IO MRE-UFE PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY HOW A ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION VOLUME T DECEMBER, 1931 NUMBER 4 A CALL TO ARMS! By F. L, R, ROBERTS This year even shot-gun conservationists agree that the killers have zone too far. The Iowa Fish and Game Commission which by the way, now seems to be really in favor of conservation, at least as far as saving the game species is concerned, says that it would have been better if there had been no open season at all. . , . , The Iowa Ornithologists’ Union has always been active in defense of our birds, but just now is the time to get in the most tellmg shots. Peo- ple are thinking in terms of conservation now. They are faced with a serious situation and will be glad to receive guidance. I am going to 35 k every member to submit, to papers and magazines articles on con- servation Please send me a clipping of every one that is published so your name may be included in the Honor Roll which we will publish in Iowa Bird-Life. , _ * „ As I see it, the most pressing needs are as follows; I Our birds of prey are being exterminated. Many of them aie ex- tremely useful. Only three or four species are harmful even when abundant, and they have almost disappeared from our landscape. \ ery few shooters can tell one species from another and so would do more damage than good, even if harmful species were more abundant. II There should be no open season at all on Jacksnipe. I bese buds are very rare. Very few hunters can tell one shorebird from another, and so kill off those' which are protected. I met three hunters at a ■slough near here this fall. I saw them shoot and go and bring m some dead birds, I went out and asked them what they had shoL They ie_ plied, "Jacksnipe but would not show the dead buds to me. Thej are like those out there,” they said, pointing to some Black Terns that were resting on the shore. ^ III. Woodcock arc practically extinct m Iowa. A query from the Fish and Game Commission as to whether they were all extinct bi ought about a dozen replies from people who said they had seen them this year. But we may judge the value of these observations when we con- sider that one of these observers wrote, “When these birds first ; f im I thought they were what we call Jacksmpe (Some call them Killdeer.) Is this observer to be trusted when he doesn t even know that the Wil- son Snipe or Jacksnipe and Killdeer are distinct species . Iowa has an open season on Woodcock, tho it is not legal to hunt them here now because of federal law. Our law should be changed now IOWA BIRD-LIFE 42 for some of the rich gunning clubs of the East may tell the Biological Survey to change the federal law, which is now the only protection of th Le^ us^iot sit idly while these birds that we profess to love are being destroyed If you have never done anything before, bestir yourself now. Your local paper will be glad to publish something on these sub- lets from the pen of a subscriber. I am hoping for a hundred articles during the next two months. We should and could have a thousand. Don’t say that the situation is not critical or does not need your help. Such a statement would mean simply that you were not informed. Ev- en the hunters themselves now admit that the situation is critical. Of course they “pass the buck” and ascribe as a cause for the crisis a sorts of reasons other than the real one, too much shooting. What will you do? Will vou “pass the buck?” If you do nothing, will your hands not be as bloody as those of the killer when these birds are extermi- C If you care for more information on these subjects and do not know where to get it, I shall be glad to recommend sources, 419 Ms S. Governor St., Iowa City, Iowa. HOW TO KNOW IOWA HAWKS By WALTER W. BENNETT Iowa students in ornithology who have struggled with the problem of identifying hawks should welcome a brief field key. While hawks vary greatly as to plumage, and although nomenclature of the order is not yet satisfactory and perhaps will be revised, yet there are many com- mon hawks which should be easily recognized. Because of the great variation among hawks there would be no end of detail to a complete key, so the following one is intended only to in- clude the more easily recognized plumages and color phases. Because it is