a trained ornithologist. The writer of this report has recently seen offered for sae by one of the leading department stores in New York such valuable birds as Flickers 108 DutcHer, Pefort of Committee on Bird Protection. ees d ea made up for millinery ornaments. The millinery advertisements in the papers openly offer birds’ plumage, seemingly without fear of the laws. The following taken from a New York paper, of Oct. 21, 1902, shows that the work of the Audubon Societies is not yet finished. ‘ At $20.00 Hat of tan felt, shepherdess shape ; bound with tan velvet, trimmed only with a beautiful bird, the colors of whose plumage — white, rich red brown, gray and black, blend artistically with the hat.” Letters have been brought to the attention of your Committee that have been sent out by feather dealers offering to buy in large quantities such birds as herons, terns, gulls, etc. Further, the Committee has on file a strictly reliable account of the killing of 40,000 game birds, mostly sandpipers, on the North Carolina coast, for millinery purposes, the bodies of the birds having been thrown away after the plumage was secured. In this connection it may be well to suggest to sportsmen that if they wish the game birds of the country preserved they must insist that all game laws should contain a section as follows: “It shall be unlawful for any person to catch or kill, buy or sell, have in possession or ship, at any time, any wild bird known as a game bird, to be used as an article of dress or for millinery purposes.” fifth.— The Audubon Societies should get in touch with the farmers’ clubs, the granger, agricultural and horticultural societies of their own States in order that their members may be taught how much good the birds do the agricultural and forestry in- dustries. The agricultural interest of the country is by far the largest and most important one, and those directly interested in it far outnumber those interested in other industries. The farmers should be taught to feel regarding the much misunderstood and persecuted owl family as the late Lord Kimberley did, who once said, “Almost the greatest crime which any one can commit on my estate is to kill an owl.” During the past year legislative work has progressed satisfacto- rily, two States having adopted the model law, viz., Kentucky and Ohio; Congress adopted it for the Territory of Alaska, and it was adopted in the Northwest Territories, under the title of the ‘ Useful Bird Ordinance,’ approved April 19, 1902. This ordinance applies to a larger extent of country than is covered by any law in the ce | Dutcner, Peport of Committee on Bird Protection. 109 United States, and coupled with the provision of the Alaska law, gives practically uniform protection to non-game birds throughout the region north of the United States and west of Hudson Bay, with the single exception of British Columbia. During the coming legislative season it is proposed to make an active effort to obtain the passage of the A. O. U. model law in the following States: California, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ore- gon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. The accompanying map (PI. IV) shows how large a part of the United States still requires legislative work. The Committee urges upon the members of the Union and of the Audubon Societies resident in the several States mentioned above to make the passage of the A. O. U. model law? their personal interest. A citizen of a State has a far greater influence in such matters than an outsider, no matter how well intentioned and sincere his efforts may be. Create a sentiment by speaking or writing to your senator and representative and urge the merits of the bill and the vital necessity for its passage. Get as many as possible of your friends and neighbors to do the same, get the press and clergy to take up the subject, and likewise the farmers’ clubs. In this manner the voice of the people will be heard from all parts of the State and the intelligent legislator will carry out the wishes of his constituents. The subject of bird protection long since passed the emotional stage, and while there may still be connected with the growing movement some pure sentiment, it cannot be considered any longer sentimental, but is founded on cold facts. Careful investigation has proved that birds are of great economic value, and to the end that this important asset of the State and Nation may be preserved, the Audubon movement exists in this country. While the Audubon Societies and the American Ornithologists’ Union are struggling to preserve the bird life of our own country, is there not a broader view to take of bird protection? Should 1 The model law is given in-full in the report for 1902 (Auk, XIX, p. 59). PLATE IV. Aisin /NOpie WAOIE,, OO, oe Durcuer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. SOS MAP SHOWING STATES (Shaded) HAVING AUDUBON SOCIETIES. (See Directory, page 158.) heed Durcuer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. js we not take some steps to prevent the loss of bird life in other countries; in other words, should this movement not be an inter- national one? It is eminently fitting that the bird protectors of the United States should join hands with the bird protectors of the other world powers to stop the use of the plumage of wild birds, regard- less of the habits of the bird. Recently there appeared in the press a notice published by the Millinery Merchants’ Protective Association, as follow: “Tnasmuch as the Audubon Societies of New York and other cities have sent out circular letters warning the trade against buying and sell- ing birds and bird plumage, which has caused the impression to prevail among some buyers that all birds and bird plumage are prohibited, we * find that itis necessary, in order to inform the trade of what they can and cannot use, to make the following statement: : “Milliners are warned to eliminate from their stock the birds of America protected by State laws, which include what have been popularly used for the last two or three seasons for millinery trimming, namely, gulls, sea pigeons, herons, terns, and grebes. “The laws, both National and State, do not affect the following im- ported birds: paradise, parrots, parroquets, merles, impeyans, nicobars, albenas, Japan and Chinese pheasants, golden pheasants, marabous, gouras, and argus.” These birds certainly all have their mission to perform in the countries in which they are found, as the North American birds have on this continent. While it may not be possible for this government to legislate to prevent foreign bird skins from being admitted, yet it is believed to be a duty of the A. O. U. and the Audubon Societies to call the attention of the bird-loving citizens of foreign countries to the great numbers of exotic birds that are killed to furnish millinery ornaments for the American trade. It is reported that the Government of India, in September of this year, issued an official order prohibiting the export of wild bird skins and feathers. This will take from the market a great many parroquets, impeyans and nicobars. As the United States has recently come in possession of a vast insular province in the East, we should also urge the Executive of the United States to instruct the Civil Government of the Philippines not to permit any [12 Durcner, /eport of Committee on Bird Protection. bas wild birds to be killed or shipped from those islands for millinery purposes. The question of bird protection is important enough for the American societies to agitate and recommend an International Congress for the purpose of devising means of preserving the wild birds of the world. We should at this Congress of bird students and bird protectors send words of greeting and warming to like bodies in other portions of the world, and to that end your Committee suggest that a committee of five members be appointed by the President of the A. O. U. to prepare and forward memorials to all bird protective societies in England, Germany, Holland, Japan and Australia, or to any other foreign country from which wild bird skins are exported. The committee should be composed of three Fellows of the Union and two Fellows who are members of the National Committee of Audubon Societies. One of the vital necessities in movements of this character is money ; without it the work is seriously handicapped and retarded. During the past three years an expenditure of less than eighteen hundred dollars per annum: has served, by the strictest economy, to meet the necessary demands of warden service, printing leaf- lets for educational work, postage, and actual necessary traveling expenses. No salary or compensation of any kind has been paid. The work, however, is expanding so rapidly and the demand for bird literature is so great from all parts of the country that a much larger sum of money must be received this year than heretofore or the Committee cannot answer all of the calls upon it. The detail necessitates the employment of clerical aid in order to give prompt attention to the large correspondence and other office work. Additional wardens will be necessary this year, more of the 18,000,000 school children should be reached, more farmers should be educated in the economics of birds than ever before. These are the plans it is hoped to be able to carry out if the friends and lovers of the birds will give the financial support. The sordid aspect of continually holding up to view the money question is disagreeable but is unfortunately necessary. ‘Too few people realize their public social responsibilities. If they have been good to the family they think their whole duty performed, but there is a broader field —the civic duty of doing good to their Vol. XX 763 ] Durcuer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. T12 3 neighbors and the State. The protection of birds, from the economic standpoint, is as much a civic duty as voting honestly and intelligently. The A. O. U. and the Audubon Societies are the forces to do the work, but from the citizen who realizes his civic obligations must come the means. The work accomplished during the past twelve months is given in detail under three heads, viz., (1) Legislation, (2) Warden System, and (3) Audubon Work. The results are given by States, in order that the citizens of each may see all that has been done for the birds of their Common- wealth. ARKANSAS. Legislation. —'Vhe bird law is very satisfactory; the only im- provement that can be suggested is to remove all of the beneficial hawks and owls from the excepted species, leaving only such as have been proved to be harmful by the investigations of the U. 5. Department of Agriculture. Warden System. — No wardens are employed under the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work. — There is no Society at present in the State, although the subject of organizing one has been under considera- tion for some time and possibly may be accomplished in 1903. An active and efficient member of the A. O. U. Protection Com- mittee, Mrs. Louise McGown Stephenson, resides in Arkansas and she reports the following results: “ Although my efforts toward organizing an Audubon Society in the State have been fruitless so far, there is no doubt that the subject of bird protection has been brought to the minds of a great number of people during the past year, and in such a manner that I can really see its effects. A case that attracted a great deal of attention, because of its unusual character, was that against a young man charged with caging a mockingbird, in violation of the statute. A fine of $3.00 and costs was imposed and paid and the bird was released. In May, I read a paper, ‘The Economic Value of Birds’, before the Arkansas State Federation of Women’s Clubs, and exhibited the Audubon Bird Charts, and distributed many copies of the A. O. U. Protec- Auk Jan. 114 DuTcHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. tion Committee’s report, as well as numbers of the Government bulletins. I have given a set of bird charts to the white and colored schools, and the kindergarten. Several school boards throughout the State have promised to place the bird charts in their schools. In April, I wrote to all the Circuit Judges, asking them to charge the grand juries in their circuits regarding the bird law. “T promise diligence in the coming year and hope to achieve more tangible results from daily work.” CALIFORNIA. Legislation. — This State has practically no laws whatever for the protection of non-game birds, except the crane and meadow- lark. Gulls are protected if within five miles of the town of Santa Monica. An effort will be made at the next session of the legisla- ture, 1903, to have the A. O. U. model law adopted; this will afford an opportunity for the large and flourishing society of ornithologists, the Cooper Club, to display the same intelligent activity in bird protection that they give to bird study. The very large and valuable agricultural interests of the State certainly demand that the valuable birds of the State shall be protected by the most comprehensive laws. Warden System.— No wardens were employed. However, through the Thayer Fund, the services of Mr. J. M. Willard of the Cooper Club were secured to investigate the condition of bird life in the vicinity of Eagle and Tule Lakes; his report, given in full, indicates how very necessary it is that a good bird law should be enacted at once. He says: “Three men joined forces to gather grebe plumes for the market. After a couple of season’s work, one of them dropped out, leaving the others, who were half-brothers, still at work. These men were Tom Kurr and Oscar Rankin. They owned a boat, and a team with which to haul it from one lake to another. As far as I could find, they only shot on Eagle Lake and Tule Lake; although it is probable that they shot on other neighboring waters. ‘The ranchers of the country around these lakes seem to || DutcHer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. ri3 consider the slaughter of the birds as a legitimate trade, and encourage it rather than otherwise. “On June 29, 1899, I visited Eagle Lake and found the hunters encamped on the south end: they had a boat, and mornings and evenings they skirted the edge of the lake and shot every grebe they could see. I asked if they did not often shoot the parents from the young; and the answer was: ‘Oh, yes, but the young soon die. We do not shoot the mother if we see the squab.’ But they had killed four or five young that morning. ‘Their season opened about the first of May, and at the time of my visit they claimed to have secured about six hundred skins; fifteen to eighteen grebes was considered a good day’s work. In preparing the skin they strip it off, cutting down the back. An abundance of plaster of Paris is sprinkled on, and after a little drying the skin is ready for shipment. Their only market was in San Francisco; but I could not get the name of the firm. The last of July the hunters moved their seat of operations; but on the 23rd of September I met them returning. I know nothing of their further operations that year. “Not knowing the condition of the birds on Tule Lake before the shooting began, I cannot form a very good estimate as to the injury sustained. “ At the time of my visit to Tule Lake this year the water was very low, and most of the tules of the shallower portions of the lake were beaten down. I walked out into the very center of the lake, the water. coming scarcely above my ankles most of the time. Going into the marsh only an American Bittern was seen, but as I came out I started a flock of fifteen grebes, which flapped away with discordant cries. Later I found numbers of waders, chief among which were Black-necked Stilts. “The lower end of the lake was much deeper, and there was a little open water between the bunches of tules; on this water were ducks, coots and grebes in abundance. Considering the lake from what I saw at this end, I should say that the grebes are still abundant, but taking the lake as a whole I do not think there are many grebes on it. I do not think, however, that the upper, shallower end of the lake is a good place for grebes, at this season of the year at least; further, there might have been numbers of 1160 DurTcHer, Pefort of Committee on Bird Protection. iy birds all about me hidden in the tules, startled by the noise of my passage, for I made considerable, floundering waist-deep over and through the mat of fallen tules. “T can speak with greater authority on the condition of the birds of Eagle Lake, for I am familiar with it from a six months’ stay in the region. “T do not think that the number of grebes has been affected seriously, if at all, by the hunters. There were not many birds near the shore, but out from shore half or three-quarters of a mile were numbers of the birds. Several pairs of ducks were seen in shore, and gulls, terns, cormorants, pelicans, and even plover, were abundant. One goose had her brood still with her. “The birds out in the lake were, of course, too far away for me to distinguish species; but frequently birds would swim in shore, in pairs or singly, and these were usually grebes. When I was on the lake in 1899, I rowed out among these birds, and was able to determine that most of them were grebes. “So much for the work of the ‘professional’ plume hunters. I do not think that their work has had much permanent effect on the birds. The persons who do the most lasting harm are the ranchers in the neighboring mountains and valleys. In July, 1899, I witnessed a sickening slaughter. ‘Three men visited a heronry of Great Blue Herons, in which the young birds were about two- thirds grown. With rifles they shot every heron, young and old, that they could see, killing forty or fifty in all. Earlier in the season they had visited a breeding ground of gulls, pelicans, and cormorants, and had broken every egg they could find. The reasons given for this slaughter is that the birds are killing off the fish from the lake, and that they are of no use in the world.” Mr. Willard adds, in a subsequent letter, that he is heartily in sympathy with the movement for the passage of good bird laws in the Pacific Coast States, where they are badly needed. Audubon Work. —'The Audubon Society is merely a local one at Redlands and is not doing any active State work. The Cooper Club should take the matter of a good bird law in hand at once, and should also foster and encourage the Audubon movement in California. Vol. XX foot ] DurcHerR, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. ay) CONNECTICUT. Legislation. — The bird law is very satisfactory, as it embraces in its sections all of the A. O. U. model law. Warden System. — No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work, — The Connecticut Society is doing most excellent work and is one of the most aggressive and_ well- equipped in the country. It reports a membership of 7,165. It has distributed many leaflets, besides 2,000 copies of the bird law; these have been posted in all express offices, and in 126 summer hotels, and it is contemplated putting them in saloons. It has three illustrated traveling lectures and eighteen circulating libraries. The latter have been in 35 different schools, three months each. Bird charts have been sent to 53 schools and libraries. The illustrated lectures have been sent out 54 times. The Society puts its energies in lectures, charts, and libraries. DELAWARE. Legislation. — The A. O. U. model law is in force. Warden System. — No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work, —'The secretary of the Delaware Audubon Society reports a membership of 535. “We have distributed no leaflets, but copies of our bird law have been posted in all the stations along the line of the Delaware Railroad and in every post-office in towns where we have a member; also many have been placed in the public schools. ‘The President owns an illus- trated lecture and has been most generous in its use. Our Society is very scattered, but we have created a public sentiment in favor of bird protection.” DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Legislation. — The law is satisfactory and is rigidly enforced. Audubon Work, — This Society reports 292 members. Number of leaflets and circulars distributed, 245, besides copies of laws T1218 DurcueEer, /eefort of Committee on Bird Protection. Te sent to all who have applied for them, and to many who have not. This Society feels that its most effective work has been accom- plished in its educational efforts, through the schools and frequent meetings and lectures in the winter months, and field meetings during April and May, for the past three years. Classes for teachers have been formed and courses of six weeks’ study given. All milliners and dealers have been warned against selling the plumage of native birds. Occasional inspections of markets, millinery establishments, and live bird stores have been made. The Society has not directly made any prosecutions but has furnished evidence that has led to convictions in a number of cases. A reference library of bird books is owned, to which additions are made from time to time. FLORIDA. Legislation. — The law is satisfactory and is being enforced. Warden Work, — Florida contains so much wild land, especially in the southern portion, and is the home of so many interesting and beautiful birds, that the Thayer Fund employs a special officer who has legal authority to make arrests and who devotes his entire time to the work of bird protection. As the territory that he has to cover is very large, and the methods of travel are slow and uncertain, it would be a great help in the work if the Society could secure the funds with which to purchase a light- draft naptha or electric launch. This would enable our warden to move rapidly from place to place and readily overtake plumers, who have to depend on sails as a motive power while visiting the breeding grounds when pursuing their nefarious business. Our warden, Mr. Bradley, is well known to several members of the A. O. U., and also to members of the Florida Audubon Society. How very necessary this special work in Southern Florida is, can best be shown by a letter dated April 30, 1902, addressed to the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Florida Audubon Society by one of the members, a resident of the southern section of the State, to whom the question was referred for investigation. “T did not at once answer your letter in reference to rookeries IPEMB, WY THE AUK, VOL. XX. BiGe a BROWN PELICAN AND NEST IN YOUNG CABBAGE PALMETTO. The same nest, with a bird seated on it, is*shown in the picture below. as ee ee ee eee — Bees Photographed by Frank M. Chapman. BiG. 2) A CORNER OF PELICAN ISLAND. The nest on the young cabbage palmetto in the background, with a bird upon it, is shown in detail above. From Bird-Lore st abd ee , 7 my Ape fae spirit he" 5 | i (ita aa eal tert 7 4 ‘ ? \ : 4 a] ‘ i i i) i ‘ . u = " ’ | 4 : * + { f ; ; 1 i : i ‘ Vly ' i i | a a ty i ’ 2 mM 4) I i = f i : i A at | : 7 f ' . * i , A. i us, 7 oe t=: ‘ete - 7 ' ‘ i at ~ ; ' = ; | ¥ 1 . . i G : 6 i a s ' . iw i fi 1 i t mT! 1 : Hl i o he 1 rr, Vol. XX Hee ] DuTcHER, feport of Committee on Bird Protection. II9 and the appointment of game wardens to look after them, because I was not then certain where the greatest need for protection, in this section of the country, existed. But I have since found out. I returned only last night from an extended cruise among the Keys to Cape Sable and the Southwest coast. At Cape Sable I found the paradise of plume hunters and the purgatory of birds. The latter, driven from haunt to haunt all over the State, have at last reached the uttermost limit of mainland territory, and to it the hunters have followed them. There dwells in a state of constant terror the last surviving flock of Flamingo known to exist within the boundaries of our State; they number nearly one thousand birds and are wonderfully beautiful to look upon. There are also Roseate Spoonbills, Egrets, Wood Ibises, and many other species in sadly diminished numbers, but still numerous enough to delight the heart of an ornithologist or bird lover. But, alas, the relentless plume hunter has followed them even to this remote sanctuary, and the reported destruction of bird life last month is heart sickening. The utter extermination of those beautiful remnants can only be averted by the prompt appointment of a resolute game warden and a rigid enforcement of existing laws. “The game warden, to deal with this situation, must be a resi- dent, well acquainted with local conditions, a strong, fearless man, and one fully alive to the value of bird protection; also, he must be not only willing but anxious to serve. “ Fortunately for the birds and for us, I found residing at Cape Sable, a man who combines in himself all these requirements. He is a young man, brought up from earliest childhood on the east coast of Florida, a thorough woodsman, a sturdy, fearless fellow, filled with a righteous indignation against the wretches who, in open defiance of all laws, are using every effort to kill off the few remaining birds of that section, and he is anxious to be invested with authority for the protection of those that still remain. He has a brother equally interested in the subject who would make a most efficient deputy. I have known these boys for many years, and can honestly say that I know of no better man for game warden in the whole State of Florida than the elder. It is a case in which the promptest possible action is desirable, since another season will doom the Cape Sable flocks to destruction if Auk Jan. 120 DutcHer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. measures for protection are not taken in time. The warden must have fullest authority from the State and be supported by the entire strength of our Society; also a certain remuneration must be given him, as he will be obliged to cover much territory at a great expense of time.” Since his appointment in May last Mr. Bradley has been actively engaged in visiting all parts of his territory, posting notices, and thoroughly informing the citizens that there is now a law protect- ing birds. A large class of the citizens are law abiding, but were not before acquainted with the fact that a bird law is in force. In several other channels he has rendered valuable service, especially in investigating the subject of ‘ egging,’ which has heretofore been carried on in an alarming and very destructive manner. Every effort will be made during the coming breeding season to stop this wasteful practice, as it is now absolutely illegal. Another warden was employed, Capt. C. G. Johnson, keeper of the Sand Key Lighthouse, about seven miles from Key West. A large number of sea birds breed on this and adjacent keys, all of which have been thoroughly posted with warning notices. The warden reports that no birds have been shot nor have any eggs been taken by fishermen or others. Some eggs are destroyed every year by turtles crushing them when they are crawling up on the key to deposit their own eggs. The warden also writes that the Key West fishermen are all under obligations to him for permitting them to come ashore on the key in order to catch sardines for bait. ‘‘ They have all been notified by me personally about the law, and I do not think that they will give any trouble in the future.” I was informed by a previous keeper that several thousand breeding birds could not successfully raise more than a few hundred young, so thoroughly were the eggs collected or trampled on in order to get fresh ones on the succeeding visit. The sea birds that breed on the various keys at the Dry Tortugas have had complete protection, as per the following letter from T. C. Treadwell, Captain, commanding U.S. Naval Station, April 21, 1902. “ Dear Sir :— “Replying to your letter of the 12th inst. with regard to the protec- tion of birds on these keys, I have to state as follows : ail DutcueER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. iP PAI “It has been the custom here for a long time to get eggs from Bird Key. A short time after my arrival here (in June last) I issued an order forbidding this and published the poster of the Ornithologists’ Union, and birds have not been harassed since that time. “T will have the warning notices you sent posted, and issue necessary orders for the protection of the birds on these keys, and do whatever I can to help the Ornithologists’ Union in their work. “Bird Key is less than a mile from Fort Jefferson. Upon this key gulis, terns, etc., breed in enormous numbers, also to some extent on Loggerhead, about three miles distant. “There are in this vicinity, besides the above gulls and terns, pelicans, hawks, doves, boatswain birds, and other sea birds.” Pelican Island, in Indian River, which is the breeding home of a large colony of Brown Pelicans, was cared for by a paid warden during the present year. Mr. Paul Kroegel, who was in charge, reports that the island was posted with warning notices, and that he kept close watch over it. He also says that owing to reckless slaughter in former years the birds are not nearly as plentiful as formerly, but as the birds are not being disturbed this year they have become very tame. On May 25 they had about finished lay- ing eggs. On July 25 he wrote that “the young were all able to fly. I believe this to be the most peaceful season the birds have known. Living as I do directly opposite the island I can see every boat that goes there. I have only had occasion to go there four times in addition to my regular trips. It is impossible to tell how many young were raised but I should judge about five hun- dred or more.” As it is important that this colony should always be protected, it has been deemed advisable to get legal possession of it, and to that end your Committee has had it surveyed and has taken all the necessary steps to purchase the island from the State of Flor- ida, the title still being in the name of the Commonwealth as unsurveyed public lands. It is hoped that before the next breed- ing season is reached the A. O. U. will have absolute control of the island as owner in fee simple. In this connection it is fitting to call attention to the very valuable aid rendered by Mrs, F. E. B, Latham, of Grant, in securing protection for this colony of pel- icans, and also for material help in other matters relating to bird protection in her section of Florida. 1b 722 DutcHerR, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. ra Audubon Work.— The State Society is particularly aggressive and is doing fine work, especially in educational lines. The chairman of their Executive Committee reports the distribution of about 4,000 leaflets. ‘In addition, 2,200 warning notices have been sent to every part of the State; 300 of these were posted in _the offices of the Southern Express Company and one in every post office in the State. “Fifteen Massachusetts Audubon Bird Charts, accompanied by the ‘First and Second Book of Birds’ (Miller), are in circulation as the nucleus of a library. They are in charge of local secretaries who place them in schools in their towns. Notices have been sent to persons found violating State bird laws, and sales of caged wild birds have been prevented. Letters were written to Florida Con- gressmen urging the passage of the Alaska Game bill. An article was written by a member of the Society on the aigrette, entitled ‘Does Fashion make Women Heartless?’ This was originally published in the Florida ‘ Times-Union’, was copied in many other papers, and was eventually published in leaflet form for general distribution. “As the introduction of bird study in schools seemed to be a matter to bring before the people, several articles on this subject have been contributed to the ‘ Times-Union ’, and all have been published, through the courtesy of the editor, Mr. Wilson. “Special editorials on bird protection have been written and published by Mr. Painter, editor of the ‘ Florida Agriculturist.’ “For the first time, in Florida, summer schools were opened at various large centers, and it was the endeavor of the Society to have some attention given to bird and nature study, and it is felt that our success was largely forwarded by Mr. Sheats, State Superintendent of Instruction. The influence of the summer work is showing itself in the schools of the State, as the following extracts from letters bear witness: ‘East Florida Seminary and Military Institute, J. M. Guilliam, Sup’t. In our science work we show the value of birds and shall try to have every student leave the institution a lover and protector of birds.’ The President of the State Normal School says: ‘Our model school has a large amount of nature study and we urge young teachers to cultivate a love of birds and explain their economic value to their pupils. It Vol. XX ce ] DuTcHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. 123 is a pleasure to me to encourage this work, which I hope in the future to carry on in a more systematic manner.’ “The membership of our Society is about 400; lately some 230 circular letters soliciting membership have been sent out and it is hoped good results will follow. When we realize what interest has been developed since the Society was organized in 1900, especially among the educational classes, we feel we are furthering bird protection.” ILLINOIS. Legislation. —'Vhe bird law is satisfactory, as it embraces nearly all of the A. O. U. model law. Warden System. — No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work. — This is one of the larger and more aggressive societies, especially in its activity against the sale of illegal millinery goods in Chicago. It reports a membership of 14,272, and that it has distributed several thousand leaflets, of which 1,000 were sent to milliners and contained the portion of the law bearing on their work. Slides to illustrate a bird lecture have been prepared, and it is expected that a traveling lecture outfit will shortly be in use. It also has two traveling libraries in circulation. Convictions for violation of the bird law have been obtained through the Game Commissioner and his wardens. An effort will be made to have a law passed establishing a Bird Day in con- junction with Arbor Day. The President of the Society has examined the stock of a number of Chicago millinery houses to point out illegal plumage. The proprietors of a number of these houses have written letters to the executive officers of the Society expressing full sympathy with Audubon work and also promising not to sell any North American birds. ‘The National Committee leaflet, ‘Ornithology in the Schools,’ will be distributed by the Superintendent to teachers in the State. The Society will also have printed an ‘ Outline of Bird Study’; this outline has been in part printed by the Illinois Federation of Women’s Clubs, in one of its hand books under programs for study classes, and was there credited to the Audubon Society. During the past year one leaflet 124 Durcuer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. ree was published, ‘ Birds in Horticulture,” by Wm, Praeger, ‘The Executive Committee is now divided into sub-committees,— on Meetings, Legal Millinery, Bird Study, and Junior Members, — for each of which there is a special chairman, and publications, INDIANA, Legislation, — The bird law is excellent, being after the A. O. U. model; but the beneficial hawks and owls should be removed from the excepted class, Warden System.— No wardens were employed by the ‘Thayer und, Audubon Work, —'This Society is actively at work along the line of enforcement of the law, as shown by the following report: “EK. BE. Earle, Chief Deputy Commissioner of Fish and Game for Indiana, was in consultation with W. W. Woollen, secretary of the Indiana Audubon Society, for the purpose of securing the cooperation of that society with the State Fish and Game Com- mission, more effectually to protect the birds. His proposition, which will be accepted, is to deputize every member of the Audubon Society an officer of the Commission, with full police power, and the duty of arresting and prosecuting all persons found violating the law for the protection of birds. “It is also proposed to have deputies placed at all the lake and other summer resorts, with explicit instructions to arrest, after warning, tourists, strangers and others who may violate such laws, Placards will be posted in the hotels at all summer resorts, giving a synopsis of the fish and bird law of Indiana.” Lowa. Legislation. — The bird law needs improving, as it only protects a limited number of species. As, however, there will not be a session of the legislature until 1904, nothing can be done during the coming year except to endeavor to create a sentiment in favor of the A. O, U. model law, Varden System.— No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work,-—'There are two societies in the State, one with headquarters at Keokuk and the other at Schaller, ‘The Vol. XX 1903 Durcnunr, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. T2i5 go4 : A latter reports a membership of 200, and that it has distributed some thousands of the National Committee leaflet No. 2, ‘Save the Birds.’ It also has an illustrated traveling lecture which is doing good educational work. No report was submitted by the Keokuk society. KENTUCKY. Legislation, — During the past year the American Ornithologists’ Union model law for the protection of non-game birds was adopted in this State. Warden System.— No wardens were employed in Kentucky ; 3,000 muslin warning notices, giving the text of the bird law, displayed in the post offices of the State, were furnished by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work, —'The Kentucky Society is a very small one, having only roo members, About 500 leaflets were distributed, in addition to the warning notices, One library of bird books is in circulation. ‘Two convictions under the new law have been obtained. LOUISIANA. Legislation, —On June 26, 1902, a new game law was approved by the Governor. It gives partial protection to six species of non- game birds, but leaves unprotected all of the other valuable and beneficial non-game birds of the State. It permits the trapping and caging of Mockingbirds and Redbirds “for domesticating purposes.” ‘This practically means that the live bird dealers, who make their headquarters in New Orleans, can send out their trappers and secure Mockingbirds and Cardinals enough to supply the rest of the world. If the citizens of Louisiana awake some day to the fact that their gardens and fields have been denuded of these beautiful singers they will know that her legislators saw fit in 1902 to refuse to pass the A. O. U. model law, which had been introduced. The Hon. J. A. MclIlhenny made a strong but uphill fight for the bill, which was finally defeated by the influence of the cage bird dealers. 126 DutTcHeER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. ae Warden System.— No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund, nor is it deemed expedient to make any effort to patrol the few remaining sea bird colonies on the Louisiana coast until there is a law to protect them. Audubon Work.— During the past few weeks a Society has been organized, which will at once be incorporated. Some very ardent bird protectors will be its officers and managers, and much good work is expected from them. Its first and most important duty will be to educate the people of Louisiana regarding the value of birds as an asset of the State, in connection with its agricultural and forestry interests. When the people have awak- ened to these facts they will take measures to protect the birds. MAINE. Legislation. — The law is entirely satisfactory. Warden System. — Warden work has been continued this year with the most satisfactory results. All of the stations have been visited by some member of the Union, and the following extracts from their letters and the reports of the wardens will give in detail the practical benefits resulting from the operation of the Thayer Fund. G. E. Cushman, warden at Bluff and Stratton Islands, reports as follows: “As I am a fish and game warden for the State, I have a chance to go along the coast, and I have seen more terns this year than last, and it has been remarked to me several times this year that there are more gulls on our coast than for years, and that they are very tame. I protect all kinds of birds.” Mr. A. H. Norton, a member of the Union, visited these colonies July 1, and writes: “It gives me much pleasure to report a most satisfactory condition there. The colony breeding on Stratton Island resorts to the brackish rivers which flow from the Scar- borough marshes, to feed, and while at Pine Point, one of the seaward barriers between the ocean and these marshes, I was greatly pleased to see large flocks of the terns resting on the sea- ward beach at high water, a thing I have never witnessed there before, and there were also large flocks on the edge of the marshes at rest. ITA Ke VO Oe IPreKens Wl Photographed by F. M. Chapman. , From Bird-Lore. Bice) cr COMMON TERN ON NEST. Photographed at a Protected Colony on the Coast of Massachusetts. Photographed by William Dutcher. Fic. 2. YOUNG COMMON TERN, HIDING; Illustrating Protective Coloration. Photographed at a Protected Colony in Maine. a beers hy st a # ei le he 7 Geel TS at act fl ly te oes ce A Sood Yar ¥ a Pibeee eal Vol. XX ios ] DutTcHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. 127 “T think that the birds have been practically unmolested at both feeding resorts and breeding grounds. By the way, I had furnished one of the fishermen at Pine Point, which is a favorite gunning resort in the season, a good supply of the warning notices, and some of these he tacked upon the door of his house, and I think that the result was good. At any rate, the residents there are quite familiar with the law and respect it, as far as I have been able to observe.” Mr. Norton, while inspecting the islands in Muscongus Bay, discovered that terns had commenced to breed again on the Outer Green Island and Junk of Pork. These islands formerly supported colonies of terns but later were abandoned. It is evident that protection and the enforcement of the bird law of Maine may result in the growth of the infant colonies on these two islands ; he suggests that these islands be posted in 1903, in the hope that the colonies may increase to their former abundance. Mr. Norton also visited Metinic Green Island, where he was confident he would find a colony of terns. He reports as follows : “T was not prepared for the sight which was before me. From the time I departed from Burnt Island Life Saving Station, one or more terns were always in sight. Upon arriving I found the birds in practically an unmolested condition, and extremely tame. I need not say that this magnificent colony of birds owes its existence to-day to your vigorous and successful action against the market for tern skins. I estimate the colony at upwards of two thousand. Two pairs of Laughing Gulls rose at our arrival, and search revealed two nests. That night thirty-two Laughing Gulls, all adults, came to roost on the ledges just off the shore. Sea pigeons were in some numbers, grouped in little bunches upon the water or resting upon the rocks. Petrels were also breeding, but in small numbers in comparison with other colonies in this region. The Terns were the Common and Arctic, the latter being far the most abundant. At this time few nests contained eggs; some young were just hatched, and from these every stage of growth was before me. As I walked along the shore, the young, which could fly short distances, went in all directions before me, and the usual throng of screaming adults hovered above. “In every direction the adults were going out and coming in 128 Dutcuer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. ae with food. A few young were with their parents three miles from land. Here, as at Freeman’s Rock, a great mortality among the young was observed. ‘There was at this island, at half tide, some large pools, and a calm cove protected from the ceaseless surf, and these, at the right stages of the tide, were filled with young terns bathing like land birds, and evidently they were in the height of enjoyment when thus engaged. In 1896 I visited this island and recorded a fairly large group for the size of the place; to-day I judge the colony has doubled, and in view of the ease by which this place could be given protection an overflow seems the natural result. The island contains about 12 or 15 acres, and owing to the absence of sheep is covered with a rank growth of grass. Mr. Snow, the owner of the island, signified his willingness to lease the island to the A. O.U., and would probably act as our warden.” Capt. J. E. Hall, keeper of the Matinicus Rock Lighthouse, reports that the terns were not disturbed at all, and that there was a large increase; he also states that there was an unusual mortality among the young birds owing, he thinks, to the very cold season and heavy rainfall which chilled the very young birds. Mr. F. H. Herrick, a member of the Union, visited this island for the Committee and estimates that this colony numbers about 3,500 birds. Capt. Mark Young, owner of and warden on No-Man’s-Land Island, reports as follows: “Not an egg has been taken nor a Herring Gull killed in the colony I have charge of. ‘The first eggs were found May rs, and the first young bird June 8.” Mr. Herrick visited this island also, and states that Capt. Young takes great interest in his birds and makes a good warden. He says: “T spent some days on the island, July 11-14, and estimate the number of birds at 3,000. Very few eggs were then to be seen, but young in all stages, up to one and a half pounds; no chicks had taken to the water at that period. I expected to find the birds far wilder than at Great Duck Island, but could see little difference in this respect. At either place they settled readily within 20 or 30 feet.” Mr. A. H. Norton, who made an extended tour of investigation along the Maine coast for the Protection Committee, reports that -a fair sized colony of terns still flourishes on the Eastern and Western Barge Islands, near Mt. Desert Island. | DutcuER, fepfort of Committee on Bird Protection. 