Iowa bird life

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PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE

IOWA OIRAIITlIiOILOGIISTS’' lUI^IIOiM :

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VOL. V JUNE, 1035 NO. 2 1

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OFFICERS OF THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION
President — Dr. George 0. Hendrickson, Ames, Iowa
Vice-President — J. Wilbur Dole, Fairfield, Iowa
: Sec'y-Treas. — Miss Kate E. LaMar, Des Moines, Iowa

Editor— Fred J. Pierce, Winthrop, Iowa

! Executive Council: !

0. S. Thomas (Chairman), Rock Rapids, Iowa
Walter M. Rosone, Ogdon, Iowa
j Arthur J. Pains, Des Moines, Iowa

Ex-officio Council Members (Past Presidents) :

Walter M, Rosene Walter W. Eennett

i Arthur J. Pa las Dr. F. L. R, Roberts

| The lowii OrnitholuKists' Union was organized at Ames. Town. February 23.

1 1D23. for the sLudy and protection of native birds and to promote fraternal re-

lations among Iowa bird students,

I The central design of the Union's olficial seal is the Eastern Goldfinch, designated .

| State Tlii’d of Iowa in 19311.

* Publications of the Union: Mimeographed letters, 1023-1028; 'The Bulletin/ >

10’20*l0:ill ; Iowa Bird Life." beginning 10:11.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Iowa, $1.00 a year. Outside of !
Iowa, 50c a year. Special rate for all libraries, public or college,

| 50c a year. Single copies 15e each. (Keep the Editor informed j
: of your correct address.) :

EDITORIAL AND PUBLICATION OFFICE
j WINTHROP, IOWA j

Entered as seeond-clns". mailer February 0, 1 D,‘J2, a' the post office at Winthrop. Iowa,
under the Act of March J. lS'JO.

18

IOWA BIRD LIFE — V, 1935

THE 1D;J4 DROUGHT AND SOUTHERN IOWA
BOB-WHITE*

By PAUL L. ERRINGTON

“Drought, if extreme, may cause a wholesale loss of eggs partly
because of desertion and partly because the eggs spoil after a pre-
mature incubation begun by the intense heat/" (Stoddard, 1031, p.
185),

Leopold and Ball (1931) have pointed out some of the apparent
consequences of a drought season to Bob-white populations in the
southern parts of the North Central Region, Gambel Quail coveys
of the Southwest have been observed not to pair off and nest during
drought periods (Leopold, 1933, p. 23), Leopold (1933, pp, 297-
299) further discusses drought and Bob-white.

In Iowa, we obtained few data on the actual nesting of Bob-white
during the 1934 drought season, but we may be entitled to some idea
of the probable fate of quail nests on the basis of our current studies
of Hungarian Partridges, Ring-necked Pheasants, and waterfowl in the
northwestern part of the state.

For example, F. N. Hamerstrom, Jr., working on observational areas
in the vicinity of Ruthven (where the drought was of shorter dura-
tion and of less severity than over much of southern Iowa), found
that the hatch of pheasant nests was very poor during the intensely
hot and dry month of June. He frequently recorded at the height of
the drought pheasant dutches of 15 to IB eggs, of which perhaps
only two or three young would succeed in completing their hatching,
while most of the others would die in their pipped eggs (unpublished).
It was no uncommon sight to see pheasant hens with from one to three
small chicks instead of the dozen or more usually making up recently
hatched broods for this month.

From what is known of moisture and nutritive requirements of small
gallinaceous chicks generally, it jN not difficult to piece together a
picture of tragedy for many of the limited number of dry weather
chicks that did manage to get clear of their egg shells. Our picture
would be more distinct in detail if we hod more data, but data of this
sort are not easily secured, and we may have t o be satisfied with
what fragmentary glimpses may be revealed to us.

Nevertheless, w'hile aware from constant field work and the reports
of deputy wardens that the breeding season could not have been overly
successful, I scarcely anticipated fhe quail shortage so obvious in some
localities by October and November. The mere fact that an investi-
gator may not discover many nosts or see imnv young birds through-
out the summer is not necessarily of gre'T significance; the conceal-
ment afforded bv leafy vegetation (even when drought-stricken) and
the secretive habits of quail chicks and moulting adults might have
made substantial populations highly inconspicuous, notably in late
summer and early fall. There are tvuicallv few birds to be seen at
this season, however strong may be the actual population.

Without attempting to present here anv detailed data from the
1934 experimental shooting program of the Fish and Game Commission,
the generalization may be made that the hunters had move or less
trouble finding birds in the forepart of th* 1 shooMng season (October
15 to November 15) on southern Iowa quail management areas. This
was in nart due to the density of the rover before the dropping of
th" leaves facilitated the locating of covers. Good shooting was had
in November on some of the 104 Class A areas experimentally shot

•-liltin' « i I’nr'-r Ny. J2;'l) tif t hr? luwa Auric ultural lispcrimyiU Stutiun. Ames, Iifwa.
Prcjiet Ni;. :CJU.

DROUGHT AND THE BOB-WHITE

10

(the majority of which had been subjected to no legal shooting ®i ncG
the total closure on Iowa Bob-white in 1016), but on others the birds
simply were not there. By and large, there seemed to be a rough
correlation between the 1034 fall quail population and the length and
intensity of the drought.

It was not possible to make censuses that were at all reliable numeric’
ally until November and December. Censuses on areas under pievious
observation uniformly indicated with one exception a decrease from
the final 1934 spring counts. The most reliable population check-ups
for southern Iowa, obtained before the desperate starvation crisis ol
December, were made on two Davis County areas, one about 1.0 niiles
south of Ottumwa and another near Bloomfield. The Ottumwa area

showed evidence of a 1034
fall population of only about
44% of the bird per 5.5 acres
surviving the winter of 1933-
f 34; the Bloomfield area a fall
population of about 46% of
the bird per 8.7 acre spring
survival. Although there had
been some 1034 shooting on
both of these areas prior to
the check-ups, the bag on these
two was known to have been
so light that it hardly could
have had a major effect in
further lowering the popula-
tion to the fall level first
measured.