impractical to identify some of the immature Red-tailed, Red- shouldered, Swainson’s, and other hawks in the field, none but mature plumages are included. Likewise some of the more rare species, such as Richardson’s Pigeon Hawk, Swallow-tailed Kite, Harlan s Hawk, and others, have been omitted for convenience. The student should not become discouraged over identifying common hawks. They are not difficult. Look for the things that are important. Color number of bars and shape of tail are vital ; then color of back and head; size should be noticed; and finally, the color of underparts After studying the key one will readily know what to look for. Length is the distance from tip of beak to end of tail. Thanks are due Dr. Witmer Stone, editor of The Auk and chairman of the A. 0. U. commit- tee for revision of the “Check- List/’ for nomenclature in accordance with the new “Check-List." FIELD KEY TO IOW T A HAWKS Approximate Length in Inches I. With red, , i , A. Head red, without feathers; plumage black or brownish black; mostly soars, Turkey Vulture II. Without red, A. Upper parts with conspicuous white areas, a. Head, neck and tail white; upper half of tarsus fath- ered; rest of plumage fuscous. Southern Bald Eagle 30 32 FIELD NOTES 43 Head mostly white with large black patch on side; upper- parts grayish-brown ; underparts white, Us prey Upper tail coverts white, Marsh Hawk Three narrow white and three broad fuscous tail bais, tip white Broad-winged Hawk Basal half and tip of tail feathers white, rest fuscous; front of tarsi feathered, American Rough-legged Hawk B. Upperparts with conspicuous rufous areas, a. Upper side of tail rufous, Eastern Red-failed Hawk b. "Shoulder” patch rufous, Northern Red-shouldered Hawk c. Back and upper side of tail rufous; black mark before and behind white ear coverts Eastern Sparrow Hawk d. Upperparts generally rufous; entire tail grayish-white; underparts white, rufous on sides; front of tarsi feath- ered Ferruginous Rough-leg C. Underparts without conspicuous white or rufous areas, a. Underparts mostly dark, T „„„ 1. Nearly whole plumage fuscous-brown; whole tarsus feathered; winter only, Golden Eagle 2. Plumage fuscous except white head, neck and tail, up per half tarsus feathered Southern Bald Eagle 3. Upperparts fuscous; blackish band across belly; front of tarsi feathered; basal half and tip of tail white American Rough-legged Hawk 4. Entire Plumage, except naked red head brownish- black, . Turkey Vulture Under parts mostly light, 1. Small, length about 10 inches, x. Back slaty-blue; 3 or 4 grayish-white tail bars. Eastern Pigeon Hawk y. Back slaty-gray; tail nearly square, and long, Sharp-shinned Hawk Larger, length 16 inches or more, x. Back dark bluish-slate; blackish cheek mark with whitish collar behind it on sides of neck; tail indis- tinctly barred. Duck Hawk Back slaty-gray; tail nearly square, and long, rounded, ‘ . Cooper s Hawk Under parts evenly barred with gray; winter only. Eastern Goshawk D. 2. y* 2 . 23 20 16 22 20 19 10 23 32 32 22 30 10 10 16 16 22 FIELD NOTES Notes from Rock Rapids, Iowa.— The winter of 1930-31 was unusual in several respects, I had expected that the open winter would mean more birds than usual, but this was not the case. Nearly every wm er we have hudreds of Prairie Horned Larks on the roads, I have seen Lapland Longspurs with them a few times. This past winter I saw very few larks here. We had no Slate-colored Juncos during the winter, altho in other winters we have fed them until well after the first of the year, The winter before last there were at least ten Snowy Owls in the cemetery near here, but last winter not one was reported in this Durfng the spring migration I saw three Harris’s Sparrows. I first heard them and located them in a tree in our back yard. Their heads were unusually black. I was within a few feet of them and had my glasses, so there was no mistake. This sparrow is not common here. 44 IOWA BIRD-LIFE The number of Burrowing Owls in this county is rapidly diminishing. Five years ago I knew of eight or ten colonies; two years ago I knew of only two, and this year I have not seen one. I have not made a trip to look for them but the fact that I have not seen any seems significant. Several of the fields where they formerly lived have been plowed. How- ever, some of the