Mar., 1916 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
87 
THE CONDOR 
A Magazine of 
"Western Ornithology 
Published Bi-Monthly by the 
Cooper Ornithological Club 
J. GRINNELL, Editor 
HARRY S. SWARTH, Associate Editor 
J. EUGENE LAW 1 _ . 
W. LEE CHAMBERS f BuStne “ 
Hollywood, California: Published Mar. 30, 1916 
SUBSCRIPTION RATES 
One Dollar and Fifty Cents per Year in the United 
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Thirty Cents the single copy. 
One Dollar and Seventy-five Cents per Year in all 
other countries in the International Postal Union. 
COOPER CLUB DUES 
Two Dollars per year for members residing in the 
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Two Dollars and Twenty-five Cents in all other 
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Manuscripts for publication, and Books and Papers for 
Review, should be sent to the Editor, J. Grinnell, 
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of Cali- 
fornia, Berkeley, California. 
Claims for missing or imperfect numbers should be made 
of the Business Manager, as addressed below, within 
thirty days of date of issue. 
Cooper Club Dues, Subscriptions to The Condor, and 
Exchanges, should be sent to the Business Manager. 
Advertising Rates on application to the Business 
Manager. 
Address W. Lee Chambers, Business Manager, 
Eagle Rock, Los Angeles County, California. 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
We believe our readers will find the an- 
nouncement of Mr. Dawson’s new museum 
project of especial interest not only be- 
cause of friendship for Mr. Dawson 
himself and sympathy with any undertaking 
he may inaugurate, but because of the 
many poignant suggestions he makes as to 
the intrinsic value of careful study of birds’ 
eggs and nests. We heartily agree with Mr. 
Dawson in his vigorous defense of the sci- 
entific value of the groundwork in oology 
upon which important research may be 
based. There is no doubt whatsoever but 
that the study of birds’ eggs may be made 
to yield very much larger returns than any 
that have so far been secured. 
An institution of the sort projected by Mr. 
Dawson, with rigid adherence to the highest 
standards of scientific accuracy in both 
field work and curatorial methods, could 
not fail to be a wonderfully effective instru- 
ment in the development of American or- 
nithology. Doubtless all Cooper Club mem- 
bers will join us in extending well wishes 
for the successful accomplishment of the 
undertaking. 
The annual Cooper Club Business Mana- 
gers’ report for 1915 as recently presented 
to the Club divisions by Messrs. Chambers 
and Law shows a very gratifying condition 
of finances. The total receipts for the 
year amounted to $1581.43, from the follow- 
ing sources: Dues $894.85; Condor subscrip- 
tions $186.08; advertising $22.96; sale of 
back Condors $57.54; sale of Avifaunas 
$205.00; life memberships $215.00. Ex- 
penditures were as follows: Printing of 
Condor $618.53; half-tone cuts $127.38; pay- 
ments on Avifauna account $631.39; Editor- 
ial expenses $17.50; Managerial expenses 
$255.80; Division expenses $56.61; purchase 
of back numbers of Condor $8.00. On Jan- 
uary 2, 1915, cash in bank was $221.86; on 
January 1, 1916, $88.08. As usual at all 
times there are some bills due to be paid 
on both Avifauna and Condor accounts, not 
more in amount, however, than the Mana- 
gers consider wholly proper. The publica- 
tion of Avifaunas is considered to be in the 
nature of an investment upon which 
through sales at least five per cent per an- 
num may be confidently expected. 
The Condor for 1915 contained 252 pages 
and 78 illustrations, and 1100 copies of each 
issue were printed. Pacific Coast Avifauna 
No. 11 was issued in October, with 217 
pages and three maps, and the edition was 
1500. The Club’s membership on January 1, 
1916, numbered 561. 
We have before us the February, 1916, 
number of Bird-Lore. In perusing the “Six- 
teenth Christmas Census,” which occupies 
a large share of this issue, we are led to 
offer the following comments. These com- 
ments are based primarily upon those cen- 
suses emanating from California, with 
which area we happen to be best acquaint- 
ed. In scrutinizing certain of these, we 
cannot help but seriously doubt the identi- 
fications alleged in quite a number of in- 
stances; and the question arises as to the 
real function of the type of census here put 
on published record. Do they constitute de- 
pendable records of species, which can be 
drawn from in studies of geographic distri- 
bution and migration? Or are they merely 
the informal output of amateurs, to be con- 
sidered only as of passing interest, as a sort 
of incitant to popular activity in bird 
study? 
Undoubtedly, on the latter score, the ap- 
pearance in print of neighborhood bird lists 
has a stimulating effect; people like the 
competitive idea. If this is all that is in- 
tended, well and good; and let it be under- 
stood that the censuses are not subject to 
inclusion in ornithological bibliographies, 
and are not to be cited in any part as dis- 
tributional evidence. 
But shall we thus, from the scientific 
standpoint, condemn altogether the 
census idea as exemplified in Bird-Lore's 
sixteenth exhibit? Is it not possible to com- 
