7S 
TIIK CONDOR 
Voi. xrii 
OPEN LETTERS 
EXPANSION OF THE A. O. U. CHECK-LIST 
Editor The Condor: 
I always wondered why the American Orni- 
thologist's Union did not live np to its name 
and include in the first Check-List all the 
species of America, that is, North America as 
far as the Isthmns of Darien. Of course 1 re- 
alized that at the time the Mexican bonndar)' 
was a convenient division line, although 
merely an arbitrary one, because we fell over 
it into Lower California without mnch of any 
comment. 
In looking over the zone map in the new 
Check-List, we cannot but see how vividly the 
whole question presents itself. It is only a 
question of another decade when the very 
nature of events will demand that onr Check- 
List shall cover all of North America, and not 
merely a part of it. (3n the west, including Lower 
California as we do, we already parallel IMex- 
ico nearly half of its length. On the east 
Florida extends to about the 2.5th degree, and onr 
conntr}’ now has permanent possessions among 
the islands to the south. The Panama Canal 
Zone is permanently occupied and forms a nat- 
ural lionndar)- mnch more definitel}- than the 
Mexican line to the north. Ridgway, when he 
formnlated plans for his great work, must have 
seen the handwriting on the wall, for he in- 
cludes all this territor}-. As a forecast of what 
the future has in store, one has but to note the 
extensive work that is quietly going on to the 
south of us. The National IMusenm, through 
Nelson and others, has covered an immense 
section. The Field Museum, through Dear- 
born and Ferry, has invaded Costa Rica and 
many of the islands. The American IMusenm 
of Natural History is also in the field, as are 
an immense number of private collectors. Now 
onr government has already taken steps to 
cover the Canal Zone completely; and this is 
only the start! 
A decade or two ago the American Ornithol- 
ogist's Lhiion was a pretty small band, with a 
big proposition, spread out as far as the Pacific, 
before it. Instead of being satisfied with local 
growth, as many societies might have been, 
this same A. O. U. quickly grasped its oppor- 
tunity and spread during this period until it is 
powerfully entrenched in every state of the 
Pmion. A more loyal group of ornithologists 
does not exist in the world! It makes one feel 
that this prompt response to conditions as 
they arise, will cause the men who have so 
.safely guided the A. ( ). Ik in the past to meet 
the conditions which are so rapidlj' shaping 
for a still further expansion when the next 
Check-List is published ten years hence. By 
that time most of the states will have published 
state lists each giving the status of every spe- 
cies within its boundaries; but a much more 
comprehensive understanding can be had of 
our migratory birds, if the territory of the 
Check-List include everything north of the 
natural division at and including the Canal 
Zone. 
What do C. ( ). C. members think of the 
proposition as a whole? You know the west 
has made the A. ( >. U. sit up and look, more 
than once. Wh}’ can’t we start something 
going along these lines? Of course I haven’t 
brought the facts together properly or fully; 
but merely touched here and there. I feel, 
however, that we are fast approaching a point 
where we can begin to agitate, and within a 
few years, at most, the whole thing will loom 
np as a necessity apparent to all. 
Frank S. Daggett 
Chicago, January 5, 1911 
personal, to cooper club members: 
In accepting the responsibility imposed up- 
on me by the favorable action of the Cooper 
Club in endorsing my proposal for a cooperat- 
ive work upon The Birds of California, I do so 
in full confidence that the members of the 
Club will really cooperate. Indeed, our very 
name pledges us to Cooper?A\o\\. While it is 
true that any leader receives a large amount 
(often an undue one) of credit for any success- 
ful enterprise, it is still more true that all who 
help have a right to say '"ive did it." That is 
just what I should wish for “The Birds of 
California.’’ 
If, then, you ask me how you may help, I 
say: F'irst, by publishing in The Condor 
those interesting notes you have meant all 
along to send in sometime. Practically every 
observer has or has had unique opportunities 
in the case of several species. Let us hear 
about these soon, so that the results may be 
available for assimilation in “The Birds of 
California. ’’ 
Then, too, being a bit of a stranger, and 
having to make the most of five all too brief 
seasons, I shall appreciate any personal guid- 
ance afield which you may care to offer. I 
shall be especially glad to hear of any unusual 
photographic opportunities, whether of nest- 
ing or flocking birds. Please be patient here. 
I cannot always rush across the state to photo- 
graph a single nest, even though it be a rare one. 
But if your opportunities “stack up’’ at a fav- 
orable time, or if you are able to mark down 
something good for another season, it would 
be a great courtesy to advise me. 
Those of you who use the camera are sure to 
have some choice numbers which ought to 
appear in “The Birds of California.’’ Don’t 
be bashful. It’s your book. On the other 
hand, if someone else sends in something bet- 
ter for final selection, we know that j'ou won’t 
feel hurt that we cannot use all of your mate- 
rial. We shall all want our book to be the 
best possible, whoever gets credit for it. 
Of course you will let me put the business 
side of the enterprise up to you at the earliest 
