172 



THE CONDOR 



Vol. XIX 



ilia". Each year's field-work serves to add 

 materially to the store of facts upon which 

 he can draw, and the manuscript has now 

 reached considerable proportions. In his 

 field work the past season Mr. Dawson has 

 been assisted by Mr. C. I. Clay. 



At the behest of Mr. E. O. McCormick ; 

 vice-president of the Southern Pacific Rail- 

 road, Mr. H. S. Swarth, of the staff of the 

 California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology 

 has recently been devoting his attention to 

 the birds of the "Apache Trail", central Ari- 

 zona. A trip was made through the region, 

 and specimens were collected and notes 

 gathered, to serve as a basis for a published 

 account of the birds of that section. This 

 will be non-technical in character, designed 

 to stimulate interest in persons without 

 special knowledge cf the subject, as well 

 as to draw the attention of the experienced 

 bird student to the exceptionally interesting 

 bird life of a unique corner of the United 

 States. 



Bird students in the San Francisco Bay 

 region have recently interested themselves 

 in the matter of the destruction of water 

 birds by crude oil poured out of tank steam- 

 ers plying to and from San Francisco. Re- 

 ports of the destruction of large numbers 

 of California Murres have been received 

 from government employees stationed on 

 the Farallon Islands, and other species are 

 known to suffer in less degree from the 

 same cause. The tank steamers come to 

 the port with salt water as ballast in their 

 oil tanks. As they approach the Golden 

 Gate they pump out this water, and some 

 residue oil is unavoidably carried with it. 

 This oil floats back and forth on the surface 

 of the w r ater, and, getting on the feathers of 

 the birds which alight to feed there, direct- 

 ly or indirectly causes their death. Com- 

 mittees from the Audubon Association of 

 the Pacific and Cooper Ornithological Club 

 are co-operating in an attempt to devise 

 some means of securing alleviation of this 

 menace to our coastal bird life. 



In connection with the Enabling Act now 

 pending in Congress, to give effect to the 

 migratory bird treaty between the United 

 States and Great Britain, we learn that at 

 a meeting of the Executive Committee of 

 the National Association of Game and Fish 

 Commissioners, held at Washington, D. C, 

 June 13, 1917, resolutions were passed re- 

 commending that this bill, as relating to 

 the conservation of natural resources, be 

 considered an important war measure, and 

 urging its immediate passage. We are fur- 

 ther informed that while there is good 

 prospect of the passage of this bill, still 

 there are difficulties to be met, especially 

 in the House of Representatives, and it is 

 urged that everyone use his influence with 

 his Congressional representatives, to get un- 



divided support for the measure. 



Most of the bird migration along the Pa- 

 cific coast lacks the impressive rush and 

 wave-like movement that characterizes the 

 migration in the eastern states, but that is 

 no reason why the subject should be neg- 

 lected here. Indeed, this is a good reason 

 for paying particular attention to the ar- 

 rival and departure of our migrant species 

 in the spring and fall. The problems of mi- 

 gration are even more complex here than 

 in the East and we therefore have need of 

 much more data in attempting to explain 

 our part of this ever-baffling mystery. All 

 of our bird students, including both collect- 

 ors and sight observers, should keep note- 

 becks and record the first and bulk arriv- 

 als of all the species which occur in their 

 localities, and also, what is much more dif- 

 ficult, the dates of their departure. It is 

 only by combining many such sets of notes, 

 gathered over a term of years, that we will 

 be able to make any serious attempt toward 

 the successful solution of the problem. 



PUBLICATIONS REVIEWED 



Birds of the Islands off the Coast of 

 Southern California. By Alfred Brazier 

 Howell. =Pacific Coast Avifauna Number 

 12. Published by the Cooper Ornithological 

 Club, June 30, 1917; pp. 1-127, 1 map. 



A valuable addition to the Pacific Coast 

 Avifauna series has appeared in Number 

 12, which will prove of interest and great 

 utility to the student of insular bird life, as 

 well as of much importance as a book of 

 reference to general ornithologists. In this 

 publication Mr. Howell shows not only that 

 he is familiar ^with island conditions and 

 characteristics, but that he has worked 

 most persistently and diligently to gather 

 together all available data and information 

 concerning the avian population of these 

 islands. The bibliography is as complete as 

 would seem possible, and yet there is a full 

 synonymy accompanying the account of 

 each species. In fact the latter appears to 

 be more complete than necessary, in connec- 

 tion with such a bibliography; but, as the 

 author has been willing to perform such a 

 laborious task, the student of the book will 

 have good cause to congratulate himself 

 upon being saved a lot of trouble. 



Mr. Howell seems to have left no stone 

 unturned within his reach that might have 

 some fact or record hidden beneath it. 

 There are probably other stones that have 

 escaped his careful search, whose existence 

 is known to none but the owners thereof, 

 and which may cover valuable information. 

 It will be a service to all students of insular 



