A Bibliography of California Ornithology
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COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB OF CALIFORNIA PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 5 A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CALIFORNIA ORNITHOLOGY BY JOSEPH GRINNELL A CONTRIBUTION FROM THE MUSEUM OF VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA PUBLISHT BY THE CLUB May 15, 1909 W6688 NOTE PACIEIC’ Coast AVIFAUNA No. 5 is the fifth of a series of publications issued by the Cooper Ornithological Club of California for the accomodation of papers whose length prohibits their appearance in THE CONDOR. The publications of the Cooper Ornithological Club consist of two Series-THE CONDOR, which is the bi-monthly official organ, and the PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. Both sets of publications are sent free to honorary members, and to active members in good standing. For information as to either of the above series, address the Club Business Managers, either J. Eugene Law, Hollywood, California, or W. Lee Chambers, Santa Monica, California. CONTENTS Pages Introduction .................................................................................. 5, 6 Bibliography of California Ornithology ......................................... ..... T-149 Index to Authors.. .......................................................................... 150-15,j Index to Local Lists.. ..................................................................... 154,155 I,ist of Serial Publications.. ............................................................... 156 Index to Bird Names ....................................................................... 157-166 - l,.-. INTRODUCTION I began the collection of titles for a bibliography of California ornithology in 1900, while a student at Stanford University. Since then I have taken every opportunity to secure additions to my list, while from year to year I have tried to keep it up to date. Nothing becomes more apparent to one engaged in this kind of an undertaking than the impossibility of ever attaining ideal accuracy or completeness. Three years ago I thought I had a fairly comprehensive bibliography up to that time. But only within a few months have I run across several important titles of early date which had been previously unknown to me. As I could not but suffer continued uncertainty, no matter how long I should withhold this contribution from publication, I present the results of my work as they are now, believing that they will prove of value to every other working bird student, as they already have to me. The criterion for inclusion in this bibliography is the pertaining of the article or book, either as a whole or in any part, to the birds of California. I have adhered strictly to the fauna1 idea. Reference to a species bearing the name “~a&- formcus’ ’ or “cakzfbmianus,” unless accompanied by a definite indication of its occurrence in California as the State is now restricted geographically, does not make the article worthy of inclusion in this list. Mere mention of “birds”, or “water- fowl”, or “ducks”, or “songbirds”, is ignored. After accumulating a good-sized sheaf of titles from ’ popular literary and fiction magazines and books, I came to the conclusion that this source is unworthy of cita- tion. Such bird articles are either altogether untrustworthy (often mere frbrica- tions or imaginative productions, of questionable value, even from the literary standpoint), or, if possessing scientific value, popularized modifications or verbatim copies of articles appearing before or afterwards in scientific periodicals, where they are accessible to the ornithologist anyway. I have, therefore, included no titles from newspapers, literary magazines, or sportsmans’ journals, with the single exception to the latter category, of the earlier volumes of Forest and S’tream, and to the former of Hutchings’ Calt3rnia Magazine. A list of the serial publica- tions from which I have taken titles is appended to the present paper. It may be asked why I have quoted from the ’ minor‘ ornithological ’ ’ period- icals, many of which were ephemeral and consisted largely of accounts of boys ’ egg-hunts. My reason is that incidentally these relatively insignificant and some- what illiterate journals contain records of the former distribution of species, and other valuable data, nowhere else obtainable. All such periodicals aspired to scien- 6 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 5 tific accuracy, even tho obviously failing in many instances; but so have the most pretentious of our ornithological journals often unknowingly given publication to unreliable articles. It must be borne in mind that I have tried to be consistent in citing all appropriate titles from every serial recognized at all, whether of evident value or not. In but