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Jan., ?9ox I THE CONDOR II thorn. April ?, ?899, [ found two Ar- kansas Goldfinches (,4stragalinus psal- tria) impaled side by side upon a barbed-wire fence, the barb in both in- stances being passed through the neck from side to side just at the base of the skull. [See Oologist, XVI. No. 5, P- 79-] I do not think they ever re- turn to eat anything after they have once left it, and I have often thought I could detect in their actions a fiendish delight as they watched some unfortun- ate lizard or grasshopper squirming up- on a thorn. The note most usually heard from the shrike is a harsh call-note, but I have sometimes heard in the spring of the year a pretty little warble,. with various trills, which is thought by some people to be uttered ,'Or the purpose of attracting small birds within reach, so that they may he captured. I do not agree with this theory but think their song is a sort of a "love-song," for have watched them often while singing and never saw one try to capture a small bird or any insect at that time. Cooper Club's President for 1901. With the steady growth and expan- sion of the Cooper Ornithological Club, the executive officer of x9ol finds his position fraught with greater power and with greater possibilities than ever be- fore, and the membership may well con- gratulate itself upon securing for pre- siding officer of the Club-at-I, arge one of its most popular and efficient mem- bers, Mr. Joseph Grinnell, whose like- ness Tt?E CONDOR takes pleasure in presenting. Mr. Grinnell occupies an unique position in assunfing the presidency of the Cooper Club. The Club is repre- sented by two Divisions,--the Northern and Southern,--which separate bodies were created merely to permit of each holding meetings in its respective loca- tion. The executive power of the Club-at-Large is vested in the Northern Division and from its membership has heretofore been chosen the president, until this year. Mr. Grinnell is tempor- arily a member of the Northern Division and during his year's residence at Palo Alto his ornithological work has been keenly recognized by his co-workers, ?vhich fact, coupled with his popularity, made it evident at the time of the an- nual nominations that he was the unan- imous choice for the presidency of the Club. Mr. Grinnell's ornithological work in Southern California is too well-known to require repetition, and his recent put)lication, "Birds of the Kotzebue Sound Region, Alaska", is an example of his careful and extended field-work. His interest in the Club and its ad- vancement has been unfaltering, and through his ability and energy we shall expect to see still better work ac- complished. Mr. Emerson has relin- quished the office of president after three consecutive terms of faithful ser- vice, declining to be a nominee for x9o?, and the Club must feel a satisfac- tion in bestowing the office into the present efficient hands. An interesting article on the nesting habits of the Buff-breasted Flycatcher, by Richard D. Lusk, for which the illustration had been pre- pared is laid over until our next issue, owing to the late arrival of the text.