129 Capt. W. F. Stanley, keeper of the Great Duck Island Light- house and the warden, reports as follows regarding the large colony of Herring Gulls in his charge: “Commenced to arrive March 12, and the number increased until the last of May. The first egg was found May 15, and the first completed set of three eggs May 22.” He estimates that there are 3,400 birds on Great Duck Island and about 2200 on Little Duck. He has had no trouble in protecting the birds or eggs and the only mortality was from natural causes, almost always accidents. Mr. Herrick, who spent some days on the Duck Islands, reports these colonies in excellent condition. Mr. W. L. Baily, one of the members of the Union, also visited the Duck Islands this season to complete his study of the life his- tory of the Herring Gull. He reports that the “gulls were pos- sibly more abundant than in rgo1. There seemed to be more birds but few more nests; the great quantity of birds that were hatched last year were not there and must be wanderers unless they have settled in other parts.” Capt. O. Cummings, keeper of the Nash Island Lighthouse and the warden of Cone Island, reports as follows: “No eggs were taken nor were the Herring Gulls disturbed.” This colony num- bers nearly 1,000 adult birds, and there was a normal increase during the breeding season. ‘This was the only colony that was not inspected. Capt. O. B. Hall of the Crumple Island Life Saving Station was the warden for the colonies of Terns, Herring Gulls and other birds on the islands in his vicinity. He reports that all of the Herring Gulls that bred in 1901 in this locality arrived as usual in the spring, but shortly after left and bred further east on Pulpit Rock. This he attributed to the fact that the herring were more abundant there. He posted warning notices, and the birds were not disturbed. Their increase was normal. The terns started to breed on Egg Rock as usual, but during a very heavy storm on June 27, the rock was swept by the heavy surf and all the eggs and young were destroyed. The adult birds then deserted the rock. ; Mr. Norton visited this station and confirms the report of Capt. Hall; he also adds: “On Freeman’s Rock, a mound or ledge Auk 130 DuTcHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. Ta rising like a rugged cone for perhaps fifty feet and containing less than two acres of area, was a flourishing colony of terns and Black Guillemots. From the top of the rock the entire colony of terns was in sight at once. I roughly estimated them at from five to seven hundred old birds, with Arctic Terns decidedly in the majority. I found the warning notices most conspicuously placed, and on the small rocks they commanded attention long before we reached them. Further observation led me to consider this a most important factor in the protection afforded by the Com- mittee. The birds here were very tame, and there were no evi- dences of molestation. A few nests still contained eggs (July 25), and young were in every stage of growth to those that could take short flights; none were on the wing, and were everywhere to be found, making it necessary for one to look carefully before each step when walking in the scanty herbage. Abundant as were the living, I noticed quite an extensive mortality among the downy young, and their decaying bodies were scattered over the island. There was no visible cause, but two things suggested themselves: one, an epidemic; the other, that the damp, cold summer just passed had not supplied sufficient warmth and sunlight to keep them from being chilled. The Sea Pigeons were also tame; they were in little groups of from two to six, and in one instance a flock of fifteen was seen.” Capt. R. G. Johnson, keeper of Libby Island Lighthouse and the warden for the Brothers Islands and Libby Island, reports as follows: “Since the enforcement of the law there has been an increase in the number of young Herring Gulls raised on the Brothers. They sit on the shores in large numbers after they become full fledged. There is also a marked increase in the number of terns on Libby Island. I do not allow any shooting on the island.” Capt. L. E. Wright was the warden for the Old Man Island and Double Shot Island, each of which was the breeding place of Herring Gulls. He reports that the birds were not molested, as all classes of people take it for granted that the birds must be let alone. Mr. Norton, who passed close to the Old Man colony July 26, reports that numbers of gulls were hovering about it and were —————— rhc mC Vol. XX 1903 ] DutTcHER, report of Committee on Bird Protection. roa lighting on the ground and trees. The same day Mr. Norton visited Machias Seal Island and reports as follows: “Of Puffins, I saw but few, but was assured by the officials of their abundance at evening and morning. Petrels were abundant, and terns were by the thousands. With my limited time I was unable to de- termine the presence of anything but the Common Tern and Arctic Tern. Capt. Kelly told me that no one molests the birds.” Audubon Work. — There is no Society in Maine, but the Orni- thological Society is practically doing the same work in a very intelligent and satisfactory manner, all of its large membership being ardent bird protectors. The Secretary, Mr. A. H. Norton, writes as follows regarding Audubon work: “ Expect to have some data of value to present at our annual meeting, and it seems that success must come of the efforts that are being made. If the spirit of bird protection could be worked more into the rural public schools, I believe that it would be seed sown in the right ground. With the millinery market banished, a few years of protection, the early inculcation in the young of the principle of kindness to living creatures, I believe that our bird colonies will be secure.” MARYLAND. Legislation. — None. The present law is a very good one, although there are some valuable birds that it does not protect, and others that are not protected the entire year. Killing the Mourning Dove should not be permitted at any time, nor should the sale of Flickers be permitted in Baltimore, as it furnishes a market for birds which must be illegally killed in other portions of Maryland or in other States. Warden System.—The same warden was employed who has acted for the two previous years; he reports a very steady and material increase in the colony of Common Terns under his care, and that no attempt was made by plume hunters to disturb the birds ; he also says that little or no egging was done, as the fisher- men think it cheaper to buy eggs of domestic fowls for use rather than risk the heavy fine for taking the eggs of terns. Audubon Work.— The Maryland Society is small, numbering 132 DurcHer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. ree only 80 members, and has done no active work during the past year. The National Committee will make an effort during the coming season to enlarge and build upon the existing nucleus. The city of Baltimore, being a large distributing center, needs an active and aggressive body of Audubon workers to see that the wholesale millinery establishments do not deal in illegal plumage. An effort should also be made to improve the present bird law, as suggested under the head of legislation. The Maryland members of the A. O. U. are urged to take a personal interest in this matter and push bird protection work in their State. MASSACHUSETTS. Legislation. — The bird law in this State may and should be improved. It does not protect the beneficial hawks and owls, nor does it protect the Herring Gull and Black-backed Gull between November 1 and May 1, practically the only season when they are resident in Massachusetts. In this connection it is but just to call attention to the fact that the Audubon Society, through its Protective Committee, has made earnest and repeated efforts to improve the law and promises renewed efforts during the coming legislative session. Warden Work.— Mr. Mackay, who has for so many years energetically and successfully protected the tern colonies on Muskeget Island, reports that during the past season they were cared for in the usual manner, and he also reports that the tern colony on Penikese Island was protected by the owners, the Messrs. Homer. By permission of the owner of Naushon Island, Mr. J. M. Forbes, his manager, Charles O. Olsen, was appointed warden for the Wepeckets Islands. The islands were liberally posted with warning notices and the warden reports that this colony of terns has not been disturbed to any extent this year. On June 15 he counted 860 eggs and found four young birds just hatchéd. Mr. J. E. Howland of Vineyard Haven, an ardent sportsman and an earnest bird protector, volunteered to post warning notices in the growing colony of Least Terns on Marthas Vineyard. He reports: “I have a number of times visited the shore and have seen a good many Least Terns about; they nest in limited aie Dutcuer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. 13 numbers all along our south shore. I informed a member of the State Police, who lives in Edgarton, of the posting of the notices, and he gave parties in that section to understand that the warning must be respected.” Audubon Work, — The Massachusetts Society is another of the aggressive and progressive ones. It reports a membership of 5,362. It has distributed in the neighborhood of 8,o00 circulars during the past year, besides posting 800 copies of the bird law. Two illustrated lectures and five libraries are kept at work con- tinuously. Definite evidence of violations of the law have been brought to the attention of the Fish and Game Commission, thus enabling the State officers to obtain convictions. A second bird-chart has been published, and the annual bird calendar has been continued. Each winter a lecture course is maintained. The Society has 110 local secretaries, some of whom are doing splendid work in the way of free lectures, hat shows, and bird walks. The report of the Society for 1897-1902, published Oct. 10, 1902, gives an admirable résumé of the good accomplished by this ‘very much alive’ group of bird protectors. The liberal circulation of this excellent publication will do very much to advance Audubon work, not only in Massachusetts but throughout the whole country. MICHIGAN. Legislation. — The bird law is, in many respects, an excellent one, but is not comprehensive enough, as it does not protect all of the non-game birds. By a very simple amendment to Section 14, Public Acts of rgor1, the law would be much improved. Warden Work. — No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Late in the season a large colony of Herring Gulls was called to the attention of the Chairman, and it is proposed to have them guarded by a paid warden during the breeding season of 1903. Audubon Work.— There is no society in the State, but some educational work has been done by the Chairman of the National Committee. Through the courtesy of the Great Record Keeper, Emma E. Bower, M. D., of the society of the ‘Ladies of The Auk 134 DurcHer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. je! Maccabees for Michigan,’ 2700 copies of the National Committee Leaflet No. 3, ‘Save the Birds,’ has been sent to the local branches and will be read to the members, who number over 68,000. MINNESOTA. Legislation. —Vhe bird law is a good one but should be amended by giving protection to the beneficial hawks and by re- moving the ‘Turtle Dove’ from the list of game birds. There should also be a provision preventing caged birds from being offered for sale and from being shipped out of the State. If the words “wild birds” were to be substituted for “harmless birds” in the law it would be much more effective. Warden System.— No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. In this connection it is suggested that if any A. O. U. member will ‘locate’ within the State any large colonies of breed- ing water birds, especially Gulls and Black Terns, wardens will be appointed for service during the breeding season. It appears from examinations of millinery stock in other States that the Black Tern is the species that is now most used asa millinery ornament. Audubon Work.—'Two societies are working in the State, the one at Lake City being rather local in its efforts. It was started by a few persons who loved birds and desired to study them, the principal object being to interest the children and teach them to love and protect the birds. The State Society reports a member- ship of 1200. MIssourl. Legislation.—'The Executive Committee of the Missouri Audu- bon Society has drafted a new game bill which will be introduced at the next session of the Legislature, early in 1903. It is very comprehensive; the A. O. U. model law is used for the sections referring to the non-game birds. If this bill becomes a law, game animals and all birds will be hedged about with the very best kind of legal protection. Warden System. — No wardens were employed in the State. Audubon Work.— While the Missouri society is small, consist- Vol. XX ee ] DutTcHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. 135 ing of about 180 members, it is remarkably active and aggressive. It has advocated through the press a better bird law and has dis- tributed 28,000 circulars having the same object in view. Re- markable success has rewarded its efforts, and it has succeeded in creating a demand throughout the State for the reforms that the society recommends. It promises that when its bill becomes a law it shall be enforced to the letter. NEBRASKA. Legislation. — There is grave doubt whether under the present bird law any protection is given to the large class of harmless but useful water birds. Further, no one should be permitted to kill the beneficial hawks and owls, even on his own premises. Doves should be removed from the list of game birds. It would bea marked improvement if the A. O. U. model law were to be adopted by the Legislature. Warden System. —No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work. —'There is no society in the State, but the members of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union have been very active in bird protection work, especially along educational lines. Leaflet No. 2 of the National Committee, ‘Ornithology in the Schools,’ was written by a member of the Nebraska Society, and it has had a circulation of many thousand copies. It has circu- lated thousands of leaflets on bird protection issued by the De- partment of Omithology of the University of Nebraska. Prof. Bruner and Dr. Wolcott of the society, give illustrated lectures on birds, both emphasizing bird protection. NEw HAMPSHIRE. Legislation.— The bird law is very satisfactory, the A. O. U. model having been adopted, together with a strong common carrier clause. Warden System.— No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. 136 Dutcuer, feport of Committee on Bird Protection. ee Audubon Work.— The society reports a membership of 306. About 4000 leaflets and circulars have been distributed during the past year; also 500 copies of the bird law have been posted or distributed. An illustrated lecture has been loaned to all who apply for it, free of cost, the only condition being that the lecture shall be free to the public. During the past year it has been almost constantly in use and has apparently given great satis- faction. One circulating library is in use. The Society has had the cooperation of the very active State Fish and Game Commis- sion, and has in several cases been instrumental in checking vio- lations of the law. Fines have been imposed by the Commission. As there is no appeal from their action, no cases have come into court. ‘The same activities which have engaged the society from the beginning will be continued. These are especially interesting women’s clubs in the work, the formation of branch societies, and the distribution of bird literature at grange meetings and teachers’ institutes, and furnishing to the public schools an outline of bird study for regular use throughout the year. The Secretary adds: ‘So far as concerns the local and State work of our society, my feeling is one of hopefulness, but when I see, as I did in my recent trip, both in New York and Boston, how regardless both milliners and wearers of millinery are of the exist- ing bird laws and of the feelings of bird lovers, I must acknowl- edge that the work of the Audubon societies is but begun. It is evident that our efforts to influence public opinion in behalf of bird protection must be continued with unabated zeal.” NEw JERSEY. Legislation. — The law is satisfactory and is being actively enforced by the Fish and Game Commissioners, who show no mercy to anyone found guilty of killing a non-game bird at any time, or game birds out of season. Warden System— Two wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund to guard colonies of Laughing Gulls and Terns on the coast. During the coming season these wardens will have the power of arrest conferred upon them by the Fish and Game Com- mission, which will add very much to their effectiveness. ‘ Capt. eee DutcHer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. £37 R. S. Ludlam, of Stone Harbor, reports that the ‘mudhen,’ z ¢., Clapper Rails, did splendidly, but that the colony of about 1,000 Laughing Gulls did not raise over 100 young this year, owing to the loss of nearly all the eggs by a heavy storm tide early in June. The colony of terns is very small but made a normal increase. The birds were not disturbed by men or boys during the season. Capt. J. B. Rider, of Little Egg Harbor, reports that the colony of terns in his charge did well this year and probably raised about 600 young, as near as he could judge; they were not disturbed. These two small colonies of terns and the one colony of Laughing Gulls are all that are left of the once countless numbers that bred on the New Jersey coast; all were cruelly and wantonly sacrificed on the altar of fashion. It will take years of the most patient and watchful care to repopulate the beaches and marshes of the New Jersey coast with these beautiful and graceful sea birds. Audubon Work.— The New Jersey Society reports about 500 members. Local societies have been started in seven places dur- ing the past year. About 300 leaflets have been distributed, also some warning notices. Appeals and letters were sent out to over 200 persons last spring in an effort to pass an anti-pigeon shooting bill, which proved unsuccessful. During the coming winter the attempt will be renewed. A circular will shortly be sent out in an effort to check the use of wild bird plumage for millinery orna- ments. The Society is doing all it can to create sentiment in favor of bird protection and to aid the Fish and Game Commission in its effective enforcement of the bird laws. New YorK. Legis/ation.— An amendment, which materially strengthened the previously excellent bird law, was passed at the last session of the legislature, as follows: “Section 141. Wherever in this act the possession of fish or game, or the flesh of any animal, bird or fish, is prohibited, reference is had equally to such fish, game or flesh coming from without the State as to that taken within the State.” A great many convictions have been obtained during the past year by the Forest, Fish and Game Commission, who deserve great credit for the effective manner in which'they are enforcing 138 Dutcuer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. es the bird statutes. The suit referred to in the report of 1gor1, was settled early this year by the payment on the part of the defend- ant of the sum of $260; there is also a judgment for a large amount held against him, which it was agreed not to press unless he was again found violating the law. ‘The moiety of the fine paid that was given to the member of the Audubon Society who fur- nished the evidence was contributed to the Endowment Fund for the Protection of North American Birds. Warden Work.— Three wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund, as in the previous year. Capt. C. W. Rackett, who had charge at the north end of Gar- diner’s Island, reports that no terns were shot nor were any eggs taken, and he thinks that the increase has been large. Capt. H. S. Miller, who has charge of the colony at the south end of Gardiner’s Island, also reports a very satisfactory season for the terns, and a material increase. ‘This large colony of terns is very fortunately located, as Mr. John Lyon Gardiner, the propri- etor of the island, will not allow any shooting or trespassing, and therefore the terns and other birds are exceptionally well pro- tected. There is also a fair-sized colony of terns on Fisher’s Island, which was protected by Capt. Fowler. This colony is somewhat scattered, and it is more difficult to give them absolute protection, they being nearer the cruising ground of the hundreds of small craft that are to be found in Long Island Sound during the summer months. At the request of Mr. Harold Herrick of New York, President Baldwin of the Long Island Railroad had warning notices, giving the bird laws, posted in every station. This action probably did a great amount of good. ‘The members of the Bird Section of the Rochester Academy of Science have done splendid protection work during the past year by posting a large number of warning notices in Munroe County, and by work in the schools among the teachers and scholars. Audubon Work.— The Secretary of the New York Audubon Society reports that it is now better equipped to develop the educa- tional features of the work than ever before. Through the efforts of Miss Blunt, one of the local secretaries, a sufficient sum of money was secured to equip an illustrated traveling bird lecture. all DuTcHER, fRefort of Committee on Bird Protection. 139 The lecture has been given many times before audiences varying in numbers up to three or four hundred. ‘Three sets of colored plates of birds are owned and loaned for class work. Fifty sets of the Massachusetts Audubon Bird Charts have been distributed among the local secretaries. Over 18,500 leaflets and law posters have been distributed during the past year. Of these nearly 1,500 were sent directly to the milliners, live bird dealers and wholesale butchers in Greater New York. The special circular sent directed their attention to the State and Federal laws pro- tecting birds, and requested a strict observance of the same. Eleven new local secretaries have been added during the past year, making the number at the present time 68. The total member- ship of the society is 3,418. The Hon. Charles R. Skinner, Sup- erintendent of Public Instruction, has agreed to send a copy of the National Committee leaflet No. 2, ‘ Ornithology in the Schools,’ to every school in the State early in the coming year. NorTH CAROLINA. Legislation. — The bird laws of this State are very unsatisfac- tory. A few birds receive protection a portion of the year only, the balance none at all. County laws now in force should be superseded by one law for the whole State, which should be com- prehensive and stringent. In few States on the Atlantic Coast has there been such a wholesale slaughter of bird life as in North Carolina. When thousands of game birds are killed in a single season for the feathers alone it is time to cry, halt ! and for the strong arm of the law to interfere. Until the legislature of North Carolina sees fit to pass an effective bird law this slaughter will continue, but it is to be hoped that one will be enacted before it is too late. Warden System.—No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund, as it has been found useless to engage wardens where there is no law to be enforced. When a good bird law is placed on the statute books of North Carolina, wardens will be at once employed to guard all of the colonies of sea birds that remain on the coast. Audubon Work. — The Audubon Society of North Carolina Auk 140 DurcHer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. Fan: “for the Study and Protection of Birds and the Preservation of Game,” was organized in Greensboro, North Carolina, on the 11th of March, and was incorporated on the 21st day of October, 1902. At the present time its membership is as follows: Life mem- bers, 8; sustaining members, 86; regular members, 308 ; junior members, 386; total, 788. Six branch organizations have been formed in graded schools, and it is the purpose of the Society to grant charters to these branch societies. ‘They are as yet in an experimental stage; some have regular meetings and much inter- est is displayed, while others have been all but failures. About gooo leaflets have been distributed, and the secretary has given fifteen public lectures, presenting the objects and aims of the Audubon Society. It is assisting the National Committee in pro- curing better legislation for the preservation of birds, and asa means of doing this is preparing to distribute 100,000 leaflets in the State before the meeting of the legislature in January, 1903. OHIO. Legislation. — During the past year a radical improvement was made in the game laws of Ohio, the section covering the non-game birds practically being the A. O. U. model law. If the Ohio Audubon Society sees that the statute is enforced the birds will receive ample protection. By a special act of the legislature an annual Forest and Bird Day was authorized to be observed in the State. Warden System. — No wardens were employed, but the Thayer Fund furnished for distribution in the State 3,000 warning notices, giving extracts from the non-game bird sections of the law, and the penalty for violating the same. Audubon Work.— The Secretary reports as follows: “The Audubon Society of Ohio has just completed the fourth year of its existence. From a struggling nestling, it has grown steadily and healthily toward maturity, as nestlings should, and already its wings are plumed for glorious flight. As the eagle, ‘she dwelleth on the rock and hath her lodging there.’ That rock is success. “The Audubon Society exists no longer as a sneer and a by- word, in the eyes of the people, a sentimental fad, but as an Vou. XX a ms ar "9 , y } ee | DutcHerR, Report of Committee. on Bird Protection. I4I , earnest body of Nature-lovers and students, too far removed from vulgarity to contemplate with pleasure the wanton destruction of any living creature. “From the auspicious inauguration of the Society until the present time there has been a growing knowledge with the public of the aims and purposes of the great Audubon movement, so that inquiries concerning the whys and wherefores of the work are rapidly diminishing in number. The demand now is not so much ‘Tell me something about this new Society,’ as ‘Give me litera- ture, that I may by this means tell others the story.’ “The mails have been used hundreds of times for the purposes of the Ohio work this past year, and the four newspapers that are printed in English in Cincinnati, have received and kindly published notices of all monthly meetings. “There has been a constant and impelling desire that the teachers and club women of our State should receive our literature. “In November of last year, the Corresponding Secretary carried a message to hundreds of women assembled at the State Feder- ation of Women’s Clubs in the city of Dayton, she having been granted, by the courtesy of the President of that organization, ten minutes’ time upon the program of the convention, and in con- junction with the Recording Secretary, who, by the way, did splendid service at the same time in the public schools of Dayton in behalf of Bird Protection, distributed much literature from that point. “The President and acting Treasurer met the Game Commission at the Cuvier Club, during the session of the Ohio Legislature, and proved themselves extremely useful in making valuable suggestions to the Commission relative to the proposed amendment of Section 6960 of the laws of Ohio, the section relating to the non-game birds. “Our President originated and secured the passage of the bill making it obligatory upon teachers to observe Forest and Bird Day in the schools of the State. “Our Society is always represented in as many County Institutes for Teachers as possible. If there cannot be personal represen- tation, a message is sent. “A Branch Chapter is just forming this week in Cleveland, Auk 142 DutcHeER, Feeport of Committee on Bird Protection. Vali: which its projectors state, is to be the banner organization of the State. “The workers in Cincinnati are being apppointed to the dif- ferent school districts of the city, for the purpose of conducting a vigorous campaign in the schools during the winter months. “Of all classes, the mothers are the hardest to reach, and our greatest hope lies in the teachers, who are molding, in large measure, the generations to come.” OREGON. Legislation. —'Vhe bird law is very defective, as it does not protect @// of the non-game birds of the State. Warden Work,— No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work.—The Secretary reports as follows: “The Audubon Society of the State of Oregon came into existence July I, 1g02, as the result of the untiring enthusiasm of the Rev. Wm. R. Lord, the delegate whom Oregon sends to the present con- vention. ‘The association has about 300 active members, but this is hardly a correct index to the interest that has been aroused. Last spring Mr. Lord gave bird talks to 18,000 public school children, to about 1,000 teachers, and to 3,000 other adults in evening lectures, everywhere receiving a hearty response to his message. ‘There is every indication of a large increase in the membership next spring. “No leaflets or circulars have been sent out, publicity having been obtained in other ways, viz., by means of Mr. Lord’s talks, the circulation of his book on Oregon and Washington birds, which has been placed on the list for supplementary reading in the public schools by the State Text Book Commission of Oregon, and by the frequent and full newspaper reports of the work of the association. “Copies of our bird laws are in the hands of our president, and are sent out upon request. “Lectures have in the main taken the form of impromptu talks, without illustration. We have a collection of unusually attractive photographs of Oregon sea and land birds, taken in their native Vol. XX Toes ] DutTcueER, /eeport of Committee on Bird Protection. 143 haunts by some of our members. Stereopticon slides have been made of these. The photographs, enlarged to life-size, are of rare beauty as well as of scientific value. “There have been one or two prosecutions and convictions of offenders against the bird laws; one $10 fine for robbing nests in Portland was imposed by the efforts of our president, who is an attorney. “Our work has chiefly taken the form of bird boxes and field observations. The John Burroughs Club of Portland offers annual cash prizes to the school children of Oregon for their knowledge of native birds. There is a growing interest in these contests, which embrace both a field test, 60 %, and a composition test, 40%. An auxiliary club of 71 members at our State capital is about to introduce its work into the public schools. Mr. Lord expects to continue his lecture work next spring. Other projects will be planned to meet the demands of the hour as they arise.” PENNSYLVANIA. Legislature. — The non-game bird laws are in a very unsatis- factory condition, inasmuch as there is doubt whether the law of May 14, 1889, as amended April 15, 1891 (Sec. 30-36), was repealed or superseded by the law of 1897. The first of the above statutes is by far the better of the two and should be re-enacted, if it is not now in force. The Audubon Society should bring a test case to have the matter legally determined. Warden System.— No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. In this connection the following very interesting letter is presented : “On my father’s birthday I take great pleasure in sending the enclosed check as a contribution towards the fund for the pro- tection of the gulls and terns. One of the last things which gave him pleasure in this world, a few days before his death, was watching from his window at Wood’s Hole, a large flock which had come into the harbor after a school of young herring. He used to lament their possible extinction, and would have rejoiced in this effort to prevent it. Yours very truly, Lucy H. Barrp.” Audubon Work.— The Secretary reports a membership of 6,800. 144 DutcueEr, Peeport of Committee on Bird Protection. ES “About 2,000 educational leaflets were distributed during the year, also 1,000 copies of the bird laws have been posted. Our best work has been accomplished with our circulating libraries. There are twelve of these of ten books each. ‘These were sent to sixteen different schools, making a total of 29 periods of three months each. A number of the teachers wrote appreciative letters, telling how much the books had been used and enjoyed.” RHODE ISLAND. , Legislation.— The bird law is satisfactory. Warden System.— No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work.— The Secretary reports the membership to be 621. About 500 leaflets have been distributed. An illustrated lecture is owned and is in constant use, also a circulating library. Fifty sets of the Massachusetts Audubon Society Bird Charts have been purchased during the past year and have been distributed among the country schools of the State. It is planned to have bird lectures under the auspices of the society during the present winter. SOUTH CAROLINA. Legislation.— Some of the provisions of the bird law are excel- lent, but the law is not comprehensive enough, as it does not give protection to a large number of species. The bird lovers of South Carolina, and especially the agriculturists, should insist that the law be improved at the next session of the legislature. Warden System.— No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work.— This Society is local and has not accomplished anything outside of its immediate neighborhood. An effort will be made by the National Committee during the coming year to enlarge and strengthen the nucleus already established. The A. O. U. members and all bird lovers are urged to aid this effort. Vol. XX a3 ] DutrcHeER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. 145 TEXAS. Legislation.— An effort will be made to have the American Ornithologists’ Union model law passed during the next session of the legislature, which convenes in January, 1903. While some of the song, insectivorous and sea birds are protected under the present law, many are not, and a large number of counties are exempted from the statute. The large agricultural interests of Texas imperatively demand that a comprehensive bird law shall be enacted at once and strictly enforced. Itis a pleasant duty to call attention to the very valuable work being done by the Southern Pacific R. R. Co., through its Indus- trial Agent, Prof. H. P. Attwater, who visits all portions of the Commonwealth to lecture to farmers’ clubs and granges; this gives him an opportunity to call attention to the value of all bird life and thus create a sentiment in favor of its protection. The Thayer Fund has furnished a large number of leaflets regarding birds for distribution among the agriculturists and teachers of Mexas: Warden System— It has not been deemed best to employ any wardens on the Texas coast until a satisfactory law is in force. If the next legislature enacts a good law wardens will be engaged for the breeding season of 1903. Audubon Work— There is no Society in Texas at the present time, but steps are being taken to organize one, and it is hoped that before the next report is made a large and aggressive society will be at work. VERMONT. Legislation —- While the present law is a very good one in its main features, it can be improved. An effort in that direction is now being made, the A. O. U. model law being before the legis- lature, which is now (November) in session. Warden System.— No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work.— A society has been established about a year, it having existed as a bird club for some time previous to organi- 146 DuTcHER, Frefort of Committee on Bird Protection. a zation as an Audubon Society. The enrolled members number 250 The local work done has been very satisfactory and its influence is spreading to other portions of the State, two branch societies having already been formed. They have succeeded in interesting the children to an unusual degree by junior meetings and bird walks. ‘Two libraries of bird books are in circulation among the districts schools, and have stimulated interest in bird study. VIRGINIA. Legislation.— The bird laws of this State are wholly bad; very few non-game birds are protected at all, some are protected during a portion of the year, while that most destructive of all methods of bird extermination, egging, is legalized by law during the early weeks of the breeding season. The county system of local bird laws is in vogue, and it should be superseded at once by a law covering the whole State. Bird protection cannot successfully be promoted where the law protects a species in one county and in an adjoining county no protection is given. It is a well established legal proposition that wild birds are an asset of the State and do not belong to the citizen as an individual, therefore the State should provide a law for their pro- tection and preservation, just as it does for any other of its val- uable rights and assets. The A. O. U. members and the Audubon Society, as well as all bird lovers, should combine in a strenuous effort to have the A. O. U. model law adopted. At the last session of the legislature a bill was introduced by Representative James R. Caton, at the request of the Virginia Audubon Society, but it was not carried through the House, although it was favorably reported and reached its third reading. The session was short, and was largely taken up with a constitutional amendment. The effort for a new bird law will be renewed at the coming session of the legislature, and in the interim educational work will be done through the press and by the distribution of leaflets, in order that a public sentiment for bird protection may be aroused. If from every portion of the State the constituents of the delegates | DutcHER, Peport oy Committee on Bird Protcction, 147 write and urge, or even go so far as to demand a new law, the appeal will be listened to. Warden Work.— On the Virginia coast some of the most impor- tant work attempted by your Committee is done through the Thayer Fund. ‘Uhe work, however, is very largely moral suasion rather than legal protection. The law is so thoroughly unsatisfac- tory that the wardens find it hard to give absolute protection during the early weeks of the breeding season. With all the draw- backs it is our pleasant duty to report that all of the sea bird col- onies on the Virginia coast are making a steady gain. If the legal taking of eggs could be stopped, the gain would be much more rapid than it is now. It is now impossible for plume hunters to visit this coast and kill Terns and Laughing Gulls by the thou- sands, as they did only a few years since; if such an attempt were ‘to be made the plumers would have to reckon with a very deter- mined party of eight wardens, extracts from whose reports are herewith given. Capt. J. M. Fedderman, of Assateague Beach, says: “ Eggs are taken, but no one can estimate the number, as parties hunt for them at all times. From two boys I took 16 Marsh Hen’s eggs and 6 Willet’s eggs, which were replaced in the nests and were afterward hatched. On August 26 a party did some shooting, but on inves- tigation I was unable to find any gulls or terns on them and therefore could not have them fined. ‘There is a good harbor here for vessels, and the sailors give the most trouble looking for eggs; boys being the next most troublesome. Summer boarders rarely disturb eggs but shoot at anything that flies, merely for practice. Marsh Hens are much more numerous than four or five years back, and there has been some gain in the numbers of Wil- lets. If means could be devised to stop the taking of eggs the increase in birds would be surprising.” ; Capt. J. B. Whealton, of Wallops Beach, says: “ Most of the people in this vicinity are in favor of protecting birds, but there is a class of baymen that will take eggs, and sometimes kill breed- ing birds. They give more trouble than any other persons. Prior to two years since the gulls were almost all destroyed, but now there is a big increase; I should judge they have doubled in numbers, _and there is also a marked increase in the Willet; more young Willets were seen in August than at any time in five years past.” ) 148 DutcueEer, Peport of Committee on Bird Protection. 2s jan. Capt. L._F. Taylor, of Metomkin Inlet, says: ‘There has been a normal increase in the Laughing Gulls and Willets, but for some reason the Marsh Hens do not seem to be so numerous. The increase in Big and Little Strikers (Terns) seems to be larger than it was last season. Very few eggs have been taken in my local- ity; on only one occasion did I have to prevent egging by a party of two. They desisted at once when I cautioned them.” Capt. J. A. D. Savage, of Wachapreague Beach, says: “The Marsh Hens have made some increase, but the other species, viz., Black-headed Gulls, Flood Gulls, Willets, and Strikers have not increased materially. This can be accounted for as follows: the beach here is gradually washing away and getting lower, which compels the beach breeding birds to move to other localities where they can find higher beaches and where there is less danger from storm tides. I believe that fewer eggs have been taken this season than ever before, and I do not know of a single instance when birds were killed. Those who made a business of killing birds in former years have been forced to desist, knowing that they are watched and will be brought to account if caught.” Capt. J. W. Richardson, of Parramores Island, says: “It is not unlawful to take eggs during a part of the breeding season and many are taken each year; but I can see that since I have been acting as warden there are many more birds now than formerly, with the exception of the Willet and Marsh Hens, which are only holding their own. This is owing to the fact that they are slaughtered after the open season commences, which opens nearly a month too early. The law should be changed.” Capt. J. E. Johnson, of Hog Island, says: ‘* Many eggs are taken during the open season, but by reason of the protection given the birds I can see that hundreds are raised each year; it is espe- cially noticeable in the Black-headed Gulls, Terns and Willets. Marsh Hens do not seem to increase, owing, I think, to the high tides that destroy many of them.” ‘Capt. J. R. Andrews, of Cobbs Island, says: ‘“ Large numbers of the eggs of the Black-headed Gulls were taken during the open season, also a few of the eggs of Terns and Skimmers. The men who rake for clams give me the most trouble, as they live in boats which are anchored very near the marshes where the gulls breed. Vol. XX ngs ] DutcHeER, Fefort of Committee on Bird Protection. 149 The egging is mostly done at night when it is impossible to catch the offender. This year I found a new colony of about 1,000 Skimmers on an island where they had not bred before; there were also about 500 Common Terns and 30 pairs of Wil- son’s Plover breeding on the same island. ‘This must be an over- flow from the colonies near the station.” Capt. G. D. Hitchens, of Smiths Island, says: ‘‘ There is a great increase in the birds since they bave been protected on Smiths Island and on the Isaacs, and the increase is greater this year than last.” The cooperation of the Marine Hospital Service to prevent egging on Fishermans Island was asked by your Com- mittee and was accorded by Surgeon General Wyman, who wrote as follows: “The Quarantine Officer reports that he believes it advisable to codperate with your Union in its work, and to this end has directed his subordinates on Fishermans Island to desist from further gathering eggs thereon or in that vicinity.” The bird colonies on the Virginia beach were visited by a num- ber of members of our Society during the past season and all unite in reporting that very satisfactory work is being done by the ward- ens. Mr. Kirkwood made his annual inspection trip in August to all the stations. A few statements are extracted from his very full report : “Capt. N. B. Rich, who last year had charge of the Assateague Beach station, is now a superintendent of the life saving service. When sending out orders to the various captains he added a clause directing them to protect the birds all they could without interfering with their regular life saving duties, and they now feel that they can talk in quite a different tone from that used formerly. The wardens all agree that the law should be changed. “The increase in the numbers of Least Terns is too great to be the result of colonies on this beach; some of them must have come from further north. “T did not see any Royal Terns, so they probably have been exterminated, so far as Virginia is concerned. On the whole, birds were more numerous than last year, the increase being about normal, except in the case of the Least Tern, which is entirely beyond expectation.” Audubon Work. — There is a small society which is doing con- 150 DuTcHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. a siderable work in trying to get better legislation, in which effort all the Virginia members of the A. O. U. should join. WASHINGTON. Legislation. — The bird law is very limited in its scope and only protects song birds. An effort will be made at the next session of the legislature (January, 1903) to have the A. O. U. model law passed. Audubon Work.