THE OSPREY. 



125 



Galitornia Denartmeni. 



EDITED HV DONALD A. COHEN, ALAMEDA, CAL. 



March 

 West- 

 davs 



LATE MIGRANTS. 



MARCH 15, saw a Cedarbird in town. They 

 rarely appear here. April 3 showed mijjrants 

 late beyond precedent, although the weather 

 had been fairly fine for two weeks, as the only spring 

 arrivals observed on a long trip into the country were 

 a Lutescent Warbler and a few Cliff Swallows Only 

 a few extra "lied" Hummingbirds, either the Allen's 

 or Rufous, were noted in addition to the first arrivals 

 in the first week in March. A nest containing two 

 young several day's old was found March 26 April 

 1 Gambel's Sparrows have been noticeably absent 

 this winter, but are now abundant. The Western 

 Robins have nearly all departed and so have the 

 Varied Thrushes, while the other winter residents 

 remain. Took a ^^:^SB!^^^^ male Townsend's 

 Solitaire on y^^^^£j^|lft||^^ March i, (very 

 rare here,) ^^^^^^^ and noticed 



a Townsend's Warbler on 

 10, a rare winter \isitant. April 6 

 ern Flycatcher first noticed, and three 

 later the usual number of them were 

 found about their old haunts. Warbling 

 Vireo appeared April 6 and Yellow War- 

 bler next day. Nidification is correspond- 

 ingly late with our local residents. Last 

 season I took complete sets of California 

 Bush Tit, Oregon and California Towhees 

 and California Jay before April 4, while 

 this year I have discovered only California 

 Bush Tits' nests and took one set, April 

 15, incubation about four days. Man) 

 California Bush Tits' nests were begun 

 last season early in March and completed 

 leisurely, while this season they have 

 been begun late and work rushed upon 



them. — 



COOPER CLUB NOTES. 



A LARGE gathering of members and visitors were 

 present at the. \pril meeting, April 3, at Stanford 

 University at the solicitation of Mr. R. B. Mc- 

 Lain. The two names proposed at last meeting were 

 elected; five new names proposed and one resignation 

 accepted. Resolutions of respect and regret were 

 adopted in the matter of Major Chas. E. Bendire's 

 death. Mr. R. B. McLain was elected vice-president 

 firo tempore owing to the extended absence of the 

 present incumbent, Mr. H. B Kaeding. 



CALIFORNIA ITEMS. 



The California Condor here represented is a 

 mounted specimen owned by the California editor. 



Mr. L. Belding, author of ' 'Land Birds of the Pacific 

 District," has presented bound manuscript, "Water 

 Birds of Pacific District, " to the Cooper Club. 



Upon close estimation the unprecedented number 

 of twenty-two sets of Golden Eagle have been taken 

 in this one season by members of the Cooper Club: 

 also several sets of Duck Hawk. 



We are informed that Mr. Verdi Burtch, of Penn 

 Yan, N. Y., has discovered a new migrant in the 

 shape of a bouncing daughter that arrived about 

 March 20. We congratulate Mr. Burtch and hope 

 he may continue to add desirable specimens to his 

 valuable list. 



CAL. CONDOR 



Mr. R. S. Wheeler, of Alameda has abandoned his 

 proposed trip to Alaska in quest of eggs since he as- 

 certained the packing company he intended working 

 for takes advantage of the short season by working 

 its employes about twelve hours per day. including 

 Sundays, so that egg-collecting was out of the ques- 

 tion. 



Mr Fred W. Koch, a well-known ornithologist, 

 and member of the Cooper Club, a graduate from 

 the University of California and who nobly dis- 

 tinguished himself in the eyes of the world by his 

 supreme efforts as a 440-yards sprinter when the in- 

 vincible "U. C." athletic team won victory and glorv 

 from all corners of the United States two years ago, 

 holds the principalship of the Merced, California, 

 public school. 



A FRAUD IN THE COOPER CLUB. 



IT was conclusively demonstrated by documentary 

 evidence at the February meeting of the Cooper 

 Ornithological Club, that one of 



its members, Oscar ^^^^?^^^s="-- P.Silliman, 

 of Castro vi lie, ^^KSjj^^^ Monterey, 



County, Cal., j^^^^^ had. in his deal- 



ings with a ^^S^^^ certain party in the 



East, j^^^^r been guilty of gross and pro- 

 tracted fraud. The evidence, in 

 the shape of a letter of confession to 

 the aggrieved party, was again read at 

 the April meeting and also his reply to the 

 club's secretary who had notified him of 

 the club's proposed action and asked for 

 his defence as allowed accused members by 

 the constitution, and he offered no defense. 

 The roll having been called, all present voted 

 in favor of expulsion. The resolutions drawn 

 up at the February meeting had been unani- 

 mously passed by the Southern Division of 

 the club at their regular meeting. March 27, 

 and the said Oscar P. Silliman was declared 

 expelled from the club. 



THE CHICAGO ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



The Ornithological Section of the Chicago Acad- 

 emy of Sciences held its regular meeting in the offices 

 of Mr. J. G. Parker, Jr., 100 Washington Street. 

 Wednesday evening, March, 3, at 8 p. m. The Vice 

 Chairman, Mr. J. G. Parker, was in the chair. The 

 paper of the evening was read by Mr. Eliot Black- 

 welder on the "Bird Migration of Morgan Park." 

 The paper was illustrated by specimens taken by Mr 

 Blackwelder. 



A regular meeting was held in the offices of Mr. J. 

 G. Parker, Jr., 100 Washington Street, Wednesday, 

 .April 7, at 8 p. m. A talk was given by Prof. D. G. 

 Elliot, Curator of Zoology of the Field Columbian 

 Museum, on the "Birds of Africa"; a number of 

 skins of the most interesting birds were exhibited. 

 F. M. Woodruff, Secretary. 



Mr. Theodore B. Parker, of Newtonville, Mass., 

 writes that he recently saw a snow-white Sparrow in 

 company with a flock of Tree Sparrows. 



During some cold, sleety weather in March, Mr. 

 H. C. Butcher, of Galesburg, saw a number of do 

 mestic Pigeons that were unable to fly because of 

 the weight caused by ice adhering to their plumage. 



.A number of the large daily newspapers of the 

 country print large portraits of Dr. Coues in connec- 

 tion with their long reviews of his book: "New Light 

 on the Early History of the Greater Northwest." 



