THE OOLOGIST 



To the layman it is utterly astonish- 

 ing the extent to which hair-splitting 

 in the naming of apparently more or 

 less localized races will go and the 

 slenderness of the foundation upon 

 which it is sought to build them. 



Four Spring Days on Government 

 Island. 



During April 11th, 1911, I spent 

 four days on Government Island in 

 the Columbia River. The Island is 

 situated about one hundred and ten 

 miles from the mouth of the river, and 

 ten miles due east of the City of Port- 

 land. 



The principal trees on the Island 

 are Cottonwood, Willow, Black Ash 

 and Wild Crab Api)le. 



There is a large lake of some eighty 

 acres in extent in the center of the 

 island that is the principal resort of 

 the water fowl. The island is about 

 seven miles long, and from one to one 

 and a half miles wide. 



My camp was located on the river 

 bank amongst the willows and from 

 the tent I could watch the Audubon's 

 and Black-throated Grey Warblers, 

 Western Warbling Vireos, Oregon 

 Chicadees, and Seattle Wrens as they 

 gathered their insect food from the 

 willow twigs. 



On the more open flats about the 

 lake American Pipits stopped to feed 

 every day before continuing their 

 flight Northward. Gardner's and Har- 

 ris's Woodpeckers were busy exca- 

 vating nesting cavities in the dead 

 willow snags, and the Rusty Song 

 Sparrows, Oregon Towhees and Rob- 

 ins were all busy mating or nest build- 

 ing. 



Two Wood Ducks had taken up 

 house keeping in a large Cottonwood 

 tree on the lake shore and before I 

 left had become (luite tame. Among 

 game birds Ruffed Grouse and Ring- 

 n^ck Pheasants were the most com- 



mon but a few Mountain Quail were 

 found in the more brushy section of 

 the Island. 



Occasionally a Stellar's Jay flew 

 across the river from the Washington 

 side and two flocks of Bandtailed Pig- 

 eons were seen, but they did not nest 

 on the Island. 



The only Owls seen were the Ken- 

 nicott's Screech; they were fairly 

 common and can always be found in 

 the willow thickets. 



Other birds seen were Great Blue 

 Heron, Western Crow, Northwestern 

 Flicker, Lewis Woodi)ecker, Western 

 Meadowlark, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, 

 Cooper's Hawk, American Osprey, Cal- 

 ifornia Purple Finch, Nuttall's Spar- 

 row, Lutescent Warbler, Western 

 Bluebird, Western Savannah Sparrow, 

 Varied Thrush, Pacific Yellowthroat, 

 Northwestern Redwing, Trail's Fly- 

 catcher, Western Evening Grosbeak, 

 Pine Siskin, Rufus Hummer, Blue-ring 

 Teal, Beldpate, Cliff Swallow and Mc- 

 Gillvrays Warbler. 



Some Eastern people coming to 

 Oregon like to tell us how few birds 

 we have here, but personally I think 

 forty-one species in four days in April 

 is not a bad showing. 



Stanley G. .lewett. 

 Portland, Oregon. 



BIRDS. 

 Feather Law Has Beneficial Effect. 



(San .Jose Mercury.) x\ew York, 

 Sept. 19. — That the law which went 

 into effect in New York last year, pro- 

 hibiting the sale of feathers of native 

 birds for women's hats is having a 

 beneficial effect on the rare birds of 

 the country is revealed by reports re- 

 ceived this week from bird protectors 

 in all the Atlantic coast states. Es- 

 pecially is this statement applicable to 

 the rare white egret, from the back of 

 which the "aigrette" of the millinery 

 trade is obtained. As the birds bear 