— There is no Audubon Society in the State, and little has been done in bird protection work as yet. An interesting incident regarding the tameness of sea gulls is related by Sergeant Albert I. Smith of Battery I, First Artillery, U. S. A.: “It may interest you to hear of an incident that was part of my daily pastime while stationed at Fort Canby, which is a lonely post, sticking up on the jagged coast cliffs. There were innumer- able sea gulls inhabiting the rocks and during the rigorous winter months I noticed that the poor birds scarcely caught sufficient food from the stormy waters of the coast. I began by depositing among the rocks the collected remains from our mess table after each meal. The feathered indigents readily understood my pur- pose and gathered in vast numbers to partake of our soldier food. Soon they grew exceedingly tame and particularly alert for the bugle’s mess call, the notes of which no doubt, were as welcome to them as to us. Round and round they would circle, screaming for joy, and when I appeared on the rocks with their food box they would flutter about me like gentle barn-yard poultry, scrambling over my body or alighting on my wrists to peck a morsel from my fingers.” The above story is vouched for by Mr. William H. Kobbé, who says: “The gull story is doubtless true. I have often seen the Battery cooks thus feed the birds, which became so tame as to become a nuisance, walking up and down the road and even into the kitchen. I can hardly believe that the birds could distinguish mess from any other call, but it is possible that all the calls during , the middle of the day had the same effect upon them.” ee | DutcHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. ISI WISCONSIN. Legislation. — The law is entirely satisfactory. Warden Work.— No wardens were employed by the Thayer Fund. Audubon Work. — Audubon work is going on actively and suc- cessfully, especially among the school children. ‘The membership is now very nearly 18,000. The Society owns nearly 200 lantern slides of birds, 70 being colored, which are rented for a small sum to any school branch or local society desiring to usethem. One circulating library of bird books is owned; there have been so many calls for it that the society hopes to add others in the near future. By the courtesy of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction the Arbor and Bird Day Manual for 1g02 carried the invitation of the Audubon Society to each public school in the State to cooperate inthe work of bird protection and to form a school branch. The success of these branches is almost entirely due to the intelligent assistance of the teachers, without which it would be impossible to carry on any organized work among the children of the Commonwealth. The Society publishes a small monthly magazine, devoted especially to bird subjects for children. THE THAYER FUND. The treasurer of the fund submits the following statement, showing the subscriptions and disbursements during the year end- ing November t, 1902, to the correctness of which he certifies. T52 DutcHER, Report of Commrttee on Bird Protection. a NEw York, NOv. 1, 1902. WILLIAM DuTcHER, J7veasurer. In ACCOUNT WITH THAYER FuND. Balance brought forward from 1901 $301.60 SUBSCRIPTIONS. J. E. Thayer $250.00 Mrs. H. L. Higginson $10.00 S. B. Fay 200.00 S. McV. Hinton 10.00 C. L. Freer 100.00 Mrs. M. L. Parsons 10.00 Miss L. L. Kane 100.00 J. J. Donaldson 10.00 Mrs. Q. A. Shaw 50.00 W. G. Van Name 10.00 Mrs, V. E. Macy 50.00 L. H. Baird 10.00 C. H. Dodge 50.00 Miss Fanny Dwight 10.00 Mrs. D. Pickman 50.00 A. C. Gelpcke 10.00 W. E. Dodge 50.00 B. H. Christy 10.00 George Dorr 50.00 H. Herrick 10.00 George W. Vanderbilt 50.00 EE. Bowditch 10.00 Florida Audubon Society 50.00 Mrs. W. A. Wardsworth 10.00 Charles H. Raymond 25-00 Mrs. E. Davis 10.00 C. P. Latimer 25:00 Mrs. T. M. Brewer 10.00 E. D. Sharpe 25.00 H.S. Baldwin 9.00 Mrs. J. S. Kennedy 25.00 L,. J. Emery 5-00 E. L. Osgood 25:00 Mrs. H. Holt 5.00 Dean Sage 25-00 Rey. L. F. Chamberlain 5.00 H. S. Russell 25:00 Mrs. S. L. King 5-00 E. L. Parker 25-00 Elizabeth A. Gatter 5-00 F. J. Heckel 25-00 Harriet E. Clarke 5-00 S. G. Ward 25.00 H. H. White 5.00 J. Pinchott 25:00 M. L. Van Orden 5.00 W. Hunnewell 25.00 FF. M. Day 5.00 G. Abbott 25-00 §. Brooks 5-00 Dr. H. C. Eno 25-00 Geo. C. Shattuck 5-00 S. D. Warren 25:00 Miss Cowper Lord 5.00 Anne Whitney 20.00 Miss Lord 5-00 W. B. Dickerman 20.00 Benj. Nicoll §-00 Conn. Audubon Society 20.00 Adeline Willis 5-00 John Markoe 20.00 §. L. King 5-00 Wm. Brewster 19.62 Mrs. Theodore Thomas 5.00 Ruthven Deane 19-62 J. L. Cox 5-00 Mr. and Mrs. W. M. Smith 15.00 Mrs. W. Putnam 5-00 Royal, II,and Reg. C. Robbins 14.00 Mrs. C. Platt 5-00 Mrs. J. W. Elliot 15-00 Mrs. Brinton Coxe 5.00 W. S. Rainsford 11.00 Mrs. S. S. Darrell 5-00 Cornelius B. Smith 10.00 A.B. Duncan 5-00 Adeline Manning 10.00 24 contributions from $2.70 to Miss A. F. Brush 10.00 $1.00 each 41.45 Miss Clara L. Crane 10.00 $2246.29 aa | DutcHerR, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. 153 EXPENDITURES. Arkansas. 2 Bird Charts : ° . : , : $2.38 Express : : : - : ; : 44 2.82 California. J. M. Willard, trav. expenses — investigation of colony of grebes, etc., at Tule Lake . 49-00 Telegrams. 5 : : : - : A385) 153235 Colorado. 2 Bird Charts : ; : : - ; 2.38 Florida. 2 Government coast charts showing bird keys c . c : : : : 50 Express é : c Dells Mrs. F. E. B: Vathaar, trav. expenses visit- ing breeding colonies. - - : 2.50 Warning notices . 2 : 40.85 Sec’y of State — 3 certified copies Wee fae - 5-05 Negative of birds on Pelican Island . c 2.00 J. O. Fries, survey of Pelican Island. : 10.00 . sh expenses in the matter of pur- chase of Pelican Island . : C c 25.00 P. Kroegel, affidavits ff § oe 4.00 4 Wardens, salaries ‘ : : : ; 250.00 Telegrams and exchange. é : ; 1.41 343.46 Georgia. Bird books for Agric. Com. of Legislature . 7.20 Telegrams to legislators : : a5) Printing circular letter to Hort. Societies - iolfo) SAP PAIS Indiana. 2 Bird Charts for Audubon Society. : 2.28 Chairman, trav. expenses to Legislature. 28.00 30.28 154 DutTcHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. ne Towa. 2 Bird Charts for Schaller Audubon Society 2.38 Slides for lowa Audubon Society : : 11.80 Advertising in Des Moines ‘Capital’ . : 2.55 16.73 Kentucky. Dries: Palmer, ey exp. to Legislature 19.00 Chairman, Ks : 30.35 Warning notices . 5 : : 5 ; 34.50 Certified copy of law . é : : : 1.03 Express . < : : : : 5 70 Telegrams. ; : ; : ; : 5-23. 90.81 Louisiana. Circular letters sent to Legislators ¢ 13.60 Typewritten copy of House Bill 132, A. O. U. Model Law . : : 5-00 Chairman, trav. expenses to Lenisieire : 135.89 Certified copy of birdlaw . : : : BSG Telegrams. : . : 5 : : 6.36 164.60 Maine. 11 Wardens, salaries. i 4 : : 294.40 A. H. Norton, trav. expenses inspecting breeding colonies . : : : 6 27.30 H.L. Spinney, “ ‘ So te : 3.50° 325.20 Maryland. Warden, salary . 5 : : : : 25.00 25.00 Massachusetts. Warning notices . : : : 5 - 6.00 1 Warden, salary . A : 5 F ‘ 30.00 Express : é : : : ¢ 3 95 J. E. Howland, posting warning notices at Marthas Vineyard . 6 . : 3-50 40.45 Nebraska. 2 Bird Charts 5 : 3 : : 2.38 Express on Leaflet Nee: 2 es : : : 1.02 3-40 wee | DuTcHeErR, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. 155 New Jersey. Chairman, trav. expenses to Legislature. 4-43 Telegrams. : : : 5 : : -49 Wardens, salaries . ; : : : 40.00 44.92 New York. Chairman, trav. expenses to Legislature. 16.95 E. Hick, warden, trav. exp. in re illegal shooting ; : c : : - 9.83 1 Copy Check-List to Forest, Fish & Game Com. : : é : : : : 1.05 1 Certified copy New York Law . ; : 1.30 2 Bird Charts for Sup’t Schools of N. Y. State : : : : : : 5 4-76 2 Wardens, salaries : : : : : 40.00 Warning notices . : : ° : : 24.00 Birds purchased in evidence : 5 Ole ie 5-23 Telegrams. : - : é : : .36 Advertising . 3 : : ; : : 2.00 Express . : : 6 : : : -30 ©105.78 North Carolina. Bird books for A. S. Doane . : 2 : 1.75 Bird charts tor N. C. Audubon Society : 2.36 Printing leaflet No. 1 (N. C.) for Aud. Soc. 12.25 “ ce No. 2 “ iT3 “ “ce A 12.20 Express on above . : : ‘ : : 1.30 29.86 Ohio. Chairman, trav. expenses to Legislature. 28.00 Warning notices . 5 : : é : 41.00 69.00 Virginia. Chairman, trav. expenses to Legislature. 40.65 Telegrams to legislators : d : : 2.08 F. C. Kirkwood, trav. expenses inspecting . breeding colonies . : : : : 44-35 Wardens, salaries . : ° é - c 230.00 317.08 o 156 DutcHeER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. Auk Jan. General Expenses of Committee. Printing : : . : : : . 220.30 Advertising . . : ; : : < 20.00 Postage : 5 : : 144.00 2 Bird Charts for office . : : F : 2.18 Letter cases . : : : : ; : 2.00 Clasp envelopes, sending out reports and pamphlets : A “ : : A 15.38 Express : 5 : ‘ : . : 7.45 Telegrams and messenger. 2 5 c 1.59 Sundries 5 : : : 0 : : T2o2 5A 2G els $2102.52 Balance forwarded to 1903. : ; : : : Aine EAB $2246.29 The above report and financial statement are Respectfully submitted, for the Committee, WILLIAM DUTCHER. New York City, November 1, 1902. ENDOWMENT FUND FOR THE PROTECTION OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. Contributions, 1901. : ; é , : : $170.05 Contributions, 1902. : 5 : : : : 51.88 Interest earned . : : 5-65 Total amount of Fund, November 1, 1902, $227.58. Deposited in Free- stone Savings Bank of Portland, Connecticut, by direction of Council of American Ornithologists’ Union, incorporated in 1888 at Washington, District of Columbia. FORM OF BEQUEST. I do hereby give and bequeath to ‘The American Ornithologists’ Union ” of the City of Washington, District of Columbia, for the Endow- ment Fund for the Protection of North American Birds, —————— dollars. Vol. XX 1902 LIST OF COMMITTEES. A. O. U. PROTECTION COMMITTEE FOR 1903. ] DutTcuER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. 157 WILLIAM DuTCHER, Chairman, 525 Manhattan Avenue, New York. AsBpott H. THAYER, Monadnock, New Hampshire. Joun M. Swatn, Portland, Maine. RALPH HOFFMANN, Belmont, Mass. JAMEs H. Hix, New London, Conn. WILLIAM L. Barty, Ardmore, Pa. FRANK C. KirRKwoop, Baltimore, Md. T. GILBERT PEARSON, Greensboro, N. C. ROBERT W. WILLIAMS, JR., Tallahassee, Fla. FRANK M. MILLER, New Orleans, La. FRANK Bonb, Cheyenne, Wyoming. Mrs. FLORENCE MERRIAM BAILEY, Washington, D.C, EDWARD B. CLark, Chicago, IIIs. Mrs. LourisE McGown STEPHENSON, Helena, Arkansas. H. P. ArrwaTer, Houston, Texas. A. W. AntTuHony, Portland, Oregon. Subcommittee on Laws. THEODORE S. PALMER, M. D., Washington, D. C, A. O. U. COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS. FRANK M. CHAPMAN, New York, N. Y. CHARLES W. RicuMmonpD, M. D., Washington, D. C. THEODORE S. PALMER, M. D., Washington, D. C. RUTHVEN DEANE, Chicago, Ills. WILLIAM DuTcHER, New York, N. Y. NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AUBUDON SOCIETIES. WILLiAM DuTcHER, Chatrman, 525 Manhattan Avenue, New York. Subcommittee on Relations wtth Millinery Trade. WITMER STONE, Philadelphia, Pa. FRANK M. CHAPMAN, New York, N. Y. WiLi1AmM Dutcue™r, New York, N. Y. 158 DutcuHer, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. Tae DIRECTORY OF AUDUBON SOCIETIES, 1902. California. President, ALBERT K. SmILry, Redlands ; Secretary, Mrs. GeEorGE S. Gay, Redlands. Connecticut. President, Mrs. M. O. WRIGHT, Fairfield; Secretary, Mrs. W. B. GLover, Fairfield. Delaware. President, A. R. SpaAip, 1819 Delaware Ave., Wilmington ; Secretary, Mrs. W. 5. HILLes, 904 Market St., Wilmington. District of Columbia. President, Gen. G. M. STERNBERG, U. S. A., Washington; Secretary, Mrs. J. D. PATTEN, 2212 R St., Washington. Florida. President, L. F. DommeEricu, Maitland; Secretary, Mrs. I. VANDERPOOL, Maitland. Illinots. President, RUTHVEN DEANE, 24 Michigan Ave., Chicago; Secretary, Miss Mary DrRumMonpD, 208 West St., Wheaton. Indiana. President, STANLEY COULTER, Lafayette; Secretary, WILLIAM WATSON WOOLLEN, Commercial Club, Indianapolis. Towa. President, Mrs. JAMEs B. Diver, Keokuk; Secretary, Mrs. L. E. Feit, 524 Concert St., Keokuk. Schaller Audubon Society, Iowa. President, Mrs. T. J. ANDRE, Schaller; Secretary, Miss J. E. HAMAND, Schaller. Kentucky. President, Mrs. MONTGOMERY MERRITT, Henderson; Sec- retary, INGRAM CROCKETT, Henderson. Louisiana. President, E. A. McILHENNY, Avery’s Island; Secretary, Miss ANITA PRING, 1449 Arabella St., New Orleans. Maine. President, Prof. A. L. Lane, Waterville; Secretary, Mrs. C. B. TuTtTLe, Waterville. Massachusetts. President, WILLIAM BREWSTER, Cambridge; Secretary, Miss H. E. RicHARpDs, Society of Natural History, Boston. Maryland. President, W. C. A. HAMMEL, State Normal School, Balti- more; Secretary, Miss A. W. WHITNEY, 715 St. Paul St., Baltimore. Minnesota. President, JOHN W. TAyYLor, St. Paul; Secretary, Miss S. L. Putnam, 124 Inglehart St., St. Paul. Lake City Audubon Society, Minnesota. President, Mrs. G. F. BENson, Lake City ; Secretary, Mrs. C. A. Kocn, Lake City. Missourt. President, WALTER J. BLAKELY, St. Louis; Secretary, Aucust REEsE, 2516 North 14th St., St. Louis. Nebraska. President, Dr. RoprertT H. Wotcort, Lincoln; Secretary, Witson Tout, Dunbar. New Hampshire. President, Mrs. ARTHUR E. CLARK, Manchester ; Secretary, Mrs. F. W. BATCHELDER, Manchester. New York. President, Morris K. Jesup, New York; Secretary, Miss Emma H. Lockwoon, 243 West 75th St., New York. New Jersey. President, ALEXANDER GILBERT, Plainfield; Secretary, Miss JuLIA S. SCRIBNER, 510 E. Front St., Plainfield. North Carolina. President J. Y. Joyner, Raleigh; Secretary, T. GILBERT PEARSON, Greensboro. Vol. XX 1903 DutcHER, Freport of Committee on Bird Protection . 159 Ohkto. President, Wm. HuBBELL FISHER, 13 Wiggins Block, Cincin- nati; Secretary, Mrs. D. Z. MCCLELLAND, 820 W. oth St., Cincinnati. Oklahoma. President, H. D. Wuirer, Enid; Secretary, Mrs. ADELIA Hotcoms, Enid. Oregon. President, CALFE, 634 Williams Ave., Portland. Pennsylvania. President, WITMER STONE, Academy of Natural Sci- ences, Philadelphia; Secretary, Mrs. Epwarp RoBINs, 114 South 21st St., Philadelphia. Rhode Island. President, Prof. ALPHEUS S. PACKARD, Brown Uni- versity, Providence; Secretary, Miss MARTHA R. CLARKE, 89 Brown St., Providence. South Carolina. President, Miss C. H. PoppENHEIM, 31 Meeting St., Charleston; Secretary, Miss S. A. SmyTu, 35 Legare St., Charleston. Tennessee. President, ; secretary, Mrs. C. C. CoNnNneER, Ripley. Vermont. President, Mrs. FRANCES B. Horton, Brattleboro; Secre- tary, Mrs. FLETCHER K. BARRows, Brattleboro. Virginta. President, JoHN B. HENDERSON, Jr., Washington, D. C.; Secretary, Mrs. Mary G. PLAnt, Glencarlyn. West Virginta (branch of Pennsylvania Society). President, WITMER STONE, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia; Secretary, Mrs. E. ROBINS, 114 S. 21st St., Philadelphia. Wisconsin. President, W. S. MARSHALL, 116 E. Gorham St., Madison; Secretary, Mrs. R. G. THwWAITEs, 260 Langdon St., Madison. Wyoming. President, FRANK Bonp, Cheyenne; Secretary, Mrs. N. R. Davis, 2216 Ferguson St., Cheyenne. ; Secretary, Miss GERTRUDE MET- ay * Ve Vike 49ers y ‘i! PV Ne OUR yak es Nene at é : ‘i ery itis a at = i i i . i J Scatter eahipli reese “fl lia Ar) iy: ie Pal oop ea a, iy lear al! ae ae ee i 5 et i Ni uN nih : y ‘ eager i Alaa tee ; Bia aes ids . Les eta ry HAT, ? iM 4 n| W. ah Wie teh al tia Saat a ht oi gla ALU a etd Hak ee ae wa) hae Aas y qa pee Ny . ia ‘ é Phi aan ten, j ait , ; SALs { = ae Oey ee eae ee AUK: A OUARTEREY [OURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. Vor xox. APRIL, 1903. No. i) THE DOMESTIC AFFAIRS OF BOB-WHITE. BY JOHN N. CLARK.! To THE man who keeps his eyes and ears open, there are new sources of entertainment and instruction bursting upon his vision at every turn. They often come as surprises —for Nature, ever prolific in resource, offers a new program at every interview. Such were the thoughts that suggested themselves as I took the pen to recount a little episode that afforded much entertainment for me the past summer. I frequently observed during later June and early July a stately Bob-white stationed on a post near at hand where at early morn and fading day he called out with great energy his weather prog- nostications with little favor to the haymakers, as if he were a trusted employee of the Weather Bureau. By the roadside in that immediate vicinity grow numerous patches of what I call scrub. There are hazel scrub, wild rose scrub, and blueberry and dwarf willow scrubs — annually mowed. Mowing does not destroy or discourage them, but puts them in the form so popular in Japan when practiced upon trees kept in plant form by trimming and training. These scrubs, cut to stubs from six to ten inches, renew their annual leaf and vigor and afford nice 1[This article has a sad interest, owing to the death of the author since the manuscript was received for publication. See ‘ Notes and News’ in the pres- ent number of ‘ The Auk ’.—Epp.] 162 CLARK, Domestic Affatrs of Bob-white. res runways for small birds and quadrupeds beneath their green cover, and often a nice nesting place for Madam White, as I have several times observed in the passing years. ‘This year circumstances detained the mowing till Tuesday, the fifth day of August. I hesitate somewhat from fixing this as the exact date as I had no interest at the time nor any thought of the subsequent interest involved. I know it was Tuesday and am strongly impressed with its correctness. Early in the afternoon I took a walk up the road to inspect the progress of my employee and found him skillfully clipping away the weeds and shrubbery that had sprung up by the roadside. Almost his first casual remark was, “There is a quail’s nest in the shrubbery the other side of the road.” hy Or rk ee ; - Seta ie Oy dete a OY oS egieaeae re” Vol. XX 1605 ] BoNHOTE, Migration at some Bahama Lighthouses. 169 BIRD MIGRATION AT SOME OF THE BAHAMA LIGHTHOUSES. BY J. LEWIS BONHOTE, M. A., F. Z. S. L., M. B. O. U. THe birds dealt with in this paper from Cay Lobos were received in two consignments and cover the period of twelve months, from August, 1900, to May, 1901. _~—‘ Forty species are in- cluded, bringing the total number of species observed on the Cay to 54, which, when we consider that the Cay is but a bare rock of a few acres, standing well out at sea, is no inconsiderable number for observations extending over such a short period. It is to be regretted that Mr. Thompson has been removed to another station so that we are unlikely to receive further consignments from this locality ; but Mr. Thompson has already sent a small collection from his new station, which is dealt with in this paper, and we may therefore hope to receive many further records from him. Of the birds procured one of the most noticeable is Avamus giganteus, but from the direction of their flight, and the time of year (28th Jan.) it is probable that they were merely moving along the coast of Cuba, and not on any direct migration, or- phyrio martinica occurs asa solitary wanderer, most probably, considering the lateness of the hour (4 a. M.), from some northern region. Helmintherus swainsoni, Dendreca cerulea, Sylvania mitrata, Pyranga rubra, and Empidonax acadicus are recorded for the first time within the limits of the Bahamas. Looking at the collection from a Cuban point of view we may notice the occurrence of Dendreca evelyne, which has not yet, as far aS we are aware, been observed in Cuba, but which, from the occurrence of this specimen, probably occasionally straggles there. As regards the nights on which large movements were observed, the 20th Oct. andthe 22nd Nov. were those on which most species were procured on the fall migration, and in both cases the wind was northeast. October seems to be the chief migratory month, as specimens were got on every night that the elements proved favourable. On the spring migration the nights of the 15th and 21st March, 170 BoNHOTE, Migration at some Bahama Lighthouses. ae the 15th April and the 13th May were the richest in variety of species, and on three of these occasions the wind was southeast. On the 15th April, however, the night in which 17 different species were procured, the wind was north-northwest. Although we think it is well to draw attention to these facts, too much stress should not be laid on the direction of the wind, as the number of birds striking is probably far more dependent upon the state of the atmosphere (¢. ¢., rainy, misty, cloudy, etc.) than on the actual direction of the wind. In the cases under consideration it will be noticed that, with the exception of the 13th May, Mr. Thompson records rain or mist in every instance; it may be well also to notice that the birds invariably come up to the light against the wind and strike on the lee side of the antern. As regards species which were observed but of which no speci- mens were sent, we notice Swallows on the zoth and 31st August ; Kingfisher (Cery/e alcyon) 21st August and 1st Sept.; Rice Birds (Dolichonyx) 1st and 8th Sept., and Mr. Thompson estimates that on the last mentioned date the flock consisted of at least 200 individuals. A Barn Owl also was seen on the rst September. Flocks of small birds visited the island on the 4th and gth Sept., 28th Oct. and 27th November. On the 2oth April a large migration took place, the greater bulk of which were small Passeres, but it also included Fighters (Zyrannus) and Rice Birds (Dolichonyx). The last spring move- ment recorded is on May to, when a small flock of Passeres rested on the Cay. There remains only for me to give my best thanks to Messrs. Thompson and Solomon for all the trouble they have taken and to hope that they may send us many more equally interesting consignments. Cay Losos Licut. Turdus mustelinus. No. 8. a. 15th April, 1901. Turdus fuscescens. No. 15. @. 15th April, 1901. Mniotilta varia. No.2. a@, 6. 29th Oct., 1900. No. 4. c-f. a1st March, 1got. Vol. XX 1603 ] BonHoTe, Migration at some Bahama Lighthouses. LZ No. 5. g-&. 23rd March, 19go1. No. 3. # 3rd April, 1901. Nos. 8 and 15. A-m. 15th April, 1901. Parula americana. 2. a-e. 20th Oct., 1900. No. 6. / 29th Oct., 1900. No.9. g, %. 22nd Noy., 1900. No. 4. 7-d. 21st March, 1901. No. 5. m-o. One male, two females, 23rd March, 19 No.6. #. One female, 25th March, 1901. No.4. g. 11th April, 1901. No. 6. +. One male, 15th April, 1gor. No. 11. s-#. Two males, one female, 13th May, 1got. No. 12. v. One female, 14th May, Igor. Helmintherus swainsoni. No. 5. a, 6. 23rd March, 1901. No. 6. c. 26th March, 1901. This is the first record of this species within the Bahama area. Dendreca coronata. g. a. 22nd Nov., 1900. Struck at midnight. INO? 2-705 14th Beb:, 1901. No. 5. d,e. 23rd, March, 1gor. 4- ¢. 21st March, 1gor. Dendreca palmarum. No. 6. a. 29th Oct., 1900. No. 5. g- 23rd March, 1901. No. 7. 6-d. 30th Oct., 1900. No. 8. #. 15th April, 1gor. No.g. e. 22nd Nov., 1900. Dendreca cerulea. No. 6. a, 6. 26th April, 1901. Hitherto only recorded from Cuba and Grand Cayman in the West Indies. Dendreca discolor. No. 5. a-c. Males, 23rd March, 1go1. No. 8. d-g. Four males, 15th April, 1gor. No. 11. &. One male, 13th May, 1go1. Dendreeca tigrina. No.2. a@. One male, 20th Oct., 1900. No.9. 6&4. 22nd Nov., 1900. No. 2. c-e. Three females, 14th Feb., 1901. No. 8. f, g. One male, one female, 15th April, 1gor. No.5. #. One male, 21st April, 1gor. No. No. BoNnHOTE, Migration at some Bahama Lighthouses. aoe Apr. Dendreeca cerulescens. 2. a. One male, 20th Oct., 1900. - 5. 6 One male picked up on the cay, 28th Oct., rgoo. 5. c-e. One male, two females, 23rd March, 1go1. 7. f- One male, 14th April, 1901. 0: 2,2: Males, 15 April, 190%. g. z. Male, 19th April, 1gor. 12. & Female, 14th May, tgot. Dendreeca dominica. - 4. a@-d. 21st March, 1901. No. 5. e-g. 23rd March, 1901. Dendreeca striata. .2. a. Female, 20th Oct., 1900. - 15. 6,¢c. Males, 15th April, rgo1. .10. df. 10th May, igor. - It. g,. One male, one female, 13 May, 1gor. Seiurus aurocapillus. . @. 22nd Nov., 1900. No: 1t; ¢. ai3th May; 1901. - 15. &-d. 15th April, root. Seiurus motacilla. 6. a. 26th March, 1901. Struck the Light at 3 A. M. Seiurus noveboracensis. Ho 2 per OthlO Cts. LQ00: No. 5. 6. 11th April, 1gor. Oporonis agilis. 10. @. 9th May, 1901. Struck at 7.30 a.m. There are only two previous records of this species in the Bahamas; the first from Cay Sal, where Mr. Winch met with it on migration about the 14th May, 1891 (Auk, Vol. VIII, p. 352), and the second obtained by myself at Nassau during the autumn migration on the 12th Oct., 1898. Geothlypis trichas. - 2. a. One male, 29th Oct., 1900. Struck at midnight. . 6. 6. Male, 29th Oct., 1900. ee | BonHOoTE, Migration at some Bahama Lighthouses. 172 Sylvania mitrata. No. 6. @. 15th April, rgor. Setophaga ruticilla. No. 2. a-c. One male, two females, 20th Oct., 1goo. No. 7. d. Male, 14th April, 1901. No. 11. e. 13th May, 1901. Struck at 2 A.M. Vireo flavifrons. No. 5. @. 23rd March, 1go1. Struck at 11.20 p.m. This species is said by Cory (Cat. B. W. Indies, p. 116, 1892) to have occurred on New Providence but I have not been able to find a copy ot the reference. (A. H. Jennings, John Hopkins Univ. Cir., Vol. VII, p. 39). I have, however, recently obtained a single specimen myself on Andros. Vireo crassirostris. No.5. a@. 23rd March, 1got. Pyranga rubra (Zzvv.). No. 8. a. Female, 15th April, 1901. A certain amount of contusion seems to exist with regard to the synonymy of this species, and a mistake occurred in my previous paper on, the birds of New Providence (Ibis, 1899, p. 518). In that paper a bird is recorded in the introduction as P. estiva and occurs in the text as P. rwbra. ‘That specimen is the P. estiva (Gmel.) of the ‘ British Museum Catalogue,’ which is the same as the P. rubra of Cory, ‘ Birds of the West Indies,’ p. 85 and ‘Cat. W. Ind. Birds,’ p- 114. The specimen under consideration, however, is the P. rubra (Linn.) of the B. M. Cat., recorded by Cory as P. erythromelas (Vieill.) in his ‘ Birds of the West Indies,’ p. 86. This is therefore the first record of this species within the Bahama area. Cyanospiza cyanea. No. 8. @. 15th April, 1go1. Tyrannus griseus. No. 9. @. 24th April, 1901. Six specimens of ‘ Fighters,’ presumably * of this species, inhabited the Cay for three days, March 24th-26th. Auk 174 BoNHOTE, Migration at some Bahama Lighthouses. ae Empidonax acadicus [= v/rescens]. No. 8. a. 15th April, 1901. The first record from the Bahamas. Dorichia evelyne. No. 8. @. 15th April, 1901. The occurrence of this bird so near the Cuban coast points to its occasional occurrence on that island. Spyrapicus varius. No. 4. @. 21st March, 1901. This specimen must have been a very bright male; the white tips and the outermost spots of the primaries are tinged with pinkish and the white margins of the outer tail-feathers are of a dull pinkish brown. Columba leucocephala. No. 10. a. 21st Dec., 1900. Struck the tower at 12.20 A. M. Charadrius fulvus. No. 4. a@. 25th Oct., 1900. Strepsilas interpres. No. 8. a. 14th Nov., 1900. Shot on the Cay. Tringoides macularius. No. 6 a. 25th April, 1901. Ardea virescens. INO; 23 9a@,,0-. 20th Meb:, 1900. No.8. ¢. 22nd April, 1901. ‘About 30 arrived on the night of the 20th and all left the following day with the exception of one, which was shot on the 22nd.” —T. R. T. U I have compared these specimens with the individual I obtained at Nassau in 1898 and I find that that specimen should be referred to A. bahamensis of Brewster and not to this species as erroneously recorded (Ibis, 1899, p. 519). Nyctiardea violacea. No. 3. @. 23rd Oct., 1900. Immature. No. 4. 6. 21st March, 1901. A fine adult. Vol. XX sesh ] BoNnHOTE, Migration at some Bahama Lighthouses. 175 Aramus giganteus. No.1. a@-c. 28th Jan., 1901. Nine examples were seen in all; they came from the N. W, and left going S. E. This is the first record within the Bahama area. Porphyrio martinica. No. 1. a. 19th Oct., 900. Struck at 4 A. M. Porzana carolina. No. 1. a. 19th Oct., 1900. Sterna cantiaca [acuflavida]. BLACKSHANK. No. 12. a@-c. 17th Jan., 1gor. No. 1. d. 23rd Jan., 1901. This species and S. dougallé sleep on the Cay whenever a strong breeze is blowing. Sterna dougalli. REDSHANK. No. It. a@-c. 26th Dec., 1900. Shot on the Cay. No. 12. d. 14th May, 1gor. Struck at 1.15 A. M. Sterna antillarum. Mr. Thompson has sent me some eggs of this species laid on the Cay. Sterna fuliginosa. No. 5. @. 23rd March, 1901. I also received eggs of this species from a Cay about thirty miles from the station. Date Extracts from Schedules. Name of Bird 19 Oct., 1900. 2On oa tes 7 79 (73 i (74 (73 28 74 (73 29 74 (73 30 74 oe Ta NOV.) 22 6c 73 21 Dec., “ 28 Jan., 1901. 14Feb., “ 20 « « ar Miate, 6° 23 ts 7 25 bc 73 3 Apr., “t II (73 ce 14 ve ce Ts 73 ce 19 73 74 21 “ (74 2 (73 ce a 6 6c 73 ORM Sas 13 14 “ce 73 P. martinica, P. carolina M. varia, P. americana, D. tigrina, D. cerule- scens, D. striata, G. tri- chas. S. ruticilla NV. violacea C. fulvus D. cerulescens P. americana, D. palma- rum, G. trichas D. palmarum, S. novebora- Censis S. znterpres P. americana, D. coronata, D. palmarum, VD. tigri- na, S. aurocapillus C. leucocephala A. giganteus D. coronata, D. tigrina A. virescens M. varia, P.americana. D. coronata, D. dominica, S. varius, WV. violacea M. varia, P. americana, Hi. swainsoni, LD. coro- nata, D. palmarum, D discolor, D. cerulescens, D. dominica, V. flavt- fronus, V. crasstrostrts, S. fuliginosa P. americana, Hf. swain- sont, S. motacilla M. varia P. americana D. caerulescens, §. ruticilla 7. mustelinus, T. fuces- cens, M. varia. P. ameri- cana, D. palmarum, D. cerulea, D. striata, D. discolor, D. tigrina, D. caerulescens, S. auro- capillus, S. novebora- censis, S. mitrata. P. rubra, C. cyanea, £&. acadicus, D. evelyne@ D. caerulescens D. tigrina. A. virescens. T. griseus. D. striata, O. agilis. P. americana, D. discolor, D. striata, S. auroca- pillus, S. ruticilla. P. americana, D. cerule- Scens. Weather Fog & rain Rainy Misty Misty Rain & fog Rain & mist Rain Foggy Misty : Side of Wind light Snack SeaWVeur Nie Nea = E. 6 = N. E. 6 — “ ioe: “ ae INE Bras 3: N.E. Se Ss WWE 2 S. N. W.4 —— Se Via N. W. N. W. 4 ae SEs) aN we SE. & |S. dW. SE 2 | Sui Ne We 3 sila Dee \ Winstons 22 S. 3 | a NON Weg | SE: Sob y- sue NeN Wea) ie == Seba or = Sa 18s i — Vol. XX ae ll BoNHOTE, Migration at some Bahama Lighthouses. B77 THE Birp Rock CONSIGNMENT. Mr. Thompson having been transferred to the above light last autumn I have much pleasure in tabulating below the results of the first consign- ment from his new station. Bird Rock Light, situated in Lat. 22°50! N., Long. 74°15! W., marks the northeastern limit of the Crooked Island. Passage and is on a small cay lying just off Crooked Island. It is, of course, too early to speak defi- nitely as yet, but, as might be expected, it does not appear to lie on any great migration route, and the few specimens captured during the fall of last year are solitary stragglers, with the exception of a flock of Coccyzus amertcanus which struck the light in some numbers on the night of the 15th October. Margarops fuscatus. No. 5. 14th Nov., 1901. One specimen struck at 9.50 P. M. Dendreca striata. No. 4. Several specimens, adults and young, 16th Oct. Vireo calidris. No.1. 14th Sept. Struck at 5.15 Pp. M. Coccyzus americanus. No. 3. 12 specimens, 15th Oct. Zenaidura macrura. No. 2. 29th Nov. Shot on the cay. Chamepelia passerina. No. 1. One specimen, 18th Sept. Porzana carolina. No. 3. One specimen, 15th Oct., 1gor. Date Name of Bird ~ Weather Wind ienesieete 8 Sept.,1901.| C. passerina Misty S65 Whee NE: EAs ef V. calidris f Se 43 — TSOct. as C. americanus, P. carolina | Rain & mist S.5 IN|. TO iaes OS | 98) See Misty W.5 E. 14Nov., | AZ. fuscatus Clear INS He INGE We 2 cana 291 7/20G7267-0 Mist & rain | N. by E. 5 — iG i 78 Bonnote, Migration at some Bahama Lighthouses. re THE Cay SAL CONSIGNMENTS. From the Cay Sal Light I have received, through the kindness of Mr. J. S. Solomon, two small consignments, the one covering the spring migration of 1901 and the other the autumn and winter movements of 1QOI-O2. The lighthouse of Cay Sal is situated on the westernmost point of the Cay Sal Bank in Lat. 23° 55’ N., Long. 80°25’ W., and lies nearly midway between Florida and the north coast of Cuba. During the year covered by the schedules no great movements appear to have been observed, most of the birds arriving singly or in twos and threes; the greatest rush recorded took place on the 13th of March and was made up of four or five small species of Passeres, which commenced striking about 2 A. M. and continued until dawn. Many of these birds remained on the cay three days before continuing their journey. The only other large movement took place, curiously enough, on the 15th December, a time when, as a rule, but little migration is to be looked for ; as in the previous rush the species represented were much the same ; they commenced to strike at 10 p. M. but ceased about 5 A. M. and very few were seen on the cay the next day. The other point of note is the occurrence on two occasions of the Purple Gallinule (P. martinica) which is probably therefore a regular migrant to the Bank. Mniotilta varia. No.1. a@,. 13th March, 1901. Parula americana. No. 1. a-k. Six males, two females, 13th March, 1901. Helminthophila bachmani. No.1. a@. 13th March, 1901. Dendreca coronata. No.1. a@. 13th March, 1gor. No. 1. 6-2. 15th Dec., 1901. Dendreeca palmarum. No.1. a-f. 13th March, 1901. Noelle 2,4. 15th Dec., 1901. Geothlypis trichas. No.1. a-f Four males, two females, 13th March, t1gor. No.1. g. One female, 15th Dec., 1901. Ammodramus savannarum. No.1. a-A. 15th Dec. 1901. Vol. XX eon | BoNuHOoTeE, AMégration at some Bahama Lighthouses. I 79 Dolichonyx oryzivorus. No. 3. a-c. ‘Three males in full plumage, 28th March, 1901. Coccyzus americanus. Rain Crow. No. 2. @. 17th March, 1901. This is the same species as that previ- ously recorded (Auk, 1901, p. 148) as C. mznor from Cay Lobos but not the same as C. minor maynardi from Nassau. Porphyrio martinica. No. 5. a. 24th April, 1go1. No. 2. 6. ° 9th Feb., 1902. Struck the lantern at 11.30 P.M. Sterna fuliginosa. EGG Birp. No. 4. @. 18th April, 1901. ‘These birds breed on the Cay every year, when they gather by thousands from May to August.” —J. S.S. Extracts from Schedules. Date Name of Bird Weather Wind igh eene 13 Mar.,1901.| 47. varza, P. americana, Cloudy Hy Sce hr 5) IN tear ire Hf. bachmani, D. coro- nata, D. palmarum, G. trichas M7 ae een Gapternzcartzs: Cloudy No Es _ 28 «6 “| D. orysztvorus Cloudy S. 5 — 18Apr., “ |S. fuliginosa Cloudy E.S. E. 6 — ZA eM co Chai LA7 Leneca Cloudy INS Wiis — 15Dec., “ | D. coronata, D. palma- Cloudy INGUNGRVWiee 59 |i Sn TLE eG ETUC HOSA savannarum 9 Feb., 1902. | P. martinaca Cloudy & N. E. 6 Ss. squally 180 Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. ae A“ LIST; OF THE: LAND BIRDS OF LAKES VALLEY CENTRAL SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA. BY, MIELEON (Ss RAY, Plates VIII and LX. THE following notes are the result of two seasons I have spent in Lake Valley, —from June 4 to 20 in rgo1, and from June 16 to July 3 in 1902. My brother William R. Ray has accompanied me, and in 1902 Olof Heinemann joined us. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Loren E. Taylor in rgo1 and Messrs. Chester Barlow, Henry R. Taylor, W. W. Price, and F. M. Willard in 1go2, at various points in the region, all of whom are well known workers in this locality. ‘The observations of Messrs. Wilfred H. Osgood, R. H. Beck, and Forrest Hanford have also added a number of species to the list. Liberal extracts have been taken from the ‘Land Birds of the Placerville-Lake Tahoe Stage Road’ by Chester Barlow (Condor, Vol. III, No. 6). A very small portion of Lake Valley lies in Nevada, as the State line turns a little north of here and runs southeast across the mountains. The valley is about 15 miles long and 8 miles wide. On the north it is bounded by Lake Tahoe, while on all other sides it is surrounded by rugged, snow-capped mountain ranges. The principal peaks are: Tallac on the west, rising to 9785 feet; further west and to the south snowy Pyramid attains 10,oz0 and Crystal 1o,o15 feet, while on the-eastern range Job’s and Freel’s Peaks have an altitude of 10,637 and 10,900 feet respectively. Lakes are numerous, there being a score of them between Mount Tallac and Pyramid Peak at altitudes varying from 6400°to 8500 feet. Star Lake, the only one on the east, is one of the highest in the world, the altitude being about gooo feet. It usually remains covered with a thick coat of ice until the end of June, and isa great resort for Clarke Nutcrackers and other birds of the Hud- sonian Zone. The altitude of Lake Valley is a little above that of Lake Tahoe, which is 6220 feet, and for the most part the valley is level, “Cs AMOI, WOE, DO ean, WALA Photographed by W. R. Ray. LOOKING WEST FROM ROWIJ.AND’S MEADOWS, SHOWING TRANSITION, CANADIAN, HUDSONIAN, AND ALPINE ZONES. ; Se See tes ta Fame =, ers Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. 181 though hilly adjacent to the mountain sides. It presents six dis- tinct types of country. (1.) The major portion is sandy, more or less thickly wooded with pine, tamarack, sagebrush and the broad-leaved wild sun- flower. The majority of the timber on the eastern half is second growth. (2.) There are also large areas of fertile grassy meadows along the numerous streams whose banks are fringed with willow, aspen and other trees. (3.) At the mouth of the Little Truckee River, called Row- lands, is a marsh extending about three miles along the lake shore and from one to three miles inland. The above three types of country lie in the Transition Zone. (4.) Portions of the hillsides are very rocky, sparsely wooded, but thickly covered with the thorny buck brush, manzanita, and wild beach. ‘This district lies in the Canadian Zone. (5.) On the mountain sides are dense forests of massive firs, balsam, pine, and tamarack. Picturesque lakes, rushing torrents, and foaming waterfalls characterize this portion of the country, the lower part of which belongs to the Canadian Zone, and above 8000 feet to the Hudsonian Zone, (6.) The last type is the barren rocky areas above the timber line on the various mountain peaks, or the Alpine Zone. The principal points of the region are: Altitude. Lakeside (State Line) : F : ; : F : 286220 Bijou (P. O.) 2 miles west of Lakeside, on lake shore . . 6220 Rowlands, 4 66 6“ 9 7 73 “cc 6“ ‘ A 6220 wallace (PFO:)7 < rec a ee ae ef : 0220 Glen Alpine,14 “ “ieee a arocky gorge . . 6700 Sierra House, 2} miles southeast of Lakeside, in Lake Valley 6300 Meyer’s Station, 7 “ south es es oh ees me 6400 Summit, 12 “ southwest ‘ fe on the ridge 7600 Phillip’s Station 14“ x s ss ict “« 6900 The weather in the valley is erratic. In summer magnificent thunderstorms, followed by a downpour of rain, hail, and occasion- ally light snow, are common while in a few hours the sun will be shining and the sky clear. The climate in general, however, is cold in the morning and evening and rather warm at midday. Bird life in general is varied and numerous, in striking contrast 182 Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. Auk to places west of the summit, like Echo, Slippery Ford, and R’ ton. This is no doubt due to the fact that species of many zones occur here, owing to the diversified character of the country. The breeding season is very early for the altitude of 6220 feet, it being about the same as Slippery Ford, west of the summit, at 4000 feet elevation. It is a noticeable fact that even 500 or 1000 feet make a differ- ence in nesting dates, allowing for the usual variation. For in- stance, at Bijou on Lake Tahoe, on June 7, eggs of /unco hyemalis thurbert were well along in incubation, and by June 15 most nests contained young. At Phillip’s Station eggs slightly incubated were found June 16, and on July 3, 4 and 5 we observed young birds flying about at Wright’s Lake and various other plac on this mountain plateau; while at gooo feet, on July 6, while ascend- ing Pyramid Peak, two nests of eggs were found in which incuba- tion had just commenced. ‘The lateness of the season also delays nesting, but only of certain species, it having little effect on birds breeding in protected situations, like woodpeckers, bluebirds and chickadees. List oF SPECIEs.! 17. Oreortyx pictus plumiferus. PAINTED PARTRIDGE.— Rather scarce on the floor of the valley although a number were seen near Tallac in June, 1901. It is common on the mountain sides, especially on the road to Star Lake. 18. Dendragapus obscurus fuliginosus. Soory Grouse.— This bird is more often heard than seen. It is not uncommon on the ranges sur- rounding Lake Valley. On July 4, 1902, on the road to Pyramid Peak, a parent with young about the size of a Valley Quail, was flushed from the brush along the road. In her solicitude for the young she could have been hit with a driving whip. Mr. Price states they remain in these high altitudes all the year, and also records a set of seven eggs, well advanced in incubation, found at Glen Alpine, June 7, 1900. 19. Zenaidura macroura. MourninG Dove.— Common, especially about Bijou. Iam inclined to think these birds do not breed here until late in July, as notwithstanding their abundance I found no nests. 1 Asterisk signifies skin taken Sixteen water birds have been listed, so this list starts with No. 17. THE AUK, VOL. XX. AEN axe “Photographed by O. Heinemann. WRIGHT’S ‘LAKE, NORTHWEST OF PYRAMID PEAK. & i ae i a oa Panes Deets ane Ae San ators = 2 a ac Sa Ra git ope i ap Ha a rr ep ys eer Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. 183 20. Cathartes aura. TurKEY VULTURE.—A common species in the valley ; a number were seen almost every day. 21. Accipiter velox rufilatus. WerSTERN SHARP-SHINNED HAwK.— Not uncommon about Lake Valley; in fact all the birds of prey were far more numerous here than at any point on the trip. 22. Accipiter cooperi. Cooper HAwxk.—Observed about Glen Alpine Springs by Mr. W. W. Price, and also at the base of Pyramid Peak, where, he states, they no doubt breed. 23. Accipiter atricapillus striatulus. WrsterRN GosHawK.— Seen near Pyramid Peak in June and July, 1897, by Mr. Price where, he states, they undoubtedly breed. 24. Buteo borealis calurus. WESTERN ReED-TAILED HAwk.— The most common raptore in the region. I noticed it every day on various rambles. A field glass is very handy for identifying these birds when at a great height. 25. Aquila chrysaétos. GOLDEN EAGLE.—Observed about Glen Alpine by Mr. Price, and about Pyramid Peak and Mt. Tallac, where it nests on rocky ledges. 26. Falco sparverius deserticolus.* DESERT SPARROW HAwkK.—This bird is rather scarce in Lake Valley. During the first week of June, 1901, one was shot on the Bijou camp grounds. Seen about Mt. Tallac and at Pyramid Peak by Mr. Price, where he found a nest at gooo feet on July 5, 1897. 27. Nyctala acadica. SAW-wHET OwL.—A single specimen, shot by Mr. A. S. Bunnell at Glen Alpine in July, 1808. 28. Bubo virginianus saturatus. Dusky HorNED OwL.— We saw a Horned Owl, probably this variety, near Forni’s, at the base of Pyramid Peak, on July 5, 1902. 29. Glaucidium gnoma. Picmy OwL.— Mr. Price shot three at Glen Alpine on August 10, 1900; one an adult temale, the others young of the year. 30. Ceryle alcyon. BELTED KINGFISHER. — Fairly common along the lake shore between Bijou and Rowlands, and it probably nests in the sandy bank which forms an unbroken line between these two points. 31. Dryobates villosus hyloscopus. CABANIS WOODPECKER. — Mr. L. E. Taylor secured two specimens at Fallen Leaf Lake on Sept. 2, 1901. I also noticed this bird occasionally about Rowlands. 32. Xenopicus albolarvatus. WuITE-HEADED WoopPECKER.— This woodpecker and Colaftes cafer collarts are the only species of this fam- ily which can be really called common in Lake Valley. The male is an attractive bird, with his glossy black coat and white head. They are especially fond of the grub of a large beetle found in newly-dead tama- racks, and as these are also the principal bait used for catching the famous Tahoe trout, the experienced fisherman looks for a trunk this bird has recently tapped. The bird breeds commonly in Lake Valley, nesting in dead pines and tamaracks from 5 to 25 feet up. By June tr most nests contained young in various stages. ee 184 Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. rae 33. Picoides"tenuirostris. SreERRA THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. — Mr. W. W. Price records two young shot at the head of Glen Alpine gorge July, 1898, and a pair near Pyramid Peak, August, 1896. 34. Sphyrapicus thyroideus. WILLIAMSON SAapsuCKER.— Noted as nesting at the base of Pyramid Peak by Mr. Chester Barlow. Mr. L. E. Taylor collected an immature female at Cascade Lake on August 8. 35. Ceophlceus pileatus abieticolas NorrTHERN PILEATED Woop- PECKER.— Mr. Taylor collected a male at Gilmore Springs, near Tallac, Sept. 2, 1901. 36. Melanerpes torquatus. Lewis Woopprecker. — Mr. R. H. Beck records it as common and breeding about Bijou in the summer of 1896. Personally I have not observed it in the region. 37. Colaptes cafer collaris. REpD-sHAFTED FLICKER.-— A common species, nesting at various heights in dead pines in Lake Valley and on the mountain sides. All nests examined during June, 1901 and 1902, con- tained young. 38. Phalznoptilus nuttallii californicus. Dusky PoorwiLi.— Mr. Taylor collected a female at Meyer’s Station on Sept. 2, 1901. 39. Chordeiles virginianus. NiGHTHAWK.—The Nighthawk is extremely common, and only on cloudy days when they fly low is one able to realize the abundance of these birds. I noticed at least 100 in one band on the road to Star Lake, darting back and forth in what was evidently a good feeding ground. A single set of two eggs is recorded by Mr. Price as being found ona bare rock near Suzy Lake late in July, but where the thousands of Nighthawks breed is still a mystery. I have never found a nest nor an indication of one, and probably the reason is the birds do not start to breed until the end of July or later. 40. Calypte anna. ANNA HuMMINGBIRD.—Mr. Price records a female, evidently a straggler, as being shot near Pyramid Peak, July, 1896. 41. Selasphorus platycercus. BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD. — Recorded as a rather rare summer visitant at Lake Tahoe in Grinnell's ‘ Check-list of California Birds.’ 42. Selasphorus rufus. Rurous HUMMINGBIRD. — Mr. W. W. Price notes this bird as common and nesting about Glen Alpine. I also saw it occasionally at Bijou. 43. Contopus borealis. OLIVE-sIDED FLYCATCHER. — This flycatcher is not abundant in Lake Valley; I noticed it occasionally at Rowlands, but more often on the mountain sides among the heavy timber. 