Page:Condor9(3).djvu/32

 94 TIlE CONDOR VoL. IX THE CONDOl 2.n Illustrated la$azine of 'estern Ornithology' Published Bi-Monthly by the Cooper Omitholoffi- cal Club of Callforni& JOSEPH GRINNELL, Editor. - P&suden& H. T. CLIFTON. Business Manager, Box 404, Pasadena WILLIAM L. FINLEY } Associate Editors JOSEPH MAILLIA&D Pasadena, California: Published May 15, 1907 $UI$CB. IPTION One Dollar and Fifty Centsoer Year in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and . 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 should be sent to the Business Manager. Manuscripts and Exlnges should be sent to the Editor. Adverllsing Rates on application. EDITORI -LS As we have had to send in copy for this issue several days in advance of May i, the date we fixed in our March issue on which to "close the polls" in the vote on certain usages, the final result of the vote will be announced in our July issue. We have received a number of extended arguments, for, as well as against, each of the questions. One of these replies, from Mr. Dawson, is printed in full on another page. We will admit that it presents to us the "capitalization" question in a new light. It pays to "argufy," as long as the contestants are each open to conviction. And we con- gratulate ourselves on having put these ques- tions before our readers. We are /earnin thinifs. Whether to establish certain generic names by the "first species rule" or by "elimination" is lately holding the entire attention of several of our experts in nomenclature. Whichever contention wins out, a large number of bird names will have to be changed. For one generic name changed often means many new specific combinations. Mr. Stone and Dr. Allen, both members of the A. O. U. Commit- tee, have come out within a few days of each other with exhaustive reviews of our North American genera of birds treated from the different standpoints. Incidentally a numbe? of old names have been dug out, hich the in- vestigators agree will have to replace well- known names if the "law of priority" be strictly enforced. All this is disheartening. It somehow seems to us that Taremet is right. Most of the rules in the Code are purely arbitrary, such as the taking of Linnaeus at x758. Why not make one more arbitrary rule, for the sake of uniformity and common sense, and take the A. O. U. x895 Check-List as establishing the generic names of North American birds for all time? We will just warrant that a three-fourths vote of Fellows and Members of the A. O. U. would authorize such a ruling. And why not? Our system of nomenclature doesn't mean anything in the way of phylogeny anyway. All it can do is to supply names and groupings; and these ourh! to be serviceable. Nomen- clature is a game that only a dozen, or less, specialists play at; and the game is never ended. Why not settle on a set of names selected, say, on the grounds of most frequent employment in literature for the past twelve years? Wouldn't a shout of rejoicing be raised by the hundreds of people who are studying birds not nomenclature! If this majority would just assert itself, the microscopic minor- itv would find little reason for the continuance o their labors, and their valuable energies would soon be directed into more profitable channels. We mean perfect respect for such men as Allen and Stone who are thoroly con- scientious in carrying out the system at present in vogue. The work they do involves drud- gery of a most trying sort, unrealized by those who have not attempted similar undertakings. It is the system we deprecate. Our fellow Cooper Club member, Mr. H. H. Bailey, of 3 54th Street, Newport News, Vir- ginia, extends to bird men generally a cordial invitation to look him up at his home during the present Jamestown Exposition. Mr. Bailey has arranged his extensive collections so as to be readily accessible for inspection, and these we have reason to know are well worth one's while to examine. The Alexander Expeditiou left Seattle April o, bound for southeastern Alaska in quest of specimens and information in several depart- ments of natural history. The party is pro- vided with every facility for thoro field work, even to a power boat and crew, so that seques- tered islands may be readily visited. Mammals, birds, plants and molluscs will be given most attention. This is the best-equipped expedi- tion which has entered the field on the north- west coast for many years, and we are look- ing forward to exceptional results. The party consists of Miss A. M. Alexander. who leads the expedition, Mr. Joseph Dixon, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Stephens, and Mr. Chase Littlejohn. We learn from Science of March xS, that "Mr. Frank M. Chapman, curator of ornithol- ogy of the American Museum of Natural His- tory, is engaged in making a collection for the museum of southern birds, especially of white herons in various stages of development." Arizona is not being neglected this year or- nithologically; for, aside from the two or three resident bird men, Mr. Austin Paul Smith is collecting in the vicinity of Benson, and Mr. H. W. Marsden is working the Tucson region.