For that matter, all avail-
able reports of known reliabil-
ity point to similarly severe or
worse declines on lands not
even near those upon which
shooting was legally permitted.

The total of 259,282 acres
in the 104 Class A areas on
which restricted shooting was
officially authorized (though
the shooting was not always
done, in actuality) is the equi-
valent of less than 12 town-
ships or about three-fourths
of an average county. This
is a small proportion com-
pared to the proportion of
Iowa's “quail country' 1 that
shows drastically lowered
populations

As has been suggested with supporting evidence (Ervington, 1934,
and unpublished), the normal recovery of Bob-white populations from
seasonal increase of young has a way of keeping habitable environ-
ment quite well filled up to its natural capacity to accommodate the
species, still we have had to deal with highly abnormal conditions the
past summer, A relatively inferior hatch may conceivably have made
little difference to a population which for years had been up to the
usual carrying capacity of the southern counties as a whole.

However, the historically unprecedented drought mav not only ha\c
reduced the hatch to the extent that it could be cabled inferior; it

BO R- WHITE NEST

Th"a shows the general appearance of the
cjrjrs. but ordinarily the nest contains a ;omc-
what ; mailer number uf und is more or

Ic s concealed beneath tufts of thick dry mass.
Pluilctiraph by Waiter M . Ro-ene. reproduerd
through ourtoy uf Iowa State College.

20

IOWA BIRD LIFE— V, 1935

very reasonably seems to have affected Bob-white reproduction so
disastrously that there may have been practically no hatch at^ all over
wide areas (there were local exceptions) for the season of 1934. Most
of the young birds observed were obviously from late hatches, some
late fall broods being made up of young no larger than bumble bees
and hence hopelessly immature to meet the winter.

Of course, there may have been factors other than drought and
heat to which the abrupt decline in quail might perhaps be ascribed.
The known susceptibility of Bob-whites to tularemia or “rabbit fever”
and the conspicuously lower numbers of cottontails frequently to be
noted after previous local abundance may have some correlation. Oc-
casional reports of sick quail have come in, but we at the State College
have been unable to secure the proper specimens for examination.
Irrespective of the weakness of definite evidence from this state, the
possibility of disease contributing to the decline is not at all remote.

In the neighboring states of Wisconsin and Minnesota, the cyclic
drop off of grouse and rabbits is well on the way. We don’t know
exactly what brings about these periodic cycles in numbers of some
wild species — abundance followed by scarcity, with roughly predictable
regularity — and we are not too sure that any single factor does it.
But we do know that wild populations may suffer wholesale reduction
under conditions that evidently rule out hunting, natural enemies,
and food shortage as causative factors. The Bob-white has long been
thought of as a non-cyclic species subject to irregular rather than to
regular fluctuations. There is no question of its being subject to ir-
regular fluctuations associated with climatic and nutritional emergen-
cies, but there is increasing evidence that it may fluctuate periodically
as well.

Scientifically, a fully accurate diagnosis of the 1934 Bob-white de-
cline in southern Iowa cannot be made. The situation, complex bv the
beginning of the winter, was made still more so by the food crisis —
a crisis initiated by drought and chinch bugs and rendered acute by
deep and persistent snows.

Among the other variables in sight, the effect of the 1934 legal
shooting may be judged measurable and slight; the effect of illegal
shooting, unmeasurable but probably slight nlso. We do not know
what the role of predation was in bringing ; v bout the summer decline
but on the basis of the following fall and winter field studies we have
had no reason to believe that the dominant relation shin of predators
to adult quail, at any rate, has been greatly modified from that as
previously summarized, namely, that heavy predation upon Bob-white
is a symptom rather than a cause of biological unbalance (Errington,
1934 ; 1935). We cannot oven hazard an intelligent guess as to the
role of disease or of cyclic population beh^v’or, though it is conceiv-
able that these may be decidedly a part of the equation.

The one factor that appears of supreme importance, everything con-
sidered, is the drought, not only from the standpoint of its indirect
effect on environment but its almost inevitable direct elfect upon the
season's Bob-white reproduction. Particularly significant may be the
satisfactory quail populations ohserved in the east-central portion of
the state, from Jackson to Louisa Counties where rain occurred “just
about as it was needed" (field notes. C. H. Updegraff), contrasted
with the “spotty" Populations of drought counties such Davis and
Wapello. Indeed, it is not difficult to suspect an actual connection
between passages in Undegraff’* notes, “Thru June and Julv
better than 30 days that we did not ha ,f e any dew . ." and th°

persistent though usually unverifiable reports of farmers finding quail
dead for lack of water.

BLUE GEESE IN IOWA

21

REFERENCES

Errington, Paul L, _

1934. Vulnerability of Bob-white Populations to Predation. Ec-
ology, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 110-127.

1035. Predators and the Northern Bob-white. American Forests,
pp. 7-10, 46, January.

Leopold, AJdo

1933. Game Management, Scribners.

Leopold, Aldo, and Ball, John N.

1931, The Quail Shortage of 1930. Outdoor America, April.
Stoddard, H. L.

1931. The Bob-white Quail. Scribners.,

BLUE GEESE IN IOWA

By WILLIAM YOUNGWORTH

The Blue Geese, birds of passage through Iowa, each year return
from their winter vacation on the coastal marshes of Louisiana, and
we find them once more honking the advent of spring to the people
of western Iowa. Iowa sportsmen and those only mildly interested in
nature are one and all gladdened by the sight of scores of thousands
of these trim-appearing birds. The very presence of these birds should
be a direct challenge to all true sportsmen to see that the geese are
protected while on their annual spring visit to Iowa, so that we can
always be thrilled by the sight of great flying wedges of geese in
the spring.

Winter Sanctuaries

The Blue Geese and their near cousins, the Lesser Snow Geese,
winter on the Louisiana marshes. These marshes have been mostly set
aside as inviolate winter refuges, and here the birds feed in safety.
The principal food Js a native grass locally known as “goose grass.”
The birds often eat the leafy part of the plant, but the roots are the
preferred portion and are greedily dug up by the geese.

