188 



THE OOLOGIST. 



the picture of old birds bleeding and 

 dying with the feathers stripped from 

 their backs during the breeding sea- 

 son and young birds left starving in 

 their nests. This has told a story 

 so plainly that the wearer has invar- 

 iably ben considered, either ignorant, 

 thoughtless or cruel. In the future 

 the aigrette tip on a hat will stand 

 not only for the death of beautiful 

 and innocent birds and the starvation 

 of their young, but will also speak of 

 the assassination of a human being 

 at his post of duty trying to suppress 

 the illegal traffic through which the 

 supposed adornment has been made 

 possible. In regard to imitation tips, 

 it would seem that thoughtful persons 

 would not be willing to imitate any 

 custom or article that tells a story 

 so cruel. 



We take this from the Bull. Div. 

 of Zool. — Penn. Dept. of Agri., Vol. 

 3, No. 5: We attempted to secure 

 further information but nothing is yet 

 at hand. 



Whatever may be the difference of 

 opinion in regard to some of the Bird 

 Protection Laws, there can be no ques- 

 tion in this case. — Ed. 



EDITORIAL. 



A Spotted Egg of Miss. Kite, Set 329 

 K-5-05, collected by Geo. W. Stevens, 

 June 10, 1905, near Alva, Okla., is 

 unique. 



As often happens with this species, 

 one egg is much larger than the 

 other. Measurements give 1.62 x 1.34 

 and 1.48 x 1.26 inches. 



The larger egg in this set exhibits 

 a scattered wreath of light brown 

 specks and short scrawls about one- 

 third down from large end of egg. 

 I have tested these spots carefully 

 and they are unquestionably natural 

 spots deposited by the bird. They 

 show plainly but would have escaped 

 my notice but for their being in a 

 well defined wide wreath entirely 

 around the egg, as these eggs are al- 

 most always stained by the green nest 

 lining. 



This is the first spotted egg of this 

 Kite I have seen or heard of in nearly 

 twenty years experience. 



Has anyone else a record? 



About That Skunk Editorial. 

 It excited considerable comment, 

 both favorable and otherwise. The 



most pronounced unfavorable com- 

 ment we print herewith. 



Carthage, Missouri, 



Sept. 30, 1905. 

 Mr. E. H. Short, 



Chili, New York, 



My Dear Sir: — I note with inter- 

 est and regret your editorial in the 

 September "Oologist," in regard to 

 skunks. There is only one way to 

 determine the economical value of 

 any animal, and that is by careful 

 examination of stomachs of the ani- 

 mal in question. Further, it will not 

 suffice to examine animals from a sin- 

 gle locality; we must consider them 

 throughout their entire geographical 

 range. 



That the skunk occasionally is guil- 

 ty of misdemeanors I could not dis- 

 pute, but that his benefiicial habits 

 far out-balance his detrimental ones 

 must be conceded. If the editor has 

 ever examined skunks from the plains, 

 or from the southern states, he would 

 readily admit the value of the animal 

 as an insect destroyer. It is the 

 skunk's chief delight to hunt grass- 

 hoppers and locusts. Not only does 

 he hunt them for food, but seemingly 

 for the sole delight of killing them. 

 Scarcely a skunk can be found dur- 

 ing the months from May till Novem- 

 ber which has not feasted on locusts. 

 It is their natural food at this time 

 of the year. 



Then, again in the spring, just af- 

 ter the snow has left, the skunk gets 

 in his work on the Microti, or meadow 

 mice; they form his principle food af- 

 ter he awakens from his wintei''s nap. 

 Skunks are responsible for the destruc- 

 tion of thousands of these animals, 

 whose detrimental habits are well 

 known. Every Microtus he kills fully 

 balances the destruction of a toad, and 

 stomach examination has proven that 

 where Mephitis eats one toad, he eats 

 eight field mice. 



I believe in "giving honor to whom 

 honor is due." Because I observe in 

 a certain locality the Orchard Oriole 

 to be feeding upon cherries, should I 

 say, "I can't find where the Oriole 

 earns enough credits to balance his 

 debit account and I advise everyone 

 to compass their destruction where 

 possible, etc." We all believe in giv- 

 ing the benefit of the doubt to the ac- 

 cused. It is an injustice to accuse 

 through the witness of only one per- 

 son. , 