fields have not been plowed, but the birds seem to have moved on. — 0. S, THOMAS, Rock Rapids, Iowa. EASTERN SCREECH OWL This bird was pulled out of a nest in early spring near Grin- nell, Iowa, and photographed by Walter W, Bennett. The bird did not struggle or fight, but feigned sleep until an instant af- ter the camera shutter snapped, when it suddenly realized it could fly away and did. A Note on the Gifford Heronry near Council Bluffs. — On Sunday, May 17, a large group of persons interested in birds and conservation visited the Gifford heronries, located about six miles south of Council Bluffs, Iowa on the flats east of the Missouri river The Gifford i ’ac' consists of 800 acres, of which 40 acres on the south constitutes the Great Blue heronry. On the north is a smaller colony of the Black- crowned Night Heron. The Great Blue Herons had young in the nest at the time of the visit. One large tree had about 20 nests of the Great Blue Heron in it. When the new South Omaha bridge is built over the Missouri it will pass the heronry, and without some protection the safety of the colony will be in constant jeopardy. An effort will be made to interest the Iowa State Game Commission and the U. S, Bio- logical Survey to make a sanctuary of this heronry, as Gifford Memorial Park, and to place a high and tight fence around the heronry tract, — MYRON H. SWENK, writing in “Letter of Information No. GO” of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union. Leaves From Our Note-book. — While in the field Dr. Roberts and I carry Reed’s “Bird Guides,”, and into these we write identification notes. Some of these are original notes and other have been copied from other sources. They are not meant for complete identification, but as odd bits of information that seem important to us. This is the third and last installment of these notes, the first two having appeared in “The Bul- letin of Iowa Ornithologists’ Union.” The Bohemian Waxwing may be distinguished from the Cedar Wax- FIELD NOTES 45 wing by the white markings on the wings. Both species have black on the chin and throat, though Reed shows none on the chin and throat of the Cedar Waxwing. , , Vireos, in general, are stouter than warblers, their tails are shorter* and they behave in a more leisurely fashion. The phrase, "I’m a war- bl -ling-ling vireo/’ helps us to place the song of the Warbling Vireo. 1 he song has little variation. The Red-eyed Vireo 3 s song is not only very different but has much variety, . The Prothonotary Warbler has no wing bars, which helps to distin- guish the female from the Blue- Winged Warbler. Job says of the Blue- wing: “Song is ee zeee-e; the easy song, I call it.” Kilgore of Min- nesota says the yellow under-tail cover ts of the Orange-crowned Warbler distinguish it from the Nashville. Note the faint streaks on the breast of the Orange-crowned Warbler. The underparts of the female Ten- nessee Warbler are washed with yellowish. Chapman describes its song as “a twittering, semi-trilled, rather prolonged, of three parts— not un- like weaker part of Goldfinch song.” A chestnut wash and black crown distinguish the Cape May from the Magnolia Warbler, while the ci own of the Magnolia is gray. The beginner may confuse the Magnolia, the Blackburnian, and the Prairie Warblers. the orange of the Black- burnian should distinguish it from the other two. The Prairie Warbler has chestnut spots on its back, while black stripes are confined to its sides. It is apt to be found in hot, dry habitat. Its song has an even tempo. The song of the Black-poll Warbler sounds like pebbles clinked rapidly. The Pine Warbler resembles the Yellow-throated Vireo but is more slender, and is seldom seen away from coniferous trees, even in migration. In Iowa we have the Louisiana Water-thrush and the Grin- nell’s Water-thrush. The Louisiana Water thrush has no spots on the throat, has conspicious white line over the eye and buffy tinge on the underparts. , The American Pipit walks and wags its tail. It has a slender bill and white outer tail feathers. The Brown Thrasher’s song is made up of phrases which are repeated, which helps to distinguish it from the song of the Catbird. In our banding traps at Spirit Lake, we got the Western House Wren, a subspecies of the House Wren. In the subspecies, the black bars on the