44. Contopus richardsoni. WrsTERN Woop PEwEE. —A very com- mon bird throughout the region. I found a freshly built nest on June 7, 1901, near Lake Tahoe at 30 feet up in a dead tree near a small stream; another at Bijou, on June 20, 1901, placedon a branch of a small tamarack, 15 feet up, with three fresh eggs. On June 18, 1902, near Bijou, a nest was found saddled on a tamarack branch, 12 feet up, and also contained three fresh eggs ; and another nearby was situated in a tamarack 4o feet up with the same complement. The last two nests, now before me, are wo Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. 185 similar in construction and material, being externally composed of grasses, weed fibres, bits of bark and string, and lined with horse-hair and various bird feathers. In one the brilliant yellow feathers of the Western Tanager are conspicuous. This nest measures 4 inches across, the cavity being 2 by 1} inches deep. The most interesting nest of this bird I ever saw was at Echo on June 15, 1902. It was on a small dead branch hang- ing from the main trunk of a giant pine, fully 75 feet up. The nest and bird were so small at this great height that they could be scarcely seen, and my friend Olof Heinemann, who was with me, gazed for a number of minutes before he could perceive it. The female was observed whirling round and round in the almost completed nest and presently flew off and returned with a bit of material which was carefully placed. Few can realize the time and patience required to build these, one of the most beautiful of all forest bird homes. 45. Empidonax trailli, Trairy FLYCATCHER. — This bird is rather Scarce; a single nest was found July 1, 1902, made of hemp fibres and grasses and laced to an upright fork of a willow beside a small stream near the Sierra House. It contained a single fresh egg, of the usual pale buff blotched with reddish brown. This is the highest altitude at which I have ever found this bird. At Buck’s Ranch, Plumas County, elevation 5000 feet, I found a nest, which I collected with the parent, June 29, 1901, in a willow, 3 feet up, near a small brook. It contained four eggs in Which incubation had just begun. The bird is evidently a late breeder, in fact, in this region all the flycatchers breed late. 46. Empidonax hammondi. Hammonp FLycatcurr.— Mr. Price states he has observed young of this species frequently about Pyramid Peak late in the summer. 47. Otocoris alpestris merrilli. Dusky Hornep LarK.— On October 6, 1901, Mr. Taylor collected a female at Meyer’s Station, and another near Lake of the Woods on October 9, at 8900 feet altitude. 48. Pica hudsonica. AmERICAN MAGpIz.— Common about Rowlands and in thickets along streams. I found numerous nests during the month of June containing full-grown young, but in most cases the young had already left. The nests were rough looking structures of sticks and all placed in willows from 7 to 20 feet up. 49. Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis. BLUE-FrRONTED Jay.— Scarce onythe floor of the valley but abundant on mountain sides. A nest found near Fallen Leaf Lake, placed on the branch of a small fir in plain view, 8 feet up, contained four large young on June 15, 1901. A late nest for this species was noted near Phillip’s Station in a tamarack i5 feet up, which contained four small unfeathered young on July 3, 1902. When about the nest the jays are very quiet and drop their usual noisy ways. 50. Nucifraga columbiana. CLARKE NUTCRACKER.— This bird is not common in the valley, although the day we arrived, June 16, 1902, I saw a large band of Nutcrackers near Rowlands, and noticed others occasion- ally in the pine woods during my stay. They are abundant at high altitudes, as Star Lake and Pyramid Peak. 186 Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. om 51. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus. YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. — Thousands of these birds nest every year at Rowland’s marsh, in the thick tules over, usually, a considerable depth of water (4 to 10 feet). Freshly built nests, eggs in all stages of incubation, and fully fledged young were found during the month of June. Sets contained from two to five eggs. The nests were compactly made and well fastened to the tules, but when the young become grown the nest is frequently tipped to one side, precipitating the juveniles into the water. In one nest, ina rather sparse tule patch, the young birds were just on the verge of falling out, and on our approach one of them tumbled into the water. We replaced the young one in the nest, when another repeated the act, and another, until we finally gave up attempting to put them back. We paddled a short distance away and watched the nest; soon the occupants, probably none the worse for their immersion, decided to set forth again. All of them succeeded in keeping afloat until they clambered up in the tules with an agility which surprised me when the helplessness of most young birds is considered. Pc Agelaius phceniceus neutralis.* San Dreco RED-wWINGED BLACKBIRD.— This species outnumbers all other birds in the marsh and it is strange it should have been overlooked by previous workers (it not being recorded in Mr. Barlow’s list). I shot seven red-winged black- birds at random and all proved to be this species, as were all the red- wings I observed. On every trip to the marsh I found numberless nests, placed usually in small willows just above the water or attached to marsh grass. All sorts and conditions of eggs and young were found during June. On account of the unusually heavy snowfall in 1901, the lake rose rapidly in June, flooding hundreds of nests of this bird. Many were deserted, some containing eggs and others drowned young. 53. Agelaius gubernator californicus. BrcoLORED BLACKBIRD.— Mr. Beck observed this bird nesting in the marsh near Bijou (presumably Rowlands) in June, 1896. 54. Agelaius tricolor, TrRiIcoLoRED BLACKBIRD.— Observed nesting on the shores of Lake Tahoe by Mr. Beck who collected a set of five eggs on June 12, 1896. Personally I have never seen either this or the pre- ceding species and do not think they can be considered by any means common. 55. Sturnella magna neglecta. WESTERN MEADOWLARK.— Not un- common in the broad meadows about Lakeside, Bijou, and Rowlands. They were rather shy, and I did not secure a specimen. ‘To me the song seemed somewhat different from that heard in our coast valleys but a bird shot at Meyer’s Station on Sept. 30, 1901, by Mr. Taylor, is recorded as this species, so | am, no doubt, mistaken. 56. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus. BREWER BLACKBIRD.— Common about Rowland’s marsh and various meadows throughout the valley. I found nests in a variety of situations; some were placed in a depression in the damp ground in meadows, some in willows a foot or less above the ae Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. 187 water, like those of the Red-wing, and others a few feet up in tamarack saplings. All these situations are quite at variance with those selected on the coast, which is generally in a pine or evergreen about 20 feet up. I noticed in June, 1901, large numbers of these birds nesting in the sage- brush near Carson, Nevada, owing to the absence of trees; but the most unusual nests were a number found in cavities of old piles over the water at Bijou and Rowlands. One of these, at the latter place, was above 20 feet of water and 50 yards from the shore. It held five large young on June 29, 1902, but could not be photographed successfully owing to the lack of contrast, the birds, nest and pile all being dark requiring a time exposure impossible in a canoe. As with the other blackbirds, the breeding season extends through June, although the majority of nests had young by June 15. 57- Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus. WersTERN EVENING GROSBEAK.— Observed by Mr. Barlow at Echo, just west of the summit, on June 14, 1901. 58. Pinicola californica. CALIFORNIA Pint GRosBEAK.— Mr. Barlow saw this bird at Forni’s, at the base of Pyramid Peak, on June 9, 1900. 59. Carpodacus purpureus californicus. CALIFORNIA PURPLE FINCH. — Collected at Glen Alpine on June 24, 1900, by Mr. Price, who states it is rare on the east slope of the range. 60. Carpodacus cassini. CAssiIn PURPLE Fincu.-— This purple finch is found, though not abundantly, in Lake Valley. It was common about Wright’s Lake and Forni’s in the Pyramid Peak region in July, 1902. At Bijou, June 10, rgot, I located a nest in a massive pine over 100 feet up and so far out on the branch as to be inaccessible. A few days later I located a nest near Lakeside in a similar situation. 61. Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis. House Fincu. — Extremely common, especially about Bijou. I am inclined to think the abundance of this bird has been attributed by error to Carfodacus cassint. 1 found numerous nests in small pines and tamaracks, from six to fifteen feet up, and placed in the usual careless manner with little or no attempt at con- cealment. Here the birds are late breeders, nest building commencing in the latter part of June, and in most cases no eggs were deposited until July 1 or later. Most sets consisted of three eggs, of the usual white ground color with a faint tinge of bluish, lightly spotted. 62. Loxia curvirostra bendirei. SrieRRA Crosspit_.—Rare. Mr. Taylor collected a female near Meyer’s Station Sept. 1, 1901, and it has been seen on two occasions by Mr. Price, once near Pyramid Peak, and at Glen Alpine. 63. Leucosticte tephrocotis. GRAY-CROWNED — LEUCOSTICTE.— Observed by various writers on the summit of Pyramid Peak. On our visit, July 5, 1902, numerous leucostictes were seen flying about the boul- ders and on the broad patches of snow. I patiently watched a number for about half an hour with a field glass but failed to notice any indication of a nest in the vicinity. In the meantime my brother and Heinemann 188 © Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. | ieee had already started back for camp and, desiring to make a short cut, went down the slope where it is very precipitous. Here, after some distance, it became difficult to advance or retreat. A little distance away a pair of leucostictes was observed in a rocky ledge. The pair was watched, and soon one flew into a long, winding, impenetrable cavity among the huge granite slabs of the ledge. On their approaching the spot the bird flew out and began hopping about showing some anxicty. There is little doubt that the birds had a nest there but it was impossible to reach it. 64. Astragalinus psaltria. ARKANSAS GOLDFINCH.— A straggler was shot by Mr. Price on the summit of Mount Tallac, August, 1892. 65. Spinus pinus. PINE Siskin. — Observed commonly by Mr. Price at the head of Glen Alpine gorge where he has taken young in July and August. 66. Zonotrichia leucophrys.* _WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. — This sparrow is found sparingly about Bijou and Lakeside in Lake Valley, but is abundant on the summit and about Pyramid Peak. It is a pleasing song- ster, the song being similar to that of Z. 2. nuttalli, but the ending is more abrupt. I have heard the male singing as late as nine o’clock at night and at the first signs of daybreak. On June 10, 1901, scarcely fiity yards from camp, my brother stumbled on a nest well concealed among the grass at the foot of a small willow. We had passed this spot a num- ber of times but the parent had been so alert as to steal off unnoticed. The eggs, four in number, were fresh and measured .87 X .62, .86 X .62, 83 X .62,.72 X .59. They are greenish white with numerous small spots of reddish brown. The nest is of weed stems and grasses, lined with horse-hair. It measures 4} inches, over all, while the cavity is 2} by 2 inches deep. I took the parents with this nest and the male, with a broken wing led me a merry race over the meadow, as I had used the last shell in my auxiliary barrel. 67. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli. INTERMEDIATE SPARROW. — Mr. Taylor secured three specimens about Glen Alpine and one at Meyer’s Station during the latter half of September, 1901, while in its migration from the north. 68. Spizella socialis arizone.* WrSTERN CHIPPING SPARROW.— Very common throughout the valley, nesting in pine and tamarack saplings, usually five or six feet up. The nests are all very similar — of grasses and vegetable fibres lined with horse or cow-hair, or both. They are placed insecurely, owing to the character of the trees, near the end of the branch. In Yosemite Valley, in the summer of 1898, I found most nests placed in willows where they had a better foundation. The reason why the birds do not select the willow as a nesting site here is probably because they are not fully leaved when the breeding season commences. Some nesting dates are as follows : June 10, 1901, Bijou, four eggs, fresh; June 11, 1901, Bijou, four, incubation just begun; June 11, 1901, Bijou, four small young; June 17, 1902, Bijou, four eggs, incubation just begun ; July 2, 1902, Bijou, four fresh eggs. oo Ray, Land Birds of Lake Walley, Cal. 189 69. Spizella breweri. BREWER SpaRRow. — Several were shot near Meyer’s Station in July, 1896, by Mr. Wilfred Osgood. I saw what I took to be this bird on the brush covered rocky slopes on the east side of the valley, but did not notice it about Bijou. 70. Junco hyemalis thurberi.* Srerra JuNco.— A common summer resident; frequents the fertile meadows and localities adjacent to streams more than the dry, sparsely wooded sections of the valley. My first nest was found on June 7, 1901, containing four eggs that were just blowable. This nest was completely hidden by the wide drooping leaves of a wild sunflower, and was situated on the bank of an irrigating ditch, two miles over the State line in Nevada. My prettiest set of eggs was taken a long distance west of the summit, one mile west of Maple Grove, near River- ton, on June 13, 1902. While driving along the road we flushed a junco from a dripping mossy bank just above the road. The nest was very damp, and well lined with coon hair. The eggs, three in number, were fresh, and heavily marked in a wreath around the larger end with great blotches of rich chestnut red and lavender. Near Phillip’s Station, on June 16, 1902, a nest was discovered on the ground, flush with the surface, with four eggs of the lightly marked type, in which incubation had just begun. A curious nest was noted at Bijou in an empty tin can. It had held two eggs, but these had rolled out on the ground and the birds had deserted it. At an altitude of about gooo feet, while climbing Pyramid Peak, on July 5, 1902, I collected a nest with three partly incubated eggs placed under the projecting ledge of a great boulder. Another was found with four eggs, in which incubation had also just begun. It was located in a similar situation and appears in the photograph by my brother who found it. All the above nests are similar in construction, being made of grasses and weed stems and some are lined with horse or other hair. 71. Melospiza cinerea montana. Mounrain SonG SPARROW. — A rather common bird about Rowlands and also seen occasionally in thickets along streams, where a nest was found on the ground June 20, 1902, con- taining five badly incubated eggs. It was so securely hidden by a tall broad-leaved plant that I would have passed it by unnoticed had not the parent fluttered off at my feet. On June 22, 1902, I found a nest at Row- land’s Marsh in a willow, over deep water, containing four small young. 72. Melospiza lincolni. Lincotn Sparrow. —On June 7, 1902, Mr. Forrest Hanford secured a specimen on a meadow at 7,200 feet elevation, where it was probably about to breed. 73. Passerella iliaca unalaschensis. TowNsEND SpaRRow.— Mr. Price records six sparrows of this form taken on Silver Creek, within three miles of Pyramid Peak, in September, 1896. One specimen was very light colored and referable to the Fox Sparrow rather than to P. 2, unalaschensts. : 74. Passerella iliaca megarhyncha. THICK-BILLED SPARROW. — Rather abundant on the bushy, rocky hillsides in the eastern part of Lake Valley, where it delivers its sweet song from some patch of brush or jagged rock. I was unable to locate any nests. I9O Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. aoe 75. Oreospiza chlorura. GREEN-TAILED TOwWHEE.—Mr. Taylor secured two specimens in September at Glen Alpine Springs. 76. Zamelodia melanocephala. BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. —I noticed it on a ridge east of Fallen Leaf Lake where a male was pouring forth his clear, joyous notes from the top of a fir. 77. Cyanospizaamoena. LazuLi BuNTING.—A single specimen was shot in September, 1896, on Silver Creek, at about 7000 feet, by Mr. Price, who states it is rare above 4500 feet. 78. Piranga ludoviciana. WersTERN TANAGER.— The most brilliantly colored bird in the region. While it is fairly abundant in Lake Valley, it is more common in the heavy timber on the mountain sides. A nest was found June 11, 1901, on the Bijou camp grounds in a tamarack only 15 feet up (misprinted 25, Osprey, Vol. V, No. 8). containing five fresh eggs. Another, at Fyffe, 38 miles west of the summit, was 50 feet up in a pine, and held four partly incubated eggs. The average height, how- ever, is about 30 feet. The nests are frail grosbeak-like structures of rootlets. 79. Petrochelidon lunifrons. CLIFF SwaLLow.— Common, forty nests were found under the eaves of an old saloon built over the water at Rowlands. Eggs and young in all stages during June. 80. Hirundo erythrogaster palmeri. WESTERN BARN SWALLOW. — Common, nests in barns and other outbuildings about Bijou and Row- lands. A rather strange nest was found at the latter place on June 19, 1902, containing four fresh eggs. It was plastered against a rafter in a small cottage, the bird gaining entrance through a small jagged hole in a windowpane. 81. Tachycineta bicolor.* TREE SwaLLow.—Abundant along the lake shore, especially about Rowlands, where it nests in dead trees and stumps about the marsh. A nest found at this place on June 12, 1901, was placed in a hole of a pile of an old wharf, over the water, and held six eggs in which incubation had just begun. The nest was profusely lined with feathers. On June 22, 1902, a nest was found in the same hole with five well incubated eggs and two others nearby held large young. 82. Tachycineta thalassina. VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW. —Seen in August on the lakes in Glen Alpine nearly every year by Mr. Price. 83. Vireo gilvus swainsoni. WerSTERN WARBLING VIREO. — Ob- served by Mr. Barlow on the Forni meadow near Pyramid Peak, altitude 7500 feet, in June, 1900. 84. Vireo solitarius cassini. Cassin Vireo. — Mr. Price notes it as rare in Glen Alpine except during the early migration of the young when they are very common. 85. Helminthophila rubricapilla gutturalis. CALAVERAS WARBLER. — Mr. Price states it is rather common at Glen Alpine and on the slopes of Mt. Tallac to at least 8000 feet. 86. Helminthophila celata lutescens. LUTESCENT WARBLER.— Observed by Mr. Price to be rather common in Glen Alpine in July and August, although he states he has no evidence that it breeds. ee | Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. IQI / 87. Dendroica zstiva morcomi. WESTERN YELLOW WARBLER. — This I noted as the commonest warbler in Lake Valley. All nests I found were in pines or tamaracks, and placed rather insecurely when on the end of the branch, owing to the character of the tree, but when found in saplings the nest was placed against the trunk. One in a tamarack, 12 feet up, near Bijou, contained three well incubated eggs on June 25, 1902, and another, found on the same day, near by, held four small young, and was placed 8 feet up in a pine. 8S. Dendroica coronata hooveri. ALASKA MyrTLE WARBLER. —I am reluctant to make observations that may be questioned, but I am reason- ably sure I saw a bird of this species near Lakeside on June 26, 1902. It was a male and lit close to me on the dead limb of a pine. Unfortunately I did not have a gun with me but having that ‘ Audubonian’ fire-arm, the field glass, I was enabled to examine the bird well. My notes, made at the time, tally with the descriptions of this bird. It had some resem- blance to Dexdrotca audubonz, but the conspicuous white throat distin- guishéd it in an instant. 8g. Dendroicaauduboni. AupUBON WARBLER. — This highly colored warbler is, next to Dendrotca e@estiva, the most abundant species in the valley, and in some districts is even more common. A nest found with four almost fresh eggs on June 17, 1902, at Bijou, was placed 25 feet up against the main trunk of a tamarack. Another at Emerald Bay, on the lake shore, in a pine four feet up, held five eggs, four well incubated and one perfectly fresh. This was on June 27, 1902. Both sets are heavily and richly marked, as is usual with the eggs of this species. The nests are similar, of hemp fibres, fine rootlets, bits of bark, and lined very pro- fusely with feathers, and can be distinguished by their large size from those of D. estiva at a glance. go. Dendroica townsendi. TOowNsEND WARBLER. — A male was shot near Gilmore Lake, on the slope of Mt. Tallac, at 8500 feet, early in August, 1900, by Mr. Chas. Merrill and is recorded by Mr. Price. gi. Dendroica occidentalis. Hermit WARBLER.— Mr. Price notes it as rather rare, except late in July and early in August, about Silver Creek when the migration of the young takes place. 92. Geothlypis tolmiei. ToLmMie WaARBLER.— Mr. Price states it is rather common up to 8000 feet, both in the Silver Creek region and on Mt. Tallac. 93. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis. — WESTERN YELLOW-THROAT. — Mr. Price observed a yellow-throat in the marshes about Tallac referable to this species, but secured no specimens. 94. Wilsonia pusilla pileolata. PILEOLATED WARBLER.— This war- bler is not uncommon in the willow thickets along streams and about Rowlands. Mr. Price records it as common in Glen Alpine,where a nest, placed on the ground under a fallen aspen, at Lily Lake, was found in July, 1898, with five eggs. Mr. Barlow also saw this bird on the summit on June 14, 1901. 192 Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. res g5. Cinclus mexicanus. AMERICAN DippER.—Rare in the valley proper but not uncommon along the turbulent streams in the mountains that surround it. On June 25, 1902,I noticed a pair of dippers and young along a small stream on the road to Star Lake. 96. Troglodytes aedon parkmani. PARKMAN WRrREN.— Mr. Price observed this bird in Glen Alpine and shot a pair early in August, 1900, on Mt. Tallac at 8000 feet. 97. Certhia familiaris zelotes. SimRRA CREEPER.— Rather scarce. I noticed several pairs of these birds in groves of dead pines in marshy tracts at Rowlands. 98. Sitta carolinensis aculeata. SLENDER-BILLED NUTHATCH.—I saw this bird frequently on the summit in the middle of June, 1902. Also observed by Mr. C. Barlowand Mr. L. E. Taylor. Mr. Price also remarks it is common above 6000 feet on both sides of the range, at Silver Creek and about Glen Alpine. gg. Sitta canadensis. RED-BREASTED NuTHATCH.— Mr. Price notes it as common at Silver Creek during migrations and states it may breed there. 100. Sitta pygmea. PyGmy NurHarcu.—A family were noted on Silver Creek, at 7000 feet, in August, 1896, and several were taken by W. W. Price, who states it is possible they were migrating. 101. Parus gambeli. MouNTAIN CHICKADEE.—The sprightly little chickadee is rather common about the valley and was observed up to above Star Lake, at about gooo feet altitude. A curious nest of this bird was found on June 26, 1902, near Bijou, placed in a pine stub, the entrance being from the top of the stub running down about a foot perpendicu- larly. The parents were confiding little fellows, flitting back and forth with food for the five young ones notwithstanding I stood only a few feet away. 102. Regulus satrapa olivaceus. WESTERN GOLDEN-CROWNED KING- LET. — Mr. Taylor collected a female at Glen Alpine, Sept. 19, 1901. 103. Regulus calendula. RuBy-CROWNED KiINGLEeT.—Mr. Taylor took an adult female at Glen Alpine, Sept. 19, t901. Mr. Price states it breeds commonly in the forests of alpine hemlock on the slopes of Pyra- mid Peak and at the head of Glen Alpine but that he has never succeeded in finding a nest. 104. Myadestes townsendi. TOwNsEND SoLiTairRE.— Mr. Taylor collected four specimens at Glen Alpine Springs in September, and one at Meyer’s Station, Oct. 7, 1901. 105. Hylocichla ustulata. RussrET-BACKED ‘THRUSH.—A_ single record. Mr. H.R. Taylor founda nest at Echo just west of the summit (altitude 5700 feet), June 16, 1902, with four eggs, placed in a small dense fir tree in a meadow. 106. Hylocichla aonalaschke sequoiensis. SIERRA HERMIT THRUSH. —TI have never noticed this bird on the floor of the valley but as soon as the ascent of the mountain sides is commenced the song is heard. The hoe Bowpisu, Mood Habits of West Indian Birds. 193 bird is nowhere so abundant as about Phillip’s Station, on the summit. Here this peerless singer was heard occasionally through the day but more often at dusk. I found a nest, built principally of rootlets, placed in a small tamarack 6 feet up, along the road east of Phillip’s Station on July 3, 1902. It contained three rather pale blue eggs in which incuba- tion had just begun. I discovered two other nests the same day, one along the road, 6 feet up in a tamarack, with four small young; the other was found deep in the woods, artfully placed among the branches of a dead tamarack, and held four large young. In the last two cases the parents were reluctant to leave the nest, and hopped about the branches near by, showing great anxiety and settled down on the nest immediately after we left. 107. Merula migratoria propinqua. WersTERN RoBIN.— As usual in the Sierras the robin was the most common bird of its size, in Lake Valley as well as up to 8000 feet altitude. It begins to lay in the Lake Valley about the first of June, and a little later or earlier at other points, according to the altitude. 108. Hesperocichla nevia. VARIED THRusH.— Mr. Price collected a specimen on Silver Creek, Oct. 1, 1896. 109. Sialia arctica.* MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD. — Very common in Lake Valley. I found nine nests one day on a ramble near Bijou, all placed in dead trees or stumps, from 3 to 15 feet up. After the first week in June nests contained partly incubated eggs, although an occasional late nest was found. The Western Robin, Western Chipping Sparrow and the Mountain Bluebird are the three commonest birds in the pine woods, and although the latter is last on this list it is by no means the least interesting bird in the region. FOOD HABITS OF SOME WEST INDIAN BIRDS. BY B. S. BOWDISH. So FAR as I have noticed, few writers have given much attention to the extent to which many birds of families which in the States are considered more or less strictly insectivorous, feed in the West Indies largely on fruit and seeds. In ‘The Auk’ for October, 1902, Mr. John Grant Wells men- tions Vireo calidris as feeding more or less on small red berries, and occasional mention of other cases may be found. — In Porto Rico the woodpecker, Me/anerpes portoricensis, forms 194 Bowpisu, Hood Habits of West Indian Birds. res about half its bill of fare of fruit and seeds. The Gray Kingbird, Tyrannus dominicensis, sometimes gleans more than half of its living from vegetable substances; /’/fangus taylori feeds about as largely on fruit, etc.; AZyzarchus antillarum and Blacicus blancot also feed quite largely on such matter. These species constitute the list of native flycatchers. In Cuba three Woodpeckers — X7phidiopicus percussus, Melan- erpes superciliaris, and Colaptes chrysocaulosus — according to the stomachs that I have examined, subsist on a diet not more than one third of which is insectivorous. Two native Vireos of Porto Rico, V. ¢alidris and V. latimeri, feed to some extent on vegetable matter, and at times half or more of the food of the former is vegetable. Finally, Warblers coming to Cuba and Porto Rico from the States for the winter were found to eat more or less weed seed and in some cases to feed very largely on it. In these islands, teeming with insect life, it seems a little remarkable, even considering the temptation afforded by abun- dance of fruit, that birds habitually considered insectivorous should feed on vegetable matter to the extent of almost completely changing their normal food habits, and I have no explanation to account for it. Following is the result of examinations of a few stomachs: Melanerpes portoricensis. g and 9, July 2, seeds and buds with a small percentage of insect matter; 9, Dec. 13, seeds and remains of worms; &, Dec. 28, seeds; 9, April 8, insects; 9, April 22, seeds and remains of spiders; 9, two seeds and small insects; @, Aug. 3, insects; 4 specimens (3 9 and 1?), May 26, one beetles, others seeds and remains of fruit; 9, May 30, beetles and other insects; 9, June 27, dragonfly; @, Sept. 6, insects and seeds. Tyrannus dominicensis. @ and @, July 2, small shells and coleoptera; @, Oct. 4, insects, chiefly coleoptera; &, Jan. 18,a few small berries from trees; 2, Jan. 20, one large berry-seed and remains of insects; 9, Jan. 24, berries and insects; g and Q, Jan. 26, seeds and insects; 9, Jan. 27, seeds and insects; @’, Jan. 28, insects and seeds; @, Jan. 29, insects. Myiarchus antillarum. @, July 21, seeds and coleoptera; 9, Jan. 18, wasps ; sex ? July 1, beetles and seeds of small fruit, ¢, July 11, worm; @, March 1, fruit and beetles; ¢, June 26, seeds of small fruit and one beetle; ¢, July 18, seeds of berries; 9, a few seeds and large quantity of coleoptera; 9, Sept. 5, seeds of a small yellow fruit and one beetle; 2, eee BowpisH, food Habits of West Indian Birds. 195 Sept. 19, five seeds anda beetle; ¢, Oct. 5, large white grub and other insects; Q, Oct. 15, several seeds of small fruit and wasps; 92, Oct. 19, two thirds berries and one third insects. Blacicus blancoi. ¢@, Feb. 3, beetles; @, Feb. 10, beetles; 9, May 30, flies; ¢, June 2, beetles; ?, June 25, beetles; 9, July 15, beetles; 9, July 18, insects and remains of berries; @, seeds of berries; @, July 21, beetles; ¢, July 27, beetles; g, July 31, beetles; @, Aug. 3, insects; 2, Augs 25, flies and millers; 2 g andi 9, Aug. 30, beetles; 2 ¢, Sept.:2, insects; @, Sept. 3, beetles; @, Sept. 14, beetles; 9, Sept. 15, beetles ; & and @, Sept. 22, beetles; @, Sept. 23, beetles; @', Oct. 16, beetles. Vireo calidris. @, July 2, insects ; Os May 27, insects; 9, Julkyanr; almost entirely seeds of small fruit; Q juv., May 30, legs of beetle; @, May 30, insects-and seeds of a smalbred fruit; @, July 14, insects; aa July 17, small fruit remains; 9, Sept. 28, insects. Vireo latimeri; g, 9 and juv. §, Apr. 1, insects and in juv. small centipede; @, Apr. 22, insects; g juv. July 17, grasshopper and small red berries and seeds; @ and @, July 26, insects and small fruit seeds ; a. Aug. 1, chiefly seeds ; 3 juv., Sept. 5, worm and insects ; & juv., Sept. 14, insects; @, Sept. 17, large tree seed and several beetles; ¢, Sept. 18, cricket and five tree seeds; @, Sept. 23, flies and worm; ¢, Sept. 25, small worms; @, Sept. 26, small hairy caterpillars; @ and 9, Sept. 27, beetles and one seed; @, Oct. 9, 10 small black seeds and trace of insects; @, Oct. 10, yellow berries and legs of insects. I also found seeds in the stomachs of the Black and White, Parula, Myrtle, Palm, and Prairie Warblers, particularly the Myrtle and Palm, the latter feeding almost exclusively on seeds of weeds, near Santiago and Guama, Cuba. This would appear largely to eliminate the question of food supply from the problem of causes of bird migration. 196 OBERHOLSER, Peview of the Genus Catherfes. pons A REVIEW OF THE GENUS CATHERPES. BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER. IDENTIFICATION of the Texas Cafion Wrens has involved a canvass of the entire group, the results of which investigation are presented herewith. The genus Catherpes Baird? is a very well-defined one, of which there seem to be five recognizable forms, all, without doubt, sub- species of Catherpes mexicanus. Catherpes mexicanus mexicanus (Swaznson). Thryothorus mexicanus SWAINSON, Zool. Illustr. Ser. 2, I, 1829, pl. xi. Troglodytes murarius LICHTENSTEIN, Preis-Verz. Mex. Vdgel, 1830, No. 8o. Thriothorus guttulatus LAFRESNAYE, Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 99. Chars. subsp.— Largest and darkest, the depth of color especially noticeable on the upper surface. Type locality. — Real del Monte, Hidalgo, Mexico. Geographical distribution. — Tableland of Mexico, excepting the north- ern portion. This essentially Mexican race occurs nowhere in the United States, all records to such effect belonging under the other forms. Catherpes mexicanus albifrons (Giraud). Certhia albifrons GiRAUD, Descr. Sixteen Species North Am. Birds, 1841, p. 31. Chars. subsp.— Similar to Catherpes mexicanus mextcanus, but rather smaller, except the bill; and decidedly paler above, the head more grayish. Type locality. —“Texas” [probably northeastern Mexico]. Geographical distribution.— States of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and prob- ably Tamaulipas, Mexico; north to Texas at the mouth of the Pecos River. ~1Pac. R. R. Rep., IX, 1858, p. 356 (type Thryothorus mexicanus SWAIN- SON). ee OBERHOLSER, Review of the Genus Catherpes. 197 The specimen upon which Giraud based his description of Cer- thia albifrons, although a dark, immature bird, with a small bill, agrees best with the form that enters the United States only along the lower Rio Grande,— a conclusion already announced by Mr. Nelson;? but that this type, now in the United States National Museum, came originally from within the present boundaries of Texas, as claimed, may well be doubted, particularly if the results of investigation regarding others of Giraud’s reputed “Texas” birds be admitted as negative evidence. Catherpes mexicanus polioptilus, subsp. nov. Chars. subsp.— Like Catherpes mexicanus albifrons, but paler above and with a much shorter bill. Type locality.— Deer Mountain, Chisos Mountains, Texas. Geographical distribution.— From western Texas, through New Mex- ico, Arizona, and northwestern Mexico to Lower California. Description.— Type, male adult, No. 168350, U. S. Nat. Mus. - 98.8 76.9 1.28 15 | 21.4 Panama . : : : ; 90.8 68.2 1.36 ay 20.6 Costa Rica : : : ; 94.2 Five Ta 13 20.8 Santa Marta (1) Colombia. 93 G2 1.29 iit | 20 Yacura, Venezuela : ¢ 94 73 1.28 I4 | 20 Margarita Island. : 5 96.3 72.3 Tesh 14 20 6 = Menezuela 2 (1): : 5 100 73 1.37 13 20 Trinidad : : : 3 O72 70.8 ney Te oe British Guiana ‘ : : 97-5 72.9 133 13 | 20.6 Lower Amazons. ‘ : 94.7 71.4 1.32 13.2 || 20.8 Tanagra palmarum palmarum Max. to bo bo Brazil 5 : : : : | 99 | 72.2 | eof | 14.5 | The tail measurements, however, do not vary in the same way. Although the birds with the shortest tails are from Panama, those 400 CLARK, Black-winged Palm Tanager. aun with the next shortest come from Trinidad, while Margaritan birds have the longest of any, with the exception of Peruvian examples. Costa Rican birds are close to those from the lower Amazons. By dividing length of wing by length of tail, we obtain a ratio between the two. An examination of these figures shows that Peruvian birds have the longest tails proportionately, while those from Trinidad have the shortest. Specimens from middle north- ern Venezuela (Santa Marta, Yacura, and Margarita) and from Costa Rica are intermediate. Those from Panama resemble most closely Trinidad examples, while the lower Amazonian form agrees with the Costa Rican. In regard to the length of the chord of the culmen, birds from Yacura, Margarita, and Trinidad exceed all others. Guianan and Costa Rican specimens agree in having very short beaks, while those from Peru, Panama, and the lower Amazons are intermediate. Tarsal measurements show that Costa Rican and lower Ama- zonian birds are identical in this character; while Trinidad and Peruvian birds are pretty close, having the longest tarsi. Panama specimens have shorter tarsi, agreeing with those from Guiana; Santa Marta and Yacura ones have the least of all, while the Margaritan form is intermediate between them and the bird of Trinidad. In measurements the true Z: palmarum palmarum from south- eastern Brazil is larger than the average of the subspecies me/an- optera examined in respect to length of wing, culmen, and tarsus ; but in tail measurements it is near the Santa Martan bird. The ratio between length of wing and length of tail is that of Trini- dadian melanoptera. In short, then, the specimens of Z: palmarum melanoptera from Costa Rica show a striking similarity in all dimensions to those from the lower Amazons. Peruvian birds are largest, except for the beak, while Trinidad birds are near them in all respects save in length of tail. Guianan birds are also close, having longer tails than those from Trinidad. There seems to be a regular gradation from Panama along the coast to Trinidad. The most striking fact is the small size of the Panama birds as compared with those from Costa Rica on the west and Santa Marta and Yacura on the east. Vol. XX fae CLARK, Black-winged Palm Tanager. 401 There seems to be no constant variation in color; but this character is uncertain in these birds, and differences are to be met with in specimens from the same locality. The violet gloss is the most noticeable feature. This gloss is, however, mainly confined to the distal portion of the feather, and seems to undergo considerable diminution, often a month before the feathers are renewed again. Even in fresh specimens from the same place the difference is considerable, some, apparently adult, having almost none, while others have it very strongly marked. From the data just given, it appears that, as would be expected, the largest specimen come from the high mountains of Peru. Here doubtless food is comparatively scarce, and a bird must cover a considerable area in order to obtain a sufficient supply. Size, therefore, is a distinct advantage. The lower Amazons sup- ports a small race. Food here is abundant, and so natural selec- tion is not called upon so urgently to weed out the smaller and weaker individuals. The race is small at Panama for the same reason ; while mountainous Costa Rica, Santa Marta, Yacura, and Margarita are inhabited by larger birds. Very likely the birds on Trinidad are stragglers from the rough and barren Venezuelan shore, where the small ones have been eliminated. The series examined contains two interesting specimens. One has a peculiarly long and narrow bill, but is otherwise apparently normal. This bird, a male, was taken on Margarita Island, and was noticed in ‘The Auk’ for July, 1902, p. 266. The other isa partial albino. It is a young male’, and was taken at Loma del Leon, Panama, on March 3, 1900. The left wing has the proximal secondary attenuated, short, and with its basal and central portions white. The next secondary is normal; but the third has a large white distal patch, extending inwards 15 mm. from the tip of the feather. The patch is central in posi- tion, and does not reach the border on either side. From the appearance of both these feathers the condition may be patho- logical. The Black-winged Palm Tanager is very common on the island of Trinidad, where it can be seen at almost any time about the ' Collection of E. A. and O. Bangs, No. 7467. 402 SNODGRASS, Geospiza, Cocornis, and Certhidia. as gardens in Port-of-Spain. It is very active and restless. The song of this bird is unlike that of any of ours, being a quick ascending succession of notes, pitched very high. ‘There is a suggestion of panting and of effort in the song, and its high key, which makes it somewhat squeaky, is rather disagreeable. NOTES ON THE ANATOMY OF G£EOSPIZA, COCORNIS, AND CERTHIDIA. BY ROBERT E. SNODGRASS. Plates XVII-XX. Geospiza and Certhidia are the two distinctively peculiar avian genera of the Galapagos Islands. The former consists of a large number of species and varieties, and has always been regarded as belonging to the family Fringillide. Certhidia, consisting of eight varieties comprised in two species, was formerly placed in the Ccerebide, but both Lucas and Ridgway now regard it as belonging to the Mniotiltida. Cocornis is known only from the small island of Cocos, lying off the Gulf of Panama and northeast of the Galapagos Islands about four degrees north of the equator. It consists of one known species, and has always been assigned to the Fringillidz. But it has probably been so classified more on account of its general resemblance to Geosfiza than from a con- sideration of its own characters. In all structural points Cocornis really resembles Cer¢Azdia more than it resembles Geospzza. To be sure, the adult males of Cocornis and of most of the Geosfiza species are almost plain black, while the adults of Certhidia are gray with admixtures of olive and brownish. Yet, in the shape of the bill and in the struc- ture of the skull Certiidia and Cocornis are almost identical. On the other hand, the structural differences between Cocornzs and Geospiza are slight—the slender-billed Geospize differ from Cocornis in the characters of the skull and skeleton of the bill, tt Vol. XX igo SNODGRASS, Geosfiza, Cocornts, and Certhidia. - 403 scarcely more than Cocornis does from Certhidia. The difference is not nearly so great as that between the slender-billed and the thick-billed forms of Geosfiza itself. Hence, a study of the characters of these three genera, is suggestive of a possible deri- vation of Geospiza from Cocornis and of Cocornis from Certhidia. This, however, would place Geosfiza in the Mniotiltide | In the descriptions of the skulls following it will be shown that the Geospiza skull departs widely from that of any ordinary Frin- gillid species. The writer, however, does not possess enough knowledge of comparative avian anatomy to venture any theory on the correct classification of the three genera discussed, or on their possible interrelationships. A few facts are set forth in the hope that they may be of value to others. It is probably not impossible that Geosfiza, Cocornis, and Cer- thidia may be genetically related. Cocos Island is not very dis- tant from the Galapagos, and an ancestral Geosfzza could easily have gotten there from the latter place. Moreover the climate and flora are utterly different on Cocos and the Galapagos, and the conditions look very unfavorable for convergent evolution. Some authors have claimed a common geological origin for the islands. In such a case we would look for a relationship at least between Cocornis and Geospiza. A study of the plumage phases of the Geosf7z@ shows that they are most probably descended from a plain yellowish-olivaceous ‘bird. They advance through six stages from this to the entirely black phase. The lowest forms never go beyond the third stage, being in this plumage when adult.'| Therefore, Cocornis must have branched off from one of the higher groups, for it is black in the adult stage. This conclusion is not endangered by the fact that it is antagonistic to the assumption that the bill and skull of Cocornis are intermediate between those of Certhidia and the lowest Geospiza. ‘There are four groups of Geosfzza separable on a color basis. and in each the evolution of the bill has been inde- pendent. The lowest members of the higher groups have bills more similar to the Certhidian bill than have those of the lowest 1 Discussed in Papers from Hopkins-Stanford Galapagos Expedition, No. —, Birds, Snodgrass and Heller (MS.), Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., Vol. 404 SNoDGRASS, Geospiza, Cocornis, and Certhidia. a group, and it is between the former and Certhidia that Cocornis is really intermediate. The theory above suggested involves the assumption that the four groups of Geosp/za became differentiated in color before the great variation in the bill took place, and con- sequently, that Cocornis branched off from one of the melanistic groups comparatively late in Geospizan history. Such an assump- tion is entirely in harmony with the facts discussed by Mr. Edmund Heller and the writer in the paper referred to above in the footnote. The fact that large groups of Geospize are defi- nitely characterized by color, while there is an infinite amount of specific and subspecific variation in the bill, would indicate that the color differences were evolved and stereotyped long before the bill variation began. What immature stages of Cocornis are known indicate that the adult males reach the black phase through paler phases similar to those of Geospiza. Certhidia, both in the adult and immature stages, is of a plain, pale and comparatively uniform coloration. ie ine Sku. In order to show more strikingly the wide departure that the Geospiza skull makes from the ordinary Passerine type, a descrip- tion of one of the most specialized forms will be given first. The descriptions of other species follow in the order of decreasing modification. Geospiza strenua Gould (Plate XVII, Figs. 1 and 2 ).— Ridges of sides and posterior part of skull strikingly prominent ; temporal crests parallel; interorbital area on top of skull parallel-sided and almost as wide as the inter-temporal area. In general the cranium, viewed from above, has a curious resemblance to a rodent’s skull. Top of head very smooth. Highest point between tips of squa- mosal processes ; profile descending from here to lambdoidal crest in a regular curve, to base of culmen less steeply and in more nearly a straight line. Space between temporal crests transversely flat, z. ¢., the crests are coincident with the dorsal profile. Inter- orbital area much wider than long, depressed mesially and decli- vent toward each lateral margin, the anterior margin nearly straight. Postfrontal process large, trihedral and unciform. ‘Tem- oe SNopGRAsSS, Geosfiza, Cocornis, and Certhidia. 