Spring Migration

The geese leave' the wintering grounds late in February, and often
the vanguard reaches southern Iowa during the first week of March,
Most of the birds are usually well established along the Missouri River
below Sioux City by the 21st of March. A curious fact about the de-
parture from Louisiana is that the geese leave in very small flocks
and join ranks somewhere along the route while resting for the night,
because when the birds appear in Iowa they are in great flocks.

The general confines of the spring concentration urea include the
flood plain of the Missouri River between Sioux Citv and Omaha. A
small portion of the geese settle just northwest of Sioux Gty in South
Dakota,

The Blue Geese feed in either hand-picked or machine-picked corn-
fields and will often stay in the general vicinity of these fields for sev-
eral weeks. Here they glean the scattered kernels of corn from the
ground and go gabbling about much like barnyard fowls. Frequently
the geese feed in a cornfield adjacent to a field of winter wheat, and
are thus amply supplied with green food to go along with their corn
diet.

Mixture op Species

With every flock of Blue Geese are the inevitable Lesser Snow
Geese. Many years of observation has brought out the fact that the
proportion of Snow Geese in these mixed flocks is slowly increasing.
A few years ago there were ten or twelve Blue Geese to every Snow

oo

IOWA BIRD LIFE— V, 11)35

Goose. Today, actual count has revealed that the ratio is two or
three Blue Geese to one Snow Goose, Another point ot interest is
that there are more hybrid geese to be found in these mixed nocks.
These hybrid birds of Blue and Snow Goose parentage are really beau-
tiful birds in their mottled slate-blue and white plumage.

In almost every large gathering of Blue Geese there are a dozen to
50 White-fronted Geese. This distinctly-marked species probably does
not interbreed with the Blue Geese, but merely likes to feed m com-
pany with the latter birds during migration. The common big Canada
Goose does not mingle with the Blue Geese on the Iowa cornfields. I he
Canada Goose is a wary bird by nature and for this reason dees not
associate with the rather confiding Blue Goose. However, the inter-
mediate form of the Canada Goose now known as Hutchm s Goose,
and which is nearer the size of the Blue Goose, is at times found feed-
ing with this latter goose. It is noticed, however, that Hutchins
Goose when found in these mixed docks is usually the first goose to
take flight.

ri.ocKs ot"* it Lire tiKKsa nJcAR sioux city

On Mat’i h 1! rtml IS, I’.riS. Iluck* nf * were rwn. S -e nrlh irs l»v Rost*nc.

Hen nett unit Stnihfn* in WiHon LUilletiu.' XI.. I'JIiS. Cl>. from which ihv

i>hnii;'M;r;i[ih is rop rioted.

NuMUE'.its oi Biros

It is not uncommon to see ten or fifteen thousand Blue and Snow
Geese on their feeding or resting grounds in western Iowa. Perhaps
the largest single gathering seen during the spring of 11)35 was a
mixed flock of nearly 50.000 birds at rest on a pasture in Monona
County. Conservative rigures based on intensive Held work place the
number of Blue Geese which rest and feed in this section of Hie Mis-
souri Valley at about 200,000 birds. In addition there are about
75,000 Lesser .Snow Geese migrating with the Blue Geese.

Act ivmiis

The geese usually spend the night on isolated sand-bars and islands
in the Missouri River. Some flocks test on the mud flats ot the oxbow
lakes of the region, a few oL which still contain water. During wet
reasons the geese sometimes appuiently spend the night on narually
flooded fields.

A general flight to the favorite feeding ground occurs in the morn-
ing. After having satisfied their hunger, the oirds usually move to
an open pasture or hay- lie Id where they rest, ^in themselves, preen

OUR THIRTEENTH MEETING

23

their feathers, or playfully chase one another around. The birds feed
again during the late afternoon and at dusk leave for the roosting
grounds.

From Iowa North

April 1st as a rule finds the Blue Geese on their way north and
away from the inviting cornfields of Iowa. The migratory ‘hop' from
Iowa is a rather short one, and many of the geese stop in the Waubay
and Traverse Lakes region of northeastern South Dakota and the
various nearby North Dakota lakes. The stay here is short and the
birds soon leave for Canada, particularly the region about W innipeg.
Here the editor of a Winnipeg newspaper follows his annual custom
of chronicling the arrival of the first flock of Blue Geese at this point,
A considerable time is spent in the Winnipeg area, and when weather
is right the geese leave for the long flight across Hudson Bay. The
birds usually reach their breeding grounds in Bafftn-Land by mid-June.

Nests Recently Discovered

The home life of the Blue Goose was a complete mystery until the
year 19 2S, when J. Dewey Soper of the Canadian Department of
Interior found nesting Blue Geese on the southwest coast of Buffi n-
Lund. In 1929, Dr. George Miksch Sutton, the well-known bird artist,
found numbers of Blue Geese nesting on Southampton Island, near
the mouth of Hudson Bay. Thus it is that the home life of Iowa's
most interesting waterfowl visitor was only recently brought to light.

Fall Migration

With the breeding season out of the way, and when the geese have
acquired their new feathers following the post nuptial moult, the birds
begin a general southward movement. The jumping-off place is James
Buy at the extreme south end of Hudson Bay where the birds remain
until cold weather sends them south. This tall flight is rather differ-
ent from the spring flight in that most of the geese make a single
long-distance trip from James Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. At odd
times flocks of birds do stop in some of the east central states for a
few days before resuming the southern journey. The Blue Goose is
not a migrant through Iowa during the fall except on rare occasions.

Migratory Refuge Needed

A plan for a Migratory Waterfowl Refuge which would include
40,000 acres of land along the Missouri River between Sioux City and
Omaha has been submitted to the United States Biological Survey.
The selection of this area was made by the Biological Survey Unit of
the Iowa State Planning Board. The proposed Refuge includes rest-
ing and feeding areas, which if purchased by the Federal Government
would permanently protect the Blue Geese during their spring stop-
over in Iowa,

A word must be added in appreciation of the splendid work done
during the 1935 spring flight by the combined force of deputy game
wardens from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, and the Federal
Rangers from the U. S. Biological Survey, who protected these thousands
of birds from harm.