tail are somewhat margined posteriorly with buffy. This can not be seen unless one has the bird in the hand. In Iowa, the Long-billed Marsh Wren is replaced by a subspecies called the Prairie Marsh Wren, which is redder. This form differs from the Short-billed Marsh Wren in that it has a white line over the eye and the top of its head and back are unstreaked. The Prairie Marsh Wren is found in cattail marshes; the Short-billed, in drier places, among tussocks, and in grassy swamps. The red on the flanks of the White-breasted Nuthatch, often some- what suffused, frequently leads beginners to mistake this species for the Red-breasted Nuthatch . The dark line thru the eye of the latter is conspicuous and distinctive. . It is not always easy to see the crowns of the kinglets, but it is easy to tell a Golden-crown by its white eyebrow line with black line above. The spots on the breast of the Wood Thrush are round, which diff- erentiate it from other thrushes. Its head is redder than its back and tail. It sings “E-o-lie hal-la-lee.” The Willow Thrush, subspecies of the Veery, has a buffy, comparatively unspotted breast, and tawny head, back and tail, which distinguish it from other thrushes. It is the only thrush whose song begins on a high note and ends on a low one. To distinguish the Olive-backed from the Gray-cheeked Thrush, compare IOWA BIRD-LIFE 46 ihe color of the cheek with the top of the head. If the cheek is yellower, it is an Olive-backed Thrush; if not, it is a Gray-cheeked Thrush. The tail of the Hermit Thrush is redder than the rest of the body. — MARY PRICE ROBERTS, Iowa City, Iowa. UPLAND PLOVER Because these birds were so easy to approach on Iowa’s grassy prairies they have been easily shot off, and now there are but a few areas of virgin prairie left in the state to harbor their nests. When discovered, they should be protected diligently. The pho- tograph was taken by Walter W. Bennett of Arnolds Park, Iowa. A Robin Roost in Fairfield, Iowa. — Having a Robin roost at my home made the summer of 1931 a very fortunate one for me. There is a great deal of berry-bearing shrubbery around my home, which was re- sponsible for the roost. Great flocks of Bronzed Crackles tried to pre- empt the Robin roost, and at that time there were more grackles than I had ever before seen in town. The Robins have been of great interest to me. For three years large numbers of them have slept in a group of buckthorn bushes only a few yards from my sun-porch windows. It is almost impossible to count them, but I estimated that there were over 100 in the summer of 1931. In early summer the vesper songs of so many Robins is thrilling. During the first week of September, my panicled dog-wood was full of berries and a Hermit Thrush, numbers of Red-eyed Vireos, flycatch- ers, Flickers, Robins, and Catbirds feasted on them. The Cardinal does not seem to care for these berries, but he makes a lovely picture in the white and green of my birch tree. — MRS. J. FRED CLARKE, Fairfield, Iowa. Starling at Manchester, Iowa. — The first Starling that I have seen in this neighborhood came to my notice on October 3, 1931. A boy shot into a flock of blackbirds in the city of Manchester, and down came a Starling. It proved to be a female in fine plumage and was brought to me to be mounted, I believe that this is the first positive record for the Starling in Delaware County. — 0. M. GREENWOOD, Manchester, Iowa. FIELD NOTES 47 {Chas J. Spiker reports seeing three Starlings near Plainfield, Iowa, during the latter part of November, and 0. P. Allert saw two near his home at Giard at about the same time. — ED.) Red Crossbill at Sioux City in August. — On August 4, 1931, I saw an uncommon bird visitor in a neighboring backyard and went to investi- gate. The bird was the Red Crossbill and appeared to the writer as an adult female. A short call note was given while the bird was perching, and a sort of chortling call was given as the bird flew with undulating flight. The bird allowed approach to within fifteen feet and the crossed bill was easily made out. The lack of any white on the wings excluded the possibility of its being the White-winged Crossbill, which is a sum- mer resident in northwestern South Dakota. Another summer record of this crossbill was made at Faribault, Min- nesota, about August 25, 1931. An injured male bird was found on the highway and was cared for by Miss Nellie LeCrone of Faribault. The city of Faribault is a little over fifty miles from the Iowa line, but even so the record is worthy of mention. — WILLIAM YOUNG WORTH, Sioux City, Iowa. Red Crossbill at Cedar Falls in September.