405 poral crest extremely large and high up on side of cranium, - curves upward and posteriorly from posterior angle of base of postfrontal process, posteriorly it curves downward and ends in rather prominent process above ear. This crest is greatly larger than in such thick-billed genera as Cardinalis and Zamelodia (P1. XVII, Fig. 3). In these latter forms also the crest is far below the dorsal profile of the cranium. Temporal area very long, its length, from one extremity of tem- poral crest to the other, equal to distance from anterior end of crest to,nostril. This gives an extremely great postorbital length to the skull, the whole configuration of the cranium being very dif- ferent from that of any ordinary Passerine skull. Surface of tem- poral area slightly depressed and roughened, lacking the glazed appearance of top of skull. Squamosal process very large, its lower end reflexed posteriorly and lying well behind tip of post- frontal process. In Cardina/is the tip of the squamosal process is slightly in advance of the tip of the post-frontal process. Crota- phyte depression between post-frontal and squamosal processes wide and deep. Tympanic region flat and almost vertical. LLambdoidal crest prominent, but smaller than temporal; median part horizontal ; lateral parts deflexed and then curved inward, terminating on each side at base of a prominent mastoid process back of lower part of ear opening. This mastoid process is absent or but poorly developed in other Passerine genera examined as well as in other species of Geospiza. Posterior surface of skull receding, z. ¢.. when zygomatic bar is horizontal, it-extends downward and slightly forward below lambdoidal crest. Interorbital septum complete, very thick, and composed of a double wall. Preorbital parts of skull of ordinary Fringillid character. Rim of orbit rather thick and heavy in appearance on account of deflexion of lateral part of interorbital area on top of skull. In Zamelodia, Cardinalis, Pipilo, Carpodacus, Astragali- nus, and in other species of Geosfzza the interorbital surface is evenly concave, giving the orbital rim a much thinner appearance. On posterior wall of orbital cavity are three conspicuous, vertical, crest-like ridges. Lower end of outer one forms a process visible laterally projecting from lower part of crotaphyte depression. AMS AMOR, WCE PDS PLATE XVII. ANATOMY OF GEOSPIZA, COCORNIS, AND CERTHIDIA. Vol. XX ae SNODGRASS, Geosprza, Cocoruts, and Certhidia. 407 Geospiza fortis and G. propingua possess similar ridges. In G. Juliginosa and G. scandens there are only traces of them. They are present in some form, either as plates or ridges, in most Passer- ine skulls, varying greatly in size, but in G. strenua they are far larger than in any other skull examined by the writer. The most striking feature about the skull of the thick-billed Geospize is the abrupt angle that the tomium of the upper mandi- ble forms with the zygomatic bar. In G. strenua this angle is 11s, 4 slhessame-angle: im Carvdimals is 140°; That is, the deflexure of the upper mandible from the horizontal is 62° in G. strenua and only 40° in Cardinalis. In G. strenua the distal half of the bony culmen forms an angle of go° with the basal part of the culmen back of the nostril. This angulation is conspicuous in all the species of Geospzza, although not so great in the smaller- billed forms, and is characteristic of the genus. In Cardinalis and Zamelodia there is no such angulation of the culmen in these genera, as well as in smaller-billed Fringillide, the culmen forms an even curve from base to tip. Nasal bones large, the inferior or descending arm of each thick, and forming nearly a right angle with zygomatic bar. Nostril triangular, of almost an isosceles shape, lower rim horizontal and on a level with upper edge of zygoma. Width of base of upper mandible contained 24 times in greatest posterior width of cranium; depth 14 times in greatest posterior depth. Internasal septum complete. Longitudinal bars of palatines thick, diverging slightly posteri- orly, outward and downward, so that posterior ends le below level of zygomatic bar. Posterior ends blunt. Superior internal lamine large, widened at dorsal edges and solidly fused with rostrum of sphenoid, not projecting back of anterior ends of pterygoids. Inferior internal laminz well developed. Lower mandible extremely large, being specially deep just back of mid- dle through coronoid process. Depth here more than a third of the length. Geospiza fortis fortis Ridgway (Plate XVII, Figs. 4 and 5).— This is one of the species with but a moderately large bill. The interorbital area of the top of the skull is much narrower than in G. strenua, being contained 24 times in the distance betwaan 408 SNODGRASS, Geosfiza, Cocoruis, and Certhidia. a the temporal crests. The surface is simply concave instead of doubly convex. The temporal crests are relatively small and lie far below the dorsal profile of the cranium, the space between them being strongly arched instead of flat transversely. The space between the postfrontal and squamosal processes is rela- tively narrower than in G. strenua, but the former process ends in advance of the other. The interorbital septum is thin, and is perforated at its upper posterior angle by a hole which is a part also of a foramen opening into the cranial cavity on each posterior orbital wall. The angle of the tomium of the upper mandible with the zygo- matic bar isui22°;° 2.¢., the .deflexure ofthe’ mandible’ 1s 758: : This is 4° less than the deflexure in G. strenua. The angulation of the culmen is about the same in the two species. ‘The inter- nasal septum is not complete in G. forf7s, forming simply a deep median keel on the under surface of the nasal bones. The lower mandible is slenderer than in G. strenua and the coronoid process is not so high. Geospiza fuliginosa parvula (Gould). (Plate XVII, Figs. 6 and 7.) — The structure of the skull in this species is very similar to that of G. fortis, but in it the points in which the G. for¢zs skull departs from the G. s¢renua skull are still more intensified. Both the temporal and lambdoidal crests are comparatively slight. The temporal crests are situated far down on the sides of the skull, and the top of the skull between them is high and roundly convex. The interorbital space is narrow and simply concave. The angulation of the culmen is considerably less than in the other two species described. The deflexure of the upper mandi- ble from the horizontal of the zygoma is 50°. This is 8° less than in G. fortis, ‘The nasal septum is entirely lacking. This is one of the smaller-billed species of Geospzza and the skull differs conspicuously from that of G. s¢venuwa in the much slenderer upper mandible and in the general lighter appearance of the preorbital parts. The basal depth of the upper mandible is contained 24 times in the greatest depth of the cranium. 4 Geospiza fudiginosa acutirostris (Ridgway). (Pl. XVII, Figs. 8 and 9.)— The skull of this form differs from that of G. f parvula in the slightly slenderer, more tapering and less deflexed upper Vol. XX ee SNopGRASS, Geosfiza, Cocornis, and Certhidia. 409 mandible. The temporal crest is nearly obsolete, and the tem- poral area below it is less extensive than in G. 7 parvula. The interorbital septum is so thin that it is almost membranous. The angulation of the culmen is inconspicuous. The deflexure of the upper tomium is about 48°. The shape of the nostril changes serially in the four skulls described. In G. s¢rvenua the nostril is almost an isosceles triangle with the base on a line with the upper edge of the zygoma. In the smaller-billed species, however, the upper angle becomes moved successively farther back, and the angle that the descend- ing process of the nasal forms with the zygoma, which is almost go° in G. strenua, slightly decreases. In G. f. acutirostris the upper angle of the nostril lies behind the vertical from the pos- terior basal angle. The lower mandible is very slender and there is almost no coronoid process. Geospiza scandens fatigata (Ridgway). (Plate XVII, Figs. 16, 17,and 18.) —The Geosfiza group, characterized by a long slender bill, includes a number of forms that were once regarded as con- stituting a separate genus called Cactornis. ‘The supposed spe- cies were separated on characters that have since been found to intergrade in such a manner that they can better be regarded as varieties of one species of Geosfiza. Of this group, which has been reduced to the species G. scandens, the subspecies G. s. fatigata may be taken as typical. There is far less difference between the skulls of G. scandens and G. fuliginosa than there is between the skulls of the latter species and G. strenua. _ That is, the former genus Cactornzs did not differ in cranial structure from the simpler forms of Geospfzza nearly as much as did the species in this genus, as at first limited, differ from one another. The temporal and lambdoidal crests are almost identical with those of G. fuliginosa. The tip of the postfrontal process lies but slightly before the tip of the squamosal process. ‘The fronto-nasal suture is deeply concave. It is more concave than in G. f. acutiros- tris, in the latter species more so again than in G. fortis, while in G. strenua it is almost straight. The angle of the descending proc- ess of the nasal with the zygoma is still less than in G. f. acutirostris, ‘ THE AUK, VOL. XX. PLATE Vella ANATOMY OF GEOSPIZA, COCORNIS, AND CERTHIDIA Vol. XX 03 SNoDGRASS, Geospiza, Cocornis, and Certhidta, 411 and the upper angle of the nostril is correspondingly farther back. The angulation of the base of the culmen is slight, and the deflex- ure of the upper tomium is about 45°, being a little less than in G. SJ. acutirostris. As will be seen later, the skull of G. scandens approaches most closely to that of the genus Cocornis. The skull of G. f. acutirostris is nearest in size to the Cocornis skull, but in structure the G. scandens skull is almost intermediate between the two. A digression from the series will now be made to describe the skull of the Geospizan group having a strongly curved culmen. Geospiza crassirostris (Gould). (Plate XVII, Figs. 14 and 15.) — This species may be taken as a typical example of the Geoshiza species formerly included in a separate genus called Camarhyuchus, a group characterized by having the culmen strongly curved. The skull of G. crassivosiris is in every way very similar to that of G. fortis. About the only difference is that the culmen is a lit- tle more convex than in G. fords, and the upper mandible is deeper in front of the nostril. ‘The crests of the two skulls have about the same development, the interorbital areas are the same, the upper mandibles have the same deflexure, the nostrils are alike, the descending processes of the nasals form the same angle with the zygoma, and the post-frontal and squamosal processes have the same relative positions. A study of the Geospiza skulls shows, then, that the various species and varieties are related to one another mostly in a serial manner. ‘That is, evolution in the group has not been along lines radiating from a common centre, but has consisted principally of successive modifications along one line. ‘This same thing is evinced by a study of the color phases of the plumage. Cocornis agassizi Townsend (Pl. XVII, Figs. 10 and 11).— The general characters of the skull are almost identical with those of Cai acutirostris or G. scandens. ‘Vhe upper mandible, however, is relatively a little slenderer than in either of these, and the deflex- ure of the tomium is about 4o°. This is about 5° less than in G. SCANMENS. Certhidia olivacea luteola (Ridgway). (Pl. XVII, Figs, 12 and 13.)— The skull of Certhidia is extremely similar to that of Cocor- 412 SNODGRASS, Geosfiza, Cocornts, and Certhidia. a mis. It differs from the latter in about the same way that the Cocornis skull differs structurally from the skull of G. scandens. That is, the upper mandible is slenderer and less deflexed. The angle of deflexure in C. 0. /zteola (and the bill does not vary in the genus) is about 35°. This is just as much smaller than the deflexure in Cocornis as the latter is than the deflexure in G. scandens. From the foregoing descriptions it is evident that the species of the three genera under consideration can be arranged in a graded series according to the structure of the skull. Such a series would begin with the members of Cer¢hzdia, all of which have very slender and gently deflexed bills. Following Certhidia comes Cocornis with a slender but more deflexed bill. Separated from Cocornis by a step no greater than that from Certhidia to Cocornis comes Geospiza scandens. ‘This species, although structurally intermediate between those on each side of it, makes a digression as to size, being much larger than either Cocornis or G. fuliginosa acutirostris which otherwise follows G. scandens in the series. From G. f acutirostris the series is uninterrupted to such forms as G. strenua and G. magnirostris in which the bill is enormously large and the upper mandible greatly deflexed, and in which the skull has an almost un-bird-like appearance on account of the curi- ous shape and the great development of the crests. All that the writer here intends is simply to call attention to the fact that there is a gradation in the skull characters of these three genera, progressing by almost equal steps from one extreme to the other. If any phylogenic theory can be based on this fact then the classification of the three genera accepted at present can- not be correct, for Certhidia is regarded as a member of the Mniotiltida and Geospiza and Cocornis are placed in the Frin- gillide. The Geosfize as birds have certainly a most Fringillid appearance. The same, however, cannot be so positively asserted concerning the skull of even the least modified species. A study of the bills of nestlings would probably have little phylogenetic value. Three stages in the growth of G. fwliginosa farvula are shown in Plate XVIII, figures 23, 24 and 25. PLATE XIX. RIGEWEY ATOR, ViOins eX. ANATOMY OF GEOSPIZA, COCORNIS, AND CERTHIDIA. 414 SNODGRASS, GeosPiza, Cocornis, and Certhidia. ana Il. Tue THoracic SKELETON. The sternum, shoulder girdle and ribs show no such modifica- tions as does the skull. The drawings of the parts in Cocorats agassizt (Pl. XVIII, figs. 19, 20, 22) may be taken as typical for all three genera. The sternum and shoulder girdle are of ordi- nary Passerine form. ‘The ribs are somewhat variable. There are always seven that are well developed and generally there is asmall eighth rib. The latter is sometimes a mere bar lying back of the lower part of the neural arm of the seventh, but often it is composed of distinct neural and hemal segments. The second to fifth ribs inclusive always have large uncinate processes. On the sixth rib there is sometimes present a well developed uncinate process, but it is often rudimentary and is frequently absent. Such variations as these have no phylogenetic significance, for they take place between closely related species and also in dif- ferent individuals of the same species. Lt nn Toncur, Geospiza (Pl. XX, Figs. 34-38, and 40).— The tongue of Geo- spiza has a simple tapering shape, varying in length and thickness according to the form of the bill. The thin terminal margin is bifid and somewhat frayed. The upper surface is usually convex, but it is often slightly and sometimes deeply grooved longitudinally. This last character, however, varies between closely related species and even in the same species (Figs. 34 and 37). Geospiza is mostly granivorous but partly insectivorous. Certhidia (P|. XX, Fig. 41).— The tongue in this genus is the same as in the slender-billed species of Geospiza, except that it is more constantly grooved above. It is slender, tapering and bifid at the tip. Certhidia is insectivorous. Cocornis (Pl. XX, Figs. 39 and 42).— In this genus the tongue is very long and slender. It is deeply grooved above, and expanded, bifid and greatly frayed out at the tip (Fig. 39). It differs considerably, as the figures will show, from the tongues of both Certhidia and Geospiza. The food of Cocornis has not been determined, but probably consists mostly of insects. WHE AWK. VOL So PLATE OG ANATOMY OF GEOSPIZA, COCORNIS, AND CERTHIDIA. Auk 416 SNODGRASS, Geosprza, Cocornis, and Certhidia. Oct IV. THE ALIMENTARY CANAL. No descriptions need be given of the alimentary canals. Fig- ures 27 to 33 on Plate XIX sufficiently show the intestinal windings in several species of Geosfiza and also in Cocornis and Certhidia. It will be seen that there is no essential difference here between the three genera. V. PTERYLOSIS. The pterylosis is identical in the three genera. Figures 21 and 26 of Plate XVIII, representing the feathered areas of Cocornis agassizi, could serve just as well for either Certhidia or Geospiza. The dorsal tract extends down the back of the neck and between the shoulders as a narrow, median band. On the middle of the back it expands into a wide, fusiform area reaching to the anterior part of the lumbo-sacral region. Here it again contracts to a narrow band, narrowest between the acetabula, and goes caudally to the oil-gland. The ventral tract begins as a median band on the anterior half of the throat. Just below the middle it divides into two bands that go outward and caudally as wide tracts along the sides of the breast. Behind the sternum each becomes again narrow, and goes caudally and inward along the side of the abdomen, ending near the anus. At the shoulder each lateral ventral tract gives off laterally the shoulder tract which divides into the alar and humeral tracts. EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. “ melanocephala; 4.and 5, Geospiza fortis fortis; 6 and 7, G. fuliginosa parvula; 8 and 9, G. fuliginosa acuttfrostr'?s ; 1o and 11, Cocornts agasstz?; 12 and 13, Certhidia olivacea luteola; 14 and 15, Geospiza crasstrostris; 16, 17 and 18, G. scandens fatigata. Plate XVIII. Fig.19, Cocornis agassizt, inner view of bones at shoulder; 20, C. agassizt, side view of thoracic skeleton; 21, C. Plate XV/I. SxKuvutus. Figs. 1 and 2, Geospiza strenua ; 3, Zamelodia agassizt, ventral pterylosis; 22, C. agassfzt, ventral view of sternum; 23, 24 and 25, Geospiza fuliginosa parvula, a DuTCHER AND BAILy, Habits of the Herring Gull. 417 side view of head of three nestling stages— primaries 4 mm., 13 mm. and 32 mm. long, respectively ; 26, Cocornis agassizt, dorsal pterylosis. Plate XTX. ALIMENTARY CANALS.— Fig. 27, Geosfiza controstris cont- rostrts (length 205 mm); 28, G. fuliginosa parvula (length 170 mm.); 29, G. fortis dubia (length 204 mm.); 30, G. crasstrostris (length 255 mm.); 31, G. scandens fatigata (length 200 mm.); 32, Certhitdia olivacea luteola (length 102 mm.) ; 33, Cocornts agasstzt (length 125 mm.). Plate XX. Toncures.— Fig. 34, Geospiza scandens fatigata; 35, G. habelt; 36, G. fortis fortis; 37, G. scandens fatigata; 38, G. prosthemelas; 39, Cocornis agassizt, tip of tongue; 40, Geospiza fuliginosa parvula; 41, Certhidia olivacea luteola; 42, Cocornts agasstzt. A CONTRIBUTION, TO THE LIFE. HISTORY OF THE HERRING GULL (LARUS ARGENTATUS) IN THE UNITED STATES. BY WILLIAM DUTCHER AND WILLIAM L. BAILY. Plates XXI and XXII. Tue facts presented in this paper are the results of several visits to the large breeding colonies of Herring Gulls on the Maine coast, made at the following dates: by Mr. Dutcher, 1900, from June 28 to July 21; 1901, by both contributors, from June 12 to 24; 1902, by Mr. Baily, from July 18 to 20 inclusive. In 1900 visits were made to nearly all of the colonies along the Maine coast by the senior contributor, commencing at the most westerly one on No-Man’s-Land Island, which is situated about seventeen miles south of Rockland, Maine, and adjoins the large island known as Matinicus. In r1gor eight days were spent at the light- house station on Great Duck Island, and subsequently nearly all of the other colonies were revisited by Mr. Dutcher. In 1902 Mr. Baily revisited the Great Duck Island colony later in the season, in order to observe the methods of feeding the young birds and the habits of the young. A description of the position and 4I 8 DuTCHER AND Batty, Habits of the Herring Gull. ars topography of Great Duck Island will answer for all of the island colonies, as in the main they greatly resemble each other. Great Duck Island is situated in 44° 9' N. Lat. and 68° 15’ W. Lon., being an outlying island seven miles south of Mount Desert Island. The citizens of Maine have reason to be proud of the gull homes in their State, and it is a civic obligation to care for and preserve them. One of the first duties of the patriotic citizen is to carefully conserve the natural objects in his locality; any one who would destroy them, especially for commercial purposes, is lacking in that uplifting sentiment that develops.in man or woman a respect for the rights of others, and a love of country and fire- side. The writer who commands and wields the most facile pen cannot fully describe the life or beauty of one of the great breeding homes of these gulls, nor can the most accurate photograph convey to the reader more than a faint picture of the bright blue sky, the sparkling sea, the graceful motion of the birds circling overhead ; nor can it add the roar of the surf on the rocky shore, nor the weird and angry cries and screams of the anxious gulls. The colony at Great Duck Island is without doubt one of the largest now existing in the United States. The shore of the island is bold and rocky, and, as the tides rise and fall about thirteen feet, at low water great tracts of kelp rock- weed are uncovered, among which the gulls find large quantities of food, such as crustacea and other marine life. At every low tide that occurs during daylight, numbers of gulls may be seen gleaning in the kelp beds, or gathered in groups sunning them- selves or preening their feathers. At high water the upper ledges of rocks are used for assembling and resting places. ‘The surface of the island is somewhat rolling, and in the open is covered with grass and weeds, of not very luxuriant growth, as the soil seems to be very poor, being com- posed of decayed wood and sand. ‘The trees are principally spruce and fir, but none are of very large size. On the southern end of the island nearly all the trees have been cut and the dead tops and branches, together with many large trunks, have been left among the stumps, making a tangle very difficult to penetrate. At the extreme southern point of the island the United States peor JNO WAONEE POS PLATE XXII. Fic. 1. ROCKY SHORE, GREAT DUCK ISLAND, ME. LOW TIDE. Fic. 2. HERRING GULLS, GREAT DUCK ISLAND, ME. PRO'TECTED COLONY. 2 Vol. XX 3503 ] DUTCHER AND BAiLy, Habits of the Herring Gull. 419 Lighthouse Department owns a reservation of about two acres. This contains the light tower, three dwellings, engine room, two boat houses, and a long tank-shed for catching rainwater for the fog-whistle engines. The greatest elevation of the island is about sixty feet, the average being about twenty-five feet above high- water mark. |The gulls occupy the southern end of the island and are divided into two parts, which may be designated as the east and west colonies. In the former in 1rgor there were about twelve hundred birds, and in the latter about eighteen hundred. In 1902 the area of the colony was somewhat larger than the pre- vious year, extending about a hundred yards further northward in the western colony. Probably 3500 birds were breeding, 500 more than last year; on July 15 hundreds of young birds, from a day to three and a half weeks old, were scattered over the two breeding areas. On our arrival at the island in rgo1 nest building and laying was practically completed. One belated gull, however, built and occupied a nest after that date, which afforded us some insight into the method of construction. It was located on a flat rock, as some hundreds of nests were. The rock nests, usually, did not have any stick or twig foundations, but were built of grass, weeds, mosses, lichens, some kelp, either green or dry, feathers, wool, bark, and small bits of drift and rotten wood, all laid upon the rock and formed by the birds into shallow bowls. This special nest was built entirely of fresh green material, and was, when first seen, a flat, scattered mass without any form whatever. It con- tained one egg, the bird probably having been ready to deposit it before the nest was completed. On several occasions single eggs were found where there were no nests. A few hours later this nest was visited and in the interim the bird had formed it into the usual shape. The nests built upon the ground were almost exactly like the rock nests. Those built on trees or upturned stumps, had a solid foundation of sticks and twigs, and _ sur- mounting this the usual form and make of nest. The tree nests are always placed on a flat branch or top of a spruce or fir, one of which was in one about twenty-five feet high ; however, they are not common on Duck Island, there being only about a dozen. The grass in many of the nests was dead and brown, but it is 420 DUTCHER AND BAILy, Habits of the Herring Gull. a not certain that it was so when first placed there, although it is probable that the larger portion is old grass. During incubation the weight of the setting bird breaks down or packs the nests, so they are continually being repaired and built up around the edges with new material, which is always green grass or weeds, the effect being very pretty indeed. On several occasions gulls were seen gathering this material in their bills. The grass is bitten off or pulled up by the roots until the bird has a ball in its bill larger than a man’s fist. This material is gathered where it is most plentiful and is usually carried by flight to the nest site. The bowl of the nest varies very little in size, but some founda- tions are larger than others, depending somewhat upon the location of the nest. The following measurements are of nests selected as good types: No. 1. Depth of bowl, three inches; from top of nest to ground, ten inches; diameter of nest at top, ten inches, at base, twenty-four inches. No. 2. Depth of bowl, three inches; from top to ground, five inches; diameter at top, ten inches, at base, eighteen inches. No. 3. Depth of bowl, two and one quarter inches; diameter at top, nine inches, at base thirteen inches. This nest was built on the ground against a small side hill so that only one side had to be finished. No. 4. Depth of bowl, two and one half inches; diameter at top, nine inches, at base fifteen inches. Many other nests were measured and examined, and the average size of the bowl was found to be about ten inches in diameter and three inches in depth. To obtain a fair average of the size of the eggs, measurements of four- teen sets were made as follows: INOF Ty Set3 212 x 113 2; X 144 24% X 173 2 830 aT ale Xa 2h X14 SSCA Reaper Boe CS tea: 3. X46 3. XI 243 X 158 ae 3 2r3 X 173 2ts X 153 2t5 X 2 Cce 2t3 X 145 2t5 X 143 até X 178 Ta eM 246 X 275 2t% X 2 2th x2 Forte eS 315 X 2 5 ae 3X2 be tae 3 XI 2re X Its TO (oe thy 213 xX 17% 213 X2 243 X 113 ie 8g eat 2X ae eo en eee ae no 13 18 3r6 X 118 Sami ie 21g x18 eae 26 X 6 Vol. XX 1503 ] DUTCHER AND Batty, Hadits of the FHlerring Gull. 42 it It is remarkable how quickly the eye can detect any variation in the size of an egg, as by it the shape is entirely changed. The abnormal egg in set No. 12 was infertile. Capt. Stanley, head keeper of the lighthouse, was requested to watch the nest, and he reported later that the two eggs completed the set, and that the small egg did not hatch, but the other one did, bringing forth a healthy chick. Only three runt eggs were found among the 3500 or 3600 eggs in the two colonies. The color of the eggs varied in a remarkable degree. The ground colors were light sky blue, dead blue, light blue-gray, light gray-blue, dark lilac gray. light gray, light pea-green, green drab, warm drab, ochre drab, pink drab, light brown, and cinnamon. The colors of the markings were chocolate, brown, rich brown, light brown, snuff brown, asphalt, black, lilac, mauve. The shapes of markings were almost infinite,— large and small spots, indistinct specks, blotches, lines and irregular streaks, somewhat like the markings on the eggs of blackbirds. One egg was found with a light sky blue ground color with tiny indistinct specks of lilac and light brown. Some of the markings were so confluent that they resulted in a distinct ring around the egg. Among the many hundred sets of eggs seen the usual number was three, rarely two, and more infrequently one. Only one set of four was found, which was on Heron Island, in Penobscot Bay ; in other respects the set was normal. Regarding incubation, Capt. Stanley pointed out the nest in which the first eggs were laid in the season of rgo1, which were as yet unhatched ; they were subsequently watched very closely, being visited a number of times daily. On Tuesday, June 18, inthe after- noon, one of the eggs commenced to show signs of hatching; the shell was cracking about one inch from the large end. On Wed- nesday afternoon the cracked portion had broken open so that a part of the bill of the chick could be seen. The other two eggs had also become pipped or cracked. About 3 p.m. on Thursday the first bird was out of the shell and was not yet dry. It was a very weak and helpless object, so much so that it could not stand for more than a moment, when it would lie down, and even its head would be flat in the’nest. On Friday morning, a little after 422 DuTCHER AND Batty, Habits of the Herring Gull. eae 5 o’clock, we found the second chick, it having come out during the night. The first chick, however, was strong enough on our approach to run from the nest and hide under a nearby stump (Plate XXII). The oldest bird was placed in the nest again and the two photographed with the third egg, which was now so opened that the bill of the chick showed. When the young chicks are hatched the egg shell divides very evenly at the point where the bill of the young appears. The discarded shells are never found in the nest but are carried by the old birds some feet away. About the middle of the afternoon on Friday the third chick was hatched, thus making an interval of about twelve hours between the hatching of each egg. When the third egg had hatched the other two young birds were found hiding under nearby stumps, not to get out of the sun or cold, for it was a warm cloudy day. The instinct to hide seems to be developed within an hour or two after hatching, or so soon as the young bird is strong enough to walk. The young in tree nests also seem to have sense enough not to walk off the edge of the nest, for in 1902 Mr. Baily found young at least ten days old in a tree nest. The young when very small have a weak, peeping note that cannot be heard at any great distance; this seems, however, more a petulant cry for food than of fear or anger, for it is not uttered when the young chicks are handled, nor do they make any outcry then, even up to the time that they are large enough to fly a few feet ; however, the young birds can protect themselves by giving very sharp bites with their bills: this seems to be their only method of defence prior to flight, except running and hiding. The downy plumage of the young when three days old is as follows : Under parts dusky white, running into gray on flanks and abdomen. A distinct triangle of light cream white on the centre of belly between breast and abdomen. Breast gray, throat and head cream gray with dis- tinct tinges of buff. Back mottled light gray and dusky, getting more buff on head. Wings: scapular space buffy, primary space gray. The gray is also darker on tertial space on wings. On back the down is dark at the base, and grows lighter near the ends. The whole upper part of the bird is covered with dull black spots, irregular in shape. Bill horn black with pink tip, three-sixteenths of an inch long. Feet dusky pink, darker on edges and under portion. op E V6 R > i. we i 7 { Ce : erie = ‘ ere af Ve re Coe 6. ae? fl oe % * ee hee ai ree) Sexo 2 OO anee om Sy AST See pat a espa es SANT 7 eee s THE AUK, VOL. XX. IPOMoS FOCUE emer oe Copyrighted, 1903, by W. L. Baily. 1 YOUNG HERRING GULL, SIXTY HOURS OLD, SHOWING RAPIDITY OF GROWTH. Vor. XX 7608 DUTCHER AND Batty, Habzts of the Herring Gull. 423 The rapidity of growth of the chicks is very remarkable, and is illustrated in the accompanying photograph (Plate XXII), show- ing the comparative size of an egg and a chick sixty hours old. On June 25, 1901, the young were hatching very rapidly; a superficial census was taken of a portion of the east colony, and ten nests with young were found. Capt. Stanley wrote under date of July 26, 1901, that “ some of the young birds are flying over the rocks with the help of their legs for a kick now and then.” ‘These probably were those first hatched, which would indicate that they begin to fly in from thirty to forty days. At the time of the rgo2 visit hundreds of young were present ; these, when approached, even from a great distance, all ran to hiding places under the long grass, logs, or bark, behind rocks, or wherever they could find a place to poke their heads out of sight. They are very easy to find, as some part of the body is generally in view. Sometimes four or five will be found under one fallen log or decayed stump. ‘The parents are on the wing above as long asa person is in evidence, but on the intruder hid- ing for a short time, they settle down, one at a time, upon their favorite perches, on top of the trees or dead stumps, rocks, etc., and apparently after some vocal communication to their young, the latter begin to back out of their hiding places and strut about, picking at objects on the ground, and now and then chasing after their parents, squeaking for something to eat. Regarding the food of the young birds but little evidence can be offered, but that is very direct and positive. Young birds on two occasions, when being handled, vomited their stomach con- tents, which were preserved in separate bottles with alcohol. Five samples of stomach contents were obtained in all, which were sent to the Biological Survey in Washington. Dr. Sylvester D. Judd, of that Department, furnished a report of his examination, which is as follows: No. 1. Larus argentatus, Duck Island, June 22, 1901. Contents: Muscle, bones, scales, and digestive tract of a fish not more than 4 inches long, 100%. Total amount, 100% animal matter. No. 2. Larus argentatus, Duck Island, June 23, 1901. - Contents: 5 blow flies (Calliphora vomtitoria), 25%; 3 moths, one of them a noctuid, 15%; 1 Andsodactylus (carabid), 5%; 1 Leptura (cerambycid), 5%; remains of asmall fish 50%. Total amount, 100% animal matter. 424 DuTCHER AND Baixy, Habits of the Herring Gull. ae No. 3. Larus argentatus, Duck Island, June 25, 1901. Contents; 17 Calliphora vomitoria, 40% ; 1 weevil, 1%; 1 brown carabid beetle, Ape) Lachnosterna (May beeiles), 7%; remains of fish, 30%; vegetable rubbish 20%. Total amount, 20% vegetable matter ; 80% animal matter. No. 4. Larus argentatus, No-Man’s-Land, July 4, 1901. Contents: 2 funnels and a propodium of squids about 4 inches long. ‘Total amount, 100% animal matter. ® No. 5. Larus argentatus, No-Man’s-Land, July 4, 1901. Contents: Eye and epidermis of a very small squid, 25%; prosternal process of elaterid beetle, 20%; tibia of a May beetle, 30%; elytron of a carabid beetle, 25%. Total amount, 100% animal matter. In 1902 Mr. Bailey observed the parents disgorge food on the ground which the young picked up and swallowed whole. The larger young will often tackle a squid, apparently several times too large for them, and after several unsuccessful attempts will worry it down, when the bird looks as though he were sorry and would like to change his mind. In some instances the parents seemed to exhibit very little judgment as tothe ability of their young, and would leave a big, tough squid in the nest for a day old young one to devour. Several such were watched picking and pulling for some time without securing any nourishment. On visiting the nest a half hour later it seemed that the parent had also been con- vinced that her babies were not equal to the task and had removed the squid. The mortality among the young varies. In 1goo the island of No-Man’s Land was visited at the height of the breeding season when hundreds of young gulls of all sizes could be seen. Only a very few dead ones were found and they were generally those not more than three days old. In 1go1 so few young were hatched on Duck Island, at the date the observations were ended, that no data could be obtained ; however, No-Man’s-Land was visited July 4, 1901, and it was found that from 60 to 70% of the eggs were hatched and that hundreds of young birds were hiding everywhere. ‘A search for dead birds was made but very few were found. In 1902 Capt. Stanley reported that during the season about 200 young birds were killed by the adults, and nearly as many more were killed by sheep stepping on them, and others by being caught under rocks and brush where they go to hide. In the report of stomach contents, that of No. 5 was taken from Vol. XX oe i DUTCHER AND Batty, Habits of the Herring Gull. 425 a bird that was found dead. It was examined very carefully for wounds or any evidence of a violent death but none was found, and the conclusion must obtain that it died from some natural cause. The downy plumage of the bird was in such excellent condition that it was preserved, and it was found while skinning it that the body was very much emaciated, which would indicate death by starvation, although a small amount of food still remained in the stomach. On Duck Island the remains of one young gull was found that had met a violent death; a small portion of the back, one foot, the tarsus and tibia, the stomach and a little of the viscera remained, the rest having been eaten. From the appearance of the remaining portions it was judged that the bird had been killed by a hawk, as it had been pulled apart; it showed no marks whatever of being chewed by a mammal. No hawks were seen on the island, although Capt. Stantley states that members of the hawk family often visit the island, especially during the migratory season. ; The Captain also stated that the crows on the island destroyed some eggs, but he had never seen any evidence that they ever ate young gulls. He also stated that he was sure there were no four- footed enemies of the gulls, as he had made diligent search on the island for mammals and could never find the slightest trace of any. He had carefully looked for tracks in the snow many times but always without success. The Captain also says that the old birds sometimes kill the young. The adult seems then to exhibit great anger and strikes the victim with its bill until it is dead. In all probability the one killed is not its own offspring, for it seems impossible that any bird that exhibits the solicitude for its eggs and young that the Herring Gull does could become an infanticide. In 1902 Mr. Baily saw an old bird actually striking the head of a young bird about ten days old, while the helpless little fellow, with quivering wings, implored the old one to stop. But with only occasional pauses he continued the torture, just as a cat does before eating a mouse. Then he would strike his victim in the back pulling out its half-grown feathers. The blows came harder and harder, and when the poor thing collapsed, the old bird walked away a few feet and uttered the worst noise he was 426 DUTCHER AND BalILy, Habits of the Herring Gull.) ae capable of, but returned to finish his work at the sound of a last weak cry. A few minutes later another old bird faced the mur- derer, and they cursed one another for all they were worth, but no attempt was made to strike. What the relation was between the three parties could not be determined, nor could it be surmised why the real parent, or some neighbor, did not interfere and pre- vent the tragedy. However uncommon this occurrence, it was not unique, for at least six dead birds were found in various places, all of about the same age, which had been dealt with in a similar manner, their heads, backs and wings being bruised and blood-stained. Nothing deformed or unhealthy about these birds was noted and no solution can be suggested, unless it be that the young birds were lost and were put to death by old birds who objected to being pestered for something to eat by other people’s children. Great opportunities for the study of the habits of the adult gulls were offered on Duck Island and some interesting facts were observed; among these was evidence that both the male and female parents take part in the incubation of the eggs. On one occasion, while photographing gulls on nests, it was noted that the first bird that occupied the nest, after the camera was focussed, had a number of dark feathers on its breast; after it had left the nest a bird with a pure white breast occupied it. That this was a mated pair there is no reason for doubt, for they were together, and both exhibited the greatest solicitude for the nest and its contents. It was also observed that as the period of incubation neared its end the anxiety of the parents increased in a marked degree, so that it was easy to determine the stage of incubation by the actions of the parents. During the last few hours before the pipping or cracking of the egg the parent birds were so fearless that they would leave the nest only on a near approach, and while the camera was being focussed would remain within a few yards, perched either on the ground or a low tree or stump. Exposing the plate was always made with a bulb at a distance of forty to sixty feet, and before it could be reached one of the parent birds was sitting on the nest again. In sucha case as this it was not necessary to cover the camera at all; on the other hand, if incubation had not advanced so far, it was neces- Vol. XX es DuTcHER AND Batty, adits of the Herring Gull. 427 sary to cover the camera in the most skillful manner or else wait for hours before the gull would return to the nest. On sunny days during the hours of greatest heat, say from 12 to 3 P. M,, the nesting gulls were not so anxious to remain on the eggs, nor did the eggs cool enough to do them harm. Mr. Baily, in rg02, built a blind of sticks, old ship trash, etc., about ten feet from a nest containing three eggs. While inside he seemed to be entirely forgotten by the birds, for in less than five minutes a bird alighted on top of the blind, which must have been placed near its favorite perch. In about ten minutes the owner of the nest was noted standing about thirty feet away, suspiciously eyeing the hut, but before long she cautiously but proudly marched to the nest. In her bill was a bunch of dry grass which she deposited on the side of the nest, which was placed in the green grass and clover against a small log. For several hours the nest was watched and on two occasions of the seven when the bird returned to the nest she turned the eggs slightly. They had pre- viously all been marked with an arrow pointing in one direction, and it was found she had only turned one of the pipped eggs. She did not seem at any time to make any examination of the eggs, but turned them with her bill after she had nestled down into position. She always alighted some little distance from the nest, and after looking about to see if the coast was clear, walked rather deliberately to the nest, and carefully, tenderly sank into it, moving her body from side to side about six times, as if to work the feathers between the eggs; she then sat with her head erect, turning it to the right or left every second or two, watching all that was going on about her. Her mate was continually on guard about fifteen feet away, sitting on a fallen log. A high temperature seemed to have a marked effect on the gulls, for it was noticed that they kept their mandibles open and the tongue raised as if in distress for air. This was observed both with the setting gulls and those that were perched about on the trees and rocks. The calls and cries of the adult were very varied and seemed to fit each occasion. On our enter- ing one of the colonies, all the nearby birds would rise into the air, each one screaming Kak-kak-kak at the top of its voice. As the intruder advanced further into the colony the number of 428 DUTCHER AND BAILY, Habits of the Herring Gull. Gre screaming birds increased until there was a very babel of sounds and a whirling mass of birds in the air, flying in graceful evolu- tions. As the observer advanced further into the colony, those first disturbed gradually settled down and resumed their wonted occupations of nesting or watching. If a pause was made to examine or photograph a nest, and the observer bent low and remained still, nearly all of the excited gulls immediately dropped to the ground and resumed nesting or watching, and the colony became as quiet as when there was no intruder in it, excepting, of course, the very few birds that belonged to the immediate neighbor- hood of the nest under examination. The light-keepers insist that the gulls know all the regular residents of the island, some ten in number, and do not exhibit as much fear or excitement when they visit the colonies as when strangers do. They also believe that the gulls soon become used to persons; in other words, learn to recognize them, and consequently cease to fear them. They certainly exhibit a very pleasing confidence in the residents of the island, for nine nests were found in the light- house reservation not many yards from the dwellings of the keep- ers. The remarkable tameness of the gulls on Duck Island and No-Man’s-Land was one of the most pleasing features of the visits to these colonies, and it can be accounted for only by attributing it to the protection given to the gulls on these islands: they cer- tainly recognize the fact that they are not molested, and exhibit a charming confidence in man. The breeding of these gulls in colonies shows the social side of their nature, which is very strongly marked. Their nests are placed very close together, in some instances, and quarreling among the setting birds seems to be unknown. The gulls all have their favorite perching places near the nests, and if some other gull happens to alight upon it there is usually a slight skirmish, but the intruder has no chance to maintain his position. The perch is always upon such a small limb or point of a dead stump that the slightest push or even a strong gust of wind will cause a loss of balance, and a short flight has to be taken before the position can be resumed. When the usurper occupies such a perching place, the rightful owner has only to fly behind him and give a push with his breast and the perch is ae DuTCHER AND BAILy, Habits of the Herring Gull. 429 vacated. There is rarely any resistance, this seeming to be the lawful method of dispossessing an intruder. The quality of bravery is not lacking in the character of the gulls, especially when they have young; they are then extremely solicitous and do not hesitate to make demonstrations of attack by assault. On one occasion Mr. Dutcher, after photographing a nest, sat down on a nearby stump to make some notes, not noticing that there was a nest with some young birds at the back of the stump. This action on his part seemed to excite the parents to an unusual degree, for they made repeated swoops at the intruder, passing within a short distance of his head each time. Gradually they became more angry, until finally one of the gulls struck his head a sharp blow with its wing. The tameness and confidence in man displayed by the gulls on Duck Island and No-Man’s-Land was not shown by the gulls on any of the other islands visited; this may be accounted for by the fact that the protection given was not so complete, and also that where the colonies are large the birds give each other courage ; in other words, they appear to think “there is safety in numbers.” The gulls do not seem to be disturbed by mammals to any great degree. The sheep that feed on the islands sometimes wander among the nests, but the setting birds make no further demonstration than to rise on the nest and show a bold front to the sheep, which always turn away. On one occasion a low rock, almost awash, was seen on which some thirty or forty gulls were standing, and among them were five or six harbor seals. The rising tide reduced the surface of the rock rapidly, thus crowding the occupants together, but the utmost harmony prevailed. In 1902 Mr. Baily observed some sheep approaching a nest; the setting bird watched them with considerable anxiety, and occa- sionally uttered a low chuck, which grew louder as the half-dozen sheep gradually and heedlessly neared the nest, nibbling the clover. When within about three feet she opened her mouth and uttered a strong protest, which caused the sheep to raise their heads in slight alarm, and finally, at her wits end, she raised up on her feet and invoked the aid of her attentive mate, who, screaming at the top of his lungs, dashed into the faces of the unsuspecting intru- ders and scattered them into a stampede up the slope. Not long Auk 430 DuTCHER AND Baity, Habits of the Herring Gull. Oc. after, one of them, blindly following his nose, wandered into the same tracks, but when within a few feet of the nest his course was altered after a slight protest from the occupant of the nest. The sanitary habits of the gulls are excellent ; they are very fond of bathing, resorting to the ocean where it is smooth, outside the surf line. There numbers of them gather and rest on the water, dipping their heads under, and throwing it over them in showers. ‘Then follows a period of dressing and preening the feathers. Among the thousands of birds seen this season, not a single individual was noted that showed the slightest stain on its beautiful white plumage. The mortality among the adult gulls on the breeding grounds seems to be small. In rgo1 only four dead ones were found ; one of these had evidently been shot at from some passing vessel while off shore feeding and had strength enough left to fly to its home to die. The other three had died from some accidental cause. Capt. Stanley states that gulls are sometimes killed by flying against sharp pointed stubs, thus receiving a fatal wound, and on one occasion he had found the skeleton of one that had been caught by its leg in the crotch of a limb and had starved to death. In 1902 he reported 25 old birds killed, most of them being accidentally caught on trees. At daylight large numbers of gulls leave the island and go to sea for food; and the length of time they remain away is governed probably by the distance they have to go to find fish. Some days they return quite early and on others much later. The manner of flight when returning from one of these food trips is entirely different from that of the ordinary excursions made from the breeding grounds; it is made close to the surface of the water, very direct, one bird following another, and is quite rapid. Sometimes the birds show marked evidences of fatigue. Capt. Stanley states that the gulls are great gluttons when food happens to be very plenty, for he has seen them eat so much that it was impossible for them to fly but a short distance. They have the power of disgorging, both pellets and partially digested food: many of the former, composed of fish bones and scales, were found, and on more than one occasion the observers just escaped a shower of half digested fish that was disgorged by an overloaded or excited gull. They are very fond of codfish ees RiLey, Description of a New Nighthawk. 