Nov., 1909 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
209 
THE CONDOR 
An Illustrated Magazine 
of Western Ornithology 
Publish* Bi-Monthly by the Cooper Ornithologi- 
cal Club of California.. 
JOSEPH GR1NNELL, Editor. - Berkeley, Cal. 
J. EUGENE LAW, Business Manager, Hollywood, Cal. 
W. LEE CHAMBERS, Business Manager, Santa 
Monica, Cal. 
WILLIAM L. FINLEY \ . . _ 
ROBERT B. ROCKWELL j Assoc e Ed,lors 
Hollywood, California: Publisht Nov. 20, 1909 
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EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
Next thing in value to precise locality in the 
record of the occurrence of an animal, is the 
statement of the exact date of the observation. 
A perusal of some recent bird lists shows evi- 
dence of carelessness or laziness on the part of 
the respective authors not consistent with the 
scientific tone otherwise assumed. We regret 
the opportunity to point to a particularly viru- 
lent case in the present issue of this magazine, 
where a rare bird is recorded as secured in 
“December, 1908.” The record would have 
been of decidedly more use, and would have 
imprest the reader as having been better con- 
sidered by the author, if the day of the month 
had been included. 
It may now be announced authoritatively 
that the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the 
University of California has adopted a commend- 
ably broad policy as regards the use of its 
research collections. Material of any sort — 
birds, mammals, reptiles — will be loaned to 
any responsible investigator anywhere, provid- 
ing, of course, that there be no conflict in in- 
terests; that is, if a certain group has already 
been selected by someone for study, it is not to 
be expected that the material in question be 
called in for transference to the later appli- 
cant. But the possibility of such trouble is 
remote. The feature to be emphasized is that 
the new Museum is not a cold-storage concern, 
but that it proposes to render its collections of 
widest possible use. No restrictions are im- 
posed, save that the borrower is expected to 
pay transportation charges, and to exercise 
reasonable care in the proper preservation of 
the specimens while in his keeping. The 
National Museum, as well as certain others of 
the foremost eastern institutions, has consist- 
ently pursued this generous policy, certainly 
without injuring either their standing or, to 
any material extent, their collections. 
We are very glad indeed to receive direct 
information to the effect that there is to be a 
new edition of Ridgway’s “Nomenclature of 
Colors” and this right soon. Attention is 
called to the letter publisht beyond under 
“Correspondence” in which Mr. Ridgway an- 
nounces the scope of the work. T o the systematic 
student of almost any group of animals, such a 
manual is of inestimable value; and we will all 
have Mr. Ridgway to thank for providing that 
which we have begun to need so pressingly. 
Mr. Malcolm P. Anderson has again gone to 
the Orient to collect mammals for the British 
Museum. He is accompanied by an assistant 
and is now on his way into Central and 
Western China. His work will ultimately 
take him into Tibet. 
Mr. Harry S. Swarth returned home on 
October 8 from an absence of over six months’ 
duration occupied in exploring the islands of 
Alaska between Juneau and Dixon Entrance. 
His collections of birds and mammals were 
obtained for the California Museum of Verte- 
brate Zoology, in which institution Mr. Swarth 
is Assistant Curator. This material will be 
workt up by him during the winter, and will 
form the basis of a special report on the ani- 
mals of southeastern Alaska. 
We wish to forcibly remind subscribers to 
this magazine that, under the new postal regu- 
lations, we are compelled to stop sending out 
copies as soon as subscriptions have become 
delinquent. Therefore, if it is wisht to avoid 
any break in the receipt of The Condor, dues 
should be paid up promptly. 
PUB LI C ATI ONS REV I E WED 
Biological Investigations in Alaska 
and Yukon Territory. By Wilfred H. 
Osgood. (—North American Fauna No. 30, 
Washington, October, 1909, pp. 1-96, 2 figs., 
plates I-V. ) 
The three separate reports comprising the 
paper deal with neighboring localities on the 
upper Yukon River, one in Alaska, the other 
two in Yukon Territory, Canada. Carefully 
detailed accounts are given of the physiography 
and flora of the various regions, while the bulk 
of the paper is devoted to annotated lists of the 
mammals and birds met with during the sum- 
mers of 1903 and 1904. The greatest interest 
attaches to the accounts of the “big game” of 
the region, their habits, manner of occurrence, 
etc., being given in the greatest detail; in 
fact, more attention is paid to this portion of 