— On the afternoon of Sep- tember 29, 1931, I was gathering some flowers in my garden, when I heard a “cheep” sounding like a young chicken. I began looking for the bird and soon it flew up on a telephone wire. I ran for my field glasses and found that the bird was the Red Crossbill. It then flew to the sun- flowers where its mate was eating, and I watched them for some time. The female looked so sparrow-like I might not have noticed her but for the bright colored male. The birds had the familiar identification mark — the upper and lower mandibles crossing. The male was what might be called almost an or- ange with gray wings. In the sunlight it had almost a rosy tinge on the rump. The female was a light gray with darker gray wings. They were about the size of English Sparrows. There is no doubt in my mind of the identity, since they were perched on the telephone wires where with my field glasses I got a perfect view of their bills, I was astonished to see them so early in the season and only two of them when they usually travel in flocks. There might have been a flock in the vicinity, but I did not find anyone else who had seen them. — - MRS. RAY S, DIX, Cedar Falls, Iowa. Summer Birds at Des Moines.— Many people reported the scarcity of summer birds this year, but my experience was to the contrary. For in- stance, Robins were never before so plentiful on my grounds, and I had more thrashers about than ever. Orioles and flycatchers were seen in numbers. Catbirds were less numerous, but this I did not regret very much, since I had more thrashers. I did regret not having more Rose- breasted Grosbeaks, however. I have not quite three-fourths of an acre of ground, and I located twenty-two nests this summer. Many families of birds that nested very near to my borders frequented the yard, the bathing-pools, and feeding-trays all summer. I again had a Black and White Warbler nesting near a decayed trunk which contained, higher up, a Tufted Titmouse’s home. A Carolina Wren was an infrequent vis- itor, Yellow-billed Cuckoos were about through July and August, while the rest of the birds were those usually found nesting here. This fall I have noticed a scarcity of juncos. I usually have a flock of from fifteen to twenty all winter; so far I have noticed only three birds. Of course, the mild weather may be delaying their southward flight. Brown Creepers have not yet put in an appearance. White-throated 48 IOWA BIRD-LIFE Sparrows were very scarce on my place this fall. I missed their cheer- ful twittering which I usually hear as 1 work in my flower and bulb beds. — MRS. TONI R. WENDELBURG, Des Moines, Iowa, November 11, 1931. A Bountiful Dinner. — -The rear portion of the lot about our residence in Sigourney, Iowa, is occupied by cherry, plum and peach trees, also by grape vines and beds of garden truck, flowers, etc. One morning in August, 1931, as 1 was sauntering about in the gard- en, I was surprised to see that at one place in the tomato patch, the fine, opulent, green foliage of a day or two before was gone and a forest of near skeletons stood there instead. While I viewed the wreck to see who or what might have been the cause of the havoc, a Robin dropped lightly at my feet. The only thing about this bird which identified him as a juvenile was his spotted breast. Turning his head from one side to the other, he very carefully scrutinized this jungle of stripped vines for a few moments' then darting among them, he siezed an enormous horn worm, jerked it loose from its moorings on the tomato vines and dropped it on the grass. This worm was at least three inches in length and large in proportion. (The larva, 1 think, of the tomato hawk moth — P&U-gctbonfiits qithiqtte maculat/ts.) The worm squirmed, rolled and tumbled, and performed all kinds of bodily contortions while the Robin hopped about it and pecked at it oc- casionally but acted as though he were afraid and about convinced that “he had bitten off more than he could chew.” Suddenly a Blue Jay dropped down