38 THE CONDOR Vol. XV this irregularity in winter distribution frees the bird from the danger of continued pursuit in one locality, it on the other hand brings the entire pigeon population during recurring yeatTs into regions thickly populated by man, or at least of easy access to the hunter. The chief or only value of the pigeon to man lies in its service as a gmue bird, and as such, it is pre-eminently worth cultivating. There is every reason to believe that the Band-tailed Pigeon is now represented by such very small num- bers, as compared with its original abundance, that there are not enough birds even to warrant a restricted period of shooting annually. The thing which must be done, if we want the bird to figure at all in the future among our game birds, is to accord it a close period of at least five years. In this time its numbers should regain a stage where a subsequent annual open season would be warranted. As it is, the Band-tailed Pigeon has been left practically without protection and subjected at times to unlimited slaughter, until the bird is now undoubtedly beyond effect by any measure except the close period here advocated. In fact. there is grave danger of total extinction, as in the case Of the Passenger Pigeon of the east. And circumstm?ces are very much the same as regards the attitude o? man until too late. Steps must be taken immediately to give the Band-tailed Pigeon that degree of protection which will insure its permanent existence as a game asset of the future. , .... ;,r? BIBLIOGRAPHY ADAMS, F? 1907. BAILEY, F. 1902. Notes from Placer County, California. CONmR, 9, P. 27. M. Handbook of birds of the western United States. (Boston and New York, Houghton, Mifflin & Co.),? pp. lxxxviii 4- 514, 33 pls., 600 figs. in text. BAreD, S. F. 1858, Birds, in Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable
and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi river to the Pacific
ocean made in 1853-6, 9, PP- xlli-xxv, 1-1005. BAIRD, S. F., BREWER, T. M., and RIDGWAY, R. ? 1874. A history of North American birds. Land birds. (Boston, Little Brown & Co.), $, pp. 560 4- xxviii, 64 col. pls., 593 figs. BARLOW, C., and PmcE, W. W. 1901. A list of the land birds of the Placerville-Lake Tahoe stage road, central Sierra Nevada mountains, Cal. CON?OR, $, pp. 151-184. BELDING, L. 1879. A partial list of the birds of central California. Proc. U.S. Nation. Mus., z, pp. 388-499. 1890. Land birds of the Pacific district. Occ. Papers, Calif. Acad. Sci., 2, pp. 1-274. BENDIRE., C. E. 1892. Life histories of North American birds. Smithsonian contributions to knowleage. (Washington: government printing office), z, pp. iii-ix, 1-445, 12 col. pls. BRYANT, H. C. 1912. The present and future status of the California valley quail. CoNIx)R, I4, pP. 131- 142, with map and diagram. BRYANT, W. E. 1888. Birds and eggs from the Farallon islands. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2nd ser., pp. 25-50. CHAMBERS, W. L. 1912. Who will save the band-tailed pigeon ? CON?OR, Z4, p. 108. COOER. J. G. 1869. The naturalist in California. Amer. Naturalist, $, pp. 182-189. 1870a. Geological Survey of California. Ornithology. (University press: Welch, Bigelow & Co., Cambridge), ?, pp. (xl) 4- 592, many figs. in text. 1870b. The fauna of California and its geographical distribution. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 4, PP- 61-83.
