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 66 THE CoNDoR VoL XV affairs of the publishing company were mis-managed, and Mr. Dawson with- drew, determined to profit by the ntistakes of this first venture, and to become himself responsible for the financial management as well as for the literary and scientific sides of any similar undertaking in the future. He returned to the state of Washington, where, in the spring of 9o5, he or- ganized the Occidental Publishing Company, and began work on his "Birds of Washington". These were boom days in the northwest, and it speaks volumes for the character of the man that he shou!d have persistently disregarded the financial allurements constantly offered in a community gone real-estate-mad, o continue steadfastly in the pursuit of his object. Four years of unremitting and arduous labor finally resulted in 9o9 in the complete success of what at first had seemed but the dream of a visionary, the production of one of the' most beauti- ful sets of books in modern ornithological literature. The high appreciation of his efforts expressed by certain members of the Cooper Club contained perhaps the first suggestion of the desirability of attempt- ing a similar work in California. This course of action was decided upon only after a yeaifs deliberation, but the field afforded such unrivaled opportunities, and the encouragement and support proffered were so reassuring that there was no resisting the temptation. In the'selection of a dwelling place the charms of Santa Barbara prevailed over the rest of the state,.and here. on the outskirts of the city, a comfortable home, "Los Colibris", was established, a )lace for rest in the brief intervals be- tween campaigns of activity in the field, 'aqd or the planning of future work. An immediate result o this choice of a home has been an exceedingly in- teresting series of studies of water birds, some of which are already familiar to COro readers. With the summer months spent in the field, photographing, ob- serving, and collecting, and with the winters devoted to the arduous labors in- volved in the financial end of such an undertaking, time passes swiftly, and three or four years seems all too short an interval in which to produce such a book as the one planned. The field work so far has included expeditions to the Farallon Islands, to the Warner Mountains in extreme northeastern California, and to the Mount Whitney region, as well as numerous shorter trips. During the coming spring the Colorado Desert birds will receive their deserved share of attention. The Farallon trip was unexpectedly productive, of two birds new to California, the Black-throated Green Warbler and Oven-bird: rather startling records from such a locality. As to the desirability of the work which Mr. Dawson has begun, and as to his personal fitness for the undertaking, there can be no question. Its tendency to awaken interest in the subject treated on the part of many who would be otherwise utterly indifferent is alone a feature the importance of which can not be over- estimated. In every aspect of work in which we are all engaged, whether in try- ing to arouse interest in a Museum proect, or in attempting to guide the public toward the enactment of intelligent legislation as regards the animal life of a commonwealth, there is almost always a long and usually discouraging period which must be devoted to educational work. During this period every energy mu:t be devoted toward awakening a proper public sentiment in the matter, frequently overcoming unreasonable or adverse prejudice. In its educational aspect alone such a work as Mr. Dawson's is invaluable. A book of the nature of the projected work occupies a distinctive position of its own. It in nowise conflicts with the more technical papers which other students are producing, but appeals to a clientele which the latter never reach,