THE 00L0QI8T 



199 



"With its complement of egg's was also 

 exhibited in a separate case. Alto- 

 gether, about 225 sets, comprising the 

 were in the display. 



Nothing was left undone to make 

 this display of the very best ma- 

 terial at his command, but his pur- 

 pose was to excell if possible, and 

 place before the public a credible and 

 educational display of oological speci- 

 mens; but never did it enter his mind 

 that he was laboring for a distinction 

 unique in its character, and niche in 

 the World of Ornithological Science 

 as lasting as ornithological history it- 

 self. One day in mid summer, 1904, 

 the mail delivery brought him an 

 open envelope in which was a plain 

 unpretentious card bearing the head- 

 ing of: "International Jury of Awards, 

 Louisiana Purchase Exposition," and 

 stating that he had been awarded the 

 highest class prize offered in the De- 

 partment of Forestry, Fish and G-arae, 

 — a Gold Medal. Was his hat off to 

 the inspiration of perserverance 

 which had been his companion all 

 those years? I'd say it was! Did he 

 feel the thrill all oologists experience 

 when they make a first find of some 

 rare and beautiful set of eggs? I'd 

 say he did! Did he feel a disappear- 

 ing humility from thrusts of an unap- 

 preciative community constituency, 

 seeing in his work, no big money gain, 

 and fit only to be trampled while the 

 rabble all about him went head-long 

 in their false Christian fellowship, 

 greed, gambling and speculation? 

 I'd say he did! Does he not now 

 feel the justification of hurling the 

 name of the stagnant and unapprecia- 

 tive town of his nativity around the 

 world without turning his influence 

 and talents to greed and deception, 

 seeming the chief marks of merit of 

 greatness there? I'd say he does! 



If the reader has drawn a fair idea 

 of Mr. Jacobs' felings from his des- 



cription of finding his exhibit upon 

 his visit to the Chicago World's Fair, 

 he can imagine the new thrill he ex- 

 perienced when he visited the St. 

 Louis Exposition, and saw, while yet 

 rome distance away from the Key- 

 stone section in the great Agricultur- 

 al Building, a card erected upon the 

 ca.'^es and reading: "Gold Medal 

 Award, Department 121, Forestry, 

 Fi?h and Game. Eggs of Pennsyl- 

 vania Native Wild Birds." 



The nests and eggs were arranged 

 according to instructions he had sup- 

 plied the state authorities, and oc- 

 cupied two eight-foot finely finished 

 oak cases with clear glass tops and 

 frosted glass side-panels, of which a 

 series of twelve formed the cordon 

 of an open quadrangle in which were 

 shelved cases containing various 

 Pennsylvania agricultural products, 

 wild fauna and flora resources etc. 

 The State's wild bird and animal col- 

 lection were in upright cases fac- 

 ing the egg exhibit. A partial view 

 of the section is shown on page 238, 

 Vol. II, "Pennsylvania at the World's 

 Fair, St. Louis, 1904," and the egg ex- 

 hibit is described on page 242-5 of the 

 same publication, the Pennsylvania 

 official publication of the Common- 

 wealth's interests at the Exposition. 



This World's Fair was, by far, the 

 greatest ever held, and nothing of 

 similar character has since eclipsed 

 it in magnitude. 



While at St. Louis, Mr. Jacobs 

 looked up Otto Widman, the well 

 known Missouri bird authority; and 

 also Philo W. Smith, one of the best 

 known oologists of the middle West 

 at that time. Several hours were 

 passed with Mr. Smith, at his hotel, 

 in which was his den and cabinets of 

 eggs. 



Mr. Jacobs thought too much of his 

 prize collection to risk its traveling 

 homeward in bumping express cars, 