431 livers andcan be tolled up with them very close to a boat. Should a liver sink before it can be picked up by a gull while hovering, the bird will settle on the water and disappear under the surface in the effort to obtain the coveted tidbit. The following special report was received from Capt. William F. Stanley, September 23, 1902. “The first flight of Herring Gulls, about 800, arrived at Great Duck Island, March 12; their numbers steadily increased until the 20th of May. The first egg was found May 15, and the first completed set of three eggs on May 22. The last set of eggs hatched August 3-5. Fifteen nests were marked and watched in order to determine the time occupied in incubation, which proved to be as follows: 1 in 24 days; 2 in 25 days; 5 in 26 days; 4 in 27 days; 3 in 28 days. Young birds were about five weeks old when they began to fly. September 16 all the old birds left the island, leaving the young birds to care for themselves.” A NEW SUBSPECIES OF NIGHTHAWK FROM, THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. BY Jj. H.- RILEY. THe nighthawk of the Bahama Islands has generally been recorded as Chordeiles minor, but while collecting birds, in con- junction with Mr. S. H. Derickson, on the Geographical Society of Baltimore’s Bahama Expedition, we managed to secure a small series.of these birds. A comparison of this material with a series of Chordeiles virginianus minor from Cuba and the Isle of Pines, and with Chordeiles virginianus chapmani from Florida, proves the Bahaman bird to be a well-marked geographical race. As it is apparently without a name it may be known as: 1 Published here by permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institu- — tion. 432 RiLey, Description of a New Nighthawk. ane Chordeiles virginianus vicinus, subsp. nov. Type, No. 189689, U. S. National Museum, @ ad., Long Island, Bahamas, July 16, 1903. Collected by J. H. Riley (Orig. No. 183). Similar to Chordetles vir ginianus chapmani but smaller, with the cris- sum and abdomen suffused with buff and the white patch on the primaries smaller. Measurements of type; wing, 176.5; tail, 100.5 mm. Female similar to the male but buff of abdomen and crissum deeper; white of throat less pure and more restricted ; and the white terminal bar on the tail nearly if not quite obsolete. Distribution Nighthawks were either taken or seen on the following islands by us: New Providence, Andros, Eleuthera, Watling’s, and Long Island. They have also been recorded from Great Bahama, Abaco, For- tune Island, Acklin Island, and Great Inagua, and are probably found during the breeding season throughout the Bahama group of islands. Remarks. —While in size the Bahaman Nighthawk is about equal to C. v. minor, in color it more nearly resembles C. v. chap- mant, but whereas the latter has the crissum and abdomen nearly pure white barred with black in C. wv. vicinus they are suffused with buff. C. v. vicinus differs from C. v. minor of Cuba in lack- ing the tawny mottling above and the ochraceous-buff below, the latter color being represented in vécinus by the buff wash on the abdomen and crissum. In fact, the Bahaman bird is intermediate in color between the form found in Cuba and the one in Florida, with a leaning towards the latter. Three males of C. v. chapmani from Florida average: wing, 186; tail, 100.5 mm. Four males of C. v. vicinus average: wing, 169; tail, 93.5 mm. Six males of C. v. minor from Cuba and the Isle of Pines aver- age: wing, 170; tail, 94.5 mm. Habits. — These birds would come out early in the evening and hawk about for insects in the same manner as C. v. virginianus in the North, but it seems to be more of a day flyer than that form, as they could frequently be seen flying about in the heat of the mid-day sun, in this respect reminding one of C. v. minor of Cuba. The note resembles that of the latter bird also and it gets the native name of fick-a-me-dick from its call given while flying. They are said not to be permanent residents on the islands, but to come from the south in the latter part of April. eae General Notes. 433 Dr. Coker gave me an egg, with incubation nearly complete, found by flushing the parent off the nest, July 11, on Watling’s Island. He also showed me a nest on Long Island, July 17, con- taining one young in the down on which the feathers had just begun to grow. In both cases there was no nest other than a slight hollow in the little sand that had collected in the cavities of the rough coral rock of the beach. The egg has a slight greenish-white ground color with larger and smaller spots and blotches, which run together at the larger end to form an indistinct wreath, of lighter and darker shades of plumbeous. Over this there are small streaky spots of raw umber, evenly distributed over the shell. It measures 23.4 X 12.5 mm. In color it is exactly intermediate between eggs of C. v. mznor and C. v. chapmani. GENERAL NOTES. Sabine’s Gull at Monterey, California. — While carrying out a line o work for the Field Columbian Museum, last April in the vicinity of Monterey, Cal., I came across a small bunch of Sabine’s Gull (Nema sabinzi) in perfect spring plumage. They came into the Bay with hun- dreds of Bonaparte Gulls and Red Phalaropes after a storm of a week’s duration.— GEORGE F. BRENINGER, Phoenix, Arizona. The Snowy Plover in the Bahamas. — Mr. S. H. Derickson shot a spe- cimen of £gvalitis ntvosa on Long Island, Bahamas, July 16, 1903. It was in the company of another of the same species, he tells me. This is the first record of this species, I believe, for the Bahamas. The specimen is now in the U. S. National Museum.—J. H. Ritey, Washington, D. C. Richardson’s Owl (Wyctala tengmalmi richardsoni) in Wlinois.—In recording the second capture of this owl for the State, I mentioned ! that another specimen had been reported, but that I was then unable to get 1Auk, Vol. XX, p. 305. 434 General Notes. on any definite information as to locality and date. Through the kindness of, Mr. Frederick C. Pierce of Chicago I am now enabled to record a third specimen which was taken in Cicero, in December, 1902, and is now in his possession.— RUTHVEN DEANE, Chicago, /11. Capture of the Barn Owl (S¢rix pratincola) on Long Island, New York. — This species is sufficiently rare on Long Island to make it worth while to record a specimen shot February 17, 1903, at Montauk Point. The bird was sent to me by Mr. Everett C. King, who wrote that it had been seen flying about for two or three days after a hard snow storm. He also stated that this bird and one shot two years ago are the only ones ‘of the kind he has seen in eleven years. —JONATHAN DwIGHrT, Jr., M. D., New York City. The Second Known Specimen of Centurus nyeanus Ridgway. — On landing at Cockburn Town, Watling’s Island, Bahamas, July 11, 1903, in company with Mr. S. H. Derickson, being very desirous of obtaining reliable data as to the status of the above species (cf Nye, Auk, XVI, July, 1899, 273), we struck out to find timber and arrived on the shores of the first lake about a mile back of the port. This lake and the large lake con- nected with it are surrounded with low hills, covered with a low growth of trees, where they have not been cleared for sisal planting. While standing talking with Mr. McDonald, the resident justice, concerning woodpeckers and being told that he had never seen one there during a six months’ residence, we heard a note resembling the rolling call of the Belted Kingfisher and supposed it was that bird. In a little while the bird flashed across the roadand lit in a rather thick clump of trees out of sight. On going back to shoot the supposed kingfisher what was my surprise to behold the very species I was looking for. It is now No. 189685, U. S. National Museum, g ad. The specimen is in worn plum- age and hardly comparable with the type. While the top of the head in the type is a brilliant scarlet-vermilion, my specimen has faded out to an orange-vermilion; the feathers covering the nostrils in my specimen are less extensively scarlet, and the lower parts so worn as not to be compar- able. It measures: wing, 129; tail, 88; exposed culmen, 32 mm. We were told that these woodpeckers, while not at all common, came down from the hills during the winter and did considerable damage to the oranges by making a small opening in the side of the fruit and extracting the pulp. We were shown orange trees in which nearly all the ripe fruit -was thus destroyed, some of it still hanging on the trees. Although we made special efforts to secure additional specimens, during our limited stay, we did not hear or see any more. —J. H. Ritey, Washington, D. C. Nighthawk Migration in New Hampshire.— One of the most interest- ing regular migration movements thatjhas come under my notice I have es | “General Notes. 435 observed at Lake Pasquaney, Bridgewater, N. H., for the past three years. On August 25, 1900, Mr. G. M. Allen noted in the records of Camp Pas- quaney twelve Nighthawks ( Chordedles virginianus); the most seen on any date that summer. In 1901, on August 22 and 23, I recorded a large flock, over twenty-five birds each day, passing at sundown slowly to the south- west over the lake. On August 22, 1902, at dusk, a flock of fully three hundred were seen migrating in the same direction. Again this year, on August 22, 1903, in the forenoon, nearly a hundred birds were noted passing over to the southwest. Thus for four years a definite migratory movement of these birds in considerable numbers has been observed between August 21 and 25. This migration has been noticed in Saco Valley, and I take it the birds passing over Pasquaney are stragglers from the Pemigewasset Valley migration, which occurs regularly — REGINALD HEBER HoweE, JR., Concord, Mass. Nests and Eggs of Ceeligena clemenciz.— About July 7, in the Hua- chuca Mountains, Arizona, I discovered a Blue-throated Hummingbird beginning its nest on a shelving rock on the face of a cliff. On the 13th the first egg was laid and on the 15th I took the set of two eggs, nest, and female parent. A single small fern was the only vegetation growing within ten or twelve feet of the nest. The rocks above the nest projected well out from the nest, protecting it from the torrents of rain that falls at that time of the year. The nest was composed chiefly of down from the under side of sycamore leaves, some cocoons and green moss, all firmly bound together with spider webs. The female when started from the nest, instead of flying directly out from the nest and away, would fly straight up the face of the cliff and pass through arift in the wall. A great fondness is shown by this species to associate itself with rugged places. This set of eggs, so far as known, is the third in existence. E. W. Nelson speaks of a nest from which a single egg was secured, built ina shrub up on the side of the Vulcan de Tuluca, Mexico. Josiah H. Clark (Auk, XVII, July, 1900, p. 294) tells us of a set of eggs taken by himself in the state of Vera Cruz, Mexico. In ‘The Osprey’ for February, 1899, I described a nest with two eggs I took on May 31, 1897, in these same mountains, built in a clump of maiden-hair ferns growing from the side of a wall of rock — the side of a deep gorge. The set of eggs taken this year is now in the collections of the Field Columbian Museum.— GEorGE F. BRENINGER, Phoentx, Arizona. Mortality of Purple Martins (Progze purpurea) at Brattleboro, Vt— During the long rain in June, 1903, the nests in the bird house belonging to William C. Horton of Brattleboro, Vt., became completely watersoaked, and thirty young and two adult Purple Martins were found dead in their nests. The remaining members of the martin colony abandoned the , mee leg Auk 4.36 General Notes. July house, leaving twelve eggs unhatched. Occasionally a few return and fly about as if trying to catch a glimpse of the inside of their home but none have ventured to enter up to this date (July 17).— FRANCES B. Horton, Brattleboro, Vt. Sand Swallows (Riparia riparia) Nesting in Sawdust.—In the sum- mer of 1902, while I was in Franconia, N. H., Mrs. Annie Trumbull Slosson pointed out to me a pile of sawdust, on the perpendicular face of which, earlier in the season, she had noticed what seemed to be entrances to Sand Swallow nests. The pile is constantly being shovelled away, and at the time of my visit no holes were visible. This year (1903) Mrs. Slosson wrote me, under date of June 18, that she had been out to the place (on the Easton road) two days before, and seeing a hole in the vertical (newly dug down) side of the sawdust heap, had taken pains to investigate the matter. “We sat in the carriage,” she wrote, and watched the hole, and soon saw a swallow enter it and, immediately after, another. They came out, flew away, and returned, entering the hole again. Each time they went in little clouds of sawdust puffed out like smoke. I got out of the carriage and went up the mound to the hole. I put my hand and arm in as far as I could, but it was not far enough to reach eggs or young, and I was afraid of the mound’s coming down upon me. After I returned to the carriage the birds came back, but were very shy of going into the disturbed hole, making several starts, vibrating their wings, then flying away. But ina few minutes.they gained courage and again entered the hole. I think there is not the slightest doubt that it is their home. I could find no other hole, but have little question there were others which had been wrecked by the workmen, who had been digging down that side of the pile.” Some days later she wrote: “On Saturday we drove again by the saw- dust heap. There were full twenty holes, and apparently all were occu- pied; swallows flying in and out all the time, a regular colony, just as you see them in a sand-bank. Poor simple creatures, I fear an earth- quake — or dustquake — has even now destroyed their work.” I begged her to make absolutely sure of the species, if she had not already done so, though really there could be no reasonable doubt upon that point, and on June 25 she replied: “Well, the species is all right. I verified things yesterday. We went out to the mill, and I went up the steep, sliding mass to the holes, ‘where the swallows dustward fly.’ About half a dozen of the holes had disappeared, but there were fourteen jeft. The birds, came about me, and I easily identified them as Bank Swallows, with white throat and a dark band across the breast.” Whether the breeding of Sand Martins in sawdust heaps has ever been recorded I do not know, but the occurrence seems to me of considerable interest, especially because the Sand Martin is the one member of its Vol. XX ae General Notes. 437 family, as seen in eastern North America, that I had supposed never to have altered its manner of life as a result of what we call civilization. — BRADFORD TorrREyY, Wellesley Hills, Mass. An Interesting Solitary Vireo (Vireo solztarius).— On April 28, 1903, @ male Solitary Vireo appeared in our garden ; this, although situated in a - thickly settled part of Cambridge, more than a mile from the nearest woods, covers upwards of an acre of ground and contains, in addition to much dense shrubbery, a number of well-grown trees of various kinds, including a few pines, spruces and hemlocks. The bird evidently found the place to his liking, for he remained there during the whole of the following three months, spending most of his time in the garden but also ranging through the cultivated grounds which surround the houses. of our nearer neighbors. So far as we could ascertain he had no mate, although it is possible that he built a nest, for on one occasion late in June he was seen tearing strips of loose bark from a birch and taking them into the trees on the opposite side of the street. That so notorious a forest lover as the Solitary Vireo should ever choose for his summer home a city garden, however wild and primitive, is sufficiently remarkable, but a still more interesting characteristic of this particular bird was that he had two perfectly distinct songs, one typically that of his own species, the other absolutely indistinguishable from that of the Yellow-throated Vireo. These, although used with about equal frequency, were never confused or intermingled. He would sing one for minutes at a time and then take up the other for a longer or shorter period. Not once when I was listening to him did he interpolate any of the notes of either strain among those of the other, nor ever change from one to the other save after a well marked interval of silence- To the ear of the listener, in short, he was either a Solitary or a Yellow- throat, as the mood happened to serve, but never both in the same breath. When rendering his own legitimate theme this bird was as typical and fine a singer as any Solitary that I have ever heard. Indeed, he appeared gifted to a really exceptional degree with the wild, ringing quality of voice, the generous repertory of varied, exquisitely modulated notes, and the (at times) rapid, ecstatic delivery which combine to make the song of the Solitary so delightful to all discriminating lovers of bird music. But when, on the other hand, he chose to play the réle of his yellow-throated cousin he reproduced with equal fidelity and success the latter’s character- istically slow, measured delivery and rich contralto voice. So perfect, indeed, was the imitation that when, as repeatedly happened, I had opportunity for directly comparing it with the song of a true Yellow- throated Vireo that also frequented the garden, I was unable to detect any differences whatever in the notes of the two birds. It may be well to add in this connection that Mr. Walter Faxon has heard one Yellow-throated Vireo (in Waltham, Massachusetts) and I another (in Lancaster, Massachusetts) which sang almost exactly like a oe 43 54 General Notes. on. Solitary Vireo; in both of these instances, however, the bird, unlike the Solitary above mentioned, appeared to use only the song which it had borrowed from its near relative and to have either lost or never acquired that of its own species. — WILLIAM BREWSTER, Cambridge, Mass. Bell’s Vireo (Vireo belliz) in Colorado. — It may be of interest to record that the writer shot a male Bell’s Vireo, June 12, 1903, on Clear Creek, near Denver, Colorado. In his second appendix to the ‘Birds of Col- orado,’ Prof. W. W. Cooke intimates the future discovery of the species in the State, and so far as I know this is the first taken in Colorado. The bird was first discovered by hearing its unfamiliar song, but I feel quite certain I have heard the same song in the city, on one or two occasions in previous years. The specimen is now in the collection of the State Historical and Natural History Society, Denver, Colo. — Horace G. Sm1TH, Asst. Curator, State Historicaland Natural History Soctely, Den- ver, Colorado. Nest and Eggs of the Swainson’s Warbler (Helinata swa/rnsontt).— June tst and 8th were ‘red-letter’ days for me from an odlogical stand- point. Jumping on my wheel and riding two or three miles from this city, I came to a swamp I had never visited before; and while jooking carefully among the thick cane-brake, I heard chzfs of a warbler.* Birds were singing and darting all around, and the ‘swamp-flies’ were making my life miserable, when I perceived a bunch of cane-leaves near the top of a cane-bush seven feet above the ground. On going closer, I sawa warbler on the nest, which immediately flushed and feigned lameness, rolling and chirping on the ground among the cane. I at once recog- nized the bird as Swainson’s Warbler, and on peering into the nest saw, to my great delight, three white, unmarked eggs of a slightly pinkish hue and rather globular in shape. The nest was a typical warbler’s, being made of leaves of the elm, cane in layers, pine needles, and lined with fine rootlets and grasses. I at once packed the eggs with the enthusiasm of having found such a rare nest —the rarest eggs I have ever found in this locality. Having read that this specie of warbler nests in small colonies, I continued in the cane, stooping often to search the tops of the cane. I had not gone ten feet, when I came to another nest with a warbler on it, in a canebush situated five feet above the ground. The bird dropped and fluttered off. The nest was more compactly built and contained three fresh eggs, somewhat smaller than the eggs of the other set. Proceeding near the end of the cane-brake, I saw a warbler dart out from aclump of cane, and on investigating, I saw a neat little Hooded Warbler’s (Welsonta mttrata) nest with three creamy white eggs marked with specks and spots of chestnut and lilac gray wreaths. I found one uncompleted Swainson’s Warbler’s nest, and on visiting the same swamp again in a week, I located two more sets of three eggs each of this po General Notes. 439 warbler—the rarest of southern warblers.— Dr. M. T. CLECKLEY, Augusta, Ga. Springfield, Mass., Bird Notes.— Branta bernicla. On the rith of April last a Brant was taken on the river near Northampton ; this bird is rarely observed in this part of the Connecticut Valley. Aquila chrysaétos. In November, 1902, a Golden Eagle was captured alive in a steel trap at Belchertown by Edgar E. Mead ; the bird is now in captivity in the city park in Springfield. There is no other record of the appearance of an individual of this species near here for more than twenty-five years, and there are only three instances recorded previous to that time. Lanius ludovicianus migrans. A Migrant Shrike was taken at Long- meadow Dec. 19, 1901. } Podilymbus podiceps. In this section of the country the Pied-billed Grebe has been a rare breeder, usually locating its nest in remote places away from the habitations of man. In the spring of this year, a pair chose as their home a small pond in the suburbs of Springfield near a number of houses, and at a place which was a rendezvous for boys, and there nested and succeeded in raising two young. Branta canadensis. For more than ten years Canada Geese have been successfully bred in the public park, in Springfield, and until last year, one of the wings of. each of the young has been cut to prevent their flying, but last autumn about twenty-five individuals of those raised during 1902 were left uncut. In the early spring of this year these birds became very noisy and uneasy and beginning with short flights soon would go off for many hours. Several are known to have been killed, and others disappeared, probably joining migrating flocks. Although the path to the regular breeding grounds of its kind, to the north, was free for it to follow, one preferred to return to the park and there mated with one of those with a crippled wing, and the pair successfully raised a brood of young.— RoBert O. Morris, Springfield, Mass. Some New Records for Nova Scotia.— Among a small lot of bird skins sent to me from Sable Island, Nova Scotia, by Mr. Jas. McL. Boutcher, I find no less than five species that are new to the Province and two others whose presence is purely accidental although previously recorded. Almost without exception the birds are young of the year, which goes to prove that young birds are most frequently lost, and as all of them were captured in the fall, it is extremely probable that they were carried along far out of their bearings by autumnal storms. It is well established that most accidental visitors in the East are taken in the fall, and the move- ment of storm centres in a northeasterly track east of the Mississippi undoubtedly has a close bearing upon such captures. Geothlypis formosa. KENTUCKY WARBLER.— A young male taken 440 General Notes. aus September 1, 1902, is in first winter plumage as determined by softening the skin and examining the bones. The nearest point at which the species regularly breeds is New Jersey. Chondestes grammacus. LARK SPARROW.—A_ young male taken September 4, 1902. This bird, still showing remains of the juvenal plum- age, had wandered at least a thousand miles from where it was probably hatched in the Mississippi Valley. Spiza americana. DickcisseL.— A young male in first winter plum- age taken September 13, 1902. Another wanderer from the Mississippi Valley, perhaps. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis. Brack TreRN.— A young male in juvenal plumage taken September 9, 1902. This species has been so often recorded along the New England coast that its occurrence at Sable Island is not unexpected. C Micropalama himantopus. STILT SANDPIPER.— An adult female, secured August 18, 1902, seems to establish a first record for Nova Scotia. Icterus galbula. BALTIMORE ORIOLE.— A young male in first winter plumage, taken October 4, 1902, is the second only that has been recorded (see Auk, IV, 1887, p. 256, for earlier record) and Mr. Boutcher comments that it ““came during a heavy gale.” Mimus polyglottos. MockiNGBIRD.— A young male in juvenal plum- age was captured September 3, 1902, “hopping about a woodpile.’”’ It is the second from Sable Island (see Auk, XIII, 1896, p. 344) in this plumage. — JoNaTHAN Dwicurt, JR., M. D., Mew York City. Formalin Fails as an Insecticide for Dermestes.— Wishing to test the efficacy of this chemical which has been advocated as a protection against ‘moths,’ I placed five larve of Dermestes and a couple of teaspoontuls of Schering’s formalin in a new nearly air-tight ‘Cambridge bird-can’ leaving it closed for twenty-four hours. On opening the can I found the formalin had not entirely evaporated while the larve were unharmed. They had run about freely in the can and quickly revived in the fresh air. Even a bath in the liquid produced no permanent ill-effects, so the next day they and five more of their brethren were again placed in the can anda teaspoonful of carbon disulphide poured in. When the can was opened at the end of only ten hours, the larve lay dead in the little tray in which they had been placed. Although extremely offensive to the nose and dangerous because volatile and inflammable, there is no surer insecticide than the disulphide. It is penetrating and destroys life even in the eggs of ‘ moths’ of all kinds, and its bad odor is offset by its rapid evaporation. Formalin is constantly irritating to nose and eyes and if, as I have shown, it fails to promptly destroy one of the naturalist’s greatest enemies its use even as an insectifuge is not to be encouraged.— JONATHAN DwiGur, Jr., M. D., Mew York City. Vol. XX7 Stee a ess ; 1603 | Reecent Literature. 44) RECENT LITERATURE. Macoun’s ‘Catalogue of Canadian Birds,’ Part II.— The first part of this important work appeared in 1900, and its general character and scope were so fully indicated in this journal (Vol. XVII, Oct., 1900, pp. 394, 395), that it remains now only to chronicle the appearance and extent of Part II,1 which includes the Raptores, and the succeeding families of the A. O. U. Check-List to and including the Icteride. As in Part I, we havea compendium of the previously published information regarding the range and breeding areas of the species known to occur in North America north of the United States, supplemented by a large amount of hitherto unpub- lished material gathered by the members of the Canadian Geological Sur- vey, and contributions from a large number of trustworthy correspondents. The authority is given for each record, whether published or unpublished, thus explicitly designating the sources of the information here presented, In the case of published records, the place of publication is often, but not always, explicitly stated. The ‘Catalogue’ also includes a list of the specimens in the Government Museum at Ottawa, with full data as to their place and date of capture, etc. It is announced that Part HI, completing the work, is ready for the press, and that it will be published during the coming winter. It will include such information relating to species mentioned in Parts I and II as may have been received since their publication, as well as an index to the three parts, and a complete bibliography of the authorities consulted in the preparation of the work. The ‘Catalogue’ will thus be a work of ggreat permanent value, and a most important contribution to our knowl- edge of the distribution of North American birds.—J. A. A. Dresser’s ‘A Manual of Palearctic Birds.’*—In a work of some 950 pages Mr. Dresser manages to treat the 1219 species and subspecies of the 1 Geological Survey of Canada. | Robert Bell, M. D., Sc. D., (Cantab.), LL.D., F. R. S.|—| Catalogue | of | Canadian Birds. | — | Part II. | Birds of Prey, Woodpeckers, Fly-catchers, | Crows, Jays and Blackbirds. | Including the following orders: | Raptores, Coccyges, Pici, Macrochires, and Part | of the Passeres, | — | By | John Macoun, M. A., F. R. S. C., | Natural- ist to the Geological Survey of Canada. | [ Vignette.] Ottawa: | Printed by S. E. Dawson, Printer to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, | 1903.—8vo, pp: i-iv, + 11., pp. 219-413. Price, 10 cents. 2A Manual of | Palearctic Birds | By H. E. Dresser, F. L. S., F. Z. S., etc. | Author of “The Birds of Europe’’ | [Vignette] London | Published by the Author at 3 Hanover Square, W.— 8vo, Part 1, 1902, pp. 1-498, and fron- tispiece; Part II, 1903, pp. i-vii, 499-922, 8ll. unpaged, and frontispiece. Price, 25 s. net; thin paper copies, 30 s. net. 442 Feecent Literature. ae Palearctic ornis, as here recognized. As stated in the preface, the work is “primarily intended for the use of field-naturalists and travellers.” With their convenience in mind, the technicalities, including synonymy and references, have been reduced to small compass, and binomials are employed throughout, even for the forms included as “subspecies.” All forms “described under trinomials”? have been uniformly excluded as not entitled to any kind of recognition, for the reasons, first, that the author is “in principle a binomialist,” and, second, because their recog- nition is difficult for even experts, and their admission “seems calculated rather to puzzle and discourage than to assist the beginner.’’ For this and other reasons the ‘Manual’ can hardly be considered as a technical treatise, but as a popular handbook for the identification of the species and the more prominent “subspecies.” The nomenclature is orthodox from the standpoint of ultra conservatism, through the non-recognition of Linnean names proposed prior to 1766, in the rejection of specific names that have been adopted for genera, and in the use of emended forms of names instead of the original. To save space in the bibliographical cita- tions, apparently, the name adopted in the text heads the list of refer- ences, regardless of whether the generic element of the name was used for the species by the authors cited or not; but when not so used the name of the author is enclosed in parenthesis, though there appears to be no explanation to this eftect. It also seems a little strange to find a species ranged as a subspecies of some other species described many years later, as in the case of Céuclus aquaticus, with parallel cases elsewhere. In the treatment of the species the English name is given first, then the systematic name, followed by references to the principal works treating of the species (or subspecies, as the case may be); then are given its vernacular names in the various countries it inhabits, followed by a short description (generally sufficient, apparently, for identification), a brief statement of its range, and a paragraph or two regarding its habits, including some account of the nest and eggs, the whole occupying about a page. Subspecies are formally distinguished as such by the prefix ““subsp.” and by use of different type for the name; they are usually dis- posed of, very properly, in a few lines, by comparison with the species to which they are most allied. The species follow each other. in the systematic order of the same author’s ‘Birds of Europe,’ but there are no divisions higher than genera to indicate the limits of families and orders —a feature that might well have been supplied in the interest of the non-scientific reader. The work, however, cannot fail to be of the greatest service to the class of users for which it is avowedly prepared, and also a handy reference book for ornithologists. Indeed, the author is entitled to great credit for having placed before the public such a con- cise and excellent manual of the birds of so vast an areaas the Palearctic Region. —J. A. A. Vol. XX | car Recent Literature. 443 Huatingtoa’s ‘Our Feathered Game.’!—In a single volume of about 400 pages Mr. Huntington treats of all of the species of North American birds commonly hunted as game, among which are included the Bobolink and Mourning Dove, but not the Robin nor the Meadowlark. Of the former he says : “I have placed the Bobolink at the end of my list, a place most convenient to strike it off, and I hope before long the hand- some song-bird of the meadows will not be an object of pursuit.” In respect to the Mourning Dove he is less lenient, and although he mentions the States which have prohibited its shooting, he decidedly favors its con- tinued treatment as a game bird. This book is written by a sportsman, for sportsmen, and from the sportsman’s point of view, and should prove welcome to such as care for a ‘manual’ of North American game birds in a single volume. The first chapter is introductory, treating of the changed conditions as regards the present scarcity of game birds, methods of hunting, stringent game laws, etc., in comparison with twenty-five years ago, when feathered game was abundant and the hunter could shoot whenever and wherever he pleased, with no limit to the bag. While the author manifests regret at the pass- ing of these ‘good old times,’ he recognizes the necessity for stringent game protection. Chapters follow on ‘Guns and Dogs,’ and ‘Game Clubs, Parks, and Preserves.’ The rest of the book is divided into four sections and an appendix, treating respectively of (1) Gallinaceous Birds ; (2) Wild-Fowl, or Swimmers; (3) Shore Birds or Waders; (4) Cranes, Rails, and Reed Birds, Wild Pigeons and Doves; (5) Appendix, giving brief descriptions of the species. The purpose and character of the book is well expressed in the author’s closing paragraph of the introduction: “My observation of the birds is from the sportsman’s blind, or as he sees them in a tramp across the field, with dog and gun; a sufficient descrip- tion, however, being given in the notes at the end of the volume to enable the reader to identify the species. We do not go to the museums to compare skins with the naturalists in the hope of creating a subspecies, but to the fields to shoot over those still open, as well as on club-grounds and private preserves, making some inquiry by the way as to the natural history of our game, and the new methods of preservation and propaga- tion.” The eight full-page colored plates of shooting scenes are in the style of this author’s well-known illustrations published in his ‘In Brush, Sedge, and Stubble’ (folio, 1899,) since republished as ‘ The True Game Birds,’ while the 135 full-length ‘ bird portraits’ are arranged in 29 half-tone plates at the end of the volume.—J. A. A. 1Our Feathered Game |A Handbook of the | North American Game Birds | By | Dwight W. Huntington | With eight full-page shooting scenes in color | and one hundred and thirty-five bird portraits | Charles Scribner’s Sons | New York, 1903— Crown 8vo, pp. xii + 396, 8 col. pll., 29 half-tone pll. Price, $2.00 ; postage, 15 cts. 444 feecent Literature. ae Degen on the ‘‘Perennial Moult” in the Australian Piping Crow.— As shown by the title,! Mr. Degen’s memoir is not merely an account of the moult in one of the species of Australian Piping Crows, but an attempt to throw light upon “the archzornithic type from which the wing of the modern bird has been evolved. The main object of the paper is stated to be “‘ to give additional evidence in support of the theory of the derivation of the feathering of the bird’s wing.” If was therefore found ‘“‘necessary to ascertain the mode by which the perennial moult of the individuals of a species of bird is made up from the earliest to the last stages of renewal; and, further, to what extent each feather partici- pates in this annual process during the period of complete feather- change.’”’ The species chosen for this investigation is the Gymnorhina tibicen, in which the moulting of the flight-feathers is traced from the beginning to the completion of the moult. The various stages, from the dropping of the first remex to the completed growth of the one last moulted, are described in detail and very clearly illustrated by numerous diagrams. Not only is the moult in this species traced in the most minute detail, but the history and previous literature of the general subject of ecdysis is considered, mostly Jass¢m, and the recent papers by Mr. Witmer? Stone and Dr. J. Dwight are frequently cited, as well as those of earlier writers. Beyond the minutely detailed record of the con- ditions of feather-change in the Piping Crow, there is little that is new to the general subject, but a contirmation of the conclusion reached by others as to the order of shedding and replacement of the flight-feathers. The two distinctly different principles of shedding and renewal are, first, “ the regular sequence of their renewal on the hand-portion from within out- wards, though accelerated in certain places or retarded in others, in order to maintain the requisite balance for flight, by a system of approxi- mate symmetry for the whole wing during this critical change. This is the principle which forms the rule for probably the entire order of the Passeres,” but not for some of the Picariz and many of the lower forms of birds. In the case of the cubital quills the moult begins with the first outer remex and proceeds inward to the fourth, but in the next series of three the order of moult is reversed, beginning with the seventh remex, then the sixth, and then the fifth. “The renewal of the wing-coverts presents some notable deviations from that of the flight-feathers.” While the latter assume their permanent order of renewal in the first moult, the wing-coverts pass through transi- tional stages before attaining their permanent order of renewal. A ' Ecdysis, as Morphological Evidence of the Original Tetradactyle Feather- ing of the Bird’s Fore-limb, based on the Perennial Moult in Gymnorhina tibicen. By Edward Degen, F. Z.S. Trans. Zo6l. Soc. London, Vol. XVI, Part vili, pp. 347-412, pll. xxxvi-xxxvill. May, 1903. ? Erroneously spelled ‘“* Wittmer” throughout the memoir. Vol. XX Dron Z ~ coe Recent Literature. 445 “marked transverse or vertical element” is found to enter into the con- ditions, and “this transverse arrangement is a survival, therefore,” according to the author, “of the phylogenetic affinities which link the present Class Aves to their Saurian ancestry.” The great importance of the wing-coverts in “helping to clear up outstanding questions connected with the evolution of the organ of flight’ has been fully reorganized by Pycraft and Goodchild whose conclusions are here cited. Under the head of ‘Conclusions’ is a long discussion of the evolution of the wing of the modern bird, with regard to the original point of origin of the flight-feathers. His final conclusions are expressed in the fol- lowing REVISED SCHEME FOR THE DERIVATON OF THE FLIGHT-FEATHERS FROM THE TETRADACTYLE ANCESTRAL FORM OF BIRDS. Proto-metacarpo-digitals = Hypo-metacarpo-digitals = Flight feathers of Phalangeal Origin. Flight feathers of Metacarpal Origin. Diair I. Suppressed (lost). present Penne pollicis [V-I. Diair II. Present Metacarpo-digitals XI-VI. Present intercalary row I-VI. Diern Tu. Present Metacarpo-digitals V-I. Present Cubital Group II, Secondary Remiges (0) I-IV. Diart IV. Present Cubital Group III, Secon- Present Cubital Group I, Secondary Remiges dary Remiges V-VII. VIII-X.— Cubiti veri XI-x. Direction of Moult. = = = > (Left Wing.) “From the foregoing scheme it may be observed that there are no flight-feather equivalents allotted to the phalangeal portion of Digit I, in which part they figure as ‘suppressed’..... This tendency towards a part- suppression, if carried further, would have the effect of leading to total apoptilism. It, moreover, must have proceeded contemporaneously with the feathering of the forearm and was still in progress after, as is evi- denced in the Passeres, where it has reached the present climax in the Oscines proper. “Considering the genealogical relative shortness of Digit I, coupled with the fact of a still greater reduction of size in the present forms of birds to one compound clement, there is strong probability existing that, during the course of the fusion of the phalangeal segments of this digit with its originally independent metacarpal bone, they were stripped off Auk 446 Recent Literature. One one.after the other as in the case of the ‘remicle’ and other diminutive COW ETIES ttn ree As to the question of ‘ diastataxy,’ the author believes that the present inquiry “supplies proof that ‘faulting’ is not confined alone to diastataxic wings, but takes place, though in inferior degree, in the short-armed eutaxic forms of birds, such as the Passeres.’”