44 
Vol. XXII 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
Doubtless many bird students join us in 
our feeling of dismay regarding the very 
great number of new names and combina- 
tions of names being proposed in current lit- 
erature for the birds of western North Am- 
erica as well as for the rest of the world. 
Very many of these changes are due to the 
splitting of genera or else to the introduc- 
tion of trinomials on the ground of sup- 
posed intergradation through individual var- 
iation. Both of these practices are of a sort 
to be closely dependent upon personal opin- 
ion and not upon well] definable conditions 
in nature. We believe we are right in urg- 
ing that purely nomenclatural questions, 
such as these, had best not be followed in 
current literature until passed upon author- 
itatively by vote of some qualified body of 
professional ornithologists such, for exam- 
ple, as the A. O. U. Committee on Nomen- 
clature. It is true that the body just re- 
ferred to has been relatively inactive now 
for nearly ten years and that an enormous 
number of cases await its consideration 
when it does get into action. Some may 
doubt whether adequate consideration can 
ever be given so great a number of questions 
by any ‘“‘committee’’. But in cases of a na- 
ture where arbitrary decisions must be 
made, some method of voting to secure de- 
cision, and this by some authoritative body, 
is the only way we can see of solving the 
problem of permanency of nomenclature. 
We must not be understood here as in any 
way slighting the importance of the recog- 
nition of subspecies; that is part of ornith- 
ology. But this other thing is merely a mat- 
ter of the mechanics of nomenclature. 
It is a source of gratification to those who 
have given time and energy in promoting 
the welfare of the Cooper Club to learn that 
several of the members, in an unofficial ca- 
pacity, some time ago started an endowment 
fund for the Club. A committee, consisting 
of J. E. Law, W. L. Chambers and A. B. How- 
ell, has now been elected to take charge of 
the soliciting of contributions to this fund, 
and investing the money, the interest on 
which is to be used for the purpose of en- 
larging THe Conpor and publishing Avifau- 
nas. We learn that the appeal is meeting 
with a hearty and substantial response and 
that contributions are being received not 
only from those who were anticipated bene- 
factors, but also from many who were sup- 
posed to take only a moderate interest in 
ornithology and in the Cooper Club. If well 
managed and well supported, a movement of 
this kind is cumulative in effect and should 
meet with very large sucess, but only pro- 
viding that the membership at large is suf- 
ficiently in sympathy with it to lend the full 
weight of their approval, both moral and 
financial. In this connection it is proper to 
make it known that the plan was first for- 
mulated by Mr. A. Brazier Howell and by 
him carried out to a point where its practi- 
cability was assured. 
The December bulletin of the California 
Nature Study League, which is sent out by 
Mr. C. M. Goethe, 720 Capital National Bank 
Building, Sacramento, contains a very reada- 
ble account of the Sparrow Hawk. It refers 
to early-day falconry in pleasant vein, and 
rightiy emphasizes the capacity of the bird 
as a devourer of grasshoppers. This bulletin 
may be had by C. O. C. members regularly 
without cost, upon personal request to Mr. 
Goethe, as above. Mr. Goethe’s efforts are 
being directed, and with good results, to- 
ward the spread of interest in nature study 
among school children. What the country 
needs is a citizenry that can see clearly and 
interpret accurately. Natural history pro- 
vides a splendid vehicle for education in 
this direction. 
A meeting of men interested in mammalo- 
gy was held at the California Museum of 
Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley, on the even- 
ing of Thursday, January 8, 1920, for the 
purpose of perfecting a local organization 
devoted to various aspects of the study of 
mammals. Fourteen individuals were pres- 
ent, and coyotes and kangaroo rats formed 
the topics of discussion. It was decided to 
petition the recently formed American Soci- 
ety of Mammalogists for the formation of a 
Northern California Section of that society. 
A new museum has been opened at Yel- 
lowstone Park, Wyoming, for the preserva- 
tion and exhibition of all sorts of natural 
history specimens of the region such as will 
help tourists to understand the problems of 
nature in that wonderful region. The Na- 
tional Park Service has appointed Mr. M. P. 
Skinner to be in charge of this museum; 
and Mr. Skinner extends a hearty invitation 
to his fellow C. O. C. members who happen 
to visit the Yellowstone National Park to 
look in at the museum and to avail them- 
selves fully of its facilities. | 
The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the 
University of California has received an en- 
dowment of $200,000, the proceeds of which 
are to be used henceforth and exclusively 
for its maintenance. This sum was offered 
to the University by Miss Annie M, Alexan- 
der on December 5,'1919, and was accepted 
by the Regents for the purposes specified on 
December 9. Miss Alexander in this way in- 
sures the permanence of the scientific work 
which she started twelve years ago. West 
