122 
THE CONDOR 
I Vol. IV 
THE CONDOR. 
Bulletin of the 
Cooper Ornithological Club 
OF CALIFORNIA. 
Published bi-niouthlj' at Santa Clara, Cal., in the interests 
and as Official Organ of the Club. 
CHESTER BARLOW, - - Santa Clara, Cal., 
Editor and Business Manager. 
WALTER K. FISHER, Stanford University Cal. 
HOWARD ROBERTSON, Box 55, Sta. A.. Los Angeles. 
Associates. 
Subscription, (in advance) - - One Dollar a Year. 
Single Copies, 25 Cents. 
Six Copies or more of one issue, - 12]4 Cents Each. 
Foreign Subscription, Si. 25. 
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 Sept. 15. 
EDITORIAL. 
Pacific Coast Avifauna No. j, consisting of 
‘A Check-list of California Birds’ by Joseph 
Grinnell, was mailed to paid-up active Club 
members on July 17. Delinquent members 
may secure the checklist by remitting their 
dues for 1902. 
Without considering the weighty questions 
of syiionvmy, nomenclature and the like, the 
present checklist must prove abundantly useful 
to those whose labors are cast in Californian 
fields. Perhaps the amateur ornithologist will 
experience his chief delight in the realization 
that he can ‘place’ the song sparrow or towhee 
of his localitv w'ith some degree of accuracy — 
granting that the claims for the existence of all 
the recognized subspecies are valid — and we 
believe thev have been thoroughly worked out 
bv the author of the checklist. 
To those who occasionallv delve into the 
earlier publications on California birds, Mr. 
Grinnell ’s synonymy will prove exceedingly 
useful in locating a bird under its old name. 
Considering the aid unquestionably rendered 
the amateur by this list, it behooves Califor- 
nian workers to adopt it for future work. Such 
action would cast no odium on the standard 
American checklist; it is question of utility and 
to the average Californian the Club checklist 
offers the best handle by which to grasp the all- 
important que.stion of distribution. 
Mr. Grinnell’s effort is therefore of distinctly 
great assi.stance to Californians. In justice to 
its author we may state that the entire proof of 
the checklist was read and the work seen 
through the press by Mr. Grinnell in person. 
In our last issue we had occasion to refer to a 
mis-labeled Condor illustration which had ap- 
peared in Amei'icati Ornithology. We have 
received a communication from Mr. H. T. 
Bohlman, of Portland, Oregon, owner of the 
jihotograph, in which he states that a series of 
prints had been sent Mr. Reed with instruc- 
tions not to publish them without further ar- 
rangement. It is further represented that Mr. 
Reed lacked an illustration to accompany an 
article on the purple grackle and that the print 
of a group of young Brewer blackbirds was 
used to ffll the void, the title being conven- 
iently changed. 
Club members and subscribers are requested 
to promptly notify this office of change of ad- 
dress. vSuch changes are promptly and cheer- 
full}! noted, but we can assume no responsibil- 
ity for supplying back numbers where such no- 
tice is not given. 
COMMUNICATIONS. 
To THE Editor; 
With vour permission I wish to sav a word 
to the readers of The Condor and especially 
to those who are citizens of, as well as ornithol- 
ogists in the states of California, Oregon, Nev- 
ada and Utah. 
Mr. Bailey in the last paragraph of his article 
“Lhiprotected Breeding Grounds” in the May- 
June number of The Condor, sounds a note of 
warning in regard to certain of the marsh and 
water birds, but especially of the grebes; his 
statement that thousands of grebe skins are 
shipped from one lake alone can be verified by 
a visit during^-the winter months to any of the 
great cities of the north and east where anj^one 
can see large numbers of muffs and shoulder 
capes made entire!}- -of grebe skins, and other 
garments, as well as bonnets trimmed with 
them. The writer has counted as many as 
thirteen grebe breasts in one shoulder cape. 
As the Chairman of the National Committee 
of Audubon Societies I appeal to the bird stu- 
dents of the four states in question to take this 
matter in hand at once and see that steps are 
taken to have good bird laws passed at the next 
sessions (1903') of the legislatures of the four 
states named. There is barely four months yet 
before the several legislatures will a.ssemble, 
which is only too short a period in which to 
create a sentiment in favor of bird protection 
and good bird legislation. If such legislation 
cannot be secured during the next sessions no 
other opportunity will be offered until 1905, 
and in the interval of two years untold damage 
to the birds of California, Oregon, Nevada and 
Utah will be done. 
Very truly yours, 
Wm. DuTcher, 
Chin. Nat’l. Com. And. Societies. 
New York City. June 10, 1902. 
