116 THE CONDOR Vol. XVI couple of experiences during the past year. While making illustrations for the forthcoming "Birds of California" I had the privilege of the loan of some valuable material from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at Berkeley, but was sadly handicapped by the complete absence of all data relative to the van- ished color of the bills, feet, and irides. In the case of a Flammulated Screech Owl I might have colored the iris yellow as in othe? American members of this genus, as there was nothing to guide me on the label of this most valuable specimen, collected by no other than Mr. Grinnell The only bird of this species I had seen in the flesh was too far gone in decomposition to afford any data. Neither Ridgway's Manual nor Coues' Key gave any help, nor did Dr. Merriam's description of the subspecies idahoensis, taken by his own party, and the accompanying figure indicated a pale yellow- ish brown iris. Fortunately at this juncture there came a memory of a field note in TIlE COrDOR by that excellent observer, Mr. F. C. Willard, and on turning over a file of back numbers it was found in volume XI, page 201. "The most strik- ing feature to me was the mild look of her face, which appeared very different in aspect from that of other owls I had met with. Presently I discovered that this was due to the eyes, which instead of having a yellow iris as in other owls were a dark chocolate brown." The other c?se in point appertained to a friend who was collecting mate- rial for a leading Eastern ornithologist. I had previously myself collected for a close friend and fellow worker of this gentleman, who gave me particular instructions to collect all data as t.o the soft parts, and for whom I had made some hundreds of detailed drawings illustrating these. I advised my friend to be very particular in this regard; judge my surprise when he informed me later that his patron had told him to omit all data relative to the color of soft parts from the labels, but to note the length in flesh, and expanse! Now this om?ithologist is a doctor and therefore well aware of the great difference the amount of relaxation that the muscles may be subjected to would make; length in l'lesh, even if somewhat variable, might be of some value, but of what earthly use is a record of expanse? A relic of Pre-Cuvierian days, now relegated to the columns of the local weekly in recording the "tip-to-tip" of the last eagle killed by the country sportsman--with a foot or two thrown in for good ?n easure. If the color of soft parts was always noted it would simplify the separa- tion of many closely allied species. As an instance, take the case of Junco phaeonotus palliatus and Junco phaeonotus dorsalis, which are only allo?ved sub-specific distinction. If the color of the bill and irides.was noted on the labels of all. these compared, it would probably be a simple matter to distin- guish them as they are evidently specifically distinct. The Red-backed Junco (dorsalis) has the pinkish'bill and dark claret col- ored iris of all northern juncos, and it hops like a junc o. The Arizona Junco (palliatus) has a black upper mandible and a pale yellow lower, with the bril- liant yellow iris of a Golden-eye drake. Its motions are just as different from other juncos as its eyes and bill are, as it wallrs daintily and deliberately over the floor of the forest like a tit-lark or water-thrush, instead of the shuffling hop of the juncos and sparrows. The writer is well aware that absolutely different colors of irides can ob- tain in the same species, such as in the tit-mice of the genus Psaltriparus; but