OUR THIRTEENTH ANNUAL M LUTING

On May 10, 11 and 12, 1935, the joint meeting of the Iowa Ornitholo-
gists’ Union and the Nebraska Ornithologists Union was held at Sioux
City, Iowa. The program was presented in the Hotel Martin ball-room
on Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11. On Sunday, May 12, the
annual field trip was taken.

The meeting was a success in every way, the attendance was satis-

24

IOWA BIRD LIFE— V, 1935

factory, and the program was excellent. It was doubtless one of the
most important gatherings of leaders in conservation work ever as-
sembled west of the Mississippi River. At this meeting the ‘ Upper
Mississippi Valley Wild Life Conservation Conference” was formed.
This promises to become a permanent organization.

The Program
Friday Morning

The Proposed Lewis and Clark National Park. (20 minutes). £.
Dudley Beck, Secy., Lewis and Clark Natl. Park Assn.

Problems and Progress of Bob- White Quail Conservation in Iowa.
(30 minutes). Dr. Paul L. Errington, Iowa State College.

Some New Aspects of Wild Life Conservation. (30 minutes). I.
T. Bode, Iowa Fish and Game Commission.

The Iowa Twenty-five Year Conservation Plan. (25 minutes). John
R. Fitzsimmons, Iowa State Board of Conservation,

Conservation Program of the Iowa State Planning Board. (25 min-
utes). Philip A, DuMont, Iowa Fish ami Game Commission.

Friday Afternoon and Evening
Address of Welcome. Mayor W. D. Hayes of Sioux City.

Organized Conservation Work in Minnesota. (15 minutes). Gustav
Swanson, U. S. Soil Erosion Service.

The Game Survey of Missouri. (25 minutes). Dr. Rudolf Bennitt,
Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.

Nebraska's Ten Year Plan of Game Conservation and Management.
(30 minutes). Frank B. O'Connell, Game, Forcstation & Parks Com-
mission, Lincoln, Nebr.

Some Relations of the Plains Sheltcvbelt to Wild Life. (25 minutes).
John H. Hatton, U. S. Forest Service, Lincoln. Nebr.

Soil Erosion Control Work in Relation to Wild Life. (25 minutes).
E. C. Holt, U, S. Soil Erosion Service.

How Can We Save Our Migratory Waterfowl: (20 minutes), John

II. Baker, Natl. Assn, of Audubon Societies, New York City,

Relation of Drought and Water Conservation to Wild Life. (35
minutes). Dean G, E. Condra, University of Nebraska. (This lecture
was given as the feature of the Conservation Banquet program at
3:30 P. M.)

Saturday Morning

Bird-banding as a Method in Wild Life Study. (20 minutes). Mrs.
Marie Dales, Sioux City.

Photography as a Method in Wild Life Study, (20 minutes), Walter
M. Rosene, Iowa Fish and Game Commission.

The Role of Territory in the Life History of the Bob-white Quail.
(15 minutes). Dr. Paul L. Evrington, Iowa State College.

Waterfowl Management in the Prairie Region. (25 minutes), Logan
J. Bennett, Iowa Fish and Game Commission.

Stream Pollution — A Fisheries Problem. (20 minutes). Dr. M. M.
Ellis, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries,

The Gilford Estate Lands South of Omaha and Council Elutfs as
Wild Life Sanctuary Areas. (20 minutes). (Lantern slides), L. O.
Horsky, Omaha. Nebr.

Saturday Afternoon and Evening

Gardening with the Birds. (20 minutes). (Lantern slides). Mrs.
Addison E, Sheldon, Lincoln. Nebr,

Recording Bird Songs. (15 minutes). Mrs. Lily Button, Fremont,
Nebr.

The Policies and Activities of the National Association of Audubon
Societies. (15 minutes), John II, Baker, New York City.

Observations on Common South Dakota Birds. (25 minutes), (Lan-
tern slides). Dr. A. V, Arlton. Dakota Wesleyan University,

OUR THIRTEENTH MEETING

Wild Flowers of the Missouri River Region. (45 minutes), (Lantern
slides). Victor Overman, Omaha, Nebr, (This was followed by a talk
by Wier R. Mills, Pierson, Iowa, an authority on wild flowers of this

region). . „ _

The Seasonal Distribution of the Horned Larks of the Missouri Valley
Region. ( :>0 minutes). Prof. M. H. Swenk, University of Nebraska.

Business meeting (at 4:30),

At 6:30 the joint banquet of the two organizations was held, with
Dr. Thos. S. Roberts of the University of Minnesota as the principal
speaker. W. J. Breckenridge, also of the University of Minnesota,
showed moving pictures of the Prairie Chicken, Ruffed Grouse, Canada
Spruce Grouse and Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse. J. N. Ball talked on
conservation in South Dakota.

Business Meeting

The business meeting was necessarily brief. The officers elected for
the coming year are as given on the title page of this issue, the only
changes being those in the Executive Council. An invitation from the
Fairfield Bird Club, for the Union to meet at Fairfield in 1936, was
formally accepted. An invitation to meet in Cedar Falls in 1937 was
also taken under consideration. The Secretary-Treasurer's report was
heard and approved.

Resolutions

BE IT RESOLVED by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union —

(1) That we hereby express to the Sioux City Bird Club, the Sioux
City Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, and the Sioux City Chamber
of Commerce, our appreciation of their hospitality and of the plans
made by them for the success of our meeting.

(2) That we express to the officers of the Iowa Ornithologists 1 Union,
and especially to Dr. T. C. Stephens and Philip A. DuMont, our ap-
preciation of their efforts in arranging the splendid program presented
to the convention.

(3) That we extend our thanks to the several speakers who have
presented so many worth-while matters for our consideration.

(4) That we acknowledge our appreciation of the opportunity of
again meeting with the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union.

(5) That it is the feeling of this convention that in the death of
Mrs. A. J. Palas, a charter member of the Union, our Association has
lost a most valuable member, and every wildlife creature has lost a
sincere friend; that the Secretary be instructed to send a copy of this
resolution to Mr. A. J. Palas, with the assurance of our deepest sym-
pathy.

(6) That in the passing of Prof. J. E, Guthrie our Association has
lost a devoted member, the youth of the State have lost a great teacher,
and Conservation has lost a true friend; that our Secretary send to
Mrs. Guthrie and family a copy of this resolution with an expression
of our sympathy.

