ORNITHOLOGY 



20 1 



The Superintendent of the Govern- 

 ment Station at Nashua, N. H., writes 

 me that he has a setter dog which has 

 learned to know that the kingfishers 

 are not wanted, and so keeps after them 

 until they are driven away from the 

 ponds. His suggestion that other dogs 

 might be similarly trained is a good 

 one, and seems worthy of a trial in 

 places where these birds are trouble- 

 some. — H. G. H. 



With the Audubon Societies. 



SUiMMER COURSES IN BIRD STUDY. 



The arrangement made by The Na- 

 tional Association of Audubon Societies 

 for conducting summer courses in bird 

 study in New York, Vermont, Virginia, 

 Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Mon- 

 tana and California seems to have be- 

 come very popular, and will give to 

 teachers and others a much needed 

 opportunity for a definite, practical 

 course in applied ornithology under the 

 leadership of experts. These courses 

 will doubtless be enlarged and arrange- 

 ments made to cover many of the other 

 states another season. The Massachu- 

 setts Agricultural College has included 

 in its summer classes a four-weeks' 

 course in Bird Life which provides a 

 similar opportunity to all residents of 

 that state. 



ILLEGAL SALE OF AIGRETTES. 



For the recent seizure of Ten Thous- 

 and Dollars' worth of "aigrettes" from 

 five millinery dealers in New York 

 much credit is due the agents of the 

 National Association, who have been 

 untiring in their efforts to bring to jus- 

 tice importers of wild bird plumage in 

 violation of the laws. 



The secrecy and underhand methods 

 of handling these "forbidden goods'' pur- 

 sued by the firms mentioned, together 

 with certain facts learned in regard to 

 the collecting of the aigrettes in the 

 Florida rookeries, show that there is 

 still considerable traffic in such goods 

 going on behind our backs, despite the 

 stringent laws enacted to stop this ne- 

 farious work. 



As long as dealers ofifer fabulous 

 prices for the aigrettes there will 

 always be plenty of uneducated and un- 

 principled men ready to defy the laws : 

 collecting the birds even at the risk of 

 their own lives, and finding wavs to 



ship them undetected, and as long as 

 women demand the aigrettes to wear, 

 so long will unscrupulous dealers con- 

 tinue to offer the fabulous prices to 

 meet their demands. The ceasing of the 

 demand would, of itself, stop the 

 supply. 



War Scares Birds Away, 



The war is having a great influence 

 on the birds throughout Europe, espe- 

 cially on the birds of passage. 



Last Autumn the storks left Russia 

 and Galicia a month earlier than usual : 

 they were noticed in flocks of 30 to 100 

 on their way through Austria, where 

 they alighted on the roofs and chim- 

 neys of the houses, to rest before con- 

 tinuing their journey south. 



Other birds of passage have deserted 

 their old routes of flight and have chos- 

 en new air roads along less disturbed 

 regions. Both going and returning, 

 these birds were observed in places 

 where they were never seen before, 

 and were missed in the localities where 

 battles were raging. 



In Luxemburg, where otherwise mil- 

 lions of birds congregate in leafy for- 

 ests, there are now scarcely any to be 

 seen or heard. 



As an instance how the birds have 

 deserted Luxemburg, a nature lover 

 writes that "whole oat fields have 

 sprung up along the roads and in the 

 market squares of the little towns and 

 villages where the horses have been fed 

 as the cavalry passed through." 



This would never have been possible 

 in other years, for then the birds would 

 soon have picked up every grain that 

 fell to the ground. — Scientific Ameri- 

 can. 



Observation on Fall Migration. 



BY MRS. F. J. HAYDEN, SIOUX CITY, IOWA. 



For some reason the migrating war- 

 blers, etc., are not in evidence this fall 

 in the vicinity of Sioux City, la. It may 

 be that the unusual weather we have had 

 this summer and fall has influenced ihem 

 to take a dififerent route or to go through 

 by night without stopping. 



September 19th we saw a scarlet tana- 

 ger in the transition stage. The breast 

 was yellow with a few small patches of 

 scarlet. It was silent and shy, seeming to 

 avoid observation as if ashamed of its 

 strange appearance. 



