176 
TIIE CONDOR 
Vol. XII 
THE CONDOR 
An Illustrated Magazine 
of Western Ornithology 
Publisht Bi-Monthly by the Cooper Ornitholo^i 
cal Club of California. 
JOSEPH GRINNELL. Editor. Berkeley. Cal. 
J. EUGENE LAW. Business Manager, Hollywood. Cal. 
W. LEE CHAMBERS, Business Manager, Santa 
Monica, Cal. 
HARRY S. SWARTH 
ROBERT B. ROCKWELL 
Associate Editors 
Hollywood, California: Publisht Sept. 20, 1910 
SUBSCRIPTION RATES 
One Dollar and Fifty Cents per Year in the United States, 
Mexico, and U. S. Colonies, payable in advance. 
Thirty Cents the single copy. 
One Dollar and Seventy-five Cents per Year in all other 
countries in the International Postal- Union . 
Claims for missing or imperfect numbers should be 
made within thirty days of date of issue 
Subscriptions and Exchanges should be sent to the 
Business Manager. 
Manuscripts for publication, and Books and Papers 
for review should be sent to the Editor. 
Advertizing Rates on application. 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
The Editor is in a quandary. Within the 
past three months he has been roundly scored 
by a few persistent conservatives for his em- 
ployment of simplified spelling- on the pages of 
The Condor. It is asserted that he is divert- 
ing the magazine for public exploitation of 
personal whims; that he is doing this con- 
trary to the wishes of the “great majority” of 
members of the Cooper Ornithological Clnb, 
to whom this magazine belongs; that simplified 
spelling is so offensive to “many” of onr read- 
ers as to render an otherwise pleasing magazine 
an actual eyesore (!); and finally that if he 
would only consult the wishes of his constitu- 
ents there is no dont but that he would be 
compelled to reinstate old-fashioned spelling. 
On the other hand it will be remembered 
that the present Editor has alredy put this 
very question to a vote of Cooper Club members 
(see vol. ix, 1907, pp. 61 and 112). By a vote 
of more than 2 to 1 lie was instructed to use 
simplified spelling! Eurthermore we have re- 
ceived quite as many letters of commendation 
for onr adoption of it as remonstrances against 
it. Our own personal feelings are strongly in 
favor of it; we are convinced that it is a sensi- 
ble reform in the direction of economy and 
consistency, and that its universal adoption is 
only a matter of time. Why not he a little 
ahead of the trend of improvement, contribut- 
ing to its advancement, rather than in the rear, 
retarding it ? 
The arguments put forth against simplified 
spelling, as far as we have heard them, are so 
weak as to he pitiful. The reasons for its 
adoption are overwhelming. If any of onr 
readers are not familiar with the latter, an 
authorized list of simplifications, and other lit- 
erature relating to the movement will he fur- 
nish! gratis upon application to the Simplified 
Spelling Board, t Madison Avenue, New York 
City. 
Now, in order to placate our militant remon- 
strants, and to give opportunity to those favor- 
able to progress to again state their preferences 
in this matter, we propose to invite an expres- 
sion of opinion by vote, and we hereby affirm 
that we will hide by the majority decision, 
whichever way it turns, beginning with the 
first issue of volume xm (January, 1911). 
Write on a postal card “Simplified Spelling, 
yes" or “Simplified Spelling, no", sign your 
name, and mail it to the Editor of The Condor, 
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley, Cali- 
fornia. Voting will he ended December 10, 
1910, thus giving over two months for consid- 
eration on the part of those who wish to famil- 
iarize themselves with the proposition. 
Of course only votes of Cooper Club members 
will he considered. With over 300 members, 
and voting being by mail, there should he a 
very large response, much more significant 
of the Club's wishes than if the vote were 
restricted to those present at a meeting. The 
result will he announced in our January issue. 
To repeat, the Editor hopes that lie will be 
authorized to retain simplified spelling; hut if 
the reverse happens, he agrees to defer meekly 
to the will of the majority, and thenceforth 
conduct our magazine accordingly. This is, to 
be sure, a magazine of ornithology , and not 
of etymology or ortliografy. Mode of spell- 
ing may not appear very closely related to its 
field. But ultimate success in an undertaking 
often depends upon a score of incidentals not 
less than upon the main issue. Progress, im- 
provement, reform, are in the air. 
A movement is on foot to organize a Central 
Division of the Cooper Club in the Eresno dis- 
trict of California. There are aired)- enuf Club 
members in that region to ensure a beginning. 
But it is of course desired that the demand for 
such an organization be evinced by as large an 
initial gathering as possible. All those inter- 
ested will please write to Mr. John G. Tyler, 
1114 Belmont Avenue, Fresno, stating their 
views as to how and where such organization 
may he best effected. 
Under the direction of Professor C.F. I lodge, 
of Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, 
organized efforts have been made the past two 
seasons to ascertain whether ornot the Passenger 
Pigeon still exists. Large rewards were offered, 
aggregating over $100( >.00, solely for information 
of location of undisturbed nestings, so that 
steps might be taken, if any such were discov- 
ered, to secure safety and perpetuation of the 
free, wild pigeon. We regret to say that up to 
July 1, 1910, no authenticated case had been 
reported. Several reports coming from Cali- 
