Mar., 1908 



91 



FROM riElLD AND STUDY 



Dates that are not Data. — Possibly no idiosyncrasy of the collector causes more trouble 

 than the habit of abbreviating dates on labels, for instance 1. 2. 07, or better still, 1 | 2 | 07. Doe s 

 this mean January 2nd, 1907? In some cases it does; but it may mean February 1st, 1907, 

 and the only way for the unfortunate ornithologist to guess the meaning is to have skins from 

 the same collector having the day higher than twelve, thus 13. 2. 07. Even this is not certainty; 

 for the collector sometimes changes his formula and it requires an expert in plumage cycles to 

 decide which is which. 



There are variations to this that once understood are not so confusing; 1. II. 07 means Feb- 

 ruary 1st, 1907, but how about 19. 1-11. 00? This is happily confined to Russian collectors as far as 

 I know and I think shoiild read November 1st, 1900, but whether old style or new style is not 

 for me to say. 



Moral: Write the month plainly in letters of ink that fade not, forgetting not the day and 

 year of reckoning. — J. H. Fleming, loronto, Ontario. 



Destruction of Imperial Woodpeckers. — Recently there came to my knowledge facts 

 relative to a deplorable slaughter of the Imperial Woodpecker {Campephilus imperialis) , not so 

 very far south of our border. 



Two prospectors (one of whom imparted the information given herewith) were working over 

 a region in west central Chihuahua, some fifty miles west of Terrazas (pueblo) , a mountainous 

 and heavily forested country, much frequented by the bird in subject. One of the men had 

 heard somewhere of the rarity of the species, and that it bore a commercial value, but, erro- 

 neously, his conception was that the bill was the portion in demand, and not the prepared skin. 

 Working on this idea he shot some seventeen of the magnificent creatures in the course of a few 

 months, and cut off the bills, figuring them at $2,5.00 each, until, on reaching civilization again, 

 he was chagrined to find his material utterly worthless. — Austin Paui, Smith, Benso?i, Arizona. 



A Curious Bird Tragedy.— A 



male specimen of the Varied Thrush 

 {Ixoreus ncsvins) which had met 

 death in an unusual manner came 

 into my possession some time 

 ago. It was found by my brother 

 beneath a California live oak after 

 a spell of rainy weather. As the 

 accompanying illustration shows, 

 a portion of an acorn shell was 

 wedged upon the tip of the upper 

 mandible, in such a way that it 

 pressed firmly against the crown. 

 Upon skinning the specimen, 

 severe skull injuries were found, 

 caused by the bird in its endeavor 

 to remove the acorn. 



The bird probably forced the 

 acorn upon its bill while digging 

 for insects among the leaves. It 

 was in good condition, proving 

 that death came before starvation 

 could emaciate its body. — CharlES 

 H. Richardson, Jr., Pasadena, 

 California. 



A Vermillion Flycatcher in 

 I/OS Angeles County, Califor- 

 nia. — I desire to record the taking 

 of a Vermillion Flycatcher {Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanns) , male, at El Monte, California, 

 F'^ebruary 8, 1908. It was taken in the willow-bottom about a mile from that town. The 

 bird was not shy and acted about the same as any other bird of this family. — Howard W 

 Wright, Pasadena, California. 



varied thrush kiIvIvEd by acorn wedged upon the bill 



