16 



THE OSPREY. 



he states that the past winter has been one of the 

 mildest ever known in Alaska. The coldest day 

 was February 22, when the thermometer regis- 

 tered 47 degrees below zero. The mean daily 

 temperature for December was 7.95 degrees be- 

 low zero. 



August II. — The Alameda "Daily Argus" to- 

 night publishes the statement from a whaler who 

 spent the winter in the ice with the whaling fleet 

 and the Mcllhenny expedition. It is a bitter 

 attack on Mr. Mcllhenny, and states that the 

 reports circulated about Mr. Mcllhenny's gener- 

 ous contribution of his provisions to the short- 

 rationed whalers is false. The attack is vehe- 

 ment, and we all know of what a disgruntled 

 whaler is capable. We can only judge this attack 

 to have been made of "whole cloth," and until 

 we have positive proof of its truthfulness, will 

 give it no credence. What we have heard and 

 seen of I\Ir, Mcllhenny proves him to be a thor- 

 ough naturalist and a gentleman of the highest 

 type, and it seems absurd to imagine that he 

 should have refused to share his provisions with 

 starving humanity, especially when he took along 

 a three years' supply in case of an emergency. 



ITEMS. 



Mr. H. O. Gaylord. of Pasadena, a member of 

 the Cooper Ornithological Club, visited Alamed^t 

 during the first week in August, on his way to 

 Baltimore, Md.. where he goes to study den- 

 tistry. 



The Cooper Club's September meetings have 

 always been the best attended and the most im- 

 portant meetings of the year, and have all been 

 held at the residence of Mr. C. Barlow, in San 

 Jose. Mr. Barlow is making extra efforts to 

 give the attending members a royal time on the 

 3d of September. 



COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



The Northern Division met. May 7. at Ala- 

 meda, at the home of Harold C. Ward, President 

 W. Otto Emerson in the chair. Mr. Jos. Grin- 

 neil. of the Southern Division, was present as a 

 member. W. W. Price, of Stanford University, 

 and John M. Welch, of Copperopolis, were 

 elected to active membership. A letter from W. 

 B. Sampson, of Stockton, Cal., reporting the 

 snaring of numbers of small birds near that city 

 by Italians, who used large fish-nets as snares, 

 was read and discussed. Messrs. H. R. Taylor, 

 A. M. Shields, and R. S. Wheeler were appointerl 

 a committee to prepare plans for the prevention 

 of such bird destruction. Mr. Emerson made 

 some remarks, showing the inestimable harm 

 done by such practices in Italy. 



Resolutions proposing Mr. Walter E. Bryant 

 for honorary membership in the club were given 

 a final reading, having been concurred in by 

 both divisions, and the name of Mr. Bryant was 

 added to the list of honorary members. 



Two papers from the Southern Division were 

 read— "Nesting of the Western Yellowthroat," 

 by H. J. Leland, and "Breeding of the Least 

 Tern in Los Angeles County, California." by 

 A. I. McCormick. 



Mr. Barlow read a letter from Wm. Steinbeck, 

 of Hollister, reporting his taking an egg of the 



California Condor on April 10, in which incuba- 

 tion was well along. The egg was collected in 

 San Benito County. 



Mr. Grinnell read a paper, "The Rhinoceros 

 Auklet at Santa Catalina Island," describing a 

 series of adventures in making a collection of 

 these birds. This will appear, in part, in a later 

 issue of The Osprev. 



The last paper of the evening was read by H. 

 R. Taylor, entitled "The Nidification of the Cali- 

 fornia Condor." An egg of the 'Vulture, taken 

 from the nest this year, was displayed. This 

 article will also be published in this magazine. 



The Southern Division met. July 30. at the 

 home of Mr. G. Frean Morcom. in Los Angeles. 

 Rev. F. Reiser, of Pasadena, was elected to 

 membership. The name of H, Rising, of Los 

 Angeles, was proposed for membership. Horace 

 A. Gaylord tendered his resignation as treasurer, 

 being about to leave the State, and was tendered 

 a vote of thanks. H. S. Swarth was elected to 

 fill the unexpired term. 



The office of secretary being left vacant by the 

 departure of Mr. Jos. Grinnell for Alaska. Mr. 

 Howard Robertson was elected to fill the term. 

 Mr. H. Rising e.xhibited some skins, nests, and 

 eggs collected by Mr. O. W. Howard in .'\rizona 

 the past spring, viz.: skins, nests, and eggs of 

 Olive Warbler. Audubon's Warbler. Lucy's 

 Warbler. Gracie's Warbler. Plumbeous 'Vireo. 

 Cones' Flycatcher, and Scott's Oriole; also sets 

 of Flamniulated Screech Owl. White-winged 

 and Mexian Ground Dove, and skins of the 

 Flamniulated Screech Owl and Western House 

 Wren. 



Mr. H. S. Swarth exhibited a pair of Fulvous 

 Tree Duck, also skins of Semi-palmated Plover. 

 Black-throated Sparrow, and White-crowned 

 Sparrow, all taken in Los Angeles County. A 

 general discussion and refreshments followed. 



The Northern Division met at the home of 

 Harold C. Ward, in Alameda. July 2. The Com- 

 mittee of Bird Protection made a partial report 

 showing encouraging progress, and reported that 

 the State Fish and Game Commissioners had in- 

 terested themselves in the work of the club. The 

 president appointed three additional members to 

 the committee. Messrs. R. C. McGregor. W. B. 

 Sampson, and R. H. Beck, making now a com- 

 mittee of six; the three previously appointed be- 

 ing H. R. Taylor. A. M. Shields, and R. S. 

 Wheeler. Good work is promised, as the com- 

 mittee is energetic and fully in earnest. 



The following papers were read: "Nesting of 

 the White-throated Swift." by Harold C. Ward; 

 "The .-Vmerican Barn Owl in Captivity." by 

 Donald A. Cohen. Mr. Claude Cummings. of 

 Danville, presented a paper recording the find- 

 ing of a set of eggs of the Horned Owl (var. 

 sctturatus?) on the ground on April 24. The 

 nest was on a canyon-side beneath the shade of 

 several large live oaks, placed on the ground 

 among some short weeds and vines, a shelf on 

 the hillside having been scratched out by the 

 owl. with no vestige of the nesting material used. 

 There were several old hawk's nests near by. and 

 one within a quarter of a mile, so the nesting site 

 is peculiar and unusual. The date was also a late 

 record, the eggs being but slightly incubated. — 

 Publication Committee. 



