Editorials 



179 



iiirti'ilore 



A Bi-monthly Magazine 

 Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds 



OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES 



Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN 

 Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 



Vol. Ill 



Published October 1. 1901 



No. 5 



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COPYRIGHTED, 1901, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN. 



Bird-Lore's Motto: 

 A Bird in the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand. 



The recent action of the Committee on 

 Classification of the American Ornitholo- 

 gists' Union in rejecting as unworthy of 

 recognition by name no less than twenty 

 subspecies of North American birds, which 

 have been described during the past two 

 years, Is a significant comment on the 

 feather-splitting tendency of some present- 

 day systematic ornithologists, and an elo- 

 quent illustration of the Union's services to 

 the science of ornithology. 



While the committee thus saves us from 

 an additional burden of 'bridged difficulties,' 

 it unfortunately cannot save systematic 

 zoology from the stigma of this excessive 

 and unwarranted describing of alleged 

 "new" subspecies, and in his retiring ad- 

 dress as vice-president of the Section of 

 Zoology of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science, delivered at 

 Denver in August last, we find Prof. C. B. 

 Davenport saying: "There is only one 

 class of zoologists that I would wish to blot 

 out, and that is the class whose reckless 

 naming of new ' species ' and ' varieties ' 

 serves only to extend the work and the 

 tables of the conscientious synonymy- 

 hunter! " 



To the A. O. U. we must also render 

 thanks for the continued admirable work of 



its Committee on the Protection of North 

 American Birds, by whose labors in secur- 

 ing the enactment of suitable bird protective 

 laws and, what is of far more importance, 

 seeing that they were enforced, the sea- 

 birds of our Atlantic coast have enjoyed a 

 peace during the past nesting season such 

 as they have not known for many years. 



Indeed, the Union is deserving of far 

 greater support from the public than it has 

 thus far received, and now that the probable 

 amendment of its constitution will open its 

 ranks to bird-lovers of all classes, it is 

 greatly to be hoped that its membership 

 may be largely increased. 



The Eighteenth Congress of the Union 

 soon to be held (Nov. 12-14) at the Ameri- 

 can Museum of Natural History, New York 

 city, will doubtless be no less interesting 

 than its seventeen predecessors. A number of 

 fully illustrated papers is assured, including 

 the report of the Committee on the Protec- 

 tion of North American Birds. 



Mr. Hoffmann's article on the Least 

 Flycatcher, in this number of Bird-Lore, 

 contains some interesting comments on the 

 method of bird -study which advocates the 

 removal of the branch with the nest and 

 young to a convenient position near a tent, 

 from the concealment of which the student 

 may readily observe, and, if he be a pho- 

 tographer, graphically record the life of 

 the nest. 



To the bird-photographer who has con- 

 scientiously photographed his nests in situ, 

 often risking life and limb in his effort to 

 picture the nest just where the bird placed 

 it, this summary manner of settling the 

 difficulties so frequently imposed by site 

 are, at first thought, not a little shocking, 

 while the possible dangers to the young 

 which may follow deprivation, for a time, 

 of food, and exposure to sun, storm and 

 earthly enemies also suggest themselves. 



Under the direction of such a skilled, 

 careful and humane student as Professor 

 Herrick, the originator of this method, has 

 proven himself to be, these dangers are 

 minimized, but this fact should not lead 

 us to overlook their importance. 



