314 



Bird -Lore 



extensive private collection of Edward J. 

 Court, of Washington, D. C. The paper 

 is well illustrated with six full-page plates 

 of eggs representing 20 species and 54 

 specimens of typical American and 

 European Shore Birds. The eggs were 

 originally photographed natural size, but 

 have been reduced in reproduction to 

 ""slightly less than natural size." It is 

 unfortunate that the exact amount of 

 reduction is not definitely stated as J^, %, 

 or whatever it may be. 



Dawson's 'All-day Test at Santa Bar- 

 bara' is an interesting running account 

 of a "bird horizon" made May 5, 1913, 

 between 4.37 a.m. and 8 p.m., when 108 

 species and 4,195 individuals were recorded. 

 These results were attained by the use of 

 an automobile, which made it possible to 

 visit a number of points, and thus cover 

 a good deal of country in the course of the 

 day. Comparison is made with the bird 

 horizon of Lynds Jones and two other 

 observers, near Oberlin, Ohio, on May 13, 

 1907, when, by the use of a trolley, points 

 30 miles apart were visited, and a list of 

 144 species recorded. It is questionable 

 whether the best results are obtained by 

 making a continuous wild rush between 

 daylight and dark from one good bird 

 locality to another, identifying and record- 

 ing subspecifically every note and every 

 glimpse of feathers, in the sole effort to 

 secure as large a list of species as possible. 

 And what of the accuracy of results when 

 Sandpipers, Linnets, and Redwings are 

 recorded by hundreds, when only 8 

 Meadowlarks and 4 English Sparrows were 

 observed in comparison with 40 Black- 

 headed Grosbeaks? Rather, it would 

 seem, that combined observations of 

 several persons in a definite area, where 

 each could take time to cover his territory 

 thoroughly and follow up and observ'e the 

 various birds, would give a better idea of 

 the number of species and individuals 

 present on a given date. Let us have more 

 tird horizons from Santa Barbara and 

 elsewhere, made without recourse to 

 automobiles and trolleys, omitting all 

 doubtful species, with more attention 

 given to the relative abundance of the 



common birds, and with less anxiety to 

 record the largest number of species 

 observed by one individual. 



In one of the brief notes Figgins points 

 out the fact that Gambel's Quail is 

 probably an introduced species in Col- 

 orado, and "has no rightful place in the 

 list of native Colorado birds." 



The number closes with a Directory of 

 the names and addresses of 6 Honorary, 

 and 421 Active Members of the Cooper 

 Ornithological Club — an increase of 11 

 members during the past year. — T. S. P. 



The Wilson Bulletin. — The June 

 issue (Vol. XXV, No. 2) of this journal 

 of field ornithology, contains, as its lead- 

 ing article (pp. 49-67), a well-made and 

 well-recorded study of the 'Nesting Be- 

 havior of the Yellow Warbler {Dendroica 

 cEstiva (estiva),' by Harry C. Bigglestone. 

 The nest was studied in situ, from a blind 

 which, when the eggs hatched, was moved 

 to within two feet of it. From this point 

 of vantage, the young were under obser- 

 vation by the author and a corps of vol- 

 unteer assistants, for 144 hours and 53 

 minutes, during which time they were fed 

 2,373 times. These figures give some con- 

 ception of the care and detail with which 

 this study was made. As a result we have 

 an actual addition to our knowledge of a 

 common species and an important contri- 

 bution to the study of animal behavior. 

 We commend this paper particularly to 

 ambitious field students. 



Further articles in this number are by 

 Lynds Jones on 'Some Records of the Feed- 

 ing of Nesthngs,' a Preliminary List of the 

 [144] Birds of Northern Passaic County, 

 New Jersey,' by Louis Kohler, the publica- 

 tion of which might with advantage have 

 been deferred until its author had observed 

 such common species as the Winter Wren, 

 Blue-headed Vireo and others; 'The Car- 

 dinal and Brown Thrasher,' by Marion E. 

 Sparks; 'The Extermination of the Wild 

 Turkey in Clayton County, Iowa,' by 

 Althea R. Sherman, where but few indi- 

 viduals were killed after 1854; 'Notes on 

 the Sage Hen,' by S. S. Visher, various 

 'Notes' and Reviews. — F. M. C. 



