228 The W^est American Scientist. 



Dr. Coues, the distinguished ornithologist, has said in his new 

 key I think, that fifty specimens of each species is not too much 

 for each collection, but to me that number seems a wanton waste 

 of bird life In most cases five or six specimens are enough to 

 put a good new species or a good variety on a firm basis, and two 

 or three specimens are usually sufficient for that purpose. Of well 

 established species, a pair, showing the adult male and female 

 spring plumage, is often enough for a private collection, but 

 besides these, the winter and juvenile plumages are usually 

 desirable. In addition to these the moulting stages are in some 

 cases important. Albinistic, Melanistic and other abnormal 

 plumages have little or no scientific value. Possibly, the former 

 results from disease. 



To ascertain the value of some local and doubtful forms, a good 

 series is required. JM early all of our birds which are non- 

 migrants, vary more or less at the extremes of their ranges, and a 

 few local varieties may still be discovered. Accidental visitants 

 may be expected, but new species are not likely to be discovered 

 in Calitornia at this late day. In making exchanges, preference 

 should be gi\'en to Pacific Coast collectors, for you need a 

 specimen, at least, of each species of our land birds, if not of the 

 water birds also. Do not waste time in exchanging for foreign 

 birds simply because they are pretty. Do not expect to make a 

 fortune by collecting, and, you may as well be indififerent to fame. 

 If you love nature as you should your reward for making a 

 collection will be ample. You should have examples of all of 

 the West Coast Polioptilas, Vireos, of the three species of Car- 

 podacus, male and female, a good series of the confusing 

 Melospizas, Zonotrichias, and of the Savanna Sparrows, which 

 ha\e been removed from the genus Passerculus to that of 

 Ammodromus. You also need specimens of the three Red- 

 winged Blackbirds, but more especially of the female gubernator 

 and tricolor. 



An example, or more, of each of our small Tyrant Flycatchers 

 should be in every collection for the good reason that very few 

 collectors on this Coast can separate them. Specimens of 

 Selasphorus rufa and S. alleni are needed for comparison. 



I can safely say there is not a good study collection of biid 

 skins from Bhering Straits to Panama, and such a collection is 

 much needed at some central point, at the California Academy of 

 Sciences, for instance. Try to identify all of your specimens. If 

 you are unable to identify a specimen with an hour, a day, or 

 week of study in connection with it, be not discouraged, for time 

 spent in that way is far from being lost. Half of the pleasure of 

 collecting is derived from the ability to identify from descriptions. 

 With Volume i of California Ornithology you should be able to 

 identify nearly all of our land birds. That is the only work on 

 birds that I possessed for a year or more after I began to collect, 



