Editorial 



271 



trti'Eore 



A Bi-monthly Magazine 

 Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds 



OFFICIAL OHf.AN (IF THE AUDL'HON SOCIETIKS 



Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN 

 Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 



Vol. XI Published December 1. 1909 No. 6 



SUBSCRIPTION RATES 



Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico twenty cents 

 a number, one dollar a year, postage paid. 



COPYKIGHTED. 1909, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN 



Bird-Lore's Motto : 

 A Bird in the Bush is IVorih Two in the Hand 



The Twenty-seventh Annual Congress 

 of the American Ornithologists' Union 

 will be held at the American Museum of 

 Natural History, December 7-9, 1909. 

 The daily sessions from 10 .\. m. to 5 p. m., 

 with an hour and a half intermissions for 

 luncheon, will be devoted to the reading 

 and discussion of scientific papers. On the 

 evening of the 7th there will be an informal 

 reception in the bird laboratories of the 

 Museum; on the evening of the 8th the 

 annual dinner of the Union at the Hotel 

 Endicott (the hotel headquarters); on the 

 afternoon of the 9th the Union will visit 

 the Museum of the Brooklyn Institute, 

 and on the loth the New York Zoological 

 Park. 



It is also proposed to charter a sea-going 

 tug for an expedition to the vicinity of 

 Sandy Hook to see and protograph the 

 Gulls which congregate there. 



Every real bird student in this country 

 should be associated with the American 

 Ornithologists' Union, not only for what 

 he will receive from the Union, but for 

 what he already owes to it. The present 

 widespread interest in birds in this coun- 

 try is directly attributable to forces set in 

 motion by the Union, and many persons 

 who are now enjoying the delights of a 

 knowledge of birds would have been with- 

 out this pleasure and resource were it not 

 for the activity of an organization to which 

 ornithology and ornithologists are so 

 deeply indebted. It should therefore be 

 considered a privilege, as indeed it is, to 



tje aftiliatcd with this l)ody and we urge 

 all .\merican t)ir(l students who arc not 

 alrearlv associate mcmtjers of the Union to 

 present at onic their ajJijlication for 

 membership in order that it may be con- 

 sidered at this coming meeting. It may 

 be sent to the treasurer of the Union, 

 Dr. J. Dwight, Jr., 134 West 71st street, 

 New York City. 



There is one ])hasc of the L'nion's work 

 which has unjustly brought it more blame 

 than praise, but which a later generation 

 will value at its true worth, if the present 

 one does not. We refer to the labors of its 

 Committee on Nomenclature and Classi- 

 fication, which is currently credited with all 

 the undoubted confusion wrought by the 

 numerous changes in the scientific 

 names of our birds. As a matter of fact, it 

 is not the function of this committee to 

 make such changes, but to sit as a court of 

 inquiry and accept such changes as are 

 proposed only when they prove, upon 

 investigation, to be necessary upon an 

 unbiased application of the prevailing 

 laws of zoological nomenclature. 



If from the time of Linnaeus a similar 

 body had been in authority, we today 

 should be enjoying that long-hoped-for 

 stability in nomenclature which, thanks 

 to the A. O. U., will be the fortunate lot 

 of those who come after us. 



A recent correspondent protests against 

 alleged changes in the common names of 

 our birds by the Union, but his criticism 

 is unwarranted. It is true that in the first 

 (1886) edition of its 'Check-List' the 

 Union adopted certain 'book names' for 

 several species, but the fact that they have 

 not become current has induced it to 

 abandon them in the forthcoming edition 

 of the 'Check-List' and to employ those 

 in common use. 



We note with pleasure the announce- 

 ment of the formation of the Bristol County 

 Academy of Sciences, at Taunton, Mass. 

 A museum, laboratory, library, lectures, 

 publications and a bureau of information 

 are included in the plan of development. 

 The latter is designed to place the inquirer 

 in touch with the authoritv he wishes. 



