May, 1913 $OM]? NOTP-? ?N THE N?STIN'G OF THE SHORT-]?ARED OWL 125 from the nest, also starting to stray away. It was quite apparent that each young owl, when it reached the approximate age of two weeks, strayed off by itself into the brush surrounding the nest, long before it was able to fly. Each bird seems to be in a place by himself, and wanders farther and {arther away from the nest each day. I tried the experiment of putting one or two of the young birds that I found back in the nest again, but' each time they soon left and could not be found without considerable search the next morning. At first the young were fairly close to the nest, but Iater were at a considerable distance. On June 2.8 1 found no. 2 about ioo yards away, and on July i, I found no. 6 at a full ?5 o yards. The parents evidently cared {or all the young, no matter where they wandered, as I often ound'{ood or ejected pcllets near them; and the parents were usually ready to show me the location of a young bird, by feigning woum:led when I approached. I attempted many times to get photographs of the. young birds but did not succeed very well. The young when approached had a habit of flattening them- selves down into the grass in a w.ay that I could not make show up well in a picture. I could not make them perch on the bushes at all, and the best pictures I got were taken of owl no. 2 perching on my hand. On July ?, I found owl no. 6. He was the {artbest developed o{ any of the brood that I had examined. He was quite pugnacious, snapping at my fingers when I attempted to pick him up, and clicking his bill. When I extended my foot toward him, he perched on the toe of my shoe and picked savagely at my shoe lace. I lifted him up into the air in this way, when he spread his wings to keep his balance and tried to climb up to my knee. Once or twice he screamed, a long, hoarse, terrifying scream, a note I had not heard before from either young or parents. I heard this scream once again on July 22, at a point fully three hundred yards from the nest site. I supposed that it was one of the young owls again, but I searched the grass in vain {or him. One of the parents was near, sitting on a fence post, but not feigning wounded as betCore, and hence not helping me to find the young bird, This point was across an irrigating ditch from the nest- ing site, so it is quite probable that the young bird could fly a little by that time. SYNOPSIS OF THE RECENT CAMPAIGN FOR THE CONSERVATION OF WILD LIFE IN CALIFORNIA By W. P. TAYLOR NE of the most hopeful signs of our generation is the fact that we as t, people are growing in a knowledge of our deficiencies. This is particularly true in the broad domain covered by the phrase "conservation of natural resources," and even more strikingly apparent in that subdivision of the larger subject with which those interested in our natlye birds and mammals are most intimately concerned. Sensible of the fact that the Cooper Ornithological Club is in a position peculiarly favorable to its taking an active part in work for conservation, the
