Nov., 1921 
197 
RECORD OF BIRDS BANDED 
(Bands: 
28811-28819, 48101-48119, 52201-52230, 56421, 56426.) 
J. E. Law, at Berkeley, Calif., February 22 to March 25, 1921: 
(3) 52206,-10,-11. 
(12), 48101- 
Zonotrichia coronata, 
Junco oreganus (subsp.), 
48112. 
Passerella i. fuliginosa, (2) 52207,-09. 
Passerella i. sinuwosa, (1) 52204. 
Pipilo c¢. crissalis, (4) 52201,-02,-08, 
56426. 
Pipilo m. falcifer, (2) 52203,-05. 
Ixvoreus naevius (subsp.), (1) 56421. 
At Bluff Lake, San Bernardino Mts., Calif., August 21 to 30, 1921: 
Junco o. thurberi, (9) 48113-48119, 52212,- 
13. | 
Passerella i. stephensi, (1) 52219. 
Oreospiza chlorura, (25) 
52214-52218, 52220-52230. 
28811-28819, 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
It seems curious, when one comes to think 
of it, how prevalent has become the notion 
among amateur observers of birds that the 
field-glass is an indispensable part of their 
equipment. There is, to be sure, no ques- 
tion but that the field-glass is very helpful 
to many individual observers, and that for 
purposes of patient and detailed study of the 
behavior of birds in the wild it is truly es- 
sential to the few persons who engage in 
such close studies. But the claim that the 
field-glass is at all “necessary” to the aver- 
age run of field observers is, we believe, un- 
justified. We even aver that addiction to 
the use of the instrument in question is a 
hindrance rather than a help in the enjoy- 
ment of birds out-of-doors, as well as in the 
gathering of many of the facts of scientific 
value concerning them. Our point is that 
birds out-of-doors are things that in better 
degree than most other living beings can 
be seen and watched with the unaided 
human eye. And what humans need right 
now is to exercise their senses of sight and 
hearing in normal fashion—to get away 
from all those artificialities which go to 
make up the oppressing burden of “civiliza- 
tion”. Bird study afield should take its 
place as a wholly natural recreation, because 
the nervous and muscular activities which 
it brings into play are of primitive sorts. 
Their exercise will tend to restore the pro- 
per balance of mind and body, in just so 
far as they are used in a perfectly normal 
way. The use of glasses, save in cases of 
injury or disease on the part of the observ- 
er, detracts from the full measure of benefit 
to be derived. As regards the element of 
sport in identifying species, there is surely 
far more “good fun” in naming the birds 
without the use of any artificial device. 
Furthermore, the person who is dependent 
only on his naked eye can make a bigger 
census both of individuals and species. At 
least, the most accurate and at the same 
time rapid bird-counter we know personally, 
uses no glasses. And as for gathering facts 
in regard to behavior of birds, dependence 
upon glasses means cutting out a lot of the 
horizon, failure of appreciation of goings on 
at large while focussed upon details. We 
have been impressed with the number of 
things our opera-glass companion did not 
see, at least as much as with the number 
of things he. said he saw that we without 
glasses had failed to see! 
Attention is directed to Mr. Law’s note 
upon bird banding on page 196 of this issue. 
Here is a method of bird study that should 
appeal to those who wish to contribute ob- 
servations of value, yet without killing 
birds. The possibilities of such work have 
already been well demonstrated by Mr. S. 
Prentiss Baldwin (see his Bird Banding by 
Means of Systematic Trapping, Proceedings 
Linnaean Society of New York, December, 
1919; Recent Returns from Trapping and 
Banding Birds, Auk, April, 1921, pp. 228- 
237; The Marriage Relations of the House 
Wren, idem, pp. 237-244). The United 
States Biological Survey stands ready to 
codperate with anyone taking up the work, 
and Tuer Connor, through Mr. Law, will 
supply space in its columns for the record 
of birds as banded locally: and of banded 
birds later recorded. 
In building their new home, at Jennings 
Lake, near Portland, Oregon, Mr. and Mrs. 
William L. Finley have provided a concrete 
vault for the safe housing of films and rec- 
ords. Their collections now contain close to 
200,000 feet of movie negative of birds and 
mammals, as well as some 10,000 still-life 
negatives. Last spring and early summer 
were spent in southern California where 
some good pictures were secured. 
A most deplorable piece of bad luck hap- 
pened to Mr. Allan Brooks the past sum- 
mer, of which we only recently heard in a 