(?) That our Secretary be instructed to write to Mrs, Rosene, ex-
pressing to her our sympathy and assuring her that in this convention
we have been thoughtful of her and hope for her an early recovery,

(8) That we highly commend the thoughtful and painstaking work
of Fred J, Fierce in behalf of the Union and in making Tovva Bird Life’
a pleasant visitor in our homes.

(U) That we approve the splendid work of Jay N. Darling, Chief of
the Biological Survey; we especially approve of Ids efforts to prevent
the extinction of our migratory water-fowl ami we pledge him our
loyal support in any measure he may rind it necessary to take for their
preservation in their present crisis.

(Signed) 0. S. Thomas. Chairman
J. Wilbur Dole
A. J. Palas

IOWA BIRD LIFE — -V, 1935

26

Attendance Register
COLORADO: ESTES PARK, Joe Mills.

IOWA: ALTON, W. S. ami Mrs. Florence Slagle; AMES, Dv. and
Mrs P. L. Errington, J. R. Fitzsimmons, Dr, G. 0. Hendrickson, S. T.
Runkel, B. V. Travis; ARMSTRONG, W. J. Knipe; ATLANTIC, Ivan
Boyd, Robert Sherwood; CEDAR FALLS, Miss Winifred Gilbert;
CHEROKEE, Henrietta Hass; CLEAR LAKE, Ralph Schneider; DES
MOINES, L. J. Bennett, I. T. Bode, Mr. and Mrs. A. F. DenBoer, P.
A and Mrs. W. G. DuMont, Mrs. Henry Frankcl, Bob Grant, A. J.
Palas, Ross Teuber; FAIRFIELD, J. Wilbur Dole, Malcolm McDonald;
KEOKUK Frank Johnson, M. J. Martin, H. J. Nelson, E. H. Purcell,
Mrs. H. J. Robertson, W. L. Talbot; KNOXVILLE, C. H. Button, F. M.
Frederickson, Dan Nichols, Lloyd Smith; NEW SHARON, W. H. Bart-
lett; OGDEN, Walter M. and Walter Rosene, Jr.; PIERSON, W. R.
Mills; ROCK RAPIDS, Rose Julien, Mr. and Mrs. 0. S. Thomas; SALIX,
N. J. Jaurow; SERGEANT BLUFF, Mrs, Fred Colby; SIOUX CITY,
Mrs. W. J. Armour, Mrs. Mary Bailey, Mrs. Edith Bareman, E. D.
Beck. W. D. Crabb, Anna Christianson, Mrs. Marie Dales, Mr, and Mrs.
W. R. Felton, Fannie Foster, J. H. Frenchick, W. D. Hayes, Mr. and
Mrs. R. D. Hissong, Mrs. G. E. Hill, Mamie Hulett, Alfreda Jensen,
Mr. and Mrs. T. M. Murdoch, I. G. Nore, Robert O' Brian, Helen Peter-
son, Mrs. A. N. Sloan, Grace Smith, Mrs. C. F. Smith, Dr, and Mrs.
T. C. Stephens, W. W. Trusell, Win. and Harriet Wachter, Win. Young-
worth; TAMA, Mrs. Edna Ennis, Mrs. W. G. MacMartin; WASHTA,
Dorothy L. and F, G. Bliss; WATERLOO, John Bliese, R. C. Porter.
KANSAS: LAWRENCE, W. S. Long.

MINNESOTA: MADISON, Mrs. C. E. Peterson; MINNEAPOLIS,
W. J. Breckenridge, Gustav Swanson, Dr. T. S. Roberts; WINONA,
R. C. Steele, Geo. Tonkin.

MISSOURI: BETHANY, Mr. and Mrs. F. G. Bell, COLUMBIA, Dr.
Rudolf Bennitt, Dr. and Mrs, M, M. Ellis,

NEBRASKA: AURORA, Mrs, Glen Chapman; FREMONT, Mrs. Lily
Button; HASTINGS, Mi's. A. M, Brooking, Mrs. A, II. Jones; LINCOLN,
Mr. and Mrs, G. E. Condra, Mrs. 0. D. Corey, Mr. and Mrs. L. M,
Gates, J. H. Hatton, W. J. Himmel, Mrs, Lottie Krumann, F. B. O'Con-
nell, Mrs. Addison Sheldon, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Smith, Prof, and Mrs.
M, H. Swenk; MACY, W. R. Lewis; OMAHA, Mary Ellsworth, H. E.
Hart, L. O. Horsky, Victor Overman, Elizabeth Rooney; PONCA, W.
G. Dahms; SUPERIOR. Mrs. H. C. Johnston, Mrs. Geo. Scoular; SOUTH
SIOUX CITY, Miss Marie E. Meyer, Mrs. H. A. Milne, W. E. White;
TEKAMAH, E. A. Danielson, Alfred Jensen; WALTHILL, Wilhelmina
Feemster, Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Gramlich.

NEW YORK: NEW YORK CITY, John H, Baker.

SOUTH DAKOTA: MITCHELL, Dr. A. V. Ailton, J. N. Ball.
WISCONSIN: LA CROSSE, Mr, and Mrs. Ernest G. Holt.

Birds Seen on the Field Tmr

Loblolly Lake and vicinity, Union County, South Dakota; May 12,
7 A. M. to 12 M.

