128 



THE OSPEEY. 



is this youngf fellow from the wild and W00I3' 

 West who diires to make statements new to 

 this oflfice, who has the audacity to express 

 opinions without our knowledge and consent, 

 who ventures to speak of color change of 

 plumage without moult, of pigmentary altera- 

 tions — in a \vord, of aptosochromatism? 

 "Sdeath! Hand me my snickersnee, Chap])ie, 

 old boy, and his scalp shall hang in our lodge, 

 if you will back me up!" 



But perhaps we have let our imagination 

 run away with us, for "J. A. A." is well known 

 to be the mildest-mannnered man who ever 

 cut an author's throat or scuttled a book. 

 This will be obvious to any discerning reader 

 of the way he undertook to demolish Air. 

 Keeler. The attack was covert, stealthy, 

 shifty, evasive, with many a hum and a haw, a 

 show of sorrow for his intended victim, and 

 an appearance of that sort of fairness which 

 consists of a pat on the head and a stab under 

 the fifth rib in alternate paragraphs. This is 

 not Ihe sort of criticism to carry weight; it 

 simply signifies that Mr. feeder's book was 

 too much for "J. A. A." to digest without a fit 

 of bilious colic. The worst .symptom of this 

 indigestion was, that "J. A. A." left his own 

 views on the subject as clear as mud. We iind 

 it impossible to discover what he really knew 

 or thought of aptosochromatism; we simply 

 see him sitting on the fence, shying rocks at 

 Mr. Jveeler, but ready to shuffle down on 

 either side of the fence, according to which 

 side the cat should jump in future. 



For example (Auk, April, 1893, p. 192), "J. A. 

 A." cites a certain passage in Mr. Keeler's 

 book, pp. 1. 19-1 61, from which "J. A. A." says, 

 "one would infer that the feather first grew 

 to its proper size and form aiid was then 

 decorated by the subsequent deposit of pig- 

 ment." We have read pp. 1!59-161 without 

 making any such ridiculous inference; very 

 likely "J. A. A." is the only one who ever did 

 so. "J. A. A." simply misunderstands his au- 

 thor, and abuses him on the strength of that 

 misuuderst.-inding. Again, he quotes a state- 

 ment from y\v. Keeler, p. 177. and cries nut. 



"Is it possible that Mr. Keeler is unaware that 

 the tip of the feather foi-ms first, and receives 

 its pigment and markings, whatever they may 

 be, before the middle and lower parts of the 

 feather have passed beyond the gelatinous 

 .stage," etc. To which we reply. No; it is not 

 ])Ossible that Mr. I\eeler should be unaware 

 of that; but "J. A. A." tried to make him out 

 as ignorant as all that, and triumjihantly 

 added, "this being the case, i't is needless to 

 discuss 'lines of least resistance,' " etc., thus 

 waving the whole matter aside. This is a 

 stale old trick of reviewing, namely, misun- 

 derstand yoiir author through honest igno- 

 rance, and abuse him on that misunderstand- 

 ing; or misunderstand him wilfnll}', and abuse 

 him dising-enuously. We give "J. A. A." the 

 benefit of the doubt in this case; but the 

 dilemma is an awkward one. 



We intended to write a review of Mr. Ifeel- 

 er's book, l.nit find that we have been too bu.sy 

 reviewing his reviewer to leave room for what 

 we shoukl like to say by way of commending 

 its many merits. We are sorry that the case 

 is one that compels us to be so severe upon 

 "J. A. A.;" but he is solely responsible for 

 that. We did not make up the case; we have 

 taken it as we found it, and shall feel 

 amply repaid for a task so dista.s-teful if what 

 we say shows that Mr. Keeler's work has been 

 disingenuously or ignorantly condemned. 

 The case obviously requires a rehearing, and 

 is to be finally decided upon its merits. Those 

 of our readers who are interested in the im- 

 portant subjects of which Mr. Keeler has 

 treaited should procure the book, study it with 

 care, and come to their own conclusions, 

 «itho\it gi\ing undue weig-ht to anj-thing 

 which either "J. A. A." or the present writer 

 has had to .say about it. Let "authority" go 

 for what it ma.v be worth — what are the 

 facts? The author himself could desire no 

 more than that his work should be subjected 

 to the closest scrutiny, in order that the er- 

 rors it may contain shall be done away with, 

 and the truth it may embody be thereby the 

 more clearly reflected from its pages. — E. C. 



