Mar., 1909 
FROM FIELD AND STUDY 
67 
The atmospheric dryness mikes the feathers more brittle and hence hastens the disintegration 
process resulting from attrition. The more intense and long-continued sunlight bleaches the 
colors at a greater rate. 
The moral again, repeated here for the sake of emphasis, is that the true color characters of 
birds must be sought in freshly acquired plumages, and not in the “breeding dress” (often in a 
dilapidated condition) as has been so universally insisted upon. 
The above contention that oberholseri is not after all a phylogenetic race, is not at all an 
argument against the recognition of minute differences in nomenclature, as would apparently be 
urged by Linton (cf. Condor N, July 1908, p. 181; and Kaeding, idem, XI, January 1909, p. 32) , 
but rather points toward the need for greater care in discriminating subspecies. — J. Grinned, 
University of California , Berkeley , California. 
The Early Western Surveys. — In Mr. Rockwell’s interesting paper on “The History of 
Colorado Ornithology,” in the January -February number of The Condor there are several erro- 
neous citations, which, coupled with a number of similar errors recently appearing in scientific 
publications, lead to the belief that a general account of several of the western surveys and their 
publications may be timely. For those who are familiar with the publications referred to, cita- 
tions are not necessary, and if the references are not correct they are worse than useless to those 
for whom they are intended. 
In the paper just referred to, Coues’ “Birds of the Northwest” is attributed to the Bulletins 
of the United States Geological Survey, instead of to the Miscellaneous publications of the 
“Hayden Survey” of the Territories; and Henshaw’s reports are attributed to the same survey, 
instead of to the “Wheeler Survey” of the region west of the one hundredth meridian. Ridg- 
way’s report on the Maxwell collection was first publisht, so far as I am able to learn, in 1879, in 
Mary Dartt’s (now Mrs. Thompson) “On the Plains and Among the Peaks,” instead of in 1877 
as Mr. Rockwell has it Afterward, according to Professor Cooke, it appeared in 1887 in “Field 
and Forest, ” a publication not now accessible to me. Either Mr. Rockwell’s date is an error or 
both Professor Cooke and I have overlooked the earlier publication. However, that is of minor 
importance. The important item is the confusion of entirely distinct surveys. 
The United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, under Dr. F. V. 
Hayden, began operations in 1867 and ceased field work in 1878, tho some of its publications did 
not appear until several years later. Its principal publications are contained in four distinct 
series, numbered separately, i. e., Bulletins, Animal Reports, Monographs or Final Reports, and 
Miscellaneous Publications, in addition to some unclassified papers. 'Each series contains 
papers on both fossil and recent plants and animals, and should be carefully distinguish! to 
avoid misleading the reader who is not thoroly familiar with them. For instance, Coues’ 
“Birds of the Northwest” cannot be found in the Bulletin of the Hayden Survey, but is No. 3 of 
Miscellaneous Publications, and is not in the United States Geological Survey publications at all, 
altho on the title page the words “and Geographical” are omitted, the words “of the Terri to- 
tories, ” which at once distinguish it from the present survey, being retained. 
The United States Geographical [Explorations and] Surveys West of the One Hundredth 
Meridian (title varying somewhat on different publications), under Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler, was 
in the field from 1869 to 1884, its chief publications being Annual Reports, Maps, and seven large 
quarto Final Reports or Monographs, of which Vol. V is of most importance in the matter of 
recent zoology and contains Henshaw’s reports hereinbefore referred to. 
The United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, under Clarence King, 
was in the field from 1871 to 1878 inclusive, its chief publications being an Atlas, Annual Reports, 
and several large quarto Final Reports or Monographs, about half of Vol. IV being devoted to 
ornithology. 
The United States Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, 
under J. W. Powell, publisht quite a number of special volumes from 1877 to 1880, not numbered 
in a serial way, such as the “Geology of the Henry Mountains,” all of them being confined to 
geography in its limited sense, geology, paleontology and ethnology. The publications, to- 
gether with a number of reports by Powell before the organization of the Rocky Mountain Region 
Survey, are briefly referred to as the Powell Survey Reports. 
The foregoing were all western surveys, Hayden and Powell reporting to the Secretary of 
the Interior, Wheeler and King reporting to the Secretary of War, in accordance with the 
statutes under which they operated, and were entirely distinct surveys, tho their work to some 
extent over! apt. In 1879 the present United States Geological Survey, under the Interior De- 
partment, began operations; some of the other organizations at once, and all eventually ceasing 
field work. At the present time nearly all of the strictly geological and paleontological work of 