two or three cases and, then so stated in the annotation, have I intro- duced titles second-hand. In other words, every title, except the two or three, has been copied by me personally. Titles have been transcribed with constant regard to preserving precise wording, spelling and punctuation. In making annotations under each title I have kept two objects in view: to amplify the title where it is insufficient in itself to convey an idea of the nature of the article, particularly as regards locality; and to give briefly any knowledge I may have as to the authenticity of the article. Question marks in the annotations show my doubt as to the identity of the species named. In the case of a name not now in use, and where I know what species is meant, the current name is given in par- enthesis. In a few cases I have given a short analysis of the article. In gathering the 1785 titles listed in this bibliography I have had free access to the library of Stanford University, to the former library of the California Academy of Sciences, to the private libraries of Mr. W. I,ee Chambers, Mr. John I,ewis Childs and myself, and, during a visit to Philadelphia in January, 1908, to the library of the Academy of Natural Sciences there. I have also obtained help from time to time in regard to certain points, from Mr. W. I,ee Chambers, Dr. Walter K. Fisher, Dr. Chas. W. Richmond and Mr. Witmer Stone. Pasadefza, CaZz;fomia, JOSEPH GRINNEIL March 22, 1908 7 BIBUOGRAPHY OF CALIFORNIA ORNITHOI,OGY NOTE.-In this Bibliography titles are groupt according to the year of publication, from 1797 to 1907. The titles for each year are arranged alphabetically by authors. Under each author, if he publisht more than one article during that year, titles are arranged chronologically by months. Names of periodicals are usually abbreviated; their full names are to be found in the List at the end of this work. 1797. Milet-Mureau, M. I,. A. Voyage 1 de la P&rouse 1 amour du Monde, 1 publie 1 conformement au d&ret du 22 avril 1791, I et redige I par M. I,. A. Milet-Mureau, I General [etc., two lines]. I Tome Second. ( - I A Paris, I de IImprimerie’ de la Republique. I A N V. (1797). 4to, pp. l-398. > Chap. XI (pertains to Monterey). > Pp. 254-25.5 (mention in the vernacular of several species of birds, mostly water-fowl). Also folio Atlas du Voyage de I,a P&rouse, plates 36 (of $ and ? of California Quail) and 37 (of California Thrasher). The “Perdrix de la Californie” is very plainly Loplzortyn cnlifornicus, and the “Prome- rops de la Californie Septentrionale ” is with little doubt our Toxostoma redivivum. The latter was thus figured nearly fifty years before it was formally described by Gambel from the same locality. I examined the copy of this work in the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 1797. Shaw, G., and Nodder, F. P. Vivarium Naturze or Naturalists’ Miscellany. By G. Shaw M. D. F. R. S. the Figures by F. P. Nodder, Botanic Painter to Her Majesty. [Th ’ is on first volume but not in full on subsequent volumes.] Vol. IX, 1797, 8~0, unpaged, pll. 301-348, text and index. Vultur Calzyomianus, pl. 301 (=Gymnozyps californianus). Description in Latin and English. “This Vulture was brought over by Mr. hlenzies, during his expedition with Captain Vancouver, from the coast of California, and is now in the British Museum. ” Tetrao Californicus, pl. 345 (=/,oplzortyx cadifornicus californicus). Description in Latin and English. “This curious bird is a native of California, and was brought over by Mr. Archibald Menzies, who accompanied Captain Vancouver in his late expedition. The specimen from which the present figure was taken is in the British Museum. ” I handled this book in the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 1829. Douglas, D. Observations on some Species of the Genera Tetrao and Ortyx, natives of North America; with Descriptions of Four new Species of the former, and Two of the latter Genus. < Transactions I,innean Society Len- don XVI, December 1828 [“read”], pp. 133-149. Tetrao (--Centrocercus) urophasianus, Tetrao Sa6ini (=Bonasa umbellw sabini) , Or&x pi& (-Oreortyx pi&s) and Ortyx Douglasii (-= ?) are ascribed to California. 1829. Vigors, N. A. On some species of Birds from the North-west Coast of America. [Sub-title under Art. XLVII. Sketches in Ornithology, kc.1 <Zoological Journal IV, Oct. 1828-Jan. 1829, pp. 352-358. Includes original descriptions of Colaptes coZlaris (= Colaptes cafe? ’ collaris), Ortyx Douglasii (= ?), both from “Monterey”; Recurvirostra occidentalis (=A.’ americana) from San Francisco; 5Yrepsilas melanocephalus (=Are?zaria melanocephala) and Numenaus’ r&ventris (=N. hudsonicus) , neither with locality indicated, but perhaps Californian. - c 8 PACJPIC COAST AVIPAUNA iTo. 5 1830. Douglas, D. iiber einige nordamericanische Gattungen von I‘ etrao’ u. Ortyx. < Isis XXIII, 1830, pp. 917-921. Ortyx pi&z ( = Oreortyx