70 



THE OOLOGIST 



er being fully as assiduous in supply- 

 ing their demands as was his mate. 

 On the fifth day their eyes opened and 

 they began to grow and feather rapid- 

 ly, and when ten days old they left 

 the nest. 



After the brood had flown I removed 

 the nest. So firmly were the mater- 

 ials matted together that it was with 

 some difficulty that I separated the 

 two nests without damage to either. 

 On some way the old birds or the 

 young in the nest, had managed to 

 break the Cowbird's egg, but its size 

 and shape and the position it occupied 

 in the nest were all plainly indicated 

 by the deep mould left in the under- 

 side of the second nest. 



F. SEYMOUR HERSEY. 



Tennessee's Shame! 



The following we clipped from a 

 daily last winter. It tells a sickening 

 tale. Do you wonder the birds are 

 decreasing? 



SLAUGHTER OF ROBINS 



Thousands of Little Songsters Killed 



in Tennessee and Sold at Ten 



Cents Dozen. 



Louisville, Ky. — Robins are numer- 

 ous at Lofton, Tenn., and are "selling 

 readily on the local market at ten 

 cents a dozen," according to a Mur- 

 freesboro special. It should be ex- 

 plained that the robins are not so 

 numerous as they used to be for the 

 fact that they sell for ten cents a 

 dozen has induced many men and boys 

 to engage in the wholesale slaughter 

 of the birds. 



Thousands of robins, the special 

 says, gather in the cedars to roost, and 

 hunting parties go in the night and 

 capture and kill them in large num- 

 bers. One party caught 2,600 birds in 

 one night. One hunter caught 377 

 birds in one tree. It is estimated that 

 150,000 have been killed within the 

 last three weeks. It is great sport — 

 and the robins sell for ten cents a 

 dozen. That is the way in which wild 

 bird life is being protected in some 

 parts of this great country. 



The robin is a beautiful and harm- 

 less bird. He is an indefatigable de- 

 stroyer of insect pests. Any one who 

 has ever watched him an a lawn can 

 testify to his industry in searching 

 out bugs and worms and his capacity 

 for putting them where they can do 

 no harm. If there is a cherry tree 

 handy he will visit it occasionally, but 

 he much iirefers to forage after living 

 things. He is a cheerful, happy bird 

 and rather likes to make himself 

 handy around the premises, rearing a 

 family the while in the boughs of the 

 old apple tree. He is not much of a 

 singer so far as the quality of his 

 music goes, but he is always willing 

 to give you a sample of the best he 

 can do in that line, and the effect is 

 not unpleasant to the human ear. In 

 fact, the robin is an all round good 

 fellow and is always ready to be 

 friendly and serviceable if given half 

 a chance. 



It is to be regretted that our neigh- 

 bors in Tennessee are not giving the 

 robin even half a chance, but are mur- 

 dering him in cold blood. There real- 

 ly seems to be no reason for it ex- 

 cept that robins are worth ten cents 

 a dozen. That also would seem to be 

 about the proper market quotation for 

 men who engage in such slaughter, 

 either for pleasure or profit. 



The D. V. O. C. 



It is somewhat different to write 

 fully of an organization such as the 

 Delaware Valley Ornithological Club 

 of Philadelphia. Therefore, I shall 

 confine myself to a short article, con- 

 taining the essentials of its concep- 

 tion and life, for which I am indebted 

 to Mr. Witmer Stone, who is perhaps 

 in closer touch with the personal of 

 our beloved clan than any other mem- 

 ber. 



Organized February 3, 1890, by Wil- 

 liam L. Bailey, George S. Morris, J. 

 H. Reed, Samuel M. Rhoads, Charles 

 A. Voelker, Dr. Spencer Trotter and 

 Witmer Stone, the first meeting was 

 held at the home of Mr. Bailey at 1624 

 Arch St. Later they were held at 16 

 N. 7th St., and finally through the 

 efforts of Mr. Stone the club was 

 granted the use of a room at the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences; and 

 March 3, 1891 is memorable as the 

 first meeting held in the Academy 



