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 44 THE CONDOR Vol. XV THE CONDOK A lagazlne of ' Western Ornithology Published Bi. Monthly by the Cooper Ornltholoiea! Club J. GRINNELL, Editor, Berkeley. Cxllfomla HARRY S. SWARTH. Aeeoclxte Editor J. EUGENE LAW } W, LEE CHAMBERS Business Mxngera Hollyweed, Califernia: Published Fob. 8, 1913 5UBSCKIPTION RATES One Dollar and Fifty Cents per Year in the United States, Canada, Mexico and U.S. Colonies, payable in advance Thirty Cents .the single copy. One Dollar and Seventy-five Cents per Year in all oher 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. M.,nusoripts for publicilion. and Books and P.,pers for review. should be sent to the Editor. Advertising Rates on application. EDITORIAL NOTES AND NEWS Every one of our readers'wifl doubtless join with us in congratulating Mr. William Leon Dawson on his remarkable success with the Surf-birds, as described on the first pages of our new volume. Here is a bird so .rare that many a large collection entirely lacks a specimen; yet a flock was "captured" by the camera, and the results now presented bring the species to the intimate acquaintance of anyone who sees our magazine. We may say sub rosa that Dawson has some .more con- quests, to be announced in he course of the year. The publication of two more numbers of the Cooper Club's Avifauna series is planned for the year 1913. The manuscripts for both are now in th Editor's hands and will go to the printer as soon as our Business Managers, Chambers and Law, give the word. The ti- tles of the two new brochures are: r'Birds of the Fresno District, California", by John G. Tyler; and '"Distributional List of Arizona Birds", by Harry S. Swarth. Mr. George Willett left San Francisco De- cember 5 as one of a party headed by Com- modore Salisbury, U.S. N., organized to vis- it several of the small islets northwest of Hawaii. The expedition is sent out under the auspices of the U.S. Biological Survey, and has for its chief object the inspection of Laysan Island. Here it is proposed to take a census of the sea-bird population and to take steps for further protecting the colonies of albatrosses recently threatened with exter- mination through the raids of plumage hunt- ers. Another danger menaces the burrowing petrels, namely, rabbits. These mammals were thoughtlessly liberated on the island some years ago and it is feared will rout out cer- tain birds from the very limited nesting area of the latter. It is hoped that some means may be discovered by which Laysan will be entirely rid of the mischievous rabbits. Mr. R. H. Beck, so well known for his splendid make of water-bird skins, !eft San Francisco December 15 for a years field work around the southern end of South America. He will pay especial attention to the sea-birds, collecting on this trip in the interests of Dr. L. C. Sanford, of New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. A. C. Bent is planning an expedition for the early spring along the coast of Lower California in quest .of birds. He will be ac- companied by H. H. Kimball and H. W. Marsden. It is perhaps oftenest the wisest thing to hush up an unpleasant matter, especially if it involve a member of one's own house- hold or an associate in social or club affilia- tion. In the present instance, however, the opportunity for the pointing of a good strong moral seems to overbalance the instinct. for clannish secrecy. The Cooper Ornithological Club has al- ways stood for absolute honesty, more par- ticularly in regard to whatever relates to its own field of interest. One purpose of the Club is to contribute to ornithology as a science, in other words to add facts to our knowledge of birds. The case referred to is one where the evi- dence pointed toward the fabrication of data by a Club member, such spurious data having been put in circulation attached to certain specimens. To state the case plainly, "facts" were forged, and might easily have. found place in published literature. Who knows but what such has really happened, though now beyond finding out? Needless to say, the tainted name has been expunged from the Club's membership roster, after due procedure, as noted in the Minutes. Unscrupulousness in the statement of scien- tific detail is, of course, not distantly allied to "nature-faking." The former is criminal, the latter very nearly so. -Neither are to be countenanced by the true student, typified in the Cooper Club's membership. It is probably superfluous to urge the dis- tinction between the above exhibition of per- versity, and the innocent making of mistakes. Not one of us has contributed to publish. ed ornithology but what experiences gnawing regrets over mistakes of which he was origi- nally unaware. As long as these regr. ets stir the soul, one may be sure that he'ls pos- sessed of a scientific conscience justifyin. g him, with increased care for accuracy, n further contribution.