?—J. A. A. Weed’s Bibliography of Economic Ornithology.— As the title states, this is only a “partial bibliography ” of the subject to which it relates,' but as such it is disappointing as well in what it contains. Beginning with Wilson, 1808-14, we have listed a miscellaneous assortment cf general works, as those of Bonaparte, Audubon, Nuttall, etc., and of special papers dealing often in only a slight or incidental way with the food habits of birds, while a number of ‘reports’ and papers treating especially of such matters are omitted. While a large part of the titles cited are more or less pertinent, we find no reference to several of the most important papers and reports that treat especially of the economic relations of Birds. In preparing the bibliography of such a subject, it is difficult to properly adjust the line of exclusion, but the omission of some of the most important titles seems to imply lack of care in compila- tion.—J. A. A. Howe and Sturtevant’s Revised List of the Birds of Rhode Island.* — This brochure of 24 pages ‘‘endeavors to bring up to date the present knowledge of Rhode Island avifauna, and to correct that work [the original list, published in 1899] both in misstatements and typographi- - cal errors.” ‘Part I,’ of two pages, contains a note by Mr. James M. Southwick on the collection of Rhode Island birds presented to the Museum of Natural History at Roger Williams Park, Providence, by the late Charles H. Smith, which is stated to contain 292 species, repre- sented by 480 specimens. Then follows ‘ Part II,’ a ‘ Revised Annotated List of the Birds of Rhode Island,’ numbering 283 species, besides 3 entered as “extirpated,” and 8 as hypothetical. Several species of the original list are ‘dropped’, and five are now added. Mr. Howe need- lessly proposes (p. 22, footnote) the new generic name Paulomagus for the House Wren!—J. A. A. 1A Partial Bibliography of the Economic Relations of North American Birds. By Clarence M. Weed. New Hampshire College Agricultural Experiment Station, Technical Bulletin No. 5. Durhain, N. H:, 1902. 8vo, PPp- 139-179. 2A Supplement to the Birds of Rhode Island. By Reginald Ileber Howe, Junior, and Edward Sturtevant. 8vo, pp. 24. Middletown, Rhode Island, 1903. Vol. XX’ i > -9 = To Frecent Literature. 44 / Stone on Birds of Southern New Mexico and Western Texas.— Messrs. Stone and Rehn have recently published a paper on the Terres- trial Vertebrates of portions of southern New Mexico and western Texas, Mr. Stone being responsible for the portions relating to the birds and reptiles and Mr. Rehn for that on the mammals,! based on collections made by Mr. Rehn and Mr. H. L. Viereck in the spring and early sum- mer of 1902, in El Paso County, Texas, and Otero County, New Mexico, with some material from other sources. The list of birds numbers 41 species, of which 31 rest on specimens taken, and the other ten on field identifications of birds seen but not taken. The list is briefly annotated with the collector’s field notes, and in some instances by remarks on the character or condition of the plumage. The range of SArzella atrigularis is extended considerably to the eastward of its former known distribution by the capture of a specimen in Dry Cafion, Otero Co., New Mexico. The faunal relation of the localities visited in New Mexico ‘‘ appears to be truly Lower Sonoran.” This fauna seems to extend up the bottoms of the cafions, “ while the slopes of the same and the foothills appear to pos- sess more distinctly Upper Sonoran types.” An arm of the Lower Son- oran appears to extend ‘‘off from the Rio Grande tract and runs up between the Organ and the Sacramento ranges, comprising thee San Augustine plain.”—J. A. A. Oberholser on New Birds from Texas.—A vireo of the dedlzz type, intermediate between Vzvreo belli? belléi and V. belli? pusillus has been described? by Mr. Oberholser as Vireo belli? medius, from southwestern Texas and immediately adjacent portions of Mexico. He has also described? a new Cliff Swallow from the same region, under the name Petrochelidon lunifrons tachina. He has also shown * that the name /7ylopfhrlus, heretofore in current use for alarge group of Central American and South American vireos, is preoccupied by Hylophila for a genus of insects, so that the proper generic name for the vireo group is Pachysylvéa Bonaparte, 1850.—J. A. A. Bonhote’s List of Birds collected in the Bahamas.’— Mr. Bonhote made an ornithological collecting trip to the Bahamas in the winter of 1go1- ‘On the Terrestrial Vertebrates of Portions of Southern New Mexjco and Western Texas. By Witmer Stone and James A.G. Rehn. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1903, pp. 16-34. May 7, 1903. ? Description of a New Vireo. By Harry C. Oberholser. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Vol. XVI, pp. 17, 18, Feb. 21, 1903. 3A new Cliff Swallow from Texas. J/é¢d., pp. 15, 16, Feb. 21, 1903. 4 Tbid., p. 101, June 23, 1903. : °On a Collection of Birds from the Northern Islands of the Bahama Group. By J. Lewis Bonhote, M. A., F. Z. S. The Ibis, July, 1903, pp. 273-312. 44 8 Recent Literature. Ae 702, which has furnished the basis for two papers, the first, entitled ‘ Field Notes on some Bahama Birds,’ published recently in the ‘ Avicultural Magazine’ (see Auk, anfea, pp. 230, 231), and the second, here under notice, giving a formal list of the 104 species collected and notes on a few others observed but not taken. A list of the specimens secured of each species is given, with the date and locality of capture, with, in some cases, quite extended notes on their habits and history as Bahama birds. There is some critical comment on a number of the species, particularly of the genus Geothlypsis, but his remarks are not especially convincing to those who have reached opposite conclusions through better facilities for investigation. He claims to have added four species to the Bahama list, but one of them (Vyc/¢corax nevius) was long since recorded by the late Dr. Northrop in an important paper on ‘The Birds of Andros Island, Bahamas’ (Auk, VIII, 1891, pp. 64-80), which Mr. Bonhote appears to have overlooked, as it is not cited in his references to previous authors. The paper contains much new and interesting information respecting the birds of the Bahamas and is thus a most welcome contribution to the subject.—J. A. A. Sherborn’s ‘Index Animalium.’'—Some ten or more years ago Mr. Sherborn entered upon the almost overwhelming task of compiling a list of the genera and species of animals, both living and extinct. An under- taking of such magnitude and importance quickly attracted the attention of prominent naturalists in England, and liberal support was received from the British Association, under whose auspices chiefly the work has been continued. The British Museum and other libraries, appreciating the exhaustive bibliographical researches involved, profited by Mr. Sher- born’s knowledge of books in adding to their shelves many of the works not previously accessible in England. Through the intelligent codpera- tion of these libraries Mr. Sherborn has been enabled to consult practi- cally all of the zodlogical literature from 1758 to 1800, his ‘ lébr/ destderatt’ consisting mainly of unimportant works. In view of the long time required to bring the list up to date, it was thought well to place a portion of it in the hands of zodlogists without delay, and to this end the part dealing with names published from 1758 to the close of the eighteenth century was issued late in 1902. This installment comprises a thick volume of over 1200 pages, containing nearly 60,000 entries, of which about one twelfth relate to birds. 1 Index Animaiium | sive | Index nominum quae ab A. D. MDCCLVIII | Generibus et Speciebus Animalium | imposita sunt | Societatibus eruditorum adiuvantibus | a | Carolo Davies Sherborn | confectus | sectio prima | a kalen- dis ianuariis, MDCCLVIII | usque ad finem Decembris, MDCCC | Canta- brigiae | E Typographio Academico | MDCCCCII— Roy. 8vo, pp. i-lix; 1- WO Se rice 25S, Net: Vol. XX 1903 Feecent Literature. 449 The general plan of the work is excellent, the arrangement of names being alphabetical throughout, with the genera distinguished from species by means of capital initials. At the end of the main list the species are again grouped alphabetically under genera, where one may find at once all of the specific names used in combination with each genus. Thus, under Pszttacus, we find 265 specific names ; under alco, 220, etc. In the general list specific names are given as originally spelled, without emendation or correction, followed by their respective generic terms, together with a correct citation, with date of publication, of the work in which they first appeared. Where a specific name is not new, but used for the first time in combination with another generic name, this fact is indicated by citing the original genus at the end of the reference. Preceding the general list is a bibliography, wherein are briefly listed the titles of 1300 or more works handled by Mr. Sherborn in the prepara- tion of the present volume, with important notes (too short, in most cases!) indicating the character of each work, whether binomial, or other- wise, etc. Referring to the short list of ‘libri desiderati,’ we may dismiss two of those mentioned by saying that Wagner, ‘ Abbild. Nat. Kab. Bayreuth,’ is not binomial,’ and no systematic names occur in the ‘Nieuwe Maga- zijn. In a work such as the present it is quite natural that there should be some omissions and occasional errors. These are, fortunately, as far as they pertain to birds, of no great moment, as the names omitted are more or less commonly cited in ornithological literature. Some names are, through oversight, stated to be zomzna nuda when they are not so. The generaof mammals named by Link (e. 2., Ondatra, Ochotona, Petau- rista), in his ‘ Beytrige’ are thus indicated, but they are properly diag- nosed on pp. 74-78, where typical species are also mentioned. The species names cited from Latham and Davies, ‘ Faunula Indica,’ 1795, figure as zomitna nuda, but most of them are based on the descriptions or plates of other writers, hence entitled to full standing. On the other hand, a glance through Mr. Sherborn’s list reveals many unfamiliar names, testifying to the care with which he has searched for- gotten volumes. Especially to be mentioned are the specific names quoted from Vroeg, ‘Catalogus Verzam. Vogelen,’ 1764, and to the gen- era given in the 1758 edition of Moehring’s ‘Generum Avium’ (‘Gesch- lachten d. Vogelen’). The question of accepting Moehring’s names at 1758 is one that may give rise to differences of opinion, but we are glad 1The mammal names Armodillo and Tatu occur in it. * Among the omissions may be mentioned Radlus ecaudatus King, 1784; Motacilla cyanea Ellis, 1782; Larus crepidatus Banks, 1773 ; also the species of Hermann’s Tabula Affin. Anim., 1783, and those described by Gunnerus, in Leem’s Beskr. over Finmarkens Lapper, 1767. 45 fe) Recent Literature. Onn to see them in the ‘Index’; it is better to include doubtful names than to omit them, as their disposition is a matter for the decision of the specialist. In conclusion, we have only the highest praise to offer for Mr. Sher- born’s work. It is to be hoped that workers in the various branches of zo0logy will codperate with the compiler, with the object of gathering up the odds and ends overlooked in the present part, that they may be included in a later one, and we trust the undertaking will not lack the assistance and support necessary to bring it to a successful and early termination.— C. W.R. The ‘Index Zoologicus.’!— This important supplement to the well- known ‘Nomenclator Zoologicus’ of Scudder is based largely upon the names recorded since 1879 in the yearly volumes of the ‘Zoological Record,’ but vatuable references have been gathered from other sources, such as published lists of genera of special groups; from works over- looked by Agassiz, Marschall, and Scudder, as well as from manuscript lists submitted by various svstematists. About 40,000 names are given in the ‘Index,’ nearly one fourth of which were instituted prior to 1880; the remainder represent the work of zodlogists during twenty years, an average of 1500 names per annum. The new ‘Index’ will afford temporary relief to the zodlogist, but a new and thoroughly revised ‘Nomenclator’ is much needed. In the ‘Index’ we have a worthy complementary volume to the list prepared by Scudder, thus making accessible to workers a more complete catalogue of generic and subgeneric names than has hitherto been possible, but it is evident that the next edition will produce an additional large crop of forgotten terms,” and that perfection cannot be expected until zodlogical literature 1 Index Zoologicus | an alphabetical list of names of genera and | subgenera proposed for use in Zoology | as recorded in the | “‘Zoological Record” 1880-— 1900 | together with | other names not included in the “ Nomenclator | Zoolog- icus”’? of S. H. Scudder | compiled (for the Zoological Society of London) | by | Charles Owen Waterhouse | and edited by | David Sharp, M. A., F. R. S. | Editor of the ‘Zoological Record” | London | Printed for the Society | Sold at their house in Hanover Square | and by | Gurney & Jackson, Pater- noster Row | MDCCCCII | — 8vo, pp. i-xii; 1-421. Price, 20s. 2 The following are suggested, in the Class Aves: Asturactos Brehm, 1855; Autruchon Temm., 1840; Budytanthus David, 1867 ; Calandrina Blyth, 1855; Chlorion Temm., 1838; Cinnamopteryx Reichenow, 1886; Corax Kaup, 1854; Cyphornis Cope, 1894; Falcator Temm., 1821; Gzugaia Rafin., 1815; Auhus Rafin., 1815; Kezopia “Blyth, 1855”; MZelanopteryx Reichenow, 1886; JZ7se- rythrus Newton, 1875; Oxyporus et al. Brookes, 1828 ; Paleonornis Emmons, 1857; Phaeopharus Madarasz, 1900; Pomarinus Fischer, 1803; Tapera Thunberg, 1819; also names proposed by Bertoni (see Auk, 1902, pp. 414- 416). Vol. XX 1903 Recent Literature. 45 I has been carefully sifted on the lines so well begun by Mr Sherborn in his ‘ Index Animalium.’ Some errors are apparent in the ‘Index’ that might have been avoided had it been practicable to circulate proof-sheets among specialists for correction. Among the bird names we note Agropsa, for Agropsar ; Arguata, for Arquata; Eubates, tor Eribates; Megaquiscalis, for Megu- guiscalus ; Perenopterus, for Percnopterus; and Conuropsis is credited to Hasbrouck, instead of Salvadori.— C. W. R. Ornithological Magazines. ‘ The Osprey.’— With the number for Janu- ary, 1902, ‘The Osprey’! entered upon Volume I of its ‘New Series’ (Vol. VI of the whole series). Up to January, 1903, however, only six numbers had appeared; another has since been printed but apparently has not been issued. The January number contains: ‘The California Jay (Aphelocoma californica) ; some of its habits and characteristics,’ by D. A. Cohen; ‘Random and Reminiscent Maine Bird Notes,’ by W. C. Kendall (on the decrease of birds in Maine during the last twenty years, and advocating more stringent bird protection) ; ‘August Birds of Stony Man Mountain, Virginia,’ by William Palmer; ‘ Life and Ornithological Labors of Sir John Richardson,’ compiled by Theodore Gill (with por- trait of Richardson). Reviews of Lucas’s ‘ Animals of the Past (illus- trated)’ and of Macoun’s ‘Catalogue of Canadian Birds’ complete the regular text, to which is added, as a separately-paged supplement, ‘Gen- eral History of Birds, Chapter I (pp. 1-4), treating of ‘The English Names,’ and ‘ The Birds’ Place in Nature.’ The February number has: ‘ Notes on the Habits of the Broad-winged Hawk (Suteo platypterus) in the Vicinity of Washington, D. C.,’ by J. H. Riley (nest illustrated) ; ‘Rambles about my Old Home,’ by Milton S. Ray (at San Mateo, Cal., contrasting present conditions with those of eighteen years ago) ; ‘The Mocking Bird at Home,’ by F. H. Knowlton; ‘Reminiscent and Random Maine Bird Notes,’ by W. C. Kendall (con- tinued from Jan. number); ‘ Professor Alfred Newton, F. R. S.,’ by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt (with portrait). Reviews of Ridgway’s ‘ Birds of North and Middle America,’ Part I, and Herrick’s ‘The Home Life of Wild Birds’ (with sample illustrations), complete the regular text, with pp. 5—- 12 of ‘The General History of Birds,’ containing ‘Characters of the 'The Osprey. An Illustrated Magazine of Ornithology. Published monthly. Edited by Theodore Gill and Paul Bartsch, in collaboration with Robert Ridgway, Leonhard Stejneger, Frederic A. Lucas, Charles W. Rich- mond, William Palmer, and Harry C. Oberholser of Washington, and Witmer Stone of Philadelphia. New Series, Vol. I, 1902, 4to, pp. I— — + 1— — of ‘General History of Birds.’ The Osprey Company, Washington, D.C. Sub- scriptions in United States, Canada and Mexico, $1.00 a year; single copies, 10 cents; foreign subscriptions, $1.25 a year, postage paid. A52 Recent Literature. ae Class,’ the ‘General Characters of Birds,’ and the beginning of the ‘Plumage of Birds,’ the latter by Dr. Hubert Lyman Clark. The March number contains: ‘ Notes on some Yellow-throated Vireo’s Nests,’ by William R. Maxon ; ‘The Birds of the Marianne Islands and their Vernacular Names.—I,’ by W. E. Safford; ‘ Notes on McCown’s Longspur in Montana,’ by P. M. Silloway ; ‘The Carib Grassquit (Euetheta bicolor omissa),’ by B. S. Bowdish; ‘Board and Lodging for Birds’; ‘ An Albino Vesper Sparrow,’ by R. W. Williams, Jr.; ‘The Thick-billed Red- wing, a new bird record for Iowa.’ by [P.] Bartsch ; ‘ Biographical Notice of John Cassin,’ by Theodore Gill. Brief obituaries of Hugh Alexander Macpherson and Alpheus Hyatt complete the number, to which are added pp- 13, 14 of the ‘ General History of Birds.’ The April number has: ‘The Feeding Habits of the Coot and other Water Birds,’ by Barton Warren Evermann, and ‘The Birds of the Mari- anne Islands and their Vernacular Names, by W. E. Sattord (continued from March number). Pages 15-20 of the ‘General History of Birds’ are added, treating of ‘Moulting or Molting,’ by William Palmer. A half- tone frontispiece gives portraits of John Cassin, Thomas Wilson (two views), and George A. McCall. There is a short note on each of the two latter on p. 96 of the June number, and a biographical notice of the first in the March number (pp. 50-53). The May number contains: ‘Winter Water Fowl of the Des Moines Rapids,’ by Ed. S. Currier; ‘The Destruction of Birds by Lighthouses,’ by Bernard J. Bretherton ; and‘ The Porto Rican Pewee (Blacicus blancoz), by B. S. Bowdish. There is a further installment (pp. 21-26) of the ‘General History of Birds,’ being the beginning of ‘ Chapter H, General Anatomy,’ by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt. The June number contains: ‘ The Mississippi Kite (Zc¢¢nda mississip pr- ensis),’ by Albert Franklin Ganier ; ‘Recent Views of the Sable Island or Ipswich Sparrow,’ by W. E. Saunders; and ‘ Northern Parula Warbler,’ by J. Merton Swain. Also pp. 27-34 of the ‘ General History of Birds,’ continuing the chapter on ‘General Anatomy.’ The July number (so far as we know not yet — Sept. 15, 1903 — dis- tributed to subscribers, although printed’ some months ago) contains “Notes on Birds of the Pribilof Islands,’ by Dr. D. W. Prentiss, Jr.; ‘ A Study of the Genus Perdsoreus, by Reginald Heber Howe, Jr.; ‘The Cerulean Warbler, a Summer Resident near Washington,’ by William R. Maxon; ‘Notice of Dr. James G. Cooper,’ by William H. Dall, copied from ‘Science (only part here published and marked ‘ to be continued ’) ; and pp. 35-42 of the General History of Birds.’ A frontispiece half-tone illustrates the ‘Mississippi Kite and Nest,’ and there is a portrait of the late Dr. J. G. Cooper. ‘The Osprey,’ never a model in promptness of publication, has of late fallen far below its usual standard, the last number bearing date July, 1902. We certainly hope this does not indicate its permanent demise, for it has always been a useful Journal and is already greatly missed. — 4.04, A; Vol. XX 7663 Recent Literature. 45 23 Chapman’s ‘ The Economic Value of Birds to the State.’-— By request of the New York State Forest, Fish, and Game Commission, Mr. Chap- man has prepared a paper on ‘The Economic Value of Birds to the State,’ 1 of which advance copies have just been received. It forms a part of the Annual Report of the Commission for the year 1902, and consists of nearly seventy pages of text and twelve colored plates by Fuertes, drawn especially for the work, and effectively reproduced by Hoen & Company of Baltimore. They form one of the most beautiful series of bird plates yet published. The drawings are at Fuertes’s best, and the reproduction merits high praise. The twelve plates illustrate twenty-four species of our common land birds, the leading types, from Hawks to Thrushes. The text is well worthy of the beautiful plates. Although, as the case necessarily requires, the paper is largely a compilation, the selections are judiciously made, as regards sources of information and choice of matter, which is largely from special bulletins and reports on the food habits of birds published by the Biological Survey, under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The first twenty pages are devoted to a gen- eral discussion of the economic value of birds to the forester, the fruit- grower, the farmer, and the citizen, being a statement of ‘What the bird does for the State,’ followed by ‘What the State does for the Bird,’ and ‘What the State should do for the Bird.’ This is succeeded by ‘ Statistics of Food Habits’ (pp. 23-63), in which the leading groups, and certain of the species, of land birds are treated in systematic sequence; and to this is added a bibliography of about seventy-five titles, listing the more important papers relating to the food of American birds. The attitude of the author on the question of ‘The Bird and the State’ may be indicated by the following extract from his opening paragraph : “The bird is the property of the State. From this fundamental con- ception of the bird’s legal status there can be no logical ground for dissent. If a certain species of bird is conclusively proven to be injurious to the agricultural or other interests of the State, no one would deny the State’s right to destroy that species. If, on the contrary, a species is shown to be beneficial, then the State has aright to protect it. Indeed, we may go further and say it is not only the right, but the duty of the State to give its birds the treatment they deserve.” Mr. Chapman’s paper is an excellent compendium of our present knowl- edge of the economic relations of our birds, and the New York State Forest, Fish, and Game Commission has shown an intelligent conception of its duties and functions in placing before the public so important a memoir in such an attractive form. — J. A. A. 1State of New York | Forest, Fish and Game Commission | — | The Economic Value of Birds | to the State | By | Frank M. Chapmar | Associate Curator of Mammalogy and Ornithology in the American | Museum of Nat- ural History | [Seal] Albany | J. B. Lyon Company, Printers | 1903 —4to, pp. 1-66, 12 colored plates. September, 1903. 454 Recent Literature. ae Publications Received. — Alexander, Boyd. On the Birds of Fernando Po. (Ibis, July, 1903, pp. 330-403; also separate, pp. 75.) Anderson, Malcolm P., and Joseph Grinnell. Birds of the Siskiyou Mountains: A Problem in Distribution. (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila- delphia, 1903, pp. 4-15.) Bau, Alexander. Antwort au Herrn Dr. Kurt Floricke. Svo, pp. 4. Bonhote, J. Lewis. Ona Collection of Birds from the Northern Islands of the Bahama Group. (Ibis, July, 1903, pp. 273-315.) Dresser, H. E. A Manual of Palearctic Birds. Syvo, London. Pub- lished by the Author, 3 Hanover Square, W. Price, 25 s. Dubois, Alphonse. Synopsis Avium, Fasc. XIII and XIV, 1903. Dutcher, William. The Flicker. (National Committee of. Audubon Societies, Leaflet No. 5.) Grinnell, Joseph. Call Notes of the Bushtit. (Condor, V, No. 4, July, 1903.) Hartert, Ernst, und Carl Hellmayr. Ueber die Pipriden-Gattung Mastus Bp. (Orn. Monatsb., No. 3, Marz, 1903.) Hellmayr, C. E. (1) Ueber neue und wenig bekannte stidamerikanische Vogel. (Verhandl. der k. k. zool.-bot. Gesells. in Wien, 1903, pp. 199- 223.) (2) Einige weitere Bemerkungen iiber Polioptila. (Lbid., pp. 223- 226.) Huntington, Dwight W. Our Feathered Game. Svo, Charles Scrib- ner’s Sons, New York. Price, $2.00 net. Lorenz, Dr. L. von, und C. E. Hellmayr. Ein Beitrag zur Ornis Siida- rabiens. (Denks. Math.-Naturwis. Classe d. Kais. Akad. d. Wissenschaften zu Wien, LXXI, 1902, pp. 1-18.) Macoun, John. Catalogue of Canadian Birds. PartII. Ottawa, Geol. Surv. of Canada. Price, 10 cents. Oberholser, Harry C. (1) A New Cliff Swallow from Texas. (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XVI, pp. 15, 16.) (2) Description of a New Vireo. (Jé¢d., pp. 17, 18.) (3) Note on the Generic Name Aylophilus. (Lbid., p. IOL.) Rathbun, Richard. Report upon the Condition and Progress of the U.S. National Museum during the year ending June 30, 1901. (Report U.S. Nat. Mus. for 1901, pp. 1-174.) Schiebel, Guido. (1) Die Phylogenese der ZLanzus-Arten. (Ornith. Monatsb., 1903, pp. 105-112.) (2) In welchem Monat bekommt der schwarzstirnige Witirger (Lantus minor Gm.) sein Alterskleid ? (Orn. Jahrb., 1903, pp. 140-143.) Shufeldt, R. W. (1) Bird Photographs for Bird-books. (Profess. and Amateur Photog., July, 1903, pp. 245-250.) (2) Photographing Quails and Partridges. (Amer. Inventor, July 15, 1903, pp. 35-36.) Torrey, Bradtord. The Clerk of the Woods. 16mo, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1903. Price, $1.10, net. Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen, Vict. Ritter von. (1) Ueber Palaearktische Formen. (Ornithol. Jahrb., XIV, 1903, pp. 138-140.) (2) Zoologische ee, Recent Literature. 455 Litteratur der Steiermark. Ornithologische Literatur. (Mitteil. Natur- wiss. Ver. f. Steiermark, 1902, pp. lviii—Ixii.) Wilson, James. Regulations for the Protection of Game in Alaska. (Biolog. Surv. Circular No. 39.) Aquila, IX, 1902, Supplementum. 1903. American Ornithology, III, Nos. 7-9, July-Sept., 1903. Anales del Museo Nacional de Montevideo, IV, pt. 1 and 2, 1903. Annals of Scottish Natural History, No. 47, July, 1903. Atlantic Slope Naturalist, No. 3, July-August, 1903. Avicultural Magazine, New Ser., I, Nos, 9-11, July—Sept., 1903. Bird-Lore, V, No. 4, July—Aug., 1903. Birds and Nature, No. 2, Sept., 1903. Bulletin British Orn. Club, No. XCIX, 1903. Bulletin Michigan Orn. Club, IV, No. 2, June, 1903. Canadian Record of Science, IX, No. 1, 1903. Condor, The, V, No. 4, July—-Aug., 1903. Emu, III, Pt. 1, July, 1903. Forest and Stream, LXI, Nos. 1-13, 1903. Knowledge, XX VI, Nos. 213-215, July—Sept., 1903. Monthly Bulletin, Pennsylvania Dept. Agric., Nos. 3-5, July—Sept., 1903. Naturalist, The, Monthly Journ. of Nat. Hist. for North of England, Nos. 558-560, July—Sept., 1903. Ornithologische Monatsberichte, XI, Nos. 7-9, July—Sept., 1903. Ornithologische Monatsschrift, XX VII, No. 6, June, 1903. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch, XIV, Mai-Aug., 1903. Ottawa Naturalist, XVII, Nos. 4-6, July—Sept., 1903. Our Animal Friends, XXX, Nos. 11, 12, XXXI, No. 1, July—Sept., 1903. Proceedings Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1903, Pt. 1. Records of the Australian Museum, V, No. 1, April, 1903. Science, N. S., XVIII, Nos. 444-456, 1903. Wilson Bulletin, X, No. 3. Zoological Quarterly Bulletin, Pennsylvania Dept. Agric. I, No. 2 Aug., 1903. ZoGlogist, The, (4) VII, Nos. 745-747, July-Sept., 1903. 45 6 Correspondence. pute CORRESPONDENCE. The Use of Trinomials. EDITORS OF ‘THE AUK’ :— Dear Sirs :— While further discussion of trinomials is perhaps unnec- essary I am tempted to comment upon some misleading statements in Mr. Loomis’s article in the July issue of ‘The Auk,’ especially since his paper so thoroughly voices the popular outcry against the recognition of geographic races, and would seem to dispose ot the difficulties in the case so easily. (1) Mr. Loomis’s parallel between the recognition in nomenclature of sexes and seasonal plumages on the one hand and geographic races on the other seems ill founded. It is true of course that we do not recognize plumages as distinct species when we have learned their real nature, but any one who has read Dr. Dwight’s paper (Auk, 1902, p. 248) will surely admit that we have by no means abandoned a distinct nomenclature for plumages; indeed, the most flagrant trinomial must pale into insignifi- cance beside the ‘compound juveno-non-nuptial plumage” ! (2) Mr. Loomis constantly speaks of ‘geographic variants ” and “full fledged species’ as if the two were readily distinguishable. If he can formulate any way by which we can separate species and subspecies except by individual opinion, he has indeed solved the problem. It seems to me that the one fact that is being inevitably forced upon us by modern systematic study is that the “geographic variants” are the fundamental elements which in any nomenclature must receive primary recognition. Many of our old-time “species ” have been found utterly inadequate in their application and the independent recognition of their components and of allied forms unknown when the “species” were established is inevitable. To extend the limits of a “species” to include without further comment such diverse forms as the extremes of the Song Sparrow series would ren- der systematic nomenclature absurd and well nigh useless. Dr. Allen has to my mind put the matter very clearly when he claimed that we can be no more expected to keep our investigations in systematic zoology within the limits easily comprehended by the laity than the his- tologist can be expected to confine his labors to the same bounds. Dr. Dwight’s statement, after his exhaustive studies of plumages, that “the facts about plumages and moults do not lend themselves to simple explanation ” and “will no doubt seem obscure and complicated ” applies exactly and with added force to modern systematic researches. That our present rules of nomenclature may have to be altered in some respects I will admit, but as I have already stated (Condor, 1903, p. 43) I regard the preservation of trinomials as of the greatest importance. Very truly yours, WITMER STONE. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., Sept. 17, 1903. Vol. XX vas Notes and News. 457 NOTES AND NEWS. THE TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL ConGreEss of the American Ornitholo- gists’ Union will be held at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadel- phia, beginning on the evening of Monday, November 16, 1903. The evening session will be for the election of officers and members and for the transaction of routine business. Tuesday and the following days the sessions will be for the presentation and discussion of scientific papers, and will be open to the public. Members intending to present commun- ications are requested to forward the titles of their papers to the Secre- tary, Mr. John H. Sage, Portland, Conn., so as to reach him not later than November 13. PROFESSOR WILBER CLINTON KNIGHT, an Associate of the American Ornithologists’ Union, died at his home at Laramie, Wyoming, July 28, 1903, of peritonitis, after an illness of six days. Prof. Knight was’born at Rochelle, Ills., Dec. 13, 1858. His boyhood days were passed upon the farm where daily communion with Nature exercised a marked influence upon his tastes, which were early indicated by his choice of books and the lines of study he pursued. With his people he moved to Nebraska where he obtained his education, graduating a Bachelor of Science from the State University in 1886. Immediately following his graduation he was appointed Assistant Territorial Geologist for Wyoming, and there- after progress in his profession may be summed up as follows: The year 1887-88, Assayer at Cheyenne; Superintendent of mines in Colorado and Wyoming, 1888 to 1893; Professor of Mining, University of Wyoming, 1893 and 1894; Professor of Geology, Mining Engineering, Principal of the School of Mines, Geologist of the Wyoming Agricul- tural Experiment Station, and Curator of University Museum from 1894 to date of his death; State Geologist 1898-99. Well earned post graduate degrees of M. A. and Ph. D. were conferred upon Prof. Knight by the University of Nebraska in 1893 and 1901, respectively. Numerous publications from his pen, usually in the form of bulletins or magazine articles, have appeared from time to time, the most impor. tant of the former being as follows: Bulletin No. 1, ‘The Petroleum of the Salt Creek Oil Field, its Technology and Geology,’ 1896. Bulletin No. 2, ‘The Petroleum Oil Fields of the Shoshone Anticlinal, Geology of the Popo Agie, Lander and Shoshone Oil Fields,’ 1897. Bulletin No. 3, ‘The Geology of the Oil Fields of Crook and Uinta Counties, Wyo.,’ 1899. Bulletin No. 4, ‘Geology of the Oil Fields of Natrona County, Excepting Salt Creek.’ Bulletin No. 5, ‘The Newcastle Oil Fields, Wyo.’ Bulletin No. 6,‘ The Bonanza, Cottonwood and Douglas Oil Fields,’ 1903. Bulletin No. 14, ‘Geology of the Wyoming Experi- ment Farms,’ 1893. Special Bulletin, ‘ The Sweetwater Mining District.’ 458 , Notes and News. Ger Bulletin 49, ‘Alkali Lakes and Deposits’; and Bulletin No. 55, ‘ The Birds of Wyoming.’ A list of other publications which appeared in ‘Science,’ ‘The Engi- neering and Mining Journal,’ ‘The American Manufacturer and Iron World,’ ‘ Mineral Industry,’ ‘American Journal of Science,’ ‘ National Geographic Magazine,’ ‘ Journal of Geology,’ ‘ Bulletin of the Geological Society of America,’ Reports of the U. S. Geological Survey, and other periodicals of high standing, would include about forty titles, all of which were exploitations of the results of original research and painstaking investigation. Of his bulletins, No. 55, ‘The Birds of Wyoming,’ is the only one devoted to the subject in which the readers of ‘The Auk’ have especial interest. While ornithology was a subject of secondary interest to Prof. Knight, the character of his bird work is in every way commendable. In his introductory to this bulletin the author says: ‘Being a geologist it may appear strange for me to pose as the author of a bird bulletin.” One thing, however, was made plain ; there was a great public demand for such a bulletin. It may be said, also, that such demand was supplied by this publication. It is interesting to note in this connection, that the demand for this publication shows that its popularity is greater than that of any other bulletin issued by authority of the Wyoming University. That extreme care and anxiety to be strictly accurate which marks all of the published works of Prof. Knight, is conspicuous here, the author’s aim being to secure a correct list of Wyoming birds rather than a large one. A hypothetical list at the close of the bulletin supplied a place for species many less careful authors would have placed among the unques- tioned birds of the State. As a citizen and a man Prof. Knight stood in the first rank. He believed the interests of the community and of the State should command a reasonable share of the time and energy of the individual and he gave freely of both for the promotion of the general welfare. He died poor in worldly goods but rich in worthy accomplishments. His integrity, unassailable and unquestioned, often stood in the way of pecuniary advancement, but his record, now made up, is one his sons may emulate without fear of making a mistake. In his untimely death the American Ornithologists’ Union loses an able and painstaking student and Associate.— F. B. Dr. Gustav F. R.-von RavpE, a Corresponding Fellow of the Amer- ican Ornithologists’ Union, died early in the present year at Tiflis, Russia, in his 72d year. He was born at Danzig, November 27, 1831. From a short sketch of Dr. Radde’s life published in ‘The Ibis’ (July, 1903, pp. 439, 440) we learn that he was the son of a schoolmaster, and early showed his predilection for Natural History. In 1852 and the following years he was employed in the Crimea as an assistant to the botanist Steven, and in 1854 published a memoir on the botany of the Tauric Vol. XX fo Notes and News. 459 Peninsula. In 1855 he was called to St. Petersburg by the Russian Geographical Society to join Schwartz’s expedition to Amoorland, where he spent four years in exploration, the results of which were published in his well-known ‘ Reisen im Stiden von Ost Sibirien,’ in several quarto volumes with numerous plates, by the Russian Geographical Society in 1862-63. The second volume, entitled ‘Die Festlands-Ornis des Stidéstlichen Siberiens,’ is his most important ornithological publication, and through which he is well known to ornithologists. In 1864 “he took up his residence at Tiflis, where he founded a Natural History Museum and Library and remained actively engaged in their administra- tion and on various kindred pursuits up to the time of his death. Next to the Siberian volume, Radde’s ‘ Ornis Caucasica,’ published at Cassel in 1884, is the one amongst his numerous scientific works and memoirs, illustrative of the Natural History of the Caucasus and oi adjoining por- tions of the Russian dominions, by which he is best known to ornithol- ogists.” He was throughout his life an ardent traveller, and in recent years made voyages to Japan, India, and North Africa, with members of the Imperial family, with whom he seems to have been a favorite. ‘At the time of his death he was engaged in the preparation of an account of the collections of the Caucasian Museum, of which three volumes (out of six) have already appeared.” THE ANNUAL meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Union was held at the meeting-room of the Zodlogical Society of London on the evening of May 13. Dr. F. DuCane Godman was reélected President and Mr. Howard Saunders Secretary. Twenty new Ordinary Members were elected, and Capt. F. W. Hutton, F. R. S., Col. W. Vincent Legge, F. Z. S.,and Alfred J. North, were elected Colonial Members, and Dr. Giacinto Martorelli, of Milan, a Foreign Member. Mr. Robert Ridgway was transferred trom the list of Foreign Members to that of Honorary Mem- bers —the only American on whom has been conferred this honor since the decease of Professor Baird. In this connection it may be mentioned that Mr. Frank M. Chapman was elected a Foreign Member at the annual meeting in 1902. Major EpGar A. MEARNS, Medical Department U. S. Army, was ordered to the Philippines some months since, and sailed from San Francisco for his new post of duty about the end of last June. Dr. CHARLES C. ADAms, curator of the University of Michigan Museum at Ann Arbor, has announced, in a recent number of ‘Science’ (Aug. 14, p. 217; see also Bull. Michigan Orn. Club, IV, p. 63) the dis- covery of the breeding area of Kirtland’s Warbler (Dexdrotca kirtland.). The capture of a specimen in June last in Oscoda County, Michigan, by Mr. E. H. Frothingham (see Bull. Michigan Orn. Club, IV, p. 47) led to 460 Notes and News. oon the sending of Mr. N. A. Wood, the taxidermist of the Museum, to make a thorough search for the nest and eggs of this rare species. The quest was successful, Mr. Wood securing ‘‘two nests with young and one egg, thus establishing beyond question the breeding area of this species,” which had been heretofore wholly a matter of conjecture. ACCORDING to a recently published report (P. Z. S., 1902, pp. 166-171) by the Secretary of the London Zodlogical Society, there were living in the Society’s Gardens, in January, 1902, 147 specimens of Parrots, refer- able to 107 species, including several of great rarity. The oldest bird in the Parrot-house was a Cockatoo (Cacatua gymnofpis), which had been in the Society’s possession for 33 years. The report is accompanied by a colored plate of Eclectus westermannt, showing the green male and the red, blue-breasted female, and also a plate of the rare Platycercus master- stanus. ‘Our ANIMAL FRIENDS,’ with the first number of Volume XXXI, appears in a new form and certainly has a very ‘ up to date’ appearance. Its opening editorial presents ‘‘a retrospective glance at the progress of the work of animal protection during the past thirty years,” briefly con- trasting zow with then. The change, as is stated, is due to education, in which the management of this magazine has taken so prominent a part. “The public conscience no longer tolerates cruelty, and to prove the fact of cruelty, however influentially supported, brings public opinion, in its ultimate form of legal enactment, when that is necessary, to the vindica- tion of the rights of the weak against the inhumanity of the strong and the thoughtless.” ‘Our Animal Friends’ has our highest respect and our best wishes, and we trust that its future career will be as influential and as successful in this great cause as it has been in the past. Mr. S. N. RHOoADs is preparing a paper, to be presented at the next meeting of the A. O. U., to be held in Philadelphia in November, on the zoology of Delaware, with special reference to birds, and would be very glad to receive information — lists and specimens — bearing on the sub- ject. Any assistance thus rendered will be duly accredited. Mr. Rhoads’s present address is 121 S. 3rd St., Philadelphia, Pa. INDEX? MO) VOLUME: 2X, [New generic, specific and subspecific names are printed in heavy-faced type.] ACANTHIS linaria, 236. hornemanuni exilipes, 282. Accipiter atricapillus, 53, 212. atricapillus striatulus, 183. cooperi, 183, 205. velox rufilatus, 183, 364. Acredula, 198. Acrocephalus familiaris, 384, 390. Actitis macularia, 33, 281. Actodromas, 335. acuminata, 336. bairdii, 336. damacensis, 336. fuscicollis, 336. maculata, 336. minutilla, 336. fEgialitis meloda, 22, 305, 364. meloda circumcincta, 364. semipalmata, 22. vocifera, 204, 263, 281. wilsonia, 22. ZEpyornis, 323. /Esalon, 339. /Estrelata hypoleuca, 386. Agelaius chrysopterus, 12. gubernator californicus, 186. pheeniceus, 206. pheeniceus neutralis, 186. pheeniceus richmondi, 76, 365. tricolor, 186. Agropsa, 451. Agropsar, 451. Ajaia ajaja, 22. Albatross, Laysan, 385. Alca torda, 51. pygmea, 359. Alle alle, 51, 209. Allen, Francis H., the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Massachusetts, 69; vernacular names of birds, 236. Allen, J. A., the A. O. U. Check- list —its history and its future, 1-9; vernacular names of birds, 70-73; note on Pszttacula mo- desta Cabanis, 213; note on Sylvia cerulea Wilson, 216- 218; ‘some suggestions,’ 234 ; the California Meeting of the American Ornithologist’s Union, 299-302. Aluco, 360. Aluconide, 360. Amazilia aliciz, 290. American Museum of Natural His- tory, notice of its ‘Bird Rock Group,’ and ‘ Shore Bird Group,’ 246. American Ornithologists’ Union, Twentieth Congress of, 59-63; notice of a proposed meeting to be= ‘held ini Calitormia, 924155 report of the California meeting, 299-302; Twelfth Supplement to the Check-List of North Amer- ican Birds, 331-368; Twenty- first Congress, 457. i Ammodramus, 350. australis, 362. bimaculatus, 349. halophilus, 79, 348. henslowi, 232. maritimus, 361. maritimus macgillivraii, 361. rostratus guttatus, 79, 365. rostratus halophilus, 365. samue€lis, 296, 351. sdndwichensis, 283. savannarum, 13, 178. savannarum passerinus, 264, 362. Ampelis cedrorum, 283. garrulus, 283. Amphispiza belli nevadensis, 207, 366. nevadensis, 366. Anas acuta, 251. boschas, 204, 209, 278, 303. laysanensis, 3584, 396. obscura rubripes, 226. Ancylocheilus, 337. ; Anhinga, 323. Anous stolidus, 385. 462 Anser albifrons gambeli, 52. Anthony, A. W., migration of Richardson’s Grouse, 24-27. Antrostomus vociferus, 23, 264. Ant-shrike, Barred, 291. Aphelocoma sieberii couchii, 345. Aquila chrysaétos, 67, 183, 439. Aramus giganteus, 22, 169, 175. Archeopteryx, 323. Archibuteo lagopus sanctijohannis. 269. Ardea cerulea, 334. canadensis, 251. candidissima, 333. egretta, 333. garzetta, 333 herodias, 332. herodias wardi, 332. javanica, 334. ludoviciana, 334. occidentalis, 22. rufa, 333. rufescens, 333. violacea, 335. virescens, 174, 334. virescens anthonyi,"334. virescens frazari, 334. wardi, 332. Ardetta exilis, 22, 263. Arenaria interpres, 210. melanocephala, 33. morinella, 22. Arguata, 451. Arquata, 451. Arquatella, 335. couesi, 335. maritima, 335. ptilocnemis, 335. Asio, 273. accipitrinus, 212. otus, 274. virginianus, 275. virginianus pacificus, 275. virginianus pallescens, 275. virginianus saturatus, 275. virginianus subarcticus, 275. Astragalinus psaltria, 188. psaltria arizone, 79, 347- tristis, 206. Asturaétos, 450. Asyndesmus, 341. torquatus, 341. Atlantic Slope Naturalist, notice of, 328. Audubon, John James, letters from to Edward Harris, 378-383. Audubon Societies, third annual Index. Auk Oct. conference of, 99; notice of ‘Edu- cational Leaflets’ issued by the National Committee of, 248. Auk, Great, 83. ; Razor-billed, 51. Auklet, Cassin’s, 30. Autruchon, 450. Aythya affinis, 22, 64, 278. collaris, 22, 279. marila, 64, 278. marila nearctica, 165. vallisneria, 278. B.EOLOPHUS, 308, 357. atricristatus, 308, 358. bicolor, 308, 358. bicolor texensis, 308, 358. inornatus, 308, 358. inornatus cineraceus, 358. inornatus griseus, 308, 358. wollweberi, 308, 358. Bailey, Florence Merriam, review of her ‘Handbook of Birds of the Western United States,’ 76-78. 