26 
THE CONDOR 
I Vol. IV 
THE CONDOR. 
Bulletin of the 
Cooper Ornithological Club 
OP CALIFORNIA. 
Published bi-monthly at Santa Clara, Cal., in the interests 
and as Official Organ of the Club. 
CHESTER B.CRLOW, - - Santa Clara, Cal., 
Editor and Business Manager. 
WALTER K. l-TSHER, Stanford University Cal. 
HOWARD ROBERTSON, Box 55, Sta. A., Los Angeles. 
Associates. 
Subscription, (in advance) - - One Dollar a Year. 
Single Copies, - -- -- -.23 Cents. 
Six Copies or more of one issue, - 12)4 Cents Each. 
Foreign Subscription, ,$1.23. 
Free to Honorary Members and to Active Members not 
in arrears for dues. 
Advertising rates will be sent on application. 
Advertisements and subscriptions should be sent to the 
Business Managers. 
Exchanges should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief. 
Entered at the Santa Clara Post-office as second class 
matter. 
This issue of The Condor was mailed Jan. 16. 
EDITORIAL 
Signs Working as it is for the interests 
of and advancement of Californian 
tlie ornithology, which is at present 
Times. prominently represented by the 
Cooper Ornithological Club, The Condor 
trusts it will be pardoned for confining its edi- 
torial reflections largely to various phases of 
the Club’s work, and again for perhaps stick- 
ing too closely to its text in this direction. 
The fact remains that the interests of a large 
Club membership must be served at all times, 
and these are as varied as they are important to 
the well-being of the organization. 
It appears, if we interpret the signs correctly, 
that there are scarely any latent ornithological 
forces in California, and that a very great per- 
centage of the active workers have been 
aroused and are now engaged in a general 
movement. Perhaps never before have so 
many individuals in the state been at work 
toward a general consolidation of interests as 
at the present time. 
The greater the force at work, the greater 
the general good which will result, and the 
closer these forces are united, the more potent 
will be the work accomplished. It would be 
hard to estimate in any sense the material re- 
sults of the work accomplished by the Club 
within the nine years of its existence, but be 
that as it may, we know that a substantial or- 
ganization has been perfected, that a large 
number of formerly inactive ornithologis's 
have been interested in the work, and that the 
Club while serving its purpose of concentrating 
the efforts of our older workers, offers also the 
best possible “training school’’ for the large 
number of ornithologists who rise up each 
year. Thus the intent and effects of the Club 
are progressive. 
Without reviewing its early history and sub- 
sequent progress, we may now believe that the 
Club has thrown about itself the safe-guards 
necessary to its permanent establishment. 
And yet it has reached only the beginning of 
its usefulness! In this connection we may 
very properly consider the recent action of the 
.American Ornithologists’ Union with reference 
to its revision of membership, since the matter 
presents several phases of especial interest to 
Californians. The retention of the limit of 50 
Fellows seems altogether a wise re-consideration 
of the question, since this number seems ample 
to dictate the affairs of the Union. It is grati- 
fying that of the five new Fellows elected, one 
representative was given California. 
The creation of the intermediate class known 
as Members should satisfy those who have de- 
manded the separation of the true amateur or- 
nithologists from those who have but a nomi- 
nal, ‘ popular’’ interest in the study. While 
Members have no voice in the affairs of the 
Union, the creation of this class seems a step 
nearer the solution of the vexed problem of 
membership. Of a possible 75, but 55 Mem- 
bers were elected, leaving 20 vacancies to be 
filled at future sessions. Of the 55 elected, the 
District of Columbia was allotted ii, California 
came second with 9, Massachusetts third with 
8, New York 6, Pennsylvania, 5, Connecticut, 
3, and thirteen other states and territories one 
each. This action may be regarded as a sub- 
stantial endorsement of the activity amongst 
Californian workers, and in the creation of 
this condition the Club has been largely in- 
strumental. 
We have deemed it advisable to mention the 
adoption of three editorial rules which are con- 
sidered to contribute to uniformity and the 
better make-up of this magazine. All three 
refer to the names of animals or plants that 
may be published herein. 
I. Hereafter the possessive s will be omitted 
in all cases where it is now used in common 
names of animals and plants, unless a contrib- 
utor expressly requests the retention of such 
possessive. This is by no means an innovation 
in The Condor, as it was introduced over a 
year ago, and several authors have since volun- 
tarily adopted this form. The reason why 
Clarke's crow is best written Clarke crow 
been discussed elsewhere in this journal [Con- 
dor III, 2, p. 51], but suffice it to say here 
that the personal name is given in the sense 
of a dedication, no particular ownership being 
