Editorials 71 i&trti ilore A Bi-monthly Magazine Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY Vol. VIII Published April 1. 1906 No. 2 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, post- age paid. COPYRIGHTED, 1906, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN Bird-Lore's Motto: A Bird tn the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand In this issue of Bire-Lore we had hoped to announce the publication of the Warbler Book, to which so many of Bird-Lore's readers have made valuable contributions. Circumstances beyond our control have, how- ever, denied us this pleasure, but at least we have the satisfaction of feeling that the enforced delay in the publication of the book will react advantageously on both its con- tents and appearance. We have long had in mind an organiza- tion within the Audubon Societies which should conduct courses in ornithology on lines somewhat similar to those so success- fully employed by the Chautauqua Associa- tion. An important and attractive feature of this plan would be the establishment of summer camps at favorable places where, under competent leadership, local and gen- eral ornithology, bird photography, etc., could be studied to advantage. We still hope that some day this plan may become more than an idea, but in the mean- time its summer assembly side is developing independently at various places throughout the country in connection with biological laboratories, summer schools and camps. Some of these it has been our privilege to visit, but among them all we do not recall one more delightfully situated than Camp Agassiz, near Lake Tahoe, in the Sierras. The bird-life of this region varies as widely as the character of its topography. On the snow-covered, treeless mountain-tops are Leucostictes ; in the magnificent coniferous forests, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Soli- taires, Clarke's Crows, Sierra Grouse and Hermit Warblers; in the broad marshes bordering Tahoe, water-birds of various species. Although it has little apparent bearing in the bird-life of the place, we confess to so delightful a recollection of a certain cold, clear, bubbling mineral spring near Camp Agassiz that we are quite sure some mention of it should be made. Camp Agassiz is in charge of Mr. W. W. Price, of Alta, and Mr. W. K. Fisher, of Palo Alto, Cal., both well-known Pacific- coast ornithologists. In Bird-Lore for December, two plans for ornithological work were proposed. One related to Bird-Lore's Annual Christ- mas Bird Census, the other to a thor- ough study of the life- history of some one species of bird. The first was to be based on the result of a day's outing, the second on prolonged, serious study. Nearly one hun- dred observers responded to the first call, but to the second we have had but one re- ply, Mr. Gilbert H. Trafton of Passaic, N. J., having written us that he has selected the American Goldfinch as a subject for monographic study. While we confess a sense of disappoint- ment that among the thousands of Bird- Lore readers only one has announced his intentions of definitely devoting himself to a given subject, we realize that compara- tively few people are so situated that they can take up a study of this kind. Nor is it necessary that every bird lover become an ornithologist. Your real investigating naturalist realizes so fully the pleasures of original research that he is apt to think that every one who is interested at all should attack the sub- ject in his own business - like, determined manner. To by far the greater number of people the study of birds is a delightful recreation, to which they can turn for rest from the pressing problems of existence, and it is not to be expected that their attitude toward the bird will be that of the professional student.
