Sept., 1913 
EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
185 
THE CONDOR 
j\ Magazine of 
Western Ornithology- 
Published Bi-Monthly by the 
Cooper Ornithological Club 
J. GRINNELL, Editor. Berkeley. Ca.lifori\ia 
HARRY S. SWARTH. Assochte Editor 
J. EVGENE LAW 1 _ . „ 
W. LEE CHAMBERS f Ma.i\agers 
Hollywoid, California: Pubiiskd Oeteiigr 15, 1013 
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EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS 
It is an undisputed fact that the waterfowl 
of California are rapidly decreasing in num- 
bers. Even such species as the Mallard and 
Cinnamon Teal, which used to breed numer- 
ously in many parts of the state, occur no 
longer in summer in much of their former 
breeding range, it is of very great import- 
ance that each ornithologist in the state place 
on record what he has learned in regard to 
our native game birds. If the material is of 
sufficient quantity to warrant a general arti- 
cle in The Condor it ought to be thus pre- 
sented. But even if only a few lines can be 
offered, these should be sent in for puhlica 
tion, as a field-and-study note. Such items as 
the following will constitute valuable addi- 
tions to our knowledge : E-xact dates of 
nesting, numbers of eggs or young, manner 
of nesting, time of donning eclipse plumage 
in ducks, food of young and of adults, exact 
dates of arrival and departure in the migra- 
tory species. 
Mr. A. B. Howell has undertaken the prep- 
aration of a summary of all that is known con- 
cerning the birds of the Santa Barbara Islands. 
This will appear in due course of time as one 
of the Cooper Club’s Avifauna series. Mr. 
Howell invites all observers who have Island 
information as yet unpublished to either place 
it on record at once, or send in their manu- 
script notes to him — in either event making 
their knowledge available in time to he in- 
corporated in his forthcoming treatise. 
Messrs. Witherby & Company have been 
appointed European agents for “The Emu", 
the organ of the Royal Australasian Ornitho- 
logists’ Union, and copies of that publication 
can now be obtained at 326, High Holborn, 
London. 
Dr. Reuben M. Strong, of the University 
of Chicago, is at work upon a monograph of 
the anatomy of the Tiibinares. Material is 
especially desired which is of a nature to be 
used in dissecting the soft anatomy of the 
Pacific albatrosses. Correspondents in a 
position to furnish such material should in- 
form Dr. Strong of the fact. 
Students of western birds will he interested 
to know that the United States Biological 
Survey is resuming its field work in Arizona. 
Mr. E. A. Goldman has been carrying on 
work there the past summer under the aus- 
pices of the Bureau; and Mr. E. W. Nelson, 
who is in charge of the biological investiga- 
tions of the Survey, will take the field for a 
time this fall. We may look forward itJ 
a final report upon the fauna of Arizona, 
compiled along similar lines to the excellent 
state reports already put out for Texas, Colo- 
rado, and other western areas. 
A field party from the California Museum 
of Vertebrate Zoology returned on iVugust 
25 from three full months of zoological ex- 
ploration in the coast district of California 
north from Marin County to the Yolla Body 
district of Trinity County. The party con- 
sisted of Mr. Walter P. Taylor, in charge, 
with Mr. Charles L. Camp, Mr. Alfred C. 
Shelton, and Mr. George Stone, of the Uni- 
versity of California, as assistants. Mr. G. 
E. Ferris, of Stanford Lhiiversity, accom- 
panied the expedition in the interests of 
Prof. V. L. Kellogg, for the purpose of 
gathering bird and mammal parasites. The 
results of the season’s work, as far as now- 
apparent, consist in a greatly increased knowl- 
edge of the distribution of the vertebrate ele- 
ments in the faunal areas traversed. 
Since Mr. W. P. Taylor’s report in oui 
May issue (pages 125 to 128) of accomplish- 
ments in California m the line of wild life 
conservation, the fortunes attending this 
worthy cause have been varied. For reasons 
neither explained, nor readily inferred, the 
Governor failed to sign a number of the im- 
portant bills passed by the legislature. Thus 
out of the list of 13 items as given by Tay- 
lor. numbers 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13 were 
lost, save that the separate lull included un- 
der number 13, providing protection for Sea 
Otter alone, was signed. The hotly contest- 
ed no-sale and no-shipment bill zvas 
signed ; hut enemies of the regulation, 
namely the San Francisco Hotelmen’s 
.-Vssociation, have subsequently succeeded 
in securing the requisite number of sig- 
natures to the appropriate petitions in- 
voking- the referendum on this law. The 
enforcement of the measure will therefore be 
