Vol. XIV. 

 1914 



J From Magazines, 6-Ci 105 



Ornithological Club's Achievements. — The Cooper Ornitho- 

 logical Club, which pubhshes a bi-monthly journal, The Condor, 

 is a comparatively young society, but it has had a most successful 

 career. In the May-June (1914) issue of The Condor appears the 

 president's (Mr. Harold C. Bryant) address, which was dehvered 

 at the Northern Division meeting of the Club, in March, 1914. 

 He gives a history of the Club, and deals with ideals and so forth. 

 The following extracts are of special interest : — 



" The purposes of the Cooper Ornithological Club, as stated 

 on its official letter-heads, are as follov^'s : — For the observation 

 and co-operative study of birds, because of the resulting pleasure ; 

 for the spread of interest in bird study, so that this pleasure may 

 be shared by others ; for the conservation of birds and wild life 

 in general, for the sake of the future ; for the publication of orni- 

 thological knowledge, as being a contribution to science. These, 

 then, are our ideals. Every member should be acquainted with 

 these ideals and do his best to further them, or else the Club fails 

 of its objects. I am sorry that I cannot discuss each one of the 

 four. This being impossible, I have done the next best thing 

 and attempted to treat in detail of one phase of the work of the 

 Club. It deals, perhaps, more closely with the last-named object 

 — the publication of ornithological knowledge as being a con- 

 tribution to science, but it has ramifications which necessarily 

 include the other objects above mentioned. It is on the Cooper 

 Club member in relation to scientific work that I wish to speak. 

 If we follow the general trend of the research work carried on by 

 members here in California we find that it can be classified as 

 follows : — (i) Collecting of bird skins, nests, and eggs ; (2) prepara- 

 tion of local lists ; (3) recording of field observations, such as 

 migration and nesting dates, and habits ; (4) systematic descrip- 

 tions of new species and races and systematic position of groups ; 

 (5) photography ; (6) faunistics, or the study of distribution ; 

 (7) economic investigations ; (8) conservation of wild life. 



" The study of plumage cycles forms a field almost wholly 

 neglected. We do not know the sequence of plumages even of 

 some of our commonest Ducks. Let the collector of bird skins 

 specialize, therefore, and, by obtaining a complete series, place 

 before us the information necessary to fill in this gap in our 

 knowledge. 



" The variation in size, shape, colour, and colour pattern of the 

 eggs of a particular group of birds furnishes an intricate problem 

 and one worthy of more attention than it has as yet received. 

 Nor have we exhausted the possibilities as regards the finding of 

 yet undiscovered nests and eggs. The nest and eggs of the 

 Harlequin Duck, Saw-whet Owl, and Crossbill have never been 

 taken in California, although these species are known to breed 

 within the State. 



" Here, then, are two important problems which claim the 

 attention of him who follows that instinct which is so strong in 

 most of us— that of making collections, be they of l)irds, birds' 

 nests, or birds' eggs, or all three. 



