Page:Condor14(4).djvu/46

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- 156 THE CONDOR VoL XIV This, the latest addition to the State bird lists, is a thick octavo of nearly six hundred pages and with so much' of it in fine print as to represent a very large amount of ma- terial. The book is dedicated to Gen. W. J. Palmer and the statement is made in the introduction that it was in accordance with his desire that the work was undertaken, and that the expenses of publication "have been defrayed by his sister-in-law, Mrs. William Lutley Sclater, and his brother-in-law, Mr. Chase Mellen, of New York." A photogra- vure of Gen. Palmer faces the title page. The birds of the State, 392 [=really 395] in number, are divided into several categories: breeders 225, winter residents 28, migrants 33, and casual 106. There is an elaborate sys- tem of keys to families, genera and species constructed for the most part on the best modern lines, though occasionally they fail to be dichotomous. Under each species there is given first its printed records in Colorado and the reference to each, these references by the help of the bibliography being reduced to least possible compass. Next follows a rather full but very concise description of the adult male plumage, with a statement of the difference shown by the female and young. A paragraph gives the general dis- tribution of the species, which is followed by a full statement of its range in Colorado, with the authority for each record. Under the heading of habits are given facts con- cerning the food, nesting, and various other interesting items.- As remarked in the introduction, the pres- ent volume is "founded on the very complete collection of Colorado birds formed during the last thirty-five years by Mr. Charles E. Aiken, of Colorado Springs." Mr. Aiken's collection is one of the largest ever brought together in the State and the most valuable part of the book consists in the numerous records from this collection now for the first time made public. The collection furnishes t?vo new birds for Colorado--Chordeiles acuti- pennis tcxe,s{s, taken by Mr. Aiken near Trinidad, and Empido?ax trailli al?orum, taken by him near Limon--and restores one form--Coccyzus america?tus--that was at one time admitted to the State list but had been dropped for lack of positive proof of its oc- currence. The seventeen reproductions of excellent photographs by Rockwell, Warren and Nash are printed on a high-grade paper that pre- sents them to good advantage. The volume contains an elaborate bibli- ography comprising "a list of all the titles up to December, 1910, containing anything of importance for the study of Colorado or- nithology." The list numbers 294 titles. The four publications of Cooke on Colorado birds had listed 343 titles in his bibliographies. Sclater omits 75 of these in his bibliography and adds 17 published previous to 1909 a'nd 9 titles that appeared in 1910, making the 294 titles. Including the 91 less important titles, Cooke's bibliographies totaled 434 titles, to which he can now add 93 more, making a total of 527 titles in his Colorado bibliography. A useful feature of the volume is a "Ga- zetteer" of the several hundred localities mentioned in the work. The volume closes with an unusually full and satisfactory index. Mr. Sclater has made good use of his op- portunities and has produced a thoroughly good book. It is up to date in its nomencla- ture and faultless in its typography. It eas- ily takes rank among the very best of the State bird lists.--W. W. C. MINUTES OF COOPER CLUB MEETINGS SOVrHERN mWS?ON A?mL---The April meeting of the Southern Division of the Cooper Ornithological Club was held on Thursday evening, Apr{1 25, 1912, {n the office of H. J. Lelande, 24(? ? Wil- cox building, Los Angeles, with Pres{denl Morcom {n the chair and the following mem- bers present: Blaine, Chambers, Daggett, Gray, Howell, Howard, Hubbs, Anton{n and Alphonse Jay, Judson, Lamb, Miller, Owen Rich, Robertson, Wood. The President appointed Mr. Daggett Secretary. The minutes of the Southern Division fo? March were read and approved. A newspa- per clipping of an article by Mr. J. Buckland of the Royal Colonial Institute, England, was read. This dealt with the terrible inroads or hird life due to the demands of fashion fo? plumage. On motion of Robertson, seconded b3 Miller, and duly carried, the Secretary was instructed to cast the ballot electing to active membership Mr. James Buckland, proposed at the last meeting. Applications for membership were presented as follows: Lansing K. Tevis, Bakersfield Calif., proposed by J. S. Douglas; Kate W McGraw, 2301 Hearst avenue, Berkeley, ant Asa C. Chandler, Maplewood, N. J., bott proposed by H. C. Bryant; George Wood Hollywood, Calif., proposed by J. E. Law C. W. Chamberlain, Lancaster, Mass., proposer by A. B. Howell. On motion carried the resignation o' Willis H. Jackson was duly accepted. Ad journed.--F. S. DAGGETT, $ec'y pro tern.