4 Baily, William L., see Dutcher, William. Baldpate, 378. Bangs, Outram, notice of his papers on new American birds, 320; notice of his Revised List of the Birds of the Liu Kiu Islands, 308, 320. Barlow, Chester, obituary notice of, 92. Bai see Barrett-Hamilton, G. E. H., notice of his paper ‘On the Position occupied by the Legs of Birds during Flight,’ 321. Bartramia longicauda, 65, 281. Basileuterus, 75. culicivorus flavescens, 75. Bellona exilis, 23. Bent, A. C., Black Vulture at Taun- ton, Mass., 67. Berniera, 391. Bignell, Effie, notice of her ‘My Woodland Intimates,’ 316. Bird, Frigate, 285, 386. Miller, 384, 390, 392. Rice, 170: Red-tailed Tropic, 385. Bird-Lore, review of Volume IV, 222-225. Bird of Washington, 382. Bittern, American, 280. Least, 263. Vol. XX 1903 Bishop, L. B., see Sanford, L. C. Blacicus blancoi, 11, 194. Blackbird, Bicolored, 186. Brewer’s, 46, 186, 206. Red-winged, 46, 206. San Diego Red-winged, 186. Tri-colored, 186. Yellow-headed, 46, 186, 282. Yellow-shouldered, 12, 206. Blackbirds, 255-257. Blatchley, W. S., notice of his ‘A Nature Wooing at Ormond by the Sea,, 83: Bluebird, 70, 261. Mountain, 103, 209. Bob-white, 161-164, 252, 263. Bolborhyncus, 311. Bonasa umbellus togata, 281. umbellws umbelloides, 281. Bonhote, J. Lewis, bird migration at some of the Bahama Light- houses, 169-179; notice of his ‘Field Notes on Some Bahama Birds,’ 230; notice of his ‘Ona Collection of Birds from the Northern Islands of the Bahama Group,’ 447. Booby, White, 287. Laysan, 385. Botaurus lentiginosus, 22, 280. Bowdish, B. S., birds of Porto Rico, 10-23; food habits of some West Indian birds, 193-195. Brachyrhamphus craveri, 79. hypoleucus, 79. Braislin, William C., notes cerning certain birds Island, N. Y., 50-53. Brant, 439. Branta bernicla, 439. canadensis, 280, 439. Breninger, Geo. F., Western Even- ing Grosbeaks nesting in Mexico, 68; Sabine’s Gull at Monterey, California, 433; nests and eggs of Celigena clemenci@, 435. Brewster, William, breeding grounds of the Black and Socorro Petrels —a_ correction, 63; review of his ‘ Birds of the Cape Region of Lower Califor- nia,’ 78-80 ; further notes on the Philadelphia Vireo, with descrip- tion of the nest and eggs, 369- 376; an interesting Solitary Vireo (Vireo solitartus), 437. Brooks, Allan, pctes on the birds con- of Long Index. 463 of the Cariboo District, British Columbia, 277-284. Brown, Herbert, Arizona notes, 43-50. Bryan, William Alanson, a Turn- stone taken in the Mid-Pacific, 210; the Short-eared Owl (Aszo acctpitrinus) taken far out at Sea, PUP Bubo, 273. virginianus arcticus, 364. virginianus elachistus, 79, 341. virginianus pallescens, 205. virginianus saturatus, 183. virginianus subarcticus, 364. Bubotus, 274. Bucco bicinctus, 289. Budytanthus, 450. Buflle-head, 279. Bunting, Henslow’s, 232. Lazuli, 190, 207. Burroughs, John, notice of his ‘John James Audubon,’ 85. Burtis, Henry Mott, the Dovekie (Alle alle) on Long Island, N. Y., 209; Barn Owl on Long Island, INFP Yes 222) Buteo albicaudatus, 288. borealis, 269. borealis calurus 79, 183, 205. borealis lucasanus, 79, 339. borealis socorroensis, 364. borealis umbrinus, 364. lineatus, 269. platypterus, 23. swainsoni, 44. Buteola, 360. Butorides, 334. virescens, 49, 334. virescens anthonyi, 334. virescens frazari, 334. Buzzard, White-tailed, 288. bird CACATUA gymnopis, 460. Caica, 311. Calandrina, 450. Calidris arenaria, 22, 280. Calypte anna, 154. Canachites canadensis, 359. canadensis canace, 359. canadensis osgoodi, 359. franklini, 281. Canvas-back, 278. Caprimulgus, 360. Cardellina rubrifrons, 75. Cardinal, 54, 257. 464 Index. Auk Cardinalis cardinalis, 54. cardinalis cardinalis, 295. Carpodacus cassini, 187, 282. clementis, 33. mexicanus frontalis, 167, 187, Die mexicanus obscurus, 217. purpureus, 264. purpureus californicus, 187. Cassinia, see Delaware Valley Or- nithological Club. Catbird, 208, 261, 284. Catharista urubu, 67, 287. Cathartes aura, 53, 66, 183, 205. Catherpes, 196. mexicanus, 196. mexicanus albifrons, 196. mexicanus conspersus, 198. mexicanus mexicanus, 196. mexicanus polioptilus, 197. mexicanus punctulatus, 197. Centrocercus urophasianus, 204. Centurus, 342. aurifrons, 342. carolinus, 342. nyeanus, 434. uropygialis, 43, 44, 342. Ceophleeus pileatus, 282. pileatus abieticola, 184. Cerchneis, 339. sparverius paulus, 364. Certhia albifrons, 196. familiaris americana, 266. familiaris zelotes, 192. palustris, 356. Certhidia, 402-404, 406, 410, 412- 16. olivacea luteola, 411. Ceryle alcyon, 170, 183. Chamea fasciata, 367. fasciata henshawi, 367. fasciata intermedia, 367. Chamepelia passerina, 177, 359. Chamethlypis, 75. Chamberlain, Montague, see Nutt- all, Thomas. Chapman, Frank M., notice of his ‘The Economic Value of Birds to the State,’ 453. Charadrius dominicus, 22, 281. fulvus, 174. montanus, 338. wilsonia, 33 Charitonetta, 359. albeola, 279. Chat, 266. Long-tailed, 208. Oct. Cheiroxiphia lanceolata, 291. Chen hyperborea, 22. hyperborea nivalis, 22. Chewink, 2:16. Chickadee, Barlow’s, 359. Mountain, 192. Oregon, 208. Chlorion, 450. Chlorostilbon caribbza, 290. Chondestes grammacus, 440. grammacus strigatus, 207. Chordeiles henryi, 206. minor, 23, 431. virginianus, 184, 264, 324,434. virginianus chapmani, 432. virginianus minor, 432. virginianus vicinus, 431. Chuck-bird, 258. Cinclus cinclus, 291. mexicanus, 192. Cinnamopteryx, 450. Circus hudsonius, 205. Cistothorus griseus, 356. mariane, 357. palustris dissa€éptus, 367. palustris paludicola, 356. palustris plesius, 208, 357. Clangula clangula, 359. clangula americana, 279. glaucion, 359. islandica, 279. Clark, Austin H., notes on the habits of certain Venezuelan birds, 285-293; the Black-winged Palm ‘Tanager, 398-402. Clark, J. H., a much mated House Sparrow, 306. Clark, John N., the domestic affairs of Bob-white, 161-164; obituary notice of, 242. Cleckley, M. T., nest and eggs of the Swainson’s Warbler (Helixaza swatnsontt), 438. Coccothraustes, 346. ruber, 295. vespertinus, 213. vespertinus montanus, 68, 187. Coccyzus americanus, 68, 177, 179. erythrophthalmus, 23. Cocornis, 402-406, 410, 412-416. agassizi, 411. Celigena clemenciz, 435. Ceereba portoricensis, 17. Colaptes auratus, 254, 282. cafer collaris, 184, 205, 282. chrysocaulosus, 194. aa Colinus virginianus, 263. Columba corensis, 23. inornata, 23. leucocephala, 174. migratoria, 252. Columbigallina passerina palles- cens, 360. passerina terrestris, 359. Colymbide, 363. Colymbus auritus, 278. dominicensis, 21. holbeellii, 278. Compsothlypis americana, 18. americana ramaline, 74, 367. nigrilora, 367. pitiayuma nigrilora, 367. Condor, The, review of Volume IV, 319-322. Contopus, 365. borealis, 184. richardsonii, 184. richardsoni saturatus, 365. Conuropsis, 451. Conurus eruginosus, 287. maugei (?), 20. Cooley, R. A., Wood Ibis in Mon- tana, 210. Coot, American, 28o. ‘Corax, 450. Cormorant, Brandt’s, 32. Farallone, 32. Corvus americanus, 57, 269-271. corax sinuatus, 33. . leucognaphalus, It. ossifragus, 269-271. Coturniculus, 349. bairdii, 349. savannarum bimaculatus, 349. savannarum floridanus, 350. savannarum passerinus, 349. Coues’s ‘Key to North American Birds,’ publishers’ announce- ments respecting a new edition of, 97, 244. ‘Cowbird, Dwarf, 46. Crane, 251. Sandhill, 280. Whooping, 252. Creeper, Brown, 266. Sierra, 192. Crossbill, American, 264. Sierra, 187. Crow, American, 206, 255. Australian Piping, 444. Common, 57, 267-271. Clark, 220. Clarke, 221. Index. 465 Crow, Fish, 269-271. West Indian, 11. Cryptoglaux, 364. Cuckoo, Yellow-billed, 68. Curlew, Hudsonian, 33. Long-billed, 281. Cyanocitta couchii, 345. stelleri borealis, 362. stelleri carbonacea, 220, 365. stelleri frontalis, 185. Cyanospiza amcena, 190, 207. cyanea, 173. Cyclorrhynchus, 359. Cygnus, 359. Cyphornis, 450. Cypseloides niger, 282. Cyrtonyx montezume, 33 montezumz mearnsi, 338. DaFILA acuta, 22, 164, 278, 303. Daggett, F. S., see Grinnell, J. Deane, Ruthven, additional records of the European Widgeon (Mareca penelope) in Indiana, 303; Richardson’s Owl (Wyctala tengmalmit richardsoni) in Iili- nois, 305, 433. Degen, Edward, notice of his memoir ‘Ecdysis, as morpholog- ical evidence of the original tetradactyle feathering of the bird’s fore-limb, based on the perennial moult in Gymnorhina trbicen, 444-446. Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, notice of its annual, ‘Cas- sinia,’ 231; notice of annual meeting of, 328. Dendragapus obscurus fuliginosus, 182. obscurus richardsoni, 28o. Dendrocygna arborea, 22. Dendroica, 217. adelaide, 18. zstiva, 208. zstiva morcomi, I9QI. auduboni, 191, 284. auduboni nigrifrons, 355. blackburnie, 266. cerulea, 169, 171, 216, 367. cerulescens, 23, 171. carbonata, 74. coronata, 18, 171, 178. coronata hooveri, 191. discolor, 19, 171. dominica, 23, 171. evelyne, 169. 466 Dendroica kirtlandi, 225, 459. maculosa, 18, 284. montana, 74, 361. nigrifrons, 355. occidentalis, 191. palmarum, 18, 171, 178, 265. petechia bartholemica, 18. rara, 216, 266, 367. striata, 23, 171, 177, 284. tigrina, 18, 171, 218. townsendi, 191. virens, 265, 361. Dendroplex longirostris, 291. Dichromanassa, 333. rufescens, 333. Dickcissel, 440. Diomedea immutabilis, 385. nigripes, 385. Dipper, American, 192. Doleromya pallida, 290. Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 170, 179. Doran, Edwin W., the vernacular names of birds, 38-42. Dorichia evelyne, 174. Dove, Common Ring, 228. Mourning, 182, 263, 281. Red Ring, 228. Dovekie, 51, 209. Dresser, H. E., notice of his ‘A Manual of Palearctic Birds,’ fa Ue Dryobates lucasanus, 365. pubescens, 255. pubescens gairdneri, 221. pubescens homorus, 221, 282, 360. pubescens leucurus, 221, 360. pubescens nelsoni, 221. pubescens orececus, 221. pubescens turati, 221, 341. scalaris lucasanus, 365. villosus, 255, 264. villosus hyloscopus, 183, 281. villosus leucomelas, 281. Dubois, Alphonse, notice of parts XI and XII of his ‘ Synopsis Avium,’ 321. Duck, American Scaup, 165. Black, 64. Canvas-back, 278. Harlequin, 278. Hybrid, 209. Lesser Scaup, 278, Pintail, 164, 251, 278. Red-legged, 226. Ring-necked, 279. Index. Auk Oct. Duck, Ruddy, 280. Scaup, 278. Shoveller, 164, 278. Durfee, Owen, Massachusetts breed- ing dates for Bartramta longt- cauda, 65; another record of Thryothorus ludovictanus in Massachusetts, 69. Dutcher, William, the Barn Owl on Long Island, 67 ; Report of the A. O. U. Committee on the Pro- tection of North American Birds, 101-159; the Educational Leaflets of the National Committee of Audubon Societies, 248. Dutcher, William, and W. L. Baily, a contribution to the life history of the Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) in the United States, 417-431. Dwight, Jonathan, Jr., capture of the Barn Owl (Strix pratincola). on Long Island, New York, 434 ; some new records for .Nova Scotia, 439; formalin fails as an insecticide tor Dermestes, 440. EAGLE, Bald, 33, 264 Golden, 67, 183, 439. Eaton, Elon Howard, an epidemic of roup in the Canandaigua Crow Roost, 57-59 ; a hybrid Duck, 64. Eclectus westermanni, 460. Ectopistes migratorius, 66. Edwards, Stanley W., Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s egg in a Robin’s nest, 68. Egret, 119. Egretta, 333. candidissima, 333. ruficollis, 334. Emberiza bairdii, hyemalis, 258. rostrata, 348. sandwichensis, 347. Emerald, Atala’s, 290. Empidonax acadicus, 169, 174. difficilis, 206, 360. hammondi, 185. insulicola, 360. trailli, 185. trailli alnorum, 68, 282. virescens, 174. Eremophila b. leucolema, 343. Ereunetes pusillus, 22, 280. Ergaticus ruber, 75. Eribates, 451. Vol. XX ; 1903 Erismatura jamaicensis, 22, 204, 280. Erolia, 337. ferruginea, 337. variegata, 337. Eubates, 451. Eulampis holosericeus, 23. Euphonia sclateri, 14. FALCATOR, 450. Falco anatum anatum, 33. columbarius, 23, 339. columbarius richardsonii, 67, 364. harrisi, 231. peregrinus anatum, 23. richardsonii, 364. rupicolus, 339. sparverius deserticolus, 183, 205, 339: sparverius phaloena, 339. Faxon, Walter, a rare work on American ornithology, 236-241. Felger, A. H., the Wood Ibis again in Colorado, 65 ; birds killed by hailstones, 70; hybrid duck — Mallard (Axas boschas) + Pintail (Dajila acuta), 303. Finch, California Purple, 187. Cassin’s Purple, 187, 282. House, 70, 167, 187. Laysan, 384, 387-389. Purple, 264. San Clemente House, 33. Fisher, A. K., notice of his ‘ Par- tial List of the Birds of Keam Canyon, Arizona,’ 318. Fisher, Walter K., notice of his description of a new Tern from Neckar Island, 230; notes on the birds peculiar to Laysan Island, Hawaiian Group, 384- 396. Fisher, William H., nesting of the Red-bellied Woodpecker in Har- ford County, Md., 305. Fisher, William Hubbell, preserv- ing equilibrium by the use of one wing, 167-168. Flamingo, 119. Fleming, J. H., recent records of the Wild Pigeon, 66; Turkey Vulture at Moose Factory, James Bay, 66; breeding of the Even- ing Grosbeak in captivity, 213- 2b , Index. 467 Flicker, 254, 282. Red-shafted, 184, 205, 282. Florida, 334. cerulea, 334. Flycatcher, Alder, 68, 282. Antillean Crested, 11. Ash-throated, 44. Hammond’s, 185. Lower California, 342. Olive-sided, 184. Small-headed, 74. Taylor’s 10. Traill’s, 185. Western Yellow-bellied, 206. Fratercula arctica, 50. Fregata, 323. aquila, 285, 385. Fringilla frontalis, 217. melodia, 350. meruloides, 221. passerina, 349. vespertina, 346. savanna, 347. Fulica americana, 22, 204, 280. Fulmarus glacialis minor, 331. GADWALL, 278. Galeoscoptes carolinensis, 208, 284. Gallinago delicata, 22, 280. major, 364. media, 364. Gallinula, 167. Gannet, Booby, 285. Garzetta, 333. candidissima, 22. Gavia imber, 278. Geospiza crassirostris, 411. conirostris conirostris, 417. fortis, 407. fortis dubia, 417. fortis fortis, 407. fuliginosa, 407. fuliginosa acutirostris, 408. fuliginosa parvula, 408. habeli, 417. propinqua, 407. prosthemelas, 417. scandens, 407. scandens fatigata, 409. strenua, 407. Geothlypis agilis, 266. exigua, 75. flavida, 75. formosa, 439. incompta, 75. nelsoni microrhyncha, 75. philadelphia, 266. - 468 Geothlypis poliocephala, 355. poliocephala ralphi, 75, 355. tolmiei, 191. trichas,23))760, 072, 175. trichas arizela, 363. trichas occidentalis, 191, 208. trichas scirpicola, 76, 363. trichas sinuosa, 355. Geotrygon chrysia, 339. Gingala, 450. Glaucidium gnoma, 183. gnoma californicum, 281. Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray, 69. Golden-eye, American, 279. Barrow’s, 279. Goldfinch, American, 206, 211. Arizona, 222. Arkansas, 188, 222. Goose, Canada, 280, 439. Emperor, 165. Hawaiian, 167. Hutchins’s, 280. White-fronted, 52. Goshawk, American, 53. Western, 183. Grackle, Short-winged, 12. Gracula quiscula, 256. Grassquit, 14. Bryant’s, 14. Grebe, Holbeell’s, 278. Horned, 278. Pied-billed, 49, 279, 439. Western, 50, 114, 279. Green, Nat. S., Ohio notes, 7o, 309. Grinnell, J.. and F. S. Daggett, an ornithological visit to Los Car- onados Islands, Lower Cali- fornia, 27-37. Grosbeak, Black-headed, 190. California Pine, 187. Evening, 213. Porto Rico,.13. Western Evening, 68, 187. Grouse, Canadian Ruffed, 281. Columbian Sharp-tailed, 204, 281. Franklin’s, 24, 281. Gray Ruffed, 24, 281. Richardson’s, 24, 281. Rutfed, 252. Sooty, 182. Grus americana, 252. mexicana, 28o. Guara alba, 22. Guillemot, Black, 130. Gull, Black-backed, 132, 303. Index. Auk Oct. Gull, Black-headed, 148. Bonaparte’s, 278. Heermann’s, 30. Herring, 128) 120) 1209 1a2F 133> 417-431. Laughing, 127, 136, 148. Little, 52. Sabine’s, 433. Western, 30. Gygis alba kittlitzi, 385. Gymnorhina tibicen, 444. HaMAToPus bachmani, 33, 36. frazari, 29, 36. niger, 36. palliatus, 36. Halizetus leucocephalus, 264. leucocephalus leucocephalus, 33) Harelda hyemalis, 279. Harvey, Gertrude Fay, the diary of a Cardinal’s nest, 54-57. Hawk, Black, 269. Cooper’s, 183, 205. Desert Sparrow, 183, 205. Duck, 33. Marsh, 205. Swainson’s, 44. Red-shouldered, 269. Red-tailed, 269. Western Red-tailed, 183. Western Sharp-shinned, 183. Hazel-hen, 252. Heleodytes brunneicapillus, 361. brunneicapillus anthony, 367. brunneicapillus bryanti, 361. brunneicapillus couesi, 367. Helinaia swainsoni, 438. Heller, Edmund, see Snodgrass, Robert Evans. Helminthophila bachmani, 178. celata, 283. celata lutescens, 190. cincinnatiensis, 74. lawrencei, 50, 53, 74. leucobronchialis, 74. peregrina, 283. rubricapilla gutturalis, 190. Helmitheros, 355. Helmintherus, 355. swainsoni, 169, 171. Helodromas solitarius cinnamom- eus, 251. Hen, Marsh, 147, 148. Mud, 167. Sage, 204. Vig eos Index. 409 1903 Hendrickson, W. F., a winter rec- ord tor the Chewink on Long island> Nie, 216: Henninger, W. F., Golden Eagle, in middle southern Ohio, 67; Barn Owl in northern Ohio, 67; notice of his ‘Preliminary List of the Birds of Middle Southern Ohio,’ 83. Henshaw, H. W., review of his ‘Birds of the Hawaiian Islands,’ 80; occurrence of the Emperor Goose in Hawaiia, 164-167. Herodias, 333. egretta, 333- Heron, Black-crowned Night, 263. Great Blue, 116. Little Green, 49. Night, 167. Ward's, 332. Hesperiphona, 346. vespertina, 347. vespertina montana, 347. Hesperocichla nevia, 193. Heteractitis incanus, 33. Himantopus mexicanus, 22. Himatione freethi, 384, 387, 389. Hirundo bicolor, 354. erythrogaster, 23, 209, 221, 303 erythrogaster palmeri, 190, 363. erythrogaster unalaschken- sis, 221. pelasgia, 260. purpurea, 260. riparia, 260. rustica, 259. tytleri, 221. Histrionicus histrionicus, 279. Hittock, 254. Hoatzin, 228. Hoffmann, Ralph, nesting of the Goshawk in southern New Hampshire, 211. Holoquiscalus, 75. Holub, Emil, obituary notice of, 5 Honey-eater, Laysan, 384, 389. Horizopus, 365. Horton, Frances B., mortality of Purple Martins (Progne purpu- rea) at Brattleboro, Vt., 435. Howe, Reginald Heber, Jr., a cor- rection, 210; a further note on the subspecies of Passerculus sandwichensts inhabiting Labra- dor, 215; late records for eastern Massachusetts, 218; Nighthawk migration in New Hampshire, ABA Howe, Reginald Heber, Jr., and Edward Sturtevant, notice of their revised list of the birds of Rhode Island, 446. Huhus, 450. Hummingbird, Alice’s, 290. Allen’s, 282. Anna, 184. Blue-throated, 435. Broad-tailed, 184. Butt-breasted, 290. Calliope, 282. Ruby-throated, 253. Rufous, 184. Huntington, Dwight W., notice of his ‘Our Feathered Game,’ 443. Hydranassa, 334. tricolor ruficollis, 22, 334. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis, 22, 440. Hylocichla alice, 266. aonalaschkee sequoiensis, 192. aonalaschke slevini, 368. guttata nana, 79. guttata pallasii, 284. pallasii, 266. ustulata, 192, 368. ustulata cedica, 368. ustulata swainsoni, 284. Hylophilus, 447. Isis, Wood, 65, 119, 210. Icteria virens, 266. virens longicauda, 208. Icterus audubonii, 75, 365. bullocki, 206. galbula, 440. icterus, 12, 75, 292. melanocephalus auduboni, 365. . . portoricensis, 12. xanthornus heliocides, 292. Ionornis martinica, 22. Iridoprocne, 354. bicolor, 354. JACANA spinosa, 22. Jacobs, J. Warren, notice of his ‘The Story of a Martin Colony,’ 226. Jay, Blue, 308. Blue-fronted, 185. 470 Jay, Couch’s 345. Johnson, W.5S., Great Black-backed Gullin Oneida County, N.Y., 303. Junco annectens, 366. caniceps, 366. dorsalis, 366 hyemalis, 265. hyemalis connectens, 366. hyemalis pinosus, 366. hyemalis thurberi, 189, 366. mearnsi, 366. oreganus pinosus, 366. oreganus shuteldti, 366. oreganus thurberi, 366. pheonotus dorsalis, 366. Junco, 265. Sierra, 189. KENOPIA, 450. Keyser, Leander, notice of his ‘Birds of the Rockies,’ 84. Killdeer, 263, 281. King, LeRoy, early record for the Piping Plover (#gzalitis me- Zoda) in Rhode Island, 305. Kingbird, 206. Arkansas, 206. Gray, 10, 194. Kingfisher, Belted, 171, 183, Kinglet, Ruby-crowned, 192, 284. Western 192. Knight, Wilber C., notice of his ‘The Birds of Wyoming,’ 82; obituary of, 457. Knox, J. C., some suggestions, 234. Kopman, H. H., Louisiana migra- tion notes, 309. Kumlien, Ludwig, obituary notice of, 93. 205; 218. Golden-crowned, Lacopus leucurus, 281. leucurus peninsularis, 364. Lampornis viridis, 23. Lanius ludovicianus, 361. ludovicianus anthonyi, 361. ludovicianus excubitorides, 208, 361. ludovicianus gambeli, 361. ludovicianus migrans, 367, 439- Lark, California Horned, 344. Desert Horned, 343. Dusky Horned, 185, 206, 282. Hoyt’s Horned, 344. Island Horned, 345. Auk Index. ae Lark, Montezuma Horned, 344. Pallid Horned, 282, 343. Larus argentatus, 363, 417. crepidatus, 449. glaucescens, 165. heermanni, 30. marinus, 303. minutus, 50, 52. occidentalis, 30. philadelphia, 226, 278. vege, 363. Laysan Island, birds of, 384—402. Leptotila brachyptera, 364. fulviventris brachyptera, 364. Leucosticte tephrocotis, 187, 282. tephrocotis littoralis, 282. Leucosticte, Gray-crowned, 187, 282. Hepburn’s, 282. Limosa fedoa, 22. Loomis, Leverett Mills, recognition of geographic variation in nomen- clature, 294-299. Loon, 278. Lophodytes cucullatus, 278. Lophophanes, 308, 357. cristatus, 308. dichrous, 308. inornatus cineraceus, 358. inornatus griseus, 358. wollweberi, 358. Loxia cardinalis, 257. curvirostra bendirei, 187, 365. curvirostra minor, 264. frontalis, 218. Loxigilla portoricensis, 13. Luscineola mirnica, 324. Mackay, George H., Woodcock notes, 210. Macoun, John, notice of his ‘ Cata- logue of Canadian Birds,’ Part II, 441. Madarazs, Julius, notice of his Birds of Hungary, 322. Magpie, American, 185, 206. Maize-thieves, 256, 257. Purple, 257. White-backed, 257. Mallard, 64, 210, 278, 303. Manacus candei, 324. Manakin, Lance-tailed, 29 Mareca americana, 22, 278. penelope, 210, 225, 303. Margarops fuscatus, 20, 177. Martin, Purple, 226, 260, 265, 435. Sand, 260, 435. West Indian, I5. Vol. XX Index. 47 I 1093 Maxon, William R., notes on the birds of Madison County, New York, with especial reference to Embody’s recent list, 262-266. McGregor, Richard C., notice of ‘A List of Birds collected in Norton Sound, Alaska, 319; notice of his papers on various Philippine birds, 319. Mcllwraith Ornithological Club, 98. MclIlwraith, Thomas, obituary notice of, 242. McKechnie, Fred. B., a late fall * record for the Cape May Warbler (Dendroica tigrina) in eastern Massachusetts, 218. Meadowlark, 248. Southern, 345. Western, 186, 206. Mearns, Louis di Zerega, the Louis- iana Water-thrush in Minnesota, 307. Megascops, 275. xantusi, 79, 341. Megaquiscalis, 451. Megaquiscalus, 75, 346, 451. major, 346. major macrourus, 346. Melanerpes angustifrons, 365. carolinus, 255, 264, 305. erythrocephalus, 70, 255. formicivorus angustifrons, 79> 365: portoricensis, 193. subelegans, 290. superciliaris, 194. torquatus, 184, 205. Melanopteryx, 450. , Meleagris gallopavo fera, 338. gallopavo intermedia, 364. gallopavo merriami, 364. gallopavo silvestris, 339. silvestris, 338. Melospiza cinerea, 298, 350, 362. cinerea caurina, 352. cinerea clementz, 37, 351. cinerea cooperi, 352, 363. cinerea fallax, 350. cinerea gouldi, 362. cinerea graminea, 351. cinerea heermanni, 350. cinerea insignis, 353. cinerea juddi, 352. cinerea kenaiensis, 353. cinerea melodia, 350. cinerea merrilli, 352, 362. Melospiza cinerea montana, 189, 350. cinerea morphna, 351. cinerea pha, 366. cinerea pusillula, 352. cinerea rivularis, 351. cinerea rufina, 351. cinerea samuelis, 351, 362. coronatorum, 34, 37, 366. fasciata caurina, 353. fasciata clement, 351. fasciata cooperi, 352. fasciata graminea, 351. fasciata ingersolli, 362 fasciata juddi, 352. fasciata merrilli, 352. fasciata montana, 350. fasciata pusillula, 352. heermanni, 350. insignis, 353. lincolni, 189, 265. lincolni striata, 283. melodia, 350. melodia kenaiensis, 353. melodia montana, 207. melodia morphna, 351. melodia santzcrucis, 362. melodia sanaka, 362. Merganser americanus, 278. serrator, 165. Merganser, American, 278. Hooded, 278. Red-breasted, 165. Merlin, Richardson’s 67. Merrill, James Cushing, notice of death of, go. Merula migratoria propinqua, 193, 209. Micranous hawaiiensis, 385. Michigan Ornithological Club, or- ganization of, 244. Micropalama himantopus, 22, 65, AO Micropallas whitneyi, 43. Miller, W. D. W., breeding of the Alder Flycatcher (Hmpidonax tratllit alnorum) near Plainfield, N. J., 68. Mimide, 367. Miminz, 367. Mimocichla ardosiacea, 20. Mimus caudatus, 295. polyglottos, 53, 295, 440. polyglottos leucopterus, 295. polyglottos orpheus, 19. polyglottos polyglottos, 295. polyglottos var. caudatus, 295. Miserythrus, 450. 472 Mniotilta varia, 17, 170, 178, 265. Moa, eggs of, 330. Mockingbird, 53, 260, 440. West Indian, 19. Mogridse) ) Misseh..1S:, obituary notice of, 327. Morris, Robert O., Springfield, Mass., bird notes, 439. Motacilla cerulea, 217. cyanea, 449. sialis, 261. Mudge, Geo. P., notice of his ‘Myology of the Tongues of Parrots,’ etc., 310. Murres, Brtinnich’s, 51. Muscicapa carolinensis, 261. minuta, 74. Myadestes townsendi, 192. Myiarchus antillarum, 11, 194. cinerascens, 44, 79. cinerascens pertinax, 342. pertinax, 342. crinitus residuus, 365. NANNOPTERUM, 323. Nebraska Ornithologist’s Union, notice of the Proceedings of the Third Annual Meeting, 317; notice of Fourth Annual Meet- ing, 329. Nesospingus speculiferus, 14. Nettion carolinensis, 209, 278. crecca, 209. New York Zodlogical Society, Seventh Annual Report of, 330. Nighthawk, 184, 248, 264, 434. Bahaman, 431-433. Western, 206. Noddy, 385. North, Alfred J., notice of his ‘Nests and Eggs of Birds found Breeding in Australia and New Zealand,’ 321. Nucitraga columbiana, 185. Numenius borealis, 22. hudsonicus, 22, 33. longirostris, 281. Nutcracker, Clark’s, 180, 185. Nuthatch, Pygmy, 192. Red-breasted, 192. Rocky Mountain, 357. Saint Lucas, 357. Slender-billed, 192. Nuttall, Thomas, notice of the ‘new revised and annotated edition.” of his ‘ A Popular Handbook of the Birds of the United States and Canada,’ 314. Index. Auk Oct. Nuttallornis, 343. borealis, 343. Nyctala, 364. acadica, 183. tengmalmi richardsoni, 281, 395, 433: Nyctalops, 274. accipitrinus, 275. wilsonianus, 275. Nyctanassa, 335. violacea, 335. Nyctiardea violacea, 174. Nycticorax nevius, 22, 448. nycticorax nevius, 263. Oberholser, Harry C., a review of the genus Catherfes, 196-198; a synopsis of the genus Psaltr7- parus, 198-201; notice of his papers on new birds from Texas, 447- Oceanites oceanicus, 65, 250. Oceanodroma fuliginosa, 386. leucorhoa, 250. melania 30, 36. socorroensis, 31, 36. Ochthodromus, 338. wilsonius, 338. Oidemia deglandi, 280. perspicillata, 280. Olor, 359. buccinator, 25o. columbianus, 52. Oporonis, 75. agilis, 172. Oreortyx pictus plumiferus, 182. Oreospiza chlorura, 190. Oriole, Baltimore, 70, 440. Bullock’s 206. Margaritan, 292. Porto Rico, 12. Oriolus phceniceus, 257. Oroscoptes montanus, 208. Orpheus Jeucopterus, 295. Ortholophus, 324. Ortyx capistratus, 239. Osprey, The, notice of Vol. I, new series, 451. Otocoris alpestris, 236. alpestris actia, 344. alpestris ammophila, 362. alpestris aphrasta, 365. alpestris arcticola, 343. alpestris arenicola, 343. alpestris chrysolea, 344. alpestris enthymia, 362. alpestris hoyti, 344. alpestris insularis, 345. alpestris leucansiptila, 362. Vol. XX 1903 Otocoris alpestris leucolema, 282, 343: alpestris merrillii, 185, 206, 282. alpestris occidentalis, 344. Otus, 273. asio, 275. asio aikeni, 275. asio bendirei, 275. asio cineraceus, 275. asio floridanus, 275. asio kennicottii, 275. asio macfarlanei, 275. asio maxwellie, 275. asio mccalli, 275. bakkameena, 273. flammeola, 275. flammeola idahoensis, 2 trichopsis, 275. Oven-bird, 19. Barn, 67, 212, 434. Barred, 340. Burrowing, 205, 288. California Pygmy, 281. Dusky Horned, 183. Dwart Horned, 341. Elf, 43. Great Gray, 340. Pygmy, 183. Richardson’s, 281, 305, 433. Saw-whet, 183. Short-eared, 212. Western Horned, 205. Xantus’s Screech, 341. Oxyechus, 337. vociferus, 337. Oxyporus, 450. Oyster-catcher, Black, 33. Frazar’s, 33. PACHYSYLVIA, 447. Paleonornis, 450. Parrot, Amazonian, 289. Partridge, Painted, 182. Virginia, 252. Parula americana, 171, 178. Parus atricapillus, 236. atricapillus occidentalis, 208. atricristatus, 358. bicolor, 357, 358. bicolor texensis, 358. cristatus, 357. gambeli, 192. hudsonicus evura, 367. hudsonicus littoralis, 367. hudsonicus stoneyi, 367. Index. 473 Parus, inornatus, 358. melanotis, 199. minimus, 200. Passer domesticus, 306. nivalis, 258. Passerculus, 215, 347. alaudinus, 348. beldingi, 348. guttatus, 348. princeps, 347. rostratus, 348. rostratus guttatus, 345. rostratus var. guttatus, 348. rostratus halophilus, 348. rostratus sanctorum, 349. sanctorum, 349. sandwichensis, 215, 347. sandwichensis alaudinus, 348. sandwichensis y. alaudinus, 348. sandwichensis bryanti, 348. sandwichensis savanna, 347. Passerella, 221. iliaca, 218. iliaca annectens, 221, 366. iliaca fuliginosa, 366. iliaca insularis, 366. iliaca megarhynca, 189. iliaca meruloides, 366. iliaca townsendi, 366. iliaca unalaschensis, 189. rufina, 351. Paulomagus, 446. Pedicecetes phasianellus bianus, 204, 281. Pelican, American White, 48. Brown, 121, 285. California Brown, 32. Pelecanus, 323. ‘ californicus, 32, 36, 363. erythrorhynchus, 48. fuscus, 255. fuscus californicus,'363. occidentalis, 363. Pelidna, 337. alpina, 337. alpina pacifica, 337. pacifica, 337. Penelopides, 324. Percnopterus, 451. Perenopterus, 451. Perisoreus canadensis, 361. canadensis fumifrons, 360. canadensis nigricapillus, 361. canadensis obscurus, 361. obscurus, 361. obscurus griseus, 361. Petrel, Black, 30, 63. colum: 474 Petrel, Bonin, 386. Leach’s, 250. Socorro, 31, 63. Sooty, 356. Wilson’s, 65, 250. Petrochelidon fulva, 15. lunifrons, 190, 207. lunifrons tachina, 447. Peucedramus, 75. Pewee, Western Wood, 184. Pheopharus, 450. Phaéthon, 323. zthereus, 22. rubricaudus, 385. Phalacrocorax, 323. auritus, 363. auritus albociliatus, 32. bicristatus, 359. dilophus, 363. mexicanus, 363. pelagicus, 359. pelagicus robustus, 359. penicillatus, 32, 36. resplendens, 359. urile, 359. vigua mexicanus, 363. Phalenoptilus nuttallii, 205. nuttallii californicus, 184. Phalarope, Northern, 280. Phalaropus lobatus, 280. Phalerine, 363. Phaleris, 359. Philacte canagica, 165-167. Philohela minor, 210. Pheebe, Say’s, 206. Pheenicothraupis rubica nelsoni, 5: Pica hudsonica, 185, 206. pica hudsonia, 345. pica hudsonica, 345. Picicorvus, 361. Picoides americanus, 282. arcticus, 282. arcticus tenuirostris, 365. tenuirostris, 184. Picus aurifrons, 342. carolinus, 342. harrisi, 231. pileatus, 253. torquatus, 341. turati, 221, 341. Pigeon, 66. Wild, 66, 252. Pinaroloxias inornata, 232. Pinicola californica, 187. Pintail, 164, 278, 303. Pipilo albigula, 366. Index. Auk Oct. Pipilo crissalis, 366. crissalis carole, 366. crissalis senicula, 366. erythrophthalmus, 216, 236, 265. fuscus albigula, 366. fuscus carol, 367. fuscus crissalis, 366. fuscus senicula, 366. maculatus var. ? 207. maculatus atratus, 366. maculatus megalonyx, 366. Pipilo, Abert’s, 48. Piranga ludoviciana, 190, 207. rubra, 169, 173. rubriceps, 75, 354: Pitangus taylori, 10, 194. Pitta angolensis, 324. pulith, 324. Piut, 254. Platycercus, 311. Plegadis autumnalis, 22. Plover, American Golden, 281. Black-bellied, 281. Piping, 305. Snowy, 433- Podasocys, 338. montanus, 338. Podicipide, 363. Podilymbus podiceps, 278, 439. Pecilonetta bahamensis, 22. Polioptila, 217, 390. cerulea, 69. Pomarinus, 450. Pocecetes gramineus, 283. gramineus confinis, 207. Poor-will, 205. Porphyrio martinica, 169, 175, 179. Porzana carolina, 22, 175, 177, 290. coturniculus, 364. flaviventris, 22. jamaicensis, 22. Porzanula, 388. palmeri, 384, 392. Procellaria pelagica, 250. puffinus, 250. Procelsterna saxatalis, 230. Progne dominicensis, 15. purpurea, 435. subis, 265, 363. subis floridana, 363. Psaltria plumbea, 200. Psaltriparus, 198. grinde, 201, 368. melanotis iulus, 199. melanotis lloydi, 199. melanotis melanotis, 199. Vol. XX 1903 Psaltriparus minimus, 362. minimus californicus, 362. minimus grind, 368. minimus minimus, 200. personatus, 199. plumbeus, 200. santarit, 199. Psaltrites, 199. helviventris, 199. Psittacula modesta, 213. modesta sclateri, 213. sclateri, 213. Ptarmigan, 252. Rock, 281. White-tailed, 281. Ptiliogonatide, 367. Ptiliogonatine, 367. Ptychoramphus aleuticus, 30 Publications received, 89, 232, 324, Zorn ase Putfbird, Two-banded, 289. Putin; 50,031. Puffinus bulleri, 332. cuneatus, 332, 386. fuliginosus, 250, 363. griseus, 363. major, 250. nativitatis, 386. puffinus, 250. bycratt, Wi. Pb. notice ot his) ©The Significance of the Condition of Young Birds at Birth,’ 227. Pyrrhomitris cucullata, 23. Pyrrhulopsis, 311. QUERQUEDULA discors, 22, 278. Quiscalus brachypterus, 12. macrourus, 346. major, 346. Ratz, Clapper, 137. King, 304. Laysan, 384, 392-396. Sora, 280. Virginia, 280. Rallus ecaudatus, 449. elegans, 304. levipes, 363. virginianus, 280. Raven, American, 33. Ray, Milton S., a list of the land birds of Lake Valley, Central Sierra Nevada Mountains, Cali- fornia, 180--193. Ready, George H., obituary notice of, 327. Index. PS Reagh, Arthur Lincoln, the King Rail in Plymouth County, Mass., 304. Red-bird, 257. Redhead, 278. Redpoll, Hoary, 282. Redstart, American, 19, 208, 284, 309, 310. Regulus calendula, 192, 218, 284. satrapa olivaceus, 192. Rhoads, S. N., Auduboniana, 377- 383. Rhodinocincla rosea eximea, 75. Richmond, Charles W., notice of paper by on birds from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 229; notice of paper by on birds from the coast and islands of Northwest Sumatra, 230 ; Ridgway, Robert, review of his ‘Birds of North and Middle America,’ Part II, 73-76 ; Lopho- phanes vs. Beolophus, 308. Riley, J. H., a new subspecies of Nighthawk from the Bahama Islands, 431-433; the Snowy Plover in the Bahamas; 433; the second known specimen of Centurus nyeanus, 434. Riparia riparia, 23, 436. Robin, 248, 261. Western, 193, 209. Robin-redbreast, 261. SAGE, John H., Twentieth Con- gress of the American Ornithol- ogists’ Union, 59-63. Salpinctes obsoletus, 33, 208. obsoletus pulverius, 367. pulverius, 367. Sanderling, 280. Sandpiper, Baird’s, 280. Bartramian, 65, 281. Least, 280. Pectoral, 280. Saint Lucas, 354. Semipalmated, 28o. Spotted, 33, 281. Stilt, 65. 440. Western Solitary, 281. Sanford, L. C., and L. B. Bishop and T. S. Van Dyke, notice of their ‘The Water-Fowl Family,’ ames : Sapsucker, Red-naped, 282. * Williamson’s, 184. Yellow-bellied, 264. 476 Sayornis nigricans, 365. nigricans semiatra, 79, 365. saya, 206. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus, 186, 200. Scotiaptex cinerea, 340. nebulosa, 340. nebulosa lapponica, 340. nebulosum, 340. Scotothorus verepacis, 324. Scops; 273. Scopus, 273. Scoter, Surf, 28o. White-winged, 280. Scott, William Earl Dodge, notice of his) “The Story of a Bird Lover,’ 315. Seaman, Ernest, one wing, 308. Seed-eater, Morellet’s, 353. Seiurus aurocapillus, 19, 172 motacilla, 19, 172, 307. noveboracensis, 19, 172 noveboracensis notabilis, 284. Selasphorus alleni, 282. platycercus, 184. rufus, 184. Seth-Smith, David, notice of his ‘Parrakeets: being a Practical Handbook to those Species kept in Captivity,’ 323. Setophaga, 75. miniata, 75. ruticilla, 19, 173, 208, 284. Shearwater, Christmas Island, 386. Greater, 250. Manx, 250. New Zealand, 332. Sooty, 250. Wedge-tailed, 332, 386. Sherborn, Charles D., notice of balancing with his ‘Index Animalium,’ 448-450. Shoveller, 164, 278. Shrike, Migrant, 439. White-rumped, 208. Shufeldt, R. W., notice of his papers on the Steganopodes, and on the Classification of certain Groups of Birds, 323. Sialia arctica, 193, 209. sialis, 70. sialis grata, 368. Simons, Perry O., obituary notice of, 94. Simorhynchine, 363. Siskin, Pine, 188. Sitta canadensis, 192. Index. Auk Oct. Sitta carolinensis aculeata, 192. carolinensis laguna, 357. carolinensis nelsoni, 357. pygmea, 192. syriaca, 225. Sittidz, 367. Sittine, 367. Slevin, "Thomas Edwards, épituary notice of, 326. Smith, Horace G., Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellrz) in Colorado, 438. Snipe, Wilson’s, 280. Snodgrass, Robert E., a list of land birds from Central Washington, 202-209; notes on the anatomy of Geospiza, Cocornis, and Cer- thidea, 402-417. Snodgrass, Robert Evans, and Ed- mund Heller, notice of their paper on ‘The Birds of Clipper- ton and Cocos Islands,’ 81. Snow, Francis H., notice of his ‘A Catalogue of the Birds of Kan- Sas (ditt eds) 37. Snowbird, 258. Solitaire, Townsend’s, 192. Sora, 280. Sparrow, Alameda Song, 352. Brewer’s, 189, 207. Coronados Song, 34. English, 70, 306, 309. Florida Grasshopper, 350. Forbush’s, 283. Fox, 218. Grasshopper, 264. House, 306. Intermediate, 188. Kenai Song, 353. Lark, 440. Lincoln’s, 189, 265. Monterey Fox, 221. Mountain Song, 189, 207. Sage, 207. San Diego, 352. Savanna, 283. Thick-billed, 189. Townsend, 189. Vesper, 283. Western ae 188. Western Lark, Western Tree, ae Western Vesper, 207. West Indian Grasshopper, 1s Wy ieeowne 188. White-throated, 265. Spatula clypeata, 22, 164, 278. Vol. XX 1903 Speotyto cunicularia becki, 365. cunicularia hypogea_ bra- chyptera, 288. Spermestes cucullatus, 13. Spermophila morelleti, 353. Sphyrapicus thyroideus, 84. varius, 174, 255, 264. varius nuchalis, 282. Spindalis portoricensis, 14. Spinney, Herbert L., the Stilt Sand- piper in Knox County, Maine, 65. Spinus pinus, 188. Spiza americana, 440. Spizella atrigularis, 447. breweri, 189, 207, 283. monticola ochracea, 283. socialis arizone, 188. Spoonbill, Roseate, 119. Sporeginthus melpoda, 13. Sporophila morelleti, 353. morelleti sharpei, 353. Squatarola helvetica, 22. squatarola, 281. Stare, Red-winged, 256. Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 265. Stellula calliope, 282. Sterna acuflavida, 175. antillarum, 175. cantiaca, 175. dougalli, 21, 275. forsteri, 32. fuliginosa, 175, 179, 292, 385. lunata, 385. maxima, 21. regia, 219. sandvicensis acuflavida, 21. Stercorarius cepphus, 359. longicaudus, 359. parasiticus, 359. Stilt, Black-necked, 115. Hawaiian 167. Stone, Witmer. a hybrid Duck, Anas boschas X Nettton carolin- ensis, 209; notes on winter Crow life in the Delaware Valley, 267- 271; on the generic names of the North American Owls, 272-276; notice of his paper on a collection of birds from Sumatra, 318; no- tice of his paper on birds from southern New Mexico and west- ern Texas, 447. Strepsilas interpres, 174. Strigidz, 360. Striker, Big, 148. Little, 148. Index. 477 Stringops, 311. Strix, 272, 360. aluco, 272. arctica, 274. asio, 272. bakkamecena, 273. bubo, 272, 274.. flammea, 272. funera, 272. lapponica, 340. nebulosa, 340. nebulosa alleni, 340. nyctea, 272. otus, 272. passerina, 272. pratincola, 69, 212, 434. scandiaca, 272. SCOPS, 272. stridula, 272. ulula, 272. varius, 340. Strong, R. M., review of his paper on ‘The Development of Color in the Definitive Feather,’ S6— 88; notice of paper by, on ‘A Case of Abnormal Plumage,’ 228. Sturnella, 76. magna argutula, 345. magna hoopesi, 361. magna mexicana, 361. magna neglecta, 186, 206, 365. neglecta, 365. Sturtevant, Edward, see Reginald Heber, Jr. Sula, 323. cyanops, 385. piscator, 287, 385. sula, 285. Surnia ulula, 364. ulula doliata, 364. Swallow, Barn, 207, 259. Chimney, 259. Cliff, 190, 207. Cuban Cliff, 15. Ground, 260. House, 259. Northern Violet-green, 208. Rough-winged, 265. Sand, 436. Tree, 190. Violet-green, 190. Western Barn, 190. Swan, Trumpeter, 280. Whistling, 52. Swift, Black, 282. Chimney, 259. Sylvia agilis, 383. Howe, 478 Sylvia cerulea, 216. carbonata, 74. montana, 74, 361. philadelphia, 383. Lalas 20. Sylvania mitrata, 169, 173. Symphemia semipalmata, 22. Syrnium nebulosum, 340. nebulosum helveolum, 340. varium, 340. varium alleni, 340. varium helveolum, 340. TACHYCINETA bicolor, 23, 190. thalassina, 190. thalassina brachyptera, 79, 354° thalassina lepida, 208. Tanager, Black-winged Palm, 398- 402. Louisiana, 207. Western, 190. Tanagra palmarum, 308. palmarum melanoptera, 398- 402. palmarum palmarum, 398. Tantalus loculator, 65, 210. Tapera, 450. Tartare, 391. zquinoctialis, 391. familiaris, 391. longirostris, 391. luscinia, 391. mendane, 391. pistor, 391. rehsei, 391. syrinx, 391. Tatler, Wandering, 33. Teal, Blue-winged, 278. Cinnamon, 278. Green-winged, 209, 278. Laysan, 384, 396. Telespiza cantans, 384, 387. Telmatodytes, 356. mariane, 357. palustris, 356. palustris griseus, 356. palustris paludicola, 356. palustris plesius, 357. MernwATCHC Leno Black, 134; 440. Common, 127, 131. Forster’s, 32. Grayback, 385. Least, 149. Noddy, 385. Royal, 149, 219. Index. Auk Oct. Tern, Sooty, 292, 385. White, 385. Tetrao lagopus, 252. Thamnophilus doliatus, 291. Thrasher, Brown, 266. Sage, 208. Thrush, Gray-cheeked, 266. Hermit, 266, 284. Olive-backed, 285. Russet-backed, 192. Sierra Hermit, 192. Varied, 193. Thryothorus guttulatus, 196. ludovicianus, 69. mexicanus, 196. murarius, 196. Tiaris bicolor omissa, 14. olivacea bryanti, 14. Tinnunculus, 339. phaloena, 339. Todus multicolor, 225. Torrey, Bradford, Sand Swallows nesting in sawdust, 436. Totanus acuminatus, 336. damacensis, 336. melanoleucus, 22, 281. melanoleucus frazari, 19, 364. Towhee, 265. Green-tailed, 190. Townsend, Charles W., a case of mistaken diagnosis, 218. Toxostoma rufum, 266. Trichas, 383. Trichoglossus, 310. Tringa alpina, 337. bairdi, 280. couesi, 314. ferruginea, 337. fuscicollis, 336. maculata, 204, 280, 336. maritima, 335. minuta, 335- minutilla, 280, 336. ptilocnemis, 314, 335. Tringoides macularius, 174. Trochilus alexandri, 220. colubris, 23, 253. Troglodytes aédon parkmani, 192. Trotter, Spencer, notes on the orni- thological observations of Peter Kalm, 249-262. Troupial, 12, 292. Trowbridge, C. C., notice of his paper on ‘The Relation of Wind to Bird Migration,’ 228. Turdus fuscescens, 170. migratorius, 261. Vol. XX 1903 Turdus minor cinereo-albus non maculatus, 294. mustelinus, 170. polyglottos, 260, 295. Turnstone, 167, 210. Black, 33. Turtur humilis, 228. risorius, 228. Tyrannus, 170. borealis, 343. dominicensis, griseus, 173- tyrannus, 23, 206. verticalis, 206. 10, 194. UrR1A lomvia, 51. Van DykE, T. S., see Sanford, L. C. Vermont Bird Club, second annual meeting of, 244. Vireo bellii, 438. bellii medius, 447. calidris, 177, 193, 194. calidris barbatula, 16. crassirostris, 173. flavifrons, 173, 265. gilvus swainsoni, 79, 190, 354. latimeri, 16, 194. olivaceus, 23, 370. philadelphicus, 369-376. solitarius, 265, 437. solitarius cassini, 190. swainsoni, 354. Vireo, Bell’s, 438. Black-whiskered, 16. Blue-headed, 265. Cassin, 190. Philadelphia, 369-376. Red-eyed, 372. Solitary, 372, 437- Warbling, 372. Western Warbling, 190, 354. Yellow-throated, 265, 437- Vireosylvia josephe, 324. Vulture, Black, 67, 287. Turkey, 53, 66, 183, 205. WALTER, Herbert Eugene, and Alice Hall Walter, notice of their ‘Wild Birds in City Parks, 316. Warbler, Adelaid, 18. Alaska Myrtle, 191. Audubon’s, 191, 284. Bay-breasted, 309. Black-and-white, 17, 195, 265. Blackburnian, 265. Index. aero) Warbler, Black-poll, 284. Black-throated Green, 309; 310. Calaveras, 190. Canadian, 266. Cape May, 18, 218. Cerulean, 265. Connecticut, 266. Golden Pileolated, 356. Hermit, 191. Hooded, 266, 438. Kentucky, 439. Kirtland’s, 225, 459: Lawrence’s, 53. Lutescent, 190. Magnolia, 18. 284, 309, 310. Mourning, 266. Myrtle, 18, 195. Orange-crowned, 253. Palm, 18, 195, 266. Parula, 18, 195. Pileolated, 191. Porto Rico Yellow, 18. Prairie, 19, 195. Sonora Yellow, 47. Swainson’s, 438. Tennessee, 283, 309, 310. Tolmie’s, 191. Townsend’s, 191. Western Yellow, 191. Yellow, 208. Warbler, The, notice of number of, 244. Waterhouse, Charles Owen, notice of his ‘ Index Zoologicus,’ 450. Waters, Edward Stanley, obituary notice of, 243. Water-Thrush, 19. Grinnell’s, 284. Louisiana, 19, 307. Waxwing, Bohemian, 253. Cedar, 283. Wayne, Arthur T., Richardson’s Merlin (Falco columbartus rich- ardsont) on the coast of South Carolina, 67. Weed, Clarence M., notice of his ‘A Partial Bibliography of the Economic Relations of North American Birds,’ 446. Wheelock, Irene Grosvenor, notice of her ‘Nestlings of Forest and Marsh,’ 231. Whipperiwhip, 253. Whipperiwill, 253- Whip-poor-will, 253, 264. Widgeon, 303. 266, initial 480 Widgeon, European, 210, 303. Willet, 147, 148. Wilson Bulletin, The, review of Volume IX, new series, 225. Wilsonia canadensis, 266. microcephala, 74. mitrata, 266, 438. pusilla, 218. pusilla chryseola, 75, 356. pusilla pileolata, 191. Winkenwerder, H. A., notice of his ‘The Migration of Birds, with special reference to Nocturnal Flights,’ 311. Woodcock, American, 210. Woodpecker, American Three-toed, DOD: Arctic Three-toed, 282. Batchelder’s, 282. Black, 253. Bonaparte’s, 290. Cabanis’s, 183, 281. Gila, 44. Gold-winged, 254. Hairy, 264. Ivory-billed, 254. Lewis's, 184, 205. Northern Hairy, 281. Northern Pileated, 184. Pileated, 254, 282. Red-headed, 70, 255, 309. Red-bellied, 264, 305. Sierra Three-toed, 184. Southern White-headed, 222. Index. Auk Oct. Woodpecker, White-headed, 183. Willow, 341. Wren, Carolina, 69. Rock, 33, 208. Western Marsh, 208. XANTHOCEPHALUS xanthocephalus, 186, 206, 282. Xema sabinii, 433. Xenopicus albolaryatus, 183. gravirostris, 222, 362. Xiphidiopicus percussus, 194. YELLOW-LEGS, Greater, 281. Yellow-throat, Rio Grande, 355. Salt Marsh, 355. Western, 191, 208. Young, Curtis Clay, obituary notice of, 94. ZAMELODIA melanocephala, 416. Zenaidura carolinensis, 324. macroura, 66, 177, 182, 205, 263, 281. Zonotrichia albicollis, 265. fallax, 350. leucophrys, 188. leucophrys gambeli, 36, 188. leucophrys intermedia, 36. Zoological Quarterly, The, notice of, 328. 190, ERRATA. Page 69, line 16, for Ahzryothorus read Thryothorus. Page 81, line 1, for Gadou read Gadow. Page 103, for Plate III read Plate IV.’ Page 109, feotnote, for 1902 read 1901. Page 110, for Plate IV read Plate III.} Page 172, line 9 from bottom, for Oporonis read Oporornis. Page 213, line 7, for Psitacula and Psztacula read, Psittacula and Psittacula. Page 435, line 11 from bottom, for purpurea read subzs. 1 See p. 246, footnote, for fuller explanation. Series, Vol. Xxvinp? BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB The Auk A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology Old CONTINUATION OF THE Vel 22 —JANUARY, 1903— Wo. 1 PUBLISHED BY The American Ornithologists’ Union SEP 12 1904 ( % CAMBRIDGE, ae = ~ Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post © ft’ Boston, Mass. Old ; CONTINUATION OF THE | New Series, Series, Vol. XXVIII BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB Vol. XX The Auk A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology Vol. 2a —_APRIL, 190S— No. 2 PUBLISHED BY The American Ornithologists’ CAMBRIDGE, MA Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post Off Boston, Mass. Old | Series, Vol. XXVIII CONTINUATION OF THE BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB Vol. SS ‘The Auk a Quarterly Journal of Ornithology _JULY, 1903— New | Series, Vol. XX No. S PUBLISHED BY The American Ornithologists’ Union CAMBRIDGE, MA6 Entered as second-class mail m atter in th \ ost Office at oston, Toff Old CONTINUATION OF THE { New Series Series Vol, XXVIII BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB Vol. XX The Auk | QA Quarterly Fournal of Ornithology Vol. Ras —OCTOBER, 1903— No. 4 ; : “aval wee ZS PUBLISHED BY The American Ornithologists Ome , ian Instity;; ansontan ut le 3411 CN 14 CAMBRIDGE, \ Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post Office at Boston, Mass. x i) i RK nn oT ) et ar 3 ¥ aaa, AP a en at RRARA ARR ce alts 7° g at PARA Va Vay Pia! Anat nnnan a PPS gine «Ap £ te lal rn m VAAL OTEAN A rie ~ atta Annan nanan park AnaAAAaA ~ va ~ j AANA AAKa aN ee ARARE rr rR oP o~ om A\m Awe tA we oe BS ce ae oy mow a AN