.May, 1912 
liniTORIAI, NOTES AND NK\V,S 
109 
THE CONDOR 
A Magazine of 
Western OrnitKolog'y 
Published Bi-Monthly by the 
Cooper Ornithological Club 
J. GRINNELL. Editor, Berkeley. California 
HARRY S. SWARTH. Associate Editor 
J. EVGENE LAW 
W. LEE CHAMBEKS 
Business Managers 
Hollywood, California: Publisliid lay 15, 1912 
SUBSCRIPTION RATES 
One Dollar and Fifty Cents per Year in the United States, 
Canada, Mexico and U.S. Colonies, payable in advance 
Thirty Cents the single copy. 
One Dollar and Seventy-five Cents per Year in all other 
countries in the International Postal Union. 
Claims for niissiiig or imperfect numbers should be 
made within thirty days of date of issue. 
Subscriptions and Exchanges should be sent to the 
Business Manager. 
Macnuscripts for publication, and Books and PaLpers 
for review, should be sent to the Editor. 
Advertising Rates on application. 
‘'Monograph of the Broad-winged Hawk” 
feeLs that a few points, which he cites, could 
have been made more clear and explicit. In 
justice to my work. 1 would state that the 
evidence presented under the head of “Local 
Distribution” gave me no choice other than 
the restriction of the summer range of Butco 
platyptcnis platyptcnis "south to Florida and 
Central Texas.” Though Zeledon briefly 
states that it “breeds” in Costa Rica, and 1 
have faithfully transcribed the comparative 
description anil position of the nest in Central 
America according to Salvin and Godnian, 1 
can find no specific record of its breeding, or 
the capture of the bird in the breeding season, 
south of the line given. 
Sometime before I had decided to insert a 
name for the small, dark Cuban bird, with the 
heavily handed thighs and wing lining, the 
entire manuscript was ready for publication, 
too late to upset the entire plan of the work. 
Also, I feel, that I. a humble amateur, was not 
sufficiently impressed with the importance of 
a mere form. The Rayote specimen described 
on pp. 147-148. is of course the type of Butco 
platyptcnis cubaiicusis. 
Yours truly, 
Fr.vnk L. Burns. 
PUBLTCATTOXS REVIEWED 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
Avifauna number 7 is in galley proof, and 
with fair luck should be off the press ready 
for distrilnition to Cooper Club members by 
August first. The subject of this paper is 
"The Birds of the Pacific Slope of Southern 
California.” It consists of concise statements 
of seasonal and geographical distribution, 
nesting time and manner of nidification. 
Mr. W. Leon Dawson is in the field in San 
Luis Obispo County, doubtless successful in 
securing photographic studies of certain 
Raptores necessary to the completeness of his 
"Birds of California.” 
The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the 
University of California is represented in field 
exploration this year as follows : Mr. H. S. 
Swarth and Mr. H. A. Carr are at work in 
Owens Valley, with base' stations at Lone 
Pine, Keeler and Independence, successively. 
Mr. W. P. Taylor and Mr. F. H. Holden (to 
be succeeded later by Mr. T. I. Storer) are 
tracing out the distribution of certain rodents 
in tlie Sacramento Valley. Mr. J. Grinnell, 
in company with Mr. J. S. Hunter, an agent 
of the State Fish and Game Commission, is 
investigating the status of game animals in 
the mountainous region of Santa Barbara, 
Ventura, and Kern counties. All this season's 
work is thus within the State of California. 
COMMUNICATION 
EniTOR OF The Condor; 
Mr. H. S. Swarth in his review of my 
The Home-life j of | the Osi-rey | Pho- 
tographed and described | by j Clinton G. 
Abbott, B. A. ' .Associate of the American 
Ornithologists’ Union | with some photo- 
graphs b\f Howard H. Cleaves, Associate 
of I the American Ornithologists’ Union. ! 
With thirty-two jMounted Plates ] London | 
Witherbv '& .Co., 326 High Holborn W. C. 
I AICM.NI. Large 8vo, cloth, pp. 1-54, pis. 
1-32. In .America to he bought for $2 at 
Bretano’s, 229 B'ifth Ave., New York City. 
This treatment of a single bird species is, 
in the recollection and judgment of the re- 
viewer, among the most faithful, as well as 
comprehensive, that has ever appeared. The 
text is admirably composed, from both a lit - 
erary standpoint and that of ornithological 
veracity. An element of conciseness is appar- 
ent which accounts for a compass of fifty- 
four pages, wlierc a modern “nature-writer” 
might liave made two hundred. 
No less fascinating than the text are the 
first-quality illustrations, selected each to show 
some particular feature of behavior of the 
birds, or construction of their nests. These 
photographs demonstrate a very close ac- 
quaintance on the part of the author with 
the subject of his essay. If proof were 
needed, this is alone sufficient to give the read- 
er confidence in all tlie details of the au- 
thor's narration of his experiences with the 
Osprey. 
It might be urged that the Osprey, in the 
haunts where Mr. Ahliott’s studies were car- 
ried on, was an easj^ subject, because the 