out of a cherry tree where it had been watching the pro- ceedings with interest no doubt, and disputed the possession of the pros- pective dinner with the Robin. This revived the Robin’s courage and for some time they went “fast and furious,” pecking at each other and at the worm alternately, until an old Bronzed Grackle appeared on the scene and drove them both away. The grackle then eyed the squirm- ing worm disdainfully for a moment, next circled around it a few times, holding his head high, then he flew away, not having touched the worm. The jay, however, had not forgotten the fine prospect for dinner which had been placed in jeopardy for a few moments. He came back presently, and assailing the big worm again, seized it. and carried it wriggling up into a tree. There, while holding one end of the horn worm with his feet, he jerked and pulled at the other end with his bill until in this manner he separated and unjointed his prey into half a dozen nice juicy morsels which he swallowed with apparent relish. Af- ter whetting both sides of his bill against a limb of the tree, he began preening his feathers, evidently well pleased with his dinner, But the Robin, real discoverer of his dinner, had received nothing but a few vicious pecks on his head as his reward. — E. D. NAUMAN, Sigourney, Iowa. The Double-crested Cormorant as a City Guest. — About the 20th of September, 1931, I was asked to identify a large, wounded water bird that had been picked up in northeast Des Moines. I identified it as an immature Double-crested Cormorant. It had been wounded where the right leg joins the body, and owing to the scattering of the shot-kernels, was unable to fly. I was much interested in its markings, the large hooked beak, the immense spread of wings, and the bluish-green eyes. The bird was confined in a chicken-pen, and during the next twenty- four hours at least 500 children and twenty-four teachers from our school and the junior high school nearby visited it. The next afternoon I took the bird over to the duck pond in Waterworks Park, near the cabin at the west end of the grounds, and there he still is. I RECENT BIRD BOOKS 49 As soon as the cormorant touched the water, he swam out into the pond. A small flock of Canada Geese, the adult birds and three young (hatched the morning of our May-day hike and breakfast there), came swimming up to him and apparently wanted to be friends. He toler- ated their nearness, but warned them not to be too intimate, he being of quite another class! The same treatment was accorded the flock of English call ducks that returned from their late afternoon flight- To them he was aloof also. The cormorant very swiftly swims the length and breadth of the lake, head borne proudly erect. Very frequently he dives and emerges fifty or sixty feet from where he went under. The last time we saw him he was roosting on a stump eighteen inches above the water. We are hoping that the ponds stay open (they receive warm water from a cement plant nearby), or that his wings get strong enough to bear him away to the warm southland where he can find the fish diet that he needs. The Assistant Game Warden tells me that quite a number of cormor- ants were reported in Iowa this summer and fall, eight in Des Moines during the last two weeks. Most of the latter were found badly wound- ed and did not survive. For two days late in May, 1931, we had a Loon visitor at the same pond. He also showed us his prowess in swimming and long dives, A group of eight of us watched him from five o’clock until nightfall the last day of his stay. As dusk came on he repeatedly ‘laughed,’ It was a thrilling experience for those of us who had never before seen a Loon, nor heard that weird ‘laugh.’