236 



Bird - Lore 



Meeting of the A. O. U.,' from the pen of 

 Dr. T. S. Palmer, marks a new era in the 

 fortunes of the Union. Our previous 

 Secretary, Mr. John H. Sage, who has 

 faithfully served in this capacity ever 

 since the infancy of the organization, has 

 been elected to the i)residency, and we may 

 well hope that his mantle has fallen u|)on 

 as willing shoulders. 



Among the many items that may be 

 found among the closing pages of this 

 issue, special attention should be directed 

 to the list of members 'called to the 

 colors' which doubtless will be muih 

 extended if our Secretary is given the 

 names of those who should be added to t his 

 honor roll by those who can furnish the 

 information. 



The April issue of 'The Auk,' while 

 lacking in illustrations, contains a large 

 amount of information. Many readers will 

 be interested in 'The Evening (Irosbeak 

 {Ilfspcriphoua vcspertina) in Maine, with 

 Remarks on its Distribution,' by Mr. 

 Arthur II. Norton. This striking and 

 irregular wanderer from the Northwest is 

 a bird that always justly excites the 

 imagination of field observers. 



Mr. Frederic H. Kennard discusses 

 'Ferruginous Stains on Water-fowl,' and 

 shows that a difference in feeding habits 

 accounts for some species being stained and 

 others not, for 'diggers' have stains and 

 'croppers' do not. The stain itself is 

 o.xide of iron, occurring in the water where 

 the birds gather to feed. 



'A Study of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo,' 

 by Clara K. Bayliss, is a picturesque 

 account of the growth and habits of young 

 birds in a nest under observation; 'The 

 Description of the Voice of Birds,' by Dr. 

 Reuiien M. Strong, contains some useful 

 hints concerning this most difi'icult sul)- 

 jcct; and 'Ipswich Bird Notes,' l)y Dr. 

 Charles W. Townsend, adds something 

 to his earlier list of the birds of this jiart of 

 Massachusetts. 



Mr. Harry C. Oberholser, in 'Notes on 

 the Subs|)ecies of Ni<)>icniiis amfricaniis 

 Bechstein,' reaches the conclusion (earlier 

 advanced by Dr. L. B. llishop) that this 

 Curlew is represented by two r;i(t's, 



amcricanus and occidentalis. We must con- 

 fess we are far from being convinced that 

 the question is correctly settled, in spite 

 of the array of localities, dates, and 

 figures iMCsented. Mr. Oberholser also 

 presents a fifth instalment of 'Notes on 

 North American Birds,' and a compilation 

 entitled 'Third Annual List of Proposed 

 Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List of 

 North American Birds.' However, let 

 not the rank and file despair, for the 

 A. O. U. committee has never yet failed 

 to reject less than about 50 per cent of all 

 l)roposed changes. 



Mr. Richard C. Harlow continues his 

 list of the birds of Pennsylvania and New 

 Jersey, and Mr. Raymond L. Dice con 

 linues his on the birds of southeastern 

 Washington. 'A New Species of Loon 

 (Gavia viridigularls) from Northeastern 

 Siberia' is descriljcd by Dr. J. Dwight. 



The various departments closing the 

 issue are full of valuable items of informa- 

 tion, and the list of those A. O. IJ. members 

 tailed to the colors i'^ muih extended. — 

 J. D. 



The Condor. — An interesting memorial, 

 by W. K. Fisher, of Lyman Belding, 

 one of California's pioneer naturalists, 

 forms the opening article of the March 

 number of 'The Condor.' It is accom- 

 panied by an excellent portrait and a 

 bibliography of 48 titles contributed by 

 Joseph Orinnell. This is followed by an 

 account of the habits of 'The Salt Marsh 

 Vellow-throats of San Francisco,' by G. 

 W. Schussler. Attention is called to the 

 fact that the practice of truck gardeners of 

 cutting wire-grass in the vicinity of Lake 

 Merced for binding vegetables proi>ably 

 results in the destruction of numbers of 

 eggs and young and forces the birds to 

 nest in the inaccessible tules in the lake or 

 in the thickets higher up toward the banks. 

 The continued article by Mrs. Bailey on 

 ' Tlic Return to tlie Dakota Lake Region' 

 is devoted mainly to the birds along 

 Phalarope Slough and those ol)served from 

 the farmhouse. 



Ray contributes an interesting account 

 of I lie hinls of the Tahoc region cnlilled. 



