140 



THE CONDOR 



Vol. XX 



THE CONDOR 



A. Magazine of 

 "Western Ornithology 

 J. GRINNELL, Editor 

 HARRY S. SWARTH, Associate Editor 

 J. EUGENE LAW 1 „ . 



W. LEE CHAMBERS f Business Managers 



Hollywood, California: Published July 22, 1918 



EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 



Of more than ordinary interest to the or- 

 nithologist of studious turn of mind is the 

 recent book by W. H. Mullens and H. Kirke 

 Swann entitled "A Bibliography of British 

 Ornithology from the Earliest Times to the 

 end of 1912" (The Macmillan Company). 

 This is much more than the usual bibliog- 

 raphy in that a large share of the space is 

 devoted to biographical accounts of the 

 principal writers; and since a great many 

 of these writers on British ornithology 

 wrote also on general ornithology or the 

 birds of other parts of the world, interest- 

 ing facts concisely expressed and authori- 

 tative as to detail, are provided in regard 

 to many whose names we frequently see in 

 our American literature. Among such 

 names are: Albin, Butler, Clarke (W. E.), 

 Dresser, Edwards (G.), Evans (A. H.), Ey- 

 ton (T. C), Godman, Gurney (J. H., Jr.), 

 Harting, Jourdain, Keulemans, Leach, Mac- 

 Gillivray, Millais, Newton, Pennant, Salvin 

 (O.), Saunders, Sclater (P. L.), Seebohm, 

 Selby, and Gilbert White. It is a satisfac- 

 tion to learn something of the varied histo- 

 ries of these different men. 



There has been some criticism of the Ed- 

 itor of The Coxdor for his failure to publish 

 reviews of all papers and books sent him. 

 It proves impossible for him or his associ- 

 ates to review everything sent in, and any- 

 way our magazine could not afford so much 

 space as would be needed. We must there- 

 fore state that we cannot guarantee to give 

 notice to anything sent us. Only a portion 

 of the current titles can be mentioned; and 

 on the other hand we may give notice to 

 some things not sent us directly at all, pro- 

 vided we happen to have access to copies 

 through other channels. 



Mr. Alexander Wetmore, of the United 

 States Biological Survey, has been assigned 

 for the summer to a study of the breeding 

 waterfowl in the lake region of northern 

 New Mexico. 



Mr. Joseph Mailliard chose the Feather 

 River region of the northern Sierra Nevada 

 for bird study during May and June. Very 

 little has ever been reported concerning the 

 birds of this district and we look forward 

 with interest to the results of his enquiry. 



Mr. A. B. Howell, accompanied by Mr. 

 Luther Little as assistant, is carrying on 

 field work this summer for the United 

 States Biological Survey in Yuma County, 

 Arizona. 



The Cocper Club membership roster pub- 

 lished in the present issue was compiled 

 by Mr. J. Eugene Law, who requests that 

 any corrections or changes be reported to 

 him. There are now 600 names in the list. 



Messrs. Joseph Dixon, Richard M. Hunt, 

 and Halsted G. White have been doing field 

 work this season for the California Museum 

 of Vertebrate Zoology in the San Joaquin 

 Valley. While their attention has been 

 largely centered on economic problems hav- 

 ing to do with rodent control, it has proven 

 possible to devote time now and then to 

 birds, with some results of more than pass- 

 ing interest. 



PUBLICATIONS REVIEWED 

 The Crow axd its Relatiox to Max, by E. 

 R. Kalmeach, Assistant Biologist (=United 

 States Department of Agriculture, Bulletin 

 no. 621, Contribution from the Bureau of 

 Biological Survey); February 16, 1918- pp 

 1-93, 2 plates, 3 text figures. 



In its preparation and general make-up, 

 this bulletin reaches the high standard set 

 by the other recent economic publications of 

 the Bureau of Biological Survey. Mr. Kalm- 

 bach has done an excellent piece of work, 

 and has arranged and digested the great 

 amount of data available on the subject in 

 an interesting and convenient manner. 



The Common Crow (Corvus brachyrhyn- 

 chos and its subspecies) is the subject of the 

 paper; and in gathering the information 

 presented, 3000 letters of inquiry were sent 

 to observers all over the country and in 

 Canada, and 2118 stomachs, 778 of which 

 were of nestlings, were examined. As one 

 would infer, most of these were obtained 

 where crows are most abundant, namely, in 

 the states north of Virginia and east of the 

 Mississippi River. No comprehensive paper 

 on the subject has appeared heretofore 

 since 1895. To the farmers, of the east espe- 

 cially, this report will be of great value, for 

 it treats in much detail, and under many 

 separate headings, of the food of crows 

 during each month of the year. Kansas is 

 the only state west of the Mississippi from 

 which more than a very few stomachs were 

 available for study, and from the three 

 Pacific states, a total of only 18 was re- 

 ceived. This is a pity, in view of the gen- 

 eral comprehensiveness of the paper. But 

 then, there are comparatively few localities 

 in the west where the crow is really an eco- 

 nomic factor. 



Destruction of the eggs and young of other 

 birds by crows is the point which proves to 

 be of greatest interest to ornithologists. Al- 

 though several instances of such destruction 

 are cited, we cannot help but feel that Mr. 