- — MRS. TONI R, WENDELRURG, Des Moines, Iowa, November 11, 1931, RECENT BIRD BOOKS “Birds of Polk County, Iowa.” — The appearance of this new county list will be welcomed by all Iowa bird students, and especially by those who live in the southern half of the state, ft is a valuable addition to the lengthening list of bird catalogs of Iowa counties. A score of years ago this list contained the names of all too few counties; today, the state is quite well represented by such catalogs, and the bird student is able to secure a very full understanding of the distribution of our bird- life by consulting these published reports. The Polk County list, by Philip A. DuMont, is a very carefully pre- pared publication and will prove of great worth to all workers in the region, both as a field guide and as a reference work for indoor study. The ‘Introduction’ covers eleven pages and touches such topics as phy- sical features and atmospheric conditions of Polk County; the ornitho- logical development through the years with accompanying publication and collection of specimens; and brief description of particularly good bird habitat within the county at the present time. The list of birds covers 58 pages of small type. It records 289 species known to have appeared in the county, while 17 others with a more or less doubt- ful standing are also included but are placed within brackets. The list is fully annotated and should supply most of the facts needed by sub- sequent workers. Mr. DuMont has had a rich field in which to work. Early ornithologists collected and left a great deal of data on Polk County birds, which is evidenced bv the length of the bibliography at end of the list. And present day effort, largely sponsored by the active Des Moines Audubon Society, has made a verv substantial con- tribution to the ornithology of the county. It is quite fitting that the Des Moines Audubon Society should publish this list of its county’s birds, and we hope that it will be able to give the booklet the distribu- tion among bird people that it so well deserves. 50 IOWA BIRD-LIFE “Birds of Sioux City, Iowa.” — One does not have to go to his library to consult this bird list, for it has been published in pocket size so that it may be carried on all field trips and consulted whenever needed, The introductory page tells us that “this list . . . . is not intended to tell all about each bird, only to indicate how commonly others have found it within sixty miles of Sioux City, so the observer may quickly realize the importance of his record.” . In preparing this check-list of birds of the Sioux City region, Yv alter W. Bennett, the author, has done a very useful piece of work. A total of 292 species are listed, and a brief statement of status in the northwest- ern Iowa region accompanies each name. Mr. Bennett has compiled the list chiefly from his own records, which were made during 23 years ot field work. He has also drawn quite freely from the records of other workers in the same region, from the time of the Lewis and Clarke Ex- pedition of 1805-6, up to the present time, so that the list is very com- prehensive. Every bird student in the western part of the state will want a copy of the list. It is published by the Sioux City Bird Club and is sold for ten cents a copy, * * * # * The Cleveland Museum of Natural History recently published “Meas- urements of Birds,” by Baldwin, Oberholser, and Worley, which is a very authoritative handbook on an interesting subject. It contains 165 pages, and is illustrated by 151 drawings of methods of taking measure- ments. This important work will prove a boon to those whose studies include work in this particular field. It is sold for $1.20 (paper) and $1.S5 (fabrikoid) postpaid. MEMBERSHIP NEWS All dues in the Union are payable January 1. If you will send them to the secretary promptly (Mrs. Mary L. Bailey, 2109 Nebraska St., Sioux City, Iowa), without waiting for her to send you a written notice, it will save the Union considerable expense and the secretary much time and trouble. We suggest that you also send her the names of any persons who might care to join us. Sample copies of IOWA BIRD- LIFE will be sent to them. We are anxious to enroll as many new members as possible during the coming year. The larger our member- ship is, the better publication we can have. . Myrle L. Jones, of Pomeroy, Iowa, is a new member of the Union. New subscribers are the 0. L, Austin Ornithological Research Station, Cape Cod, Mass., and the Library, U. S. Dept, of Agriculture, Washing- We can still supply the Iowa field check-lists, prepared by the Union for the use of its members. The prices are one cent each for small quan- tities, 75c a hundred, and $3.25 for 500. Send all orders to Mrs. Bailey. 