44 Bulletin No. 20. 



THE FLICKER REPORT. 



Chairman Burns writes that he is in need of material for the "Flicker 

 Report." Notes on identification and measurements of eggs are especial- 

 ly lacking. It ought to be possible for many members to make observa- 

 tions this spring ; for instance, as to choice of nesting hole above the 

 ground, manner of excavation, etc. There are many interesting things 

 to be seen if one has the time and patience to watch the work of excava- 

 tion regularly for a few hours every day, from under cover. The time 

 of incubation, appearance of young when hatched, and the general life 

 history of the Flicker furnish a fine field for original investigation of the 

 highest grade. Careful study of the habits of one bird offers the best 

 chance of discovering something really new to ornithological science. 



R. M. Strong, Frcsidcnt. 



INFORMATION WANTED. 



Responses to the call for i8g8 migration records for Kildeer, Meadow- 

 lark, Bronzed Crackle, Robin and Bluebird have been numerous and 

 gratifying, but a fuller report is desired before publishing the records. 

 Will not all who have not already sent their records do so at once!" Ad- 

 dress Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio. 



EDITORIAL. 



There is now before us a pamphlet entitled, 77if Dcsh-ucl/'on of Our 

 Birds and Mam?7ials, by William T. Hornaday. Extracted from the 

 report of the New York Zoological Society. March 15, i8g8. 



The appearance of this pamphlet, at a time when interest in nature 

 study, and particularly in birds, is becoming so widespread, is cause for 

 congratulation. The unimpeachable character of the author and the re- 

 liable sources of his information make us feel that the conclusions 

 reached are absolutely accurate. No doubt many of us have realized in 

 a general way, and with hardly any definite feeling about it, that the 

 birds and mammals are really becoming fewer year by year. Those 

 who may not have remained in one place or section of the country for 

 more than a few years at a time probably attribute the greater scarcity 

 to the different region, while others have given it no other attention 



