Editorial 



121 



iltrtiilore 



A Bimonthly Magazine 

 Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds 



OFFICIAL ORGAN OF TlllC AUDUHON SOCIETIES 



Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN 

 Published by D. APPLETON & CO. 



Vol. XII Published June 



1910 



No. 3 



SUBSCRIPTION RATES 



Price in the United States. Canada and Mexico twenty cents 

 a nuint>er, one duUar a year, postage paid. 



COPYRIGHTED. I9IO, BY FKANK M. CHAPMAN 



Bird-Lore's Motto : 

 A Bird in the Bush is IVorth Two 



The American Museum of Natural 

 History's expedition to Mexico, of which, 

 in explanation of the absence of Bird- 

 Lore's editor, we have given news in our 

 two preceding issues, returned to New 

 York May i, after having successfully 

 accomplished the wi)rk it had in view. 

 Camps were established from sea-level 

 to an altitude of 12,000 feet on Mt. 

 Orizaba, and the ornithological experi- 

 ences of the members of the expedition 

 were as varied as the difference between 

 faunas characterized, on the one hand, by 

 Parrots, Trogons and Roseate Spoonbills, 

 and, on the other, by Crossbills, Juncos 

 and Evening Grosbeaks, would imply. 



On the preceding page of this issue of 

 Bird-Lore, Dr. Palmer concludes his 

 review of recent numbers of 'The Condor' 

 with some pertinent remarks on phonetic 

 spelling. Why will authors handicap them- 

 selves by presenting their thoughts in 

 words often so strangely spelled that the 

 sense they were designed to convey is in a 

 large measure weakened by the ludicrous- 

 ness of their appearance ? The humor 

 of Artemus Ward's sayings is admittedly 

 largely due to the absurd phonetic spelling 

 which he employed so effectively; but 

 assuredly no scientist should clothe his 

 ideas in a form which appeals primarily to 

 one's sense of the ridiculous. 



The attention of Bird-IvORe's readers 

 is called to the work of the American Bird- 



Banding Association, as announced in 

 its circular of February 10, 1910. The 

 object of this Association is to record the 

 movements of individual wild birds by 

 attaching to their legs small metal bands 

 so marked ("Notify 'The Auk' New 

 York") that, should a bird so banded ever 

 fall into other hands, this occurrence 

 would be duly reported, and some idea 

 of its travels be thus obtained. "This 

 method of studying migration," the 

 circular states, "has now been employed 

 in a number of European countries for 

 several years, and noteworthy results have 

 been obtained." 



The circular continues: "For the benefit 

 of any who may fear that the prosecution 

 of this work may be detrimental to bird- 

 life, it should be stated that the Association 

 is thoroughly in sympathy with the con- 

 servative efforts of the Audubon Societies 

 in this country. The shooting of birds 

 for the recovery of bands is in no way a 

 part of the scheme. It is desired to have 

 banding done only by reliable persons, 

 and, should it be found that the banding 

 of any species is doing harm, either from 

 the disturbing of the nestlings, or from 

 other causes, such work on that species 

 will be discountenanced. As a guaranty 

 of good faith, it may be mentioned that 

 the present membership includes not only 

 many of the foremost members of the 

 American Ornithologists' Union but also 

 leaders of the Audubon movement in 

 America." 



Applications for membership and remit- 

 tances of dues ($1 yearly) should be sent to 

 the Secretary-Treasurer, Mr. C. J. Pen- 

 nock, Kennett Square, Pa. Persons in- 

 terested in the banding, and caring to assist 

 in this part of the work, should address 

 Dr. Leon J. Cole, College of Agriculture, 

 University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 



The recent victory over the millinery 

 interests won by the National Association 

 and New York Audubon Societies (see 

 beyond page 128), is one of the most 

 notable illustrations of the power of a 

 thoroughly aroused public sentiment in 

 the historv of bird protection. 



