170 
Vol. XXIII 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
The depressing news comes that Dr. J. A. 
Allen is dead. He had reached his 83rd 
birthday on July 19 last, and he died on 
August 29, 1921. Dr. Allen was editor of 
The Auk (including its predecessor, the 
Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club) 
for a continuous period of 36 years, only re- 
linquishing his activities in this connection 
some ten years ago. In his editorial capa- 
city he exercised an important influence on 
the trend of American ornithology; his jong 
series of reviews were critical and at the 
same time fair and stimulative to author 
and reader alike. Dr. Allen was a thorough 
scholar; his research, in ornithology and 
mammalogy, was of the highest grade; he 
was modest, lacking entirely thirst for pub- 
licity; he was not avid for advancement; 
he was content with the opportunity afford- 
ed him of studying concentratedly in his 
chosen field of science. The American Mu- 
seum of Natural History, upon whose staff 
Dr. Allen labored for 36 years, may well be 
proud of having had associated with it a 
man of such virtues and of such eminent 
scientific attainment. 
American ornithology is seriously handi- 
capped by the lack of any thorough, down- 
to-date bibliography or general index. The 
provinces of geographical distribution and 
taxonomy are pretty well looked after, it is 
true; but there remain such very large sub- 
jects as avian behavior, voice, feeding hab- 
its, and breeding habits. There has been ai 
enormous amount published on these sub- 
jects, but how is a student anxious to con- 
tribute seriously along any one of these 
lines to know what has already appeared in 
print concerning it? The Zoological Record 
helps, but falls far short of meeting the 
needs in full measure. Perhaps the best 
available guides to the literature are com- 
prised in the indexes to the Awk and the 
Condor. Prospective authors of articles in 
any field of ornithology should make full 
use of these indexes, at least, before launch- 
ing contributions of their own. It is highly 
desirable in these days of high printing 
costs that needless duplication be avoided. 
Also, one’s own conclusions are likely to be 
modified and bettered in the light of the 
findings and inferences of other students. 
And then there is the courtesy to be ob- 
served in the way of recognizing the offer- 
ings of one’s predecessors in any line of 
enquiry. 
The “Cooper Prize in Ornithology” has 
been established at the University of Cali- 
fornia for the academic year 1921-22. This 
consists of $50.00 in cash to be awarded to 
the writer of the best essay offered on any 
topic concerned with birds. Either under- 
graduate students or graduate students not 
more than three years out of the Univer- 
sity are eligible to compete. Dissertations, 
either entire or any part or parts thereot, 
may be submitted. Three judges will award 
the prize, one chosen by the Northern Divi- 
sion of the Cooper Ornithological Club, one 
representing the Museum of Vertebrate Zool- 
ogy, and one representing the University 
Committee on Prizes. Mr. Charles H. Baker, 
of Oakland, a member of the Club who de- 
sires to stimulate scholarly activity in or- 
nithology, is the founder of this prize. 
Mr. F. Kermode, Director of the Provin- 
cial Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, in 
his Report for the year 1920 (page 20), 
makes the important announcement that the 
Chinese Starling (Acridotheres [or Aethi- 
opsar] cristatellus) has become well estab- 
lished in the heart of the city of Vancouver, 
B. C. Nothing is known as to how the 
colony got started, but at the present time 
no less than 1200 of the birds roost on 
ledges on the sides of buildings, faring forth 
to forage in the fields and gardens of the 
suburbs. This ‘‘starling”’ is really a species 
of Mina, of whose desirability on economic 
grounds we have grave doubts. It is fre- 
quently brought into North America from 
the Orient as a cage-bird, though what espe- 
cial attractiveness it possesses, we fail to 
see. Control of the introduction of non- 
native birds as regards both Canada and 
the United States ought to be more strin- 
gent than it is; people should be warned 
against liberating alien birds, no matter 
what the species. With the European Star- 
ling rapidly spreading in the eastern United 
States and the Chinese Starling firmly es- 
tablished in the Northwest, the danger that 
our native bird fauna will suffer through 
competition and supplantation is increasing 
rapidly. 
Mr. Law advises us that he inadvertently 
omitted the names of Walter K. Fisher 
(Northern Division) and Ralph Arnold 
Southern Division) from the list of Board 
of Governors published in THe Conpor for 
May, 1921, page 101. The name of Fred 
A. Schneider should not have been included, 
as he was not a member of the Club for 
some years subsequent to his presidency. 
According to word received from Dr. Chas. 
W. Richmond, Bent’s “Life Histories of 
North American Gulls and Terns” (Bulletin 
no. 113, U. S. Nat. Mus.) was issued at 
Washington on August 27. No copies that 
we know of had, however, reached the Pa- 
cific Coast up to September 15. 
