104 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XVII 
We learn through Dr. C. W. Richmond 
that Mr. Ridgway is nearly finished with 
the Parrots, which, with the Cuckoos and 
Pigeons, will comprise Part VII of his 
Birds of North and Middle America. The 
Cuckoos are already in page proof, so that 
the next volume is well under way. 
A special meeting of the Southern Divi- 
sion was called at the Museum of History, 
Science and Art, Los Angeles, Friday even- 
ing, January 22, 1915. Fifty-two members 
and visitors were in attendance. No busi- 
ness was transacted, the purpose of the 
meeting being to hear a talk by a fellow 
Club member, Mr. Joseph Dixon, dealing 
with his experiences on a recent trip in the 
far north. Mr. Dixon was a member of a 
party engaged in gathering natural history 
specimens on the coast of Alaska. They 
visited certain of the Aleutian Islands, 
crossed over to the Siberian shore for a 
short sojourn, and then east once more to 
the vicinity of Point Barrow. Here they 
were caught in the ice and forced to remain 
until the following summer, the whole trip 
covering a period of about a year and a half. 
Mr. Dixon exhibited an interesting series 
of lantern slides, from photographs taken by 
himself, illustrating the varying fortunes of 
the expedition, the character of the regions 
visited, and certain of the birds and mam- 
mals encountered. This lecture constituted 
one of the most entertaining programs that 
has been presented to the Southern Division 
in recent years. 
Two new numbers of the Cooper Club’s 
Avifauna series are promised for publica- 
tion in the not distant future. Both are in 
advanced stage of preparation as far as the 
authors are concerned. Number 11 will be 
“A Distributional List of the Birds of Cali- 
fornia”, by J. Grinnell, and will aim to be an 
up-to-date summary of the nature of occur- 
rence of the 539 species and subspecies of 
birds now authentically credited to the 
State. Avifauna number 12, by A. B. Howell, 
will treat of the “Birds of the Southern Cal- 
ifornia Coast Islands”. This paper will 
comprise practically everything that is 
known concerning its subject, not only dis- 
tributional status island by island, but ex- 
tended life-history narrative. The author’s 
personal knowledge of the avifauna of the 
islands will be reflected in a goodly pro- 
portion of original matter. 
The Business Managers’ report for 1914 
recently rendered makes interesting read- 
ing for those who like to watch the vigorous 
growth of the Cooper Ornithological Club. 
The membership of the Club at the close of 
1914 numbered 503, which is 64 more than 
in any previous year. The Condor for 1914 
contained 278 pages, being 26 pages more 
than for any preceding volume. Pacific 
Coast Avifauna number 10 was published 
during the year at a cost of $376.11. The 
edition of this, as also of The Condor, was 
1000. The full report, as compiled by W. 
Lee Chambers, goes into great detail; an 
abbreviated version is as follows: 
Dues received during 1914 $1011.67 
Subscriptions during 1914 227.70 
Advertisements 32.00 
Sale of Avifaunas 71.88 
Sale of back Condors 101.68 
Donations 65.00 
Refunds 5.61 
Total receipts $1515.54 
In bank January 2, 1914 648.36 
Total cash assets $2163.90 
Printing of Condor $ 975.18 
Engraver’s bills 219.28 
Expended on Avifauna account 437.29 
Editorial expenses 22.72 
Business Managers’ expenses 162.47 
Southern Division expenses 27.85 
Northern Division expenses 40.70 
Sundry expenses 56.55 
Total expenditures $1942.04 
In bank January 2, 1915 221.86 
$2163.90 
COMMUNICATION 
A NATIONAL BIRD CENSUS 
Editor, The Condor: 
A preliminary census of the birds of the 
United States was undertaken by the 
Bureau of Biological Survey during the 
spring of 1914. The results were so en- 
couraging that the work is to be repeated 
during the spring of 1915 on a larger scale, 
and will probably be repeated yearly there- 
after in order to obtain permanent records 
showing the fluctuations in the bird popula- 
tion of the United States. Observers are 
particularly desired in the West and South 
and it is hoped that the readers of The 
Condor will be able to render valuable as- 
sistance in the campaign for the coming 
season. Anyone familiar with the birds 
nesting in his neighborhood can help, more 
particularly as only about the equivalent of 
one day’s work is needed. 
The general plan is to select an area con- 
taining not less than 40 nor more than 80 
acres that fairly represents the average con- 
ditions of the district with reference to the 
proportions of plowed land, meadowland, 
and woods, and go over this selected area 
early in the morning during the height of 
the nesting season and count the singing 
males, each male being considered to repre- 
sent a nesting pair. In the latitude of 
Washington, D. C., the best time is the last 
week in May; in the South the counting 
should be done earlier; while in New Eng- 
land and the northern part of the Misssippi 
Valley about June 10 is the proper time. 
The morning count should be supplemented 
by visits on other days to make sure that all 
the birds previously noted are actually nest- 
ing within the prescribed area and that no 
species has been overlooked. 
Readers of Tile Condor and others who 
are willing to volunteer for this work are 
