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 212 THE CONDOR Vol. XllI THE CONDOIK An Illustrated Magazine of Western Ornltholol/' Published Bi. Monthly by the Cooper Ornitholo$1cai Club J. GRINNELL. Editor. Berkeley. CLiif. J. EVGENE LAW W. LEE CHAMBEIK, S Business HARB.Y 5. 5WAB.TH ROBERT B. ROCKWELL Aeaoci,te Editors G. WILLETT Hollywood, California: Published Nov, 24, 1911 SUDSClklPTIOI%I RATES One Dollar and Fifty Centa par eir in the United States, Canada, Mexico and U.S. Colonies, payable in advance Thirty Cetathe single copy. One Dollar and Seventy-five Carits 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. $ubaerlptiorka and Exchanges should be sent to the Business Manager. M.nuacripta for publication. and Books and P.pera for review should be sent to the Editor. &dvertialng Rates on application. EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS There is a growing custom among museum and private collectors concerning which a word of cantion may be in order. We refer to that of securing the services of missionaries, traders, prospectors, and others not well versed in ornithology to gather eggs of rare northern brds, these eggs to be preserved and distributed as scientific specimens. It is extremely diffi- cult in many cases to insure accurate identity of the.various geese, ducks, waders and gulls even by the trained field naturalist. Although a few bird skins may have been saved, the discrimination of species on the ground where scores of individuals representing many species nest in close proximity to one another, is a difficult matter. The tendency to gather in a big showing is liable to overcome the best of intentions with regard to accuracy. The grave danger scientifically comes of course when data accompanying such eggs is pub- lished. We have no doubt but that there are many bad records iu our literature traceable to some such source. This danger should be vigorously guarded against, even if by so doing a museran collection does not grow so rapidly. Mr. J. H. Riley and Mr. N. Hollister, both of the staff of the United States National Mu- serim, spent a portion of the past summer collecting in western Alberta and eastern British Colnmbia. Specimens, practically topotypes, of Gray-crowned' Rosy Finch, White-tailed Ptarmigan and Franklin Grouse, were obtained. Part V of Ridgway's "Birds of North and Middle America" is reported almost ready for distribution, Mr. Ridgway being now ocenpied upon Part VI. His color book is to be expected shortly as all, the color work has been done and only the text remains to be printed. Mr. G. Willett's "Birds of Southern Califor- nia" is nearly ready for the printer. It is to be published by the Cooper Ornithological Club as Pacific Coast Avifauua No. 7, and distribnted free to all members. Its cost will be derrayed by private subscription. Mr. Willett's contri- bution will consist of an exhaustive compila- tion of all that is known to date in regard to the manner of occurence of the birds of that part of southern California lying west of the deserr divide. We look forward with great in- terest to the appearance of this carefully exe- cuted work. There will shortly appear from the Univer- sity of California Press two notable papers chiefly of an ornithological nature. These are: Mr. H. S. Swarth's reort upon the Alex- ander Expedition to Vancouver Island in'1910, and the concluding part of Mr. W. P. Taylor's report upon the field work of the Alexander Expedition to Nevada in 1909. Mr. W. Leon Dawson spent a goodly portion of the field season jnst closed in out-door work contributory to his projected "Birds of Califor- nia." The FarMlone Islands and the Mount Whitney region shared in this year's attention, each locality contributing to Mr. Dawson's stock of first-hand ornithology. The editor of THE CONDOR has been privileged to examine some of the photos obtained, and he enthu- siastically asserts that they include some of the most successful bird photographs he has ever seen. PUBLICATIONS REVIEWED. BIRDS AND MAMMALS OF THE 1909 ALEX- ANDER ALASKA EXPEDITION BY HARRY S. SWARTH. [=Univ. Calif. Publ., Zool., vii, pp. 9-172, pls. 1-6; Jan. 12. 1911]. In continuation of its well-planned and well- executed campaign in Alaska, the University