TIIK COXDOR 
Vol. XIII 
,i() 
THE CONDOR 
j\n Illustrated Magazine 
of "Western OrnitKolog'y 
Published Bi-Monthly by the 
Cooper Ornithological Club 
JOSEPH GRINNELL, Editor. Berkeley. C8.lif. 
J. EVGENE LAW I _ . 
W. LEE CHAMBERS l Managers 
HARRY S. SWARTH | 
ROBERT B. ROCKWELL - Associakte Editors 
G. WILLETT I 
Hollywood, California: Published Jan. 15, 1911 
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KDITORIAL NOTES AND NIAVS 
In the vote regarilitig simplified spelling, 107 
Cooper Clnh meiiihers exjtressed their opinion 
distinctly one wa}’ or the other. There were 44 
votes /'or the continited nse of siiniilifieil spell- 
ing in onr magazine and 0,1 votes against it. 
I'hns the Editor was disappointed in his cher- 
ished hope. He has become convinced that 
people are innately a\-erse to an abrupt change 
even when admittedly to a considerable degree 
Iteneficial in its hearings. Jnst as with .song- 
sparrows and chipmunks, modifications, in 
adjustment to changing environment, are 
matters of slow and gradual transition. As 
with these animals, too, \’ariations are more 
extreme and rapid on the frontier of invasion. 
The species becomes plastic under stress of 
new conditions. The vote in the West alone 
gives a inajorit}’ /h;' .siui]ilified spelling. 
We are informed that IMr. Wilfred II. ( l.sgood, 
with Air. Stanley (h Jewett as assistant, is 
about to leave for South America where zoologi- 
cal field work is to he carried on in the Andes 
Alountains in Venezuela and Colombia. This 
expedition is sent out under the auspices of the 
hheld Aluseuni of Natural History, Chicago. 
The Northern Division of the Cooper Club 
has settled upon the third Saturda3- evening of 
each month as a regular time of meeting. 
I tistant members who happen to visit the vSan 
Erancisco hay region should remember this, 
and also that until further notice meetings are 
held in the research room of the Aluseum of 
A’ertebrate Zoology, Berkele}'. 
Austin Paul Smith has established hiimself at 
Orizaba, Alexico, for a period of field work 
with the birds of that region. 
Denver newspapers report that great num- 
bers of wihl ducks have died in the hear River 
district of rtah. There is apparently some 
epidemic resembling the roup of chickens, 
which is afflicting the water fowl to such an 
extent that gunners are leax’ing them alone, 
not finding it enjoyable to shoot or eat sick 
birds. 
Students of California ornithologj’ will be in- 
terested to know that there are at present .52.h 
species of birds definitel}- recorded from within 
the limits of the State of California. Of these, 
Ih.l are water Ihrds and ,Sf>2 land birds. 
We are pleased to announce that Air. W. L. 
Daw.son has come south with carefull}- elabo- 
rated plans for the preparation of a sumptuous 
and exhaustive work upon the Birds of Califor- 
nia. Air. Dawson brings to his proposed task 
a uniiiue eciuipment. Endowed with excellent 
taste, and skilled in photographj-, he is ahso 
.schooled in busine.ss methods and does his own 
“managing.” He writes with great acceptance 
and his knowledge of the scientific framework 
of his profession is beyond that of most “popu- 
lar” writers. While he is not a “nati\ e son”, 
he is thoroughh' imbued with the western 
spirit; and his experience of fifteen years in 
the .State of Washington gi\'es him a great 
leverage in the read}' understanding of the 
birds of California. Aloreover, his very ahilit}’ 
to look at the local conditions with fresh e^-es 
will he a positive advantage in the exposition 
of our bird life, when to it is added the experi- 
ence of older workers who long ago ceased to 
wonder. A keen ej’e, a read}- pen, a sparkling 
stvle, coujiled with a conscientious stri\'ing for 
accurac}' of statement, and, above all, a sense 
of what the public needs, make our friend from 
Washington singularly well fitted to lead iu an 
enterprise such as the one contemplated. 
Air. Dawson comes frankly asking the help 
of the members of the Cooper ( irnithological 
Club. His task would he difficult of accom- 
plishment alone. He must, in the nature of 
the case, he large!}' dependent upon the ac- 
cumulated results of the labor of others, both 
published and unpublished. And since even 
this is insufficient, as yet, as we all know, he is 
especially desirous of enlisting the friendly 
services of as many other bird students as pos- 
sible in a fi\'e year campaign of cooperative 
observation. Air. Dawson will himself spend 
the best part of the next five years afield with 
his cameras and a trained assistant, visiting 
out-of-the-way places, as well as the better 
known bird-haunts, in cpiest of material for the 
new hook. In this way he will he able to 
familiarize himself with the ground .so as to 
edit the work of others intelligently, as well as 
to make some original contribution to our 
knowledge of the birds of California. 
'I'here can be no question of our need for just 
