May, 1909 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
105 
J. R. Pemberton and H. W. Carriger are 
spending the last two weeks of May looking 
into the ornis of the mountains back of Kings 
City. 
“Bird News” is tlietitleof a new bird journal 
edited by Dr. E. W. D’Evelyn from offices at 
717 Market .Street, San Francisco. Volume I, 
nos. 1 and 2, January-February and March- 
April, 1909, are at hand, and show many points 
of interest. As this is the first magazine 
to occupy its field (aviculture) in America, 
there seems no reason why it should not thrive 
apace. We wish it and its genial editor every 
success. Those of our readers interested in 
birds as pets should invest 75 cents in a year’s 
subscription to “Bird News.” 
The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the 
University of California is represented in the 
field by the following parties: Harry S. Swartli 
and Allen E. Hasselborg left Juneau, Alaska, 
on April 8, in a power boat with convenient 
equipment, to work the series of islands along 
the southeastern Alaskan coast between Fred- 
erick Sound and Dixon Entrance. Six months 
will be consumed in this trip, which is known 
as the 1909 Alexander Expedition. Frank 
Stephens and assistant left San Diego March 1, 
and are working in the Colorado Desert. Later 
they will travel by team slowly north into the 
southern San Joaquin country, where they will 
work until the last of October. Miss Annie M. 
Alexander, with Miss Louise Kellogg, Walter P. 
Taylor and Charles II. Richardson, has begun 
a three month’s investigation of the fauna of 
the Virgin Valley region of northern Nevada. 
This area is probably one of the least known 
parts of the West from a zoological standpoint, 
and collections of mammals, birds, and reptiles 
from there together with the accompanying 
field-notes are expected to furnish results of 
exceptional interest. 
President William L. Finley, of the Oregon 
Audubon Society, is active in securing, the 
enforcement of bird laws in his State. His 
latest coup is the seizure of a great quantity of 
aigrettes illegally in the possession of some 
nine millinery dealers of Portland. Arrests 
were also made, the outcome of which was at 
last accounts sure to be in favor of the bird- 
protectors. The particular point in view in 
the present instance is the stoppage of the 
destruction of the native Egrets of eastern 
Oregon, a most worthy cause. 
The following courses will be offered in the 
Summer Session of the University of Califor- 
nia, at Berkeley, June 21 to July 31, 1909: 
1. The Birds, Mammals, and Reptiles of 
California. 
A course designed to acquaint the student 
with our common terrestrial vertebrates, and 
thus of value to teachers of zoology and nature- 
study. How to identify birds, mammals, and 
reptiles; their habits and life-histories; bene- 
ficial and injurious species; the songs of birds; 
migration; geographical distribution and vari- 
ation as exhibited in the fauna of California; 
preservation of specimens, and the care and use 
of a school museum. Lectures, laboratory 
work, and field trips. 2 units. 
2. Systematic Ornithology. 
An examination and application of the 
methods of classification, as illustrated by the 
research collection of 23,000 birds; the signifi- 
cance of geographic variation and isolation in 
the processes of evolution; feather-structure, 
molt and abrasion; methodsof fieldwork; prep- 
aration of study skins; recording of field ob- 
servations; cataloging of a collection. Lec- 
tures, laboratory and field work. 1 unit, or 
more, according to the time the student can de- 
vote to the subject. 
The lectures are to be given by J. Grinnell 
in the Research Room of the Museum of 
Vertebrate Zoology. 
As a result of the April meeting of the A. O. 
U. Committee on Nomenclature, which cleaned 
up a large number of pending cases, the manu- 
script for the new Check-List is now practi- 
cally finisht. We have it from an authorita- 
tive source that there will be no further delay, 
and that the printing will begin very shortly 
Steps are being taken towards the found- 
ing of a new scientific organization with 
headquarters in San Francisco and to be 
known as the California Zoological Society. 
Its chief purpose will be the establishment at a 
generally accessible locality in the San Fran- 
cisco Bay region of a zoological park in which 
a representation of the animals of Western 
North America in particular may be maintained 
as nearly as possible under natural conditions. 
The following are some of the names identi- 
fied with the movement: J. C. Merriam, D. S. 
Jordan, W. E. Ritter, W. K. Fisher, J. Grin- 
nell, F. W. D’Evelyn, C. A. Vogelsang. 
Judging from galley-proofs we have been 
privileged to examine, R. C. McGregor's Man- 
ual of Philippine Birds will be an extremely 
creditable work. It is to be issued in two parts, 
the first part being now nearly ready to dis- 
tribute. The subject matter includes keys, 
synonymies, distributions and full descriptions 
of all known species of Philippine birds. 
Dr. W. K. Fisher will again this year con- 
duct his popular summer camp for boys near 
Lake Tahoe. The members go on pack-trips, 
fishing, deer hunting and mountain climbing, 
