1/8 



THE MUSEUM. 



new Ornithologists' and Oologists' 

 Manual but we are inclined to think 

 from a perusal of the correspondence 

 he has published and notes on the so- 

 called rare Avis, that the criticism is 

 without question not called forth from 

 facts as they stand. After reading the 

 notes from the various collectors 

 throughout California, from San Fran- 

 cisco to the extreme south of Lower 

 California and Mexico, a breeding 

 range of nearly looo miles, and not- 

 ing the immense numbers of birds 

 seen and taken, we are loath to class 

 the species with the Labrador Duck 

 and Great Auk, even if our esteemed 

 friend possesses an o.g'g or even in 

 view of his magnanimous offers. We 

 sincerely hope for his sake that he is 

 able to create a boom on the species 

 in question and sell the specimen for 

 a good round price, although we are 

 not aware he has offered it for 

 sale. For years European col- 

 lectors have paid fancy prices for cer- 

 tain birds and eggs from the United 

 States, and for a time they have been 

 over priced and later taken a drop 

 only to remain there. Our advice 

 from experience in handling eggs of 

 birds not extinct nor in any wise like- 

 ly to become so in our generation is, 

 to beware of paying over $15.00 for 

 any one egg. We priced the skin at 

 $50.00 and the &gg at $25.00 and still 

 believe it is a very conservative figure. 

 Let us hear from collectors in the east 

 and see what they have to say. 



The Pleasures of a Spring Day. 



Bv Frki) W. Parkhirst. 



Who has not been thrilled with 

 pleasure upon viewing the beautiful 

 irreen tint which the fields have com- 



menced to take on, the budding trees, 

 and enhaling a full breath of a gentle 

 spring breeze as it softly sways the 

 tender green leaves of the trees.' Sure- 

 ly everybody must be touched in some 

 measure by such a scene, and many 

 there are who regard it as one of the 

 chief pleasures of life and one they 

 would forego all else to secure. What 

 a delight it is to a true lover of Nature 

 to stroll off through the fields and for- 

 ests in an aimless manner as to destin- 

 ation, but with the fixed idea of ab- 

 sorbing at least a portion of the beau- 

 tiful which everywhere is strewn in 

 such boundless profusion. And the 

 more one observes the more one will 

 find to observe. Before we have hard- 

 ly left the shelter of our roof we hear 

 the shrill, though pleasant, notes of 

 the Robins, as they call back and forth 

 to their respective mates, and chatter 

 incessantly upon the all important sub- 

 ject of nest-building. As we leave the 

 yard and pass by the old apple tree 

 just out the gate, we observe a few 

 straws protruding from a large fork. 

 As we approach a little nearer, and 

 stop for moment, we are greeted with 

 the sharp cries of fear and distress 

 which is so characteristic of this char- 

 acteristic bird, and has been the cause 

 of many a boy's disgrace and punish- 

 ment, and I must plead guilty of being 

 convicted myself. Leaving the apple 

 tree, we wander across the lields, and 

 as we near the bank of a turbulant lit- 

 tle stream, swollen by the spring rains, 

 our ears arc struck with the peculiar 

 notes of a White-breasted Nuthatch, 

 which is \'ery briskl}' revolving an)und 

 an old popular stub on our approach, 

 as if fully aware of our being danger- 

 ous, yet not willing to do more than 

 place the stub between us. The re- 



