148 THE CONDOR Vol. XVI within a few miles there is quite a variety 'of "zones",--nearly all makes and brands of zones, in fact, except the extremes of Arctic and Tropical,--and let them see in person why the Pacific Coast is so attract- ive to the ornithologist who knows it, and why it is so important to know it well. We must-make them see with their own eyes? not through the eyes of others--that a few hours on a train .will take them from one zone to another in a way they never dream of east of the Mississippi. We ought to have a joint meeting here in San Francisco with the whole of the C. O. C., and then one afterwards with the South- ern Division for those who take in tha? part of the state. It is our duty to write to all the ornithological friends we have and im- press upon them the advisability of their attending the convention here in 1915, to write n'ow, and to keep on writing until we get them here.--JOSEPH MAILLIARD, Chairman o! A. O. U. Committee on Arrangements. THE REFERENDUM, THE INITIATIVE, AND THE WILD LIFE The present outlook in Cglifornia, as re- gards wild life conservation, is sufficiently serious to set one to thinking. It will prob- ably set most Cooper Club members and CONDOR readers not only to thinking. but to resolving. These two effects, in conjunc- tion with a third response to which they should naturally lead, that of acting, if ex- perienced by a sufficAent number of people, will bring our state safely through the crisis with regard to the wild life situation which confronts us. The state legislature, in its last session, passed by a large majority the Flint-Cary bill prohibiting the sale of ducks and other game. The bill was then dul? signed by Governor Johnson, and was thus in line to become law. Only a comparatively short time had elapsed before certain interests, centering for the most part in the city and county of San Francisco, had successfully invoked the referendum on this law, which is now held up pending the. final decision of the people in November. Emboqdened, perhaps, by the ease with which the referendum petition was drawn up and signatures obtained, a group of San Francisco commission merchants and mar- ket-men banded themselves together and or- ganized the "People's Game Protective As- sociation," ostensibly dedicated to the noble object of saving the wild game for rathe peo- ple. Unfortunately the personnel of the execu- tive committee of the People's Protective Association does not impress one as calcu- lated to recommend it as a sincere and bona fide game protective organization. Barclay Henley, elected president, was at the time of his election attorney for John F. Corriea, commission merchant and game dealer. Mr. Corriea himself very generously allowed his name to be used as vice-president. The .secretary of the executive .committee was Mr. F. M. Bailey, who, by a strange coinci- dence, was secretary also of Corriea's game corporation. Other members of the execu- tive committee were John Campodonico and Cecil Raymond, San Francisco game deal- ers. The next point of interest concerns the scheme whereby this group of market-men propose to administer the wild game of the state. To make a long story short, it now appears that by carefully placing the em- phasis on other aspects of game legislation, and by earnestly insisting on strict regula- tion in other respects than those most inti- mately concerning themselves, the game dealers' organization has been able to pro- pose that all game?deer, trout, quail, ducks, doves, grouse, everything--that all game be sold on the market, without arousing the opposition which is bound to .arise, as soon as the people realize what is implied in the market-men's new game measure. The San Francisco Examiner at once espoused the cause of the new organization. An initiative petition was drawn up, and at last accounts was to be taken to the people for signature. The present status of the pe- tition is unknown, but there seems to be a considerable likelihood that this measure will appear upon the ballot in November along with the non-sale law. A perusal of the stories apropos the activ- ities of this organization, which have ap- peared in the San Francisco Examiner, indi- cates that the campaign in behalf of the sale-of-game initiative is being cleverly prosecuted. For example, it is proposed to cut down the bag-limit, to prohibit the bait- ing of ponds, to lay a heavy tax on gun clubs, as well as to permit everybody to buy game on the market. As a matter of jus- tice, runs the argument in favor of the sale of game, the poor man who is unable to go shooting should have the privilege of buy- ing on the market the game that he desires. Game is said to be chiefly valuable for its food content, and it is submitted that to freely permit the sale of game on the mar- ket will reduce the cost of living! There is something to be said on the other side of this question. Prominent San Fran- cisco butchers and market-men have as- serted that could venison be sold on the market at the present time it would bring from $1.00 to $1.50 per pound. Quail were sold in San Francisco last year at $1.00 to $1.20 a pair, as was discovered by repre- sentatives of the Fish and Game Commis- sion, who apprehended the violators and brought them to justice. A large proportion of all the ducks which enter the metropolis, and most of the ducks which are marketed are sold in the big cities, were purveyed by the highest class hote'ls and restaurants, canvasbacks and mallards being sold for from $4.00 to $5.00 per pair. Under conditions like these there will have to be considerable evidence submitted,
