Two Recent Lists of Iowa Birds 97 



A CRITICISM OF TWO RECENT LISTS OF 

 IOWA BIRDS.^ 



BY IRA N. GABRIELSON. 



An interest in Iowa ornitholog'y leads me to call attention 

 to several questionable records concerning Iowa birds which 

 have appeared in two recent articles in the Wilson Bulletin. 

 As both of these lists deal with the same general locality in 

 North Central Iowa, they are treated together. 



In the first and more pretentious paper, by Carrol Lane 

 Fenton, two additions to the Iowa State list, as compiled by 

 Anderson,^ and records of other rare species are found, based 

 on what seems to be insufficient evidence. The more im- 

 portant of these will be discussed in order under the separate 

 species involved. 



It is of course unsafe to assert dogmatically that an organ- 

 ism endowed with such remarkable locomotive powers as a 

 bird possesses cannot occur at a given place at almost any 

 time. There is, however, a generally accepted principal among 

 working ornithologists that such abnormal occurrences should 

 only be considered authentic when the actual specimens are 

 secured. This is especially true where the observer is unfa- 

 miliar with species or when the bird is of a species difficult 

 to distinguish from nearly related forms. This point has 

 been discussed so many times that it is unnecessary to elab- 

 orate it further. The following records in Mr. Fenton's 

 paper seem open to question : 

 1. Colymbus holboelU. — Holboell's Grebe. 



Anderson (op. cit., p. 148) says, "Appears to be very rare in 

 Iowa," and he does not list a single Iowa specimen. In view of 

 this lack of authentic records for the State, sight identifications 

 are not acceptable. The May 26 record is particularly questionable 



^ Fenton, Carrol Lane. Preliminary List of the Birds of Floyd 

 County, Iowa (Wilson Bulletin, Vol. XXVIII, p. 130-138, Septem- 

 ber, 1916). 



Tuttle, F. May. May Bird Census (Wilson Bulletin, Vol. XXVIII, 

 p. 203-205. December, 1916). 



"Anderson, R. M. The Birds of Iowa (Proc. Davenport Academy 

 of Science, Vol. XI). 



