Editorial 
Bird: Lore 
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 D. APPLETON & CO. 
No.5 
Vol. XII Published October 1, 1910 
SUBSCRIPTION RATES 
Price in ths United States, Canada and Mexico twenty cents 
a number, one dollar a year, postage paid. 
COPYRIGHTED, 1910, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN 
Bird-Lore’s Motto: 
A Bird in the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand 
Tuer twenty-eighth Congress of the 
American Ornithologists’ Union will be 
held in Washington, D. C., November 15— 
17, 1910. Application for Associate Mem- 
bership in the Union should be made to 
its treasurer, Dr. J. Dwight, Jr., at the 
American Museum of Natural History, 
New York City. Such applications are 
acted on at the business meeting of the 
Union held November 14, and all success- 
ful candidates are entitled to take part in 
the subsequent proceedings of the Union. 
THE endorsement of the National Con- 
servation Association, at its Congress held 
in St. Paul, September 5-8, of the plan to 
secure Federal law for migratory birds 
gives fresh hope that eventually such a 
measure may be passed by Congress. We 
may even venture to look forward to fhe 
day of international legislation when the 
bird that nests in Canada, and passes 
through the United States to its winter 
home in Mexico, or beyond, may, at all 
times, be the subject of laws based on a 
thorough knowledge of its range, its peri- 
ods of migration, and its nesting date. 
Birp-Lore’s comments (May-June, 
IQ1O, pp. 120, 121) on ‘The Condor’s’ appli- 
cation of abbreviated spelling to the com- 
mon names of birds are interpreted by the 
Editor of that excellent magazine (July- 
August, 1910, p. 134) as an accusation of 
an attempt on his part to “originate” a 
“new fad,” and we are therefore declared 
203 
to exhibit “astonishing ignorance” of a 
“‘ wide-spred,”’ ‘“‘ progressiv ” movement. 
As a matter of fact, we really had heard 
of simplified spelling before it was adopted 
by “The Condor;’ indeed, for some years 
we have been the far from appreciative 
recipients of the circulars of the Simplified 
Spelling Board, and we even recall the 
indignation aroused by a certain promi- 
nent citizen who, ill-advised, or not ad- 
vised at all, attempted to give Federal 
sanction to this assault on the orthography 
of the English language. While, therefore, 
we must deny being so astonishingly igno- 
rant as to have believed that ‘The Condor’ 
was the originator of what Dr. Palmer has 
called “‘bob-tailed” spelling, we believe 
that we can accuse it of being the first 
scientific journal to apply this spelling 
to the names of animals. It is no concern 
of ours if the Editor of “The Condor’ 
wishes to mar his pages with such peculiar 
verbal forms as “‘peekt,” ‘‘bilt,” “thoroly,” 
“card,” “thru,” etc., but when, in his zeal 
for spelling reform, he alters the names of 
birds, for the spelling of which there is 
higher authority than the Simplified Spell- 
ing Board, and gives us, for example, 
“Olive-backt Thrush,” Ruft Grouse,” and 
“Fesant,’’ we feel as though he had taken 
unwarranted liberty with the spelling of 
the names of friends, and we protest 
against these disguising changes, just as 
the Editor of ‘The Condor’ would protest 
if we spelled his name Josef Grinel. 
Birp-Lore’s stand on the “Cat ques- 
tion” is criticised by a number of its 
readers, who maintain that ‘ cat-lovers, as 
well as bird-lovers, have rights.” Of 
course they have, and it is our earnest 
hope that their rights may be so clearly 
defined by proper laws that no court in 
the land can refuse to grant them. The 
dog, through its owner, has a legal status, 
and we fail to see why the cat, through its 
owner, should not be equally recognized 
by our legislators. But ownerless dogs are 
vagrants, and are so treated by societies 
for the prevention of cruelty to animals; 
and we ask only that ownerles cats also be 
taken in charge by those having authority. 