White Pelican, Mallard, Gad wall. Raid pate, Pintail, Blue-winged Teal,
Shoveller, Redhead, Canvas-back, Scaup Duck, Cooper’s, Red-tailed and
Marsh Hawks, Bob- white. Ring-necked Pheasant, Sora, Coot, Piping
and Semipalmated Plovers, Kilkleer, Spotted, Solitary, Pectoral, Least
and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Greater and Lessor Yellow-legs, Wilson's
Phalarope, Ring-billed and Franklin's Gulls, Blrick Tern, Mourning
Dove, Chimney Swift, Flicker, Red-bellied, Red-headed, Hairy and
Downy Woodpeckers, Eastern and Ark. Kingbirds, Phoebe. Crested,
Alder and Least Flycatchers, Tree, Bank. Rough- winged, Barn and
Cliff Swallows, Purple Martin, Blue Jay, Crow, Chickadee, Tufted Tit-

GENERAL NOTES

-7

mouse. White-breasted Nuthatch. House Wren, Catbird, Brown Thrash-
er, Robin, Wood, Olive-backed and Gray-cheeked Thrushes, Bluebird,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Migrant Shrike, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos,
Black and White, Prothonotary, Tenn,, Orange-crowned, Nashville,
Yellow. Myrtle and Black-poll Warblers, Oven-bird, Grinnell's Water-
thrush, Northern Yellow-throat, Redstart, English Sparrow, Western
Meadowlark, Y'ellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, Orchard and
Baltimore Orioles, Bronzed Crackle, Cowbird, Scarlet Tanagei, Caitli-
nal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Goldfinch. Towhee, Vesper, Lark, Chipp-
ing, Clay-colored, Field, Harris's, White-throated, Lincoln’s and Song
Sparrows. Total, 101 species. — F. J. P.

GENERAL NOTES

Paneniger Pigeon Specimen*.— In a letter from Norman A. Wood,
Emeritus Curator of Birds at the Museum of Zoology, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, on December 5, 19 3d, he stated that the im-
mature male specimen of Passenger Pigeon which W. E. Praeger had
secured at Keokuk, Lee County, on September Id, 1VJ0, is now in
their museum. It should be noticed that this specimen is labelled
September 17 instead of the 7th, as recorded in ‘The Revised List of
the Birds of Iowa.' Another specimen, a line adult male, was ac-
quired by the museum from the former J. it. Shatter of Fairfield,
This bird was labelled as being taken at Fairfield, _ Jefferson Counly,
Iowa, about 189b. — -PHILIP A. DU MONT, Dos Moines, Iowa,

Bewildered Longspurs.- — “What’s the matter with the birds. was
an oft-repeated question heard on the streets ot Spirit Lake, Esther-
ville and Spencer, Iowa, on Saturday evening, January 5, 1935, when
hundreds of Lapland Longspurs were attracted to the lights in these
towns and flew about for several hours. It was suggested that the
birds were flying ahead of the cold wave that reached Iowa a short
time later. There had been a little snow, enough to give the ground
and buildings a white covering. In Spirit Lake, strings of white lights
across the streets shone on the snow, and the reflection on the sky
attracted the feathered travelers.

The actions of the birds caused practically every shopper to make
some inquiry about them. The number of longspurs in Spirit Lake
was estimated at about 700 between the hours of 0:00 P. M. and mid-
night. All through the early part of the night, until the bright lights
were extinguished, the bewildered birds flew about the lights like moths
around a candle. Many were stunned and fell fluttering to the street,
to add to the general commotion of a busy Saturday night in an Iowa
country town. It was estimated that at least 100 were totally injured
before the lights went out. The scene was duplicated at Estherville
and Spencer. At Estherville one bird lover gathered up a number of
the injured longspurs and cared for them in the basement of her home
until they were again able to travel. — -HOWARD GRAESING, Spirit
Lake, Iowa,

Winter Visitor*.— On January 22, 1935, I heard the cheerful, ques-
tioning whistle of a Cardinal, its first known winter visit to my home.
This bird is becoming well established in the more timbered areas
along the Little Sioux River. I remember the happy thrill f received
in the summer of 1931 when, after several drowsy hours of watching
the tish-line bobber on this stream at a point north of Washtu, I saw
a flash of flame color reflected in the river’s mirror beneath my cane
pole. I raised my eyes in time to see a brilliant, full-crested male
Cardinal disappear into the June jungle of willow growth. This was
the first Cardinal I had seen since moving from Iowa City some years
before.

28

IOWA BIRD LIFE — -V, 1035

Mild winter weather resulted in an early return of several summer
residents to this section. Meadowlarks were seen in the pastures on
January 5, 1935; a Flicker was looking for ants about a rotted stump
on February 9; and the first Robin came on Valentine's Day T a new
‘'earliest" record. The usual large flocks of Prairie Horned Larks and
juncos were not in evidence at any time, although there was a small
migration occurring in mid-December.

When calling upon a farmer in December, 1934, I was shown the
frozen carcass of a Bald Eagle, in immature plumage, lying atop a
cage containing a red fox. In the cage, also, were the remains of
three or more hawks, all apparently of species considered worthy of
protection. Two Bald Eagles, not yet wearing the white head-dress,
were observed west of Schaller, near highway No. 21, on January b,
1935. These birds were seen several miles apart; both were in tail
cottonwoods and were disdainful of my close observation. This in-
difference of young birds perhaps accounts for so many killed by
gunners with itching trigger-fingers.— FRED G. BLISS, Washta, Iowa.

PRESIDENT HENDRICKSON'S LETTER

Fellow Members of the Iowa Ornithologists' Union:

I did not expect to write a third time as your President, but the
members present at Sioux City elected me again, and as I thought they
knew more reasons for my taking the office in 1935-0 than I could
originate against serving, I accepted. We had a splendid meeting at
Sioux City. The papers were very good and well read.

Because we are getting along so well, let’s continue our efforts to
add new members and new local groups to the Union. Let each mem-
ber consider himself or herself a committee of one to visit another
town or city, call on the bird observers, and tell about our organiza-
tion. Get them together and organize a local group like the one to
which you belong. Such work makes fine summer sport for you older
members. And offer to lead the novices on a field trip. That really
gets up the interest. That was what started me onto bird study. A
man who knew birds quite well asked several of us boys at college if
we cared to take an early bird hike, and it proved to be such a de-
lightful experience that I have never been able to forget bird study
since that day.

Financially, we are sound but not opulent. We could- enlarge the
magazine and print more pictures if we could collect a few more
dollars. Mr. Pierce, in addition to being a tactful, careful and accurate
Editor, is also a very successful advertising solicitor. With increased
membership we would have increased circulation which attracts more
advertising which makes possible a larger magazine. Thus the circle
widens.

