Beside the birds native to New Zealand, I have observed the following 

 imported species. Names according to "A Practical Handbook of British Birds/' 

 (Witherby and others 1919-20-21). 



House Sparrow. Passer d. domesticus. Too common. 



Hedge Sparrow. Prunella /nodularis occldenlalls. Fairly plentiful. 



Skylark. Alauda a. arvensls. Large flocks occasionally. 



Goldfinch. Carduells c. britannica. A welcome addition. 



Chaffinch. Frlngllla c. coelebs. Uncommon. 



Greenfinch. Chloris c. chloris. Common enough to be a nuisance. 



Bullfinch. Pyrrhula p. pileata. Only a few pairs. 



Redpoll. (Lesser). Carduelis I. cabaret. Rather uncommon. 



Yellow Bunting. Emberiza c. citrinella. Common. 



Blackbird. Turdus m. merula. Not many. 



Thrush. Turdus philomelus clarkei. A few resident. 



Starling. Sturnus v. vulgaris. Large flocks^at odd times. 



THE BARNES CATALOG 



A copy of the long-promised "Exchange Price List of North American 

 Birds' Eggs" is at hand. The cover of this publication, which does duty, 

 apparently, as a title page, reads as follows: 



The American Oologists' | Exchange Price List | of | North American Birds' 

 Eggs 1 1922 | (cut of egg) Compiled by | A Committee of Twenty-five Prominent 

 American Oologists | Published by | R. Magoon Barnes. |Lacon, 111., U. S. A. 



In the years of preparation of this list we had supposed that officers of the 

 "Committee of Twenty-five" were preparing the educational text as well as 

 passing upon exchange values; but the editorship of the undertaking has passed, 

 it seems, to R. Magoon Barnes; and apart from a brief statement by our Chair- 

 man, Dr. B. R. Bales, Mr. Barnes is responsible for the historical reviews and 

 for the instructions to collectors. Mr. Barnes has also improved two opportu- 

 nities to present various aspects of his institutional work at Lacon, 111., including 

 a half-tone of his handsome new museum building; so we presume it is fair to 

 allude to this list henceforth as the Barnes Catalog. 



So far as the work of the Committee of Twenty-live is concerned, there 

 can be no doubt that our committeemen have achieved an eminently fair and 

 authoritative listing of current exchange prices. The device of dividing the 

 territory regionally, and then dividing the aggregate estimate of each species 

 by the number of regions to obtain an average price, is probably as fair as any- 

 thing which could have been agreed upon. That the general effect of this method 

 has been to scale up eastern prices and to scale down the prices for western eggs, 

 is manifest. How far the levelling up process has wrought injustice can only be 

 determined by use. Speaking for the M. C. O., the writer elsewhere (See next 

 article) challenges some of these valuations by offering to bid in local material 

 at the figures named, in practically unlimited quantities. This method and this 

 alone will test the sincerity of those who still think that western eggs are rated 

 too highly. 



If the committee has erred otherwise, it is perhaps through a certain 

 timidity in assigning high valuations. A sort of low ceiling has been established, 

 beyond which only a few prices have been allowed to project. Thus, there are 

 quotations on 51 species whose eggs are rated at from $20 to $30, while only 13 

 species in the entire American List have been allowed to exceed $30. This is 

 conservative rather than encouraging. 



We heartily commend Mr. Barnes's comments upon the relation of cash 

 and exchange values of birds' eggs. The Committee has succeeded measurably 

 well in establishing a norm of relative rarities, useful alike to those who would 

 exchange or to those who would purchase; but it must be clearly understood that 

 birds' eggs have no market value. "Selling" the old hound dog for one hundred 

 dollars and taking pups in return at ten dollars each, may delight the dog fancier, 



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