2109 Nebraska St., Sioux City, Iowa. Make sure that you have a full supply of the check lists before starting the new bird year. A number of public libraries in Iowa are now on our subscription list. IOWA BIRD-LIFE is on file in the reading-rooms of libraries in the following towns: Albia, Atlantic, Boone, Carroll, Cedar Falls, Cedaii Rapids. Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Marshall- town, Mount Pleasant, Muscatine, Onawa, Ottumwa, Sigourney, Sioux City, Sutherland, Washington, Waterloo, Webster City, and Winterset* The Library of the State Historical Society at Iowa City, Iowa, State College Library at Ames, and John Fletcher College Library at Univer- sity Park, are also on our list. This is a good showing, but the list might MEMBERSHIP NEWS be made much larger if our members would urge their local librarians to subscribe We would very much appreciate our members doing this. * 4 * * * On page 32 of the last issue, the first line of Mr. Gillespie's article, “Yellow Warbler Outwits Cowbird” should have read: “About May 28, 1931, we found a pair ” ig; ^ At the Detroit meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union in Oc- tober Miss Althea R. Sherman of National, Iowa, read a 30-minute pa- per entitled “Some Habits of the Short-billed March Wren.' A new reel of moving pictures of the Long-billed Curlew, taken by Walter W* Bennett in Nebraska last spring, elicited much favorable comment at the meeting. IOWA BIRD-LIFE is sent free to all members of the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union. Membership does {including subscription! are one dollar a year. Special rate for all libraries, public or college, fifty cents a year. Those living outside of Iowa may obtain the journal for fifty cents a year. AH dues are payable January !. Editor — Fred J. Fierce, Winthrop. Iowa. Asst. Editor — C. E. Hoskinson, Clarinda, Iowa Orders for reprints from articles or extra copies of the journal must be in the hands of the editor before publication. Please notify the editor promptly of change of address and state whether the new address is permanent or temporary. Field Notes on Iowa birds, booh news, and historical or biographical material pertaining to Iowa ornithology are desired for publication. Be a Taiiderm? Artiit Marvelous T7D IT C ook Sent rX\E-ll. YY.U can jmw, learn Tok- |dermy,th« wonderful Burt oi mnuntNitrin r-.'S, Quintal*, (o'lmiiirSfit:, tie. U-nni athOrrtC, by mail, The free book O ils tn,w. M-yr't ™.,ur out* trophy *. llccoiato home and den. nteruetintr, fa*eiri3lini!. t>‘. on i] r. m U f. our ■ qf r jjtirlermy. . | _■ f ^Elwond Clil^ . O.ti.iIm. heb. THE OOLOG1ST is the only publication on the American Continent devoted to those who are interested in col- lecting, preserving, and study- ing birds’ eggs. Fifty cents per year. THE OOLOG1ST Lacon, Illinois Just off the press! Every bird student in Iowa should own a copy of BIRDS OF POLK COUNTY, IOWA By Philip A DuMont 72 pages — over 300 species listed 50c a copy For sale by the publishers BES MOINES AUDUBON SOCIETY 1245 West 37th St„ Des Moines, Iowa IOWA BIRD-LIFE FRANK WALTERS Natural History Books 512 Grand Central Palace, New York, N, Y. Our stock of bird books, to which was recently added a pri- vate library of 2,500 ornitho- logical volumes, is by far the largest and finest in America. 186S 1931 IOWA BIRD-LIFE, THE AUK, WILSON BULLETIN, BIRD- LORE, and other magazines of similar size bound in the best grade of Library Buckram for $1.35 per volume, plus postage. WARIl BROTHERS COMPANY Library Book Binders Jacksonville, Illinois “The House that Service Built” EDITOR’S NOTE: Many of the books ;md magazines in my library have been bound by Ward Bros. Their price.' are satisfactory arid their binding; are both durable and attractive. I am glad to recommend their work to our members. — F. J. F. BIRD LECTURES FOR ALL OCCASIONS By WALTER W. BENNETT, B. S. Former President Iowa Ornithologists Union Former President Sioux City (la.) Bird Club "SIYO” — The only motion picture story of the complete life of the Prairie Chicken; interesting, unusual, dramatic. “ISLAND BIRD LIFE” — High class entertainment and fascinat- ing instructions in conservation. In natural colors and movies. "KNOW IOWA BIRDS’* — Iowa is proud of her birds. This shows them at home and teaches their eolors. Of high edu- cational value. In natural colors and movies. And many other lectures. For dates and rates apply to Walter W. Bennett, Arnolds Park, la.