Every county seat in Iowa should have a bird club affiliated with
our Union. Many smaller towns might organize a club at the High
School. A few parents and a few boys and girls in their ’teens could
study birds together very nicely. And no doubt the school library
could provide several excellent books (such as those advertised in
‘Iowa Bird Life' during the past year) for the whole school as well
as the club. As a former Superintendent I can say that I always ap-
preciated such really worthwhile cooperation on the part of parents.
Without doubt your Superintendent will entertain your suggestions on
the subject of organizing a bird club.

And ‘Iowa Bird Life,' your magazine, will print your stories about
birds. Which birds are you seeing? Look particularly for unusual
birds nesting in your vicinity. How numerous are the Starlings around
you? Write to Mr, Pierce concerning your observations.

Yours for another good year,

GEORGE HENDRICKSON

NECROLOGY

129

NECROLOGY

Dr. Clyde Ems-t Ehin?er, a well-known bird student and a membei
of the Iowa Ornithologists' Union for several years, died at his home
at Keokuk, Iowa, on January 3, 11)35, following an illness of heart
trouble.

He was born at Franklin Center, Lee County, Iowa, on March 11.
1858, anti spent his early life in that county. In 1876 he entered the
University of Iowa. There he studied medicine for two years, after
which he went to Chicago and finished his medical training. As a
physician he practiced in Chicago and Quincy, III, and later in Keokuk.

In about 1888 he decided to take
up the study of physical training
and hygiene. With his wife he
took a course at Brooklyn, N. Y.,
and after finishing it they taught
for thirty years in the Normal
School at West Chester, Pa. They
resumed their residence in Keokuk
in 1025.

Dr, Ehinger was actively in-
terested in bird study for many
years of his life. He did much
serious work in ornithology and
considerable writing. The local
newspapers of his home published
much interesting material from his
pen. One of his chief interests
was the work of organizing bird
clubs among the boys in various
parts of the country where he
lived. He was a lecturer ot ability
and was in demand as a speaker
on bird and nature subjects. The
contacts he established and the en-
thusiasm he engendered among the
young men of many states resulted
in a wider appreciation of wild
life and the formation of numer-
ous bird club groups. This was
a most fruitful work. A fellow
townsman said of him: “Dr, Ehing-
er was a man of very friendly and kindly nature, enjoying himself
especially when surrounded by his friends. Although a man whose
personal business was at times exacting, he nevertheless was always
willing to help others, even in the most unimportant matters . . .

At our Cedar Rapids meeting in 1931, the last of our meetings that
he attended, he spoke or. “The Importance of Ornithological Instruction
for Youth" — thy subject to which he had given so much attention dur-
ing his life. His fine library of more than 300 volumes on ornithology

was left to Iowa State College Library, Ames.- — F, J. P,

* * * *

ProfeaiOr Joseph Edward Guthrie, of the Department Ot Zoology
and Entomology, Iowa State College, Ames, passed away shortly after
8 A. M. on April 1(5, 1JJ5, while lecturing to a class of students in
Bird Study. His death was due to a sudden heart attack. On the
previous Saturday Professor Guthrie had assisted in the entertainment
of several hundred High School students at the college. His particular
part was the management of a bird identification contest and the
exhibit of the many mounted bird skins that he had prepared in the

DU. CLYDE \:. UniNCICU

IOWA BIRD LIFE — -V, 1935

*1

o

0

past years and placed in special boxes that many of you have seen at
Ames On that last Monday morning he had just finished telling his

class about the great fun he had
on the previous Saturday, and he
had just commented on the splen-
did behavior and scholarly attitude
of the young people who had come
to the contest, when he was called
away.

So had he lived. Always of
service to others, always the opti-
mist, forever young with young
people, always quick to see and
point out the good ways in which
events were trending,

Joseph Edward Guthrie was
born at York, New York, Septem-
ber 24, 1871. He graduated from
the LeRoy, New York, High School
in 1895, and from the University
of Minnesota he received the de-
gree Bachelor in Science in 1900
and the degree Master of Science
in 1901. Zoology and entomology
embraced his major interests in
college. His master's thesis on the
Collembola of Minnesota was pub-
lished by the University in book
form and stands as one of the
finest works of entomological re-
search. As an instructor he be-
gan his work at Ames in 1901,

PROFESSOR GUTHRIE

£\ 1 1 -II £3

At Iowa State College the ever-growing classes in zoology took up
the major portion of his time. In more recent years embryology, fish
and game, bird study and agricultural zoology were his major courses.
Always a few advanced undergraduate and graduate students worked
with him on the many varied problems pertaining to wildlife whie
his curious and keen mind saw at all sides in Nature, As the senior
Professor and admitted by all as the best teacher m the department,
Professor Guthrie was the sage in zoology to all of his co-workers on
the Campus. His omnivorous reading habits and his continual piying
into the structural and physiological features of animal life made ot
him a veritable storehouse of knowledge, which he joyfully and eagerly

dispensed to all questioners. , t .

As a teacher he sat down beside the student. He looked at the speci-
men with the learner. He led the novice into questions and answers
in such a manner that the student felt that he had taught himself.
Professor Guthrie’s lectures were high-lights in the lives of his stu-
dents; they were the talk of the Campus. Adept at the blackboard
with chalk, expert in modelling with clay, and original in the fashion-
ing of models from plaster pans and balsa wood, the Professor was
able, with his many visual devices, as well as his enthusiastic, dear
verbal presentation, to put before his students a picturization of animal
behavior that could never be forgotten.

The Professor was the author of several bulletins at the college^,
chief among which are: ‘Summer Birds of an Iowa Farm, ‘Snakes n,
Iowa/ and ‘Control of the Garden Mole/ In addition he published a
large number of short articles and notes on reptiles, birds, and ro-
dents- He was a charter member of Iowa Ornithologists' Union, and

RECENT BIRD BOOKS

31

a member of Wilson Ornithological Club. Iowa Academy of Science,
and several other scientific societies. As a scholar he received recogni-
tion by election to Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, and several other honorary
societies.

Professor Guthrie was an exemplary citizen. He devoted many
hours to assistance with Boy Scouts and similar organizations in their
Nature lessons and examinations. For many years he was a member
of the Congregational Church and was clerk of the Ames church for
the past 14 years.

