July, 1909 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
141 
E. R. Warren is occupied with an all-summer 
collecting trip thru central Colorado. He 
reports that his “bird list is growing rapidly. ” 
At the April Northern Division meeting the 
eggs of the White-throated Swift described in 
the May number of this magazine were ex- 
hibited, and proved a novelty to most of those 
present. This is probably one of the rarest 
of Californian bird’s eggs. Altho the birds 
themselves are in many places abundant, the 
difficulty of access to their nests has usually 
prevented even a glimpse at the eggs. The set 
in question, obtained by W. C. Hanna, has 
been generously added by him to the collection 
of the State Museum of Vertebrate Zoolog}'. 
Owing to ill health, Mr. h'rank Stephens has 
been compelled to withdraw from field-work, 
and is again at his home in San Diego. His 
work up to the end of June was on the edge of 
the Colorado Desert and in the Salton Sea dis- 
trict. 
We wish to call special attention to Mrs. 
Meyers’ article in this issue on the nesting 
habits of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow. This 
is an admirable example of a type of work 
which it is possible to undertake without 
recourse to a collection or library. Biographi- 
cal accounts of this kind are still lacking in the 
literature of many of even our commoner birds, 
such as the Lazuli Bunting, Black I’hoebe, 
Western Kingbird, etc. 
l'lie Lhiiversity of California Summer Session 
is more largely attended this year than for 
several years previously. In the course in the 
Birds, Mammals, and Reptiles of California, as 
outlined in the news columns of our last issue, 
there are twenty-two students. The study of 
birds in the field is exciting particular interest; 
altho it is not a part of the prescribed work 
outside time is freely appropriated for frequent 
class trips. 
There is an increasing need for a convenient 
manual of colors, something after the plan of 
Ridgway’s “Nomenclature of Colors,’’ but 
more extended. The latter work is long out of 
print; our own copy, for example, has been put 
to such good use that it is becoming sadly 
dilapidated; and there is a fear that some of 
the colors have faded. Of course the demand 
for such a work is limited, and its publication 
could be expected only from some public 
institution able to stand the heavy cost. Here 
is an opportunity for some one properly situ- 
ated to do systematic naturalists an invaluable 
service. 
Mr. R. H. Beck who for the past year has 
been engaged in securing series of water birds 
in the San Joaquin Valley for the California 
Academy of Sciences, is now contemplating a 
a visit to the Hawaiian Islands for the purpose 
of collecting pelagic birds for the same institu- 
tion. 
CORRESPONDENCE 
Editor The Condor; 
There are two matters about which I wish to 
call the attention of those interested in bird 
protection. The first is, that the opening of the 
quail season is far too early in the high Sierras. 
Previous to September 1st, in the vicinity of 
Lake Tahoe, I took many tramps thru the 
mountains studying the birds and their habits. 
Just a day or so before September 1st I noted 
dozens of pairs of Mountain Ouail with small 
young which had jus t emerged from the egg. 
No doubt a few also were still sitting on eggs. 
Vet two days taler the season opened , and 
sportsmen from Tallac and other resorts, and 
also many hunters from the ranches about, were 
hunting in this very region, viz, Star Lake 
Canyon, the elevation of which is but little 
more than that of Lake Valley, which is 6220 
feet. 
Grouse, while they breed earlier than the 
quail in this region, are not always fully grown 
by September 1st either, as I observed juve- 
niles at Mountain Meadows, elevation about 
7500 feet, on August 24th. I feel that what is 
true concerning this region applies to the 
entire length of the Sierras, and as these birds 
are principally found only in the higher 
ranges I think for their protection, and for the 
ultimate benefit of the sportsman as well, the 
season for Mountain Ouail should begin 
October 1st, and for Grouse, September 15th. I 
have always been puzzled to know why the 
season for these birds opens so much earlier 
than that of the Valley Ouail which breeds con- 
siderably earlier than they do. 
My experience has led me to believe that 
dogs on the Farallone Islands do more injury 
to the bird colonies there than any other 
agency. As other visitors to the islands have 
reached the same conclusion it seems that 
something should be done to have a law framed 
prohibiting any one with dogs landing on the 
island and prohibiting the keeping of any dogs 
or cats by those residing on the island. As 
they are all government employes it seems to 
me it would not be a very delicate matter. It 
may even be that at the present time no dogs 
are kept there, but most people going to the 
islands have found one or more. During my 
visit the dog kept by Keeper Kineen did 
untold damage to the colonies of almost every 
