Vol.^XVIj Nofes and tf ews . g^ 



ing their nests and eggs, and the birds themselves in their natural 

 haunts. In a word, it will be " a magazine devoted to the study and 

 protection of birds," for which there is ample need and a wide field. Its 

 publication bv the Macmillan Company is a guarantee that 'Bird-Lore 

 as regards its typographical appearance and the character of the illustra- 

 tions, will leave little to be desired. 



' The Osprey,' to quote from a recent editorial in the October issue 

 of this popular ornithological journal, " being a migratory bird, has flown 

 southward frpm New York to Washington this autumn, and taken up its 

 winter quarters in a new locality, of which it proposes to become a 

 permanent resident." This is another way of saying that ' The Osprey ' 

 has changed hands, being now published by The Osprey Publishing 

 Company of Washington, and edited by Elliott Coues and Theodore Gill, 

 with the former editor, Walter Adams Johnson, as Associate Editor 

 and Louis Agassiz Fuertes as Art Editor. The change of environment 

 has apparently had a bad effect upon the health of 'The Osprey,' or, 

 as its editor puts it, "The moulting process has proven somewhat severe 

 and protracted this season, and the appearance of the bird in its new- 

 plumes has consequently been delayed." The choice of printer appears 

 to have been unfortunate, for not only has 'The Osprey' been greatly 

 delaved in its appearance but has lost much of the typographical lustre 

 that was formerly so characteristic of this well-received magazine. The 

 October and November numbers of last year appeared together the first 

 week in January of this year. But "the December number is in press, 

 and the issue for January is nearly ready," so that the lost time due to- 

 migration will doubtless be soon made up. In typography the second 

 number under the new auspices is a great improvement over the first, 

 so there is reason to hope that the former high grade of text and illus- 

 trations will be regained, and its literary standing be even surpassed. 

 Its present editors are certainly too experienced in both literary and 

 scientific work not to know how to run a magazine, even a 'popular' one, 

 of ornithology. 'The Osprey' certainly has our most cordial wishes for 

 its success. 



The A. O. U. Membership Lists, usually issued as a part of the January 

 number of 'The Auk,' are deferred to the April number, owing to the 

 unusual demand for space in the January issue for matter connected with 

 the publication of the Ninth Supplement to the Check-List of North 

 American Birds, and for the Report of the A. O. U. Committee on 

 Protection of North America Birds. This valuable document willj be 

 reissued in pamphlet form and sold at cost, for distribution as a tract in 

 behalf of bird protection. We must also ask the contributors of many 

 valuable papers to pardon delay in their appearance, for the reasons 

 already stated ; they will all appear in due course, as fast as space can be 

 found for their reception. Never in the history of 'The Auk' has^ so- 