He is survived by the widow Emma B. Guthrie, resident at 319 Lynn
Avenue, Ames, a daughter Jean, Assistant Editor of ‘Better Homes
and Gardens,’ Des Moines, and a son Charles employed at Chicago.

At the college Professor Guthrie left more than a thousand mounts
of bird skins, animal skeletons and skulls, and models in plaster paris,
wax and balsa wood of animals and parts of animals. This great
heritage of superior teaching devices, the outlines of his well organized
courses and his complete lecture notes have been passed on to younger
instructors to testify to the exact pains Professor Guthrie took to see
that his work would continue to live long after his passing. So ho
has not left us; he seems to be with us yet. — G. 0. H,

RECENT BIRD BOOKS

THE HAWKS OF NORTH AMERICA, by John Bichard May (Natl.
Assn, of Audubon Societies. 1775 Broadway, New York, 1935; cloth,
pp. i-xxxivH- 1-14 0; price, $1.25).

As an opening wedge in an intensive educational campaign by the
Audubon Societies, ihis book is of timely importance. The subject of
hawks has always been one of many controversial questions, which this
volume will go far toward settling. Distribution of the book at a price
far below the cost of publication was made possible by the beneficence
of a member of the Audubon Societies. A wide circulation is thus
assured, and the public will be greatly benefited by having a reliable
work on hawks within easy reach. Much credit is due the sponsors and
the author of the book.

In 1890 Fisher's pioneer volume on hawks and owls was published.
It presented a review of all facts gathered up to that time. During
succeeding years ornii hologists have carefully studied the habits of the
raptorial birds and have accumulated a great store of data. The
present volume summarizes the vast collection of material and puts
into readily accessible form the important facts concerning all hawks
found in North America.

In an introductory chapter Dr. Mav takes up the hawk’s place in
nature and outlines the various agencies that have contributed to the
decrease of hawks. Natural causes arc not considered important fac-
tors in this decrease: but Man’s win 1 on destruction is largely respons-
ible for the hawks' rapid decline with : n recent years. Several species
are threaten :d with extmctmn, and there is a serious shortage in the
numbers of many others. The educational campaign is for the pur-
nose of acquainting though ties? people with the true worth of the
hawks so that much unnecessary killing may he eliminated, A dis-
cussion of belli identitibr.tion, illustrated by four uncolored plates
showing haw ks in flight by Roger Torv Peterson, concludes this chapter.

Every hawk known to occur in North America is described. The
individual treatment includes identification and feeding habits — Hie
two angles which are most important in this educational work. The
paragraphs given for identification ere adequate, while rhe descrip-
tions of feeding habits are convincing though concisely written. Range
maps are included. In an appendix a lis* of state laws relating to
hawks is given, anti there is also a good bibliography. The most at-

32

IOWA BIRD LIFE — V, 1935

tractive and perhaps the most useful, feature of the book is the series

of 37 colored P plates by Major Allan Brooks. With scen.c back.rounds

^11 of the plates are artistically p easing, in addition to being accurate
finenesses of^ the hawks they depict The book is prmted on heavdy
enameled paper and is excellently bound. — t. J. r.

*****

A GUIDE TO BIRD SONGS, by Aretas A. Saunders (D. Appleton-
Century Co., New York, 1935; semi-flexible cloth, pp. i-xvii+l-2bu ,

P "somt'o 5 f°us have had the good fortune to go on field trips with a
bird expert who is able to name all the birds whoso songs he bca .
The faintest chirp or call note is caught by .his trained ear and is im-
mediately identified. No note escapes him Sllc J‘. ^^"studems"
available is a great benefit to the average worker. Most bird students,
however, havenot had the help of an expert By hard ^orkandmany
hours of patient stalking they have built up their knowledge bn *1
songs It is for the non-professional bird student in need of the ad-
vice of an expert, that Mr. Saunders has prepared this new handbook.

The ‘Guide to Bird Songs' is, we believe, the most practical work
on this subject that has ever been published. It is unique in that it
records bird songs with a series of diagrams. Musical notation is _
used so a knowledge of music is not required of those who use tnc
book. The author refers to his method as ‘musical shorthand, and
he reduces bird songs to a system of diagrams somewhat suggestive
of shorthand, though easily understood. The principles are fullv ex-
plained. Each character has a definite meaning and progression, When
the fundamentals are firmly fixed in the mind the student is prepared
to go into the field and identify the songs he hears by consulting this
handbook The 'Guide’ will not settle all difficulties in identification,
and there is a possibility of failing to ascribe certain songs to the
proper singers; but we believe that this book offers the most workable
method of identifying unseen singers, and most bird students will find

it a distinct aid in their work, , .

Mr Saunders takes up the songs of nearly 150 birds of the Eastern
United States, which includes most of our distinctive songsters. lie
gives a brief description of the color marks of each bird, followed by
a full account of its singing habits and the characteristics of its song,
with a diagram and syllabic notation accompanying. There arc Ibo
diagrams in all. The book contains a 20-page ‘Key to Bird Songs,
which is a detailed and comprehensive auxiliary feature. An index
lends further accessibility to the text. The book is of a convenient
size for carrving in the field anil will prove a worth-while addition to
the usual field equipment, — F. J. P.

* + 4 *

The Sioux City Bird Club is issuing a mimeogranhed bulletin. \ol.
1 No. 1 appeared in September, 1934, under the title of ‘Sioux City
Bird Study Club Review.’ Vol. I, No, 2 was issued in April. 1935, as
‘The Diekcissek' It contains current news items and bird notes of
interest. Many local bird clubs in other states issue mimeographed
bulletins in serial form. The circulations of many of them are so
limited that their dropping from sight within a few years is almost
a certainty — which presents a serious problem for the bibliographer
of the future.

New Members.— Chas. H, Button, Knoxville: Mrs. Rav S. Dix, Cedar
Falls; Fred M. Frcderiekson. Davton; Miss Elizabeth E. Hoyt, Ames;
W. J. Knipe, Armstrong; Dan Nichols, Coining; Sylvan T. Runkel,
Ames; Ralph F. Schneider, Clear Lake; Lloyd Smith, Knoxville.