144 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-iVo. 9 



too cruel to allow the bronzed toiler of the sea 

 in his struggle as a bread winner, to curtail the 

 pastime of the eflete class of sportsmen tliat are 

 "perfectly chawmed, ball Jove,"' when hanging 

 on to a line trolling beiiind a boat sailed or 

 rowed by some one else. 



It does seem as tbough the (onmiissioners 

 were getting into ditHeulties all around; soon 

 there will be "none so poor as do them ser- 

 vice." Those who have ever seen the favorit- 

 ism and partiality shown a class, the pandering 

 to the market men and at the same time the 

 trucliling to (juasi sportsmen who never see any 

 game except when placed before them at a Pro- 

 tective Game Societies dinner, together with 

 others, w!io, wrai)i)cd up in sweet sentiment, 

 have shed so many tears because those horrid 

 naturalists had not been brought to grief, and 

 now the lavender scented popinjays, calling 

 themselves sportsmen, are wailing because "an 

 unhandsome corpse," (in the shape of a hard 

 worlciug fisherman) should come between the 

 the wind .ind their nol)ility. We expect next 

 the smocked market man redolent of lialf de- 

 cayed cold-storage game, will join in the hue 

 and cry at them and then the Commission will 

 finil that the straight road of equity and justice 

 to all is nuK-h smoother than the cross cuts of 

 favoritism and partiality. 



We are i)leased to announce that the sub- 

 scription list of the O. & O. shows signs of an 

 increase. Wc are in receipt of letters from all 

 oyer the country expressing interest in our 

 course of defending the rights of collectors. 

 While at present our showing up is somewhat 

 local, it involves a question that is »■;'<?« spread 

 and we invite information with regard to any 

 unfair opjnession in any section. Give us an im- 

 partial account and we will give our attention 

 to it. 



Brief Notes. 



If the air is not i)eculiarly suiphurous in onr edi- 

 torial eolunuis tliis month, it is owing- to tlic pugna- 

 cious end of our corps being away figliting mosqui- 

 toes and sand Heas in his entleavors to caiiture some 

 of the large flight of shore birds ijassing over Mono- 

 moy Island. 



We can inform the web-toed gentlemen of the 

 Soutli Shore who seem to fancy that Cape Cod is the 

 earth and they are the owners thereof, that "A 

 chile's amangst you, taking notes. In faitli he'll 

 prent them." 



Mr. C. E. Hoyle recently pnrchased from P. B. 

 Webster Audubon's Birds of America. They were a 

 fine set,7 vol. S vo., bound in full morocco, in perfect 



condition- They were purchased by the former 

 owner in 187.'J. Copies of this work are exceedingly 

 rare. 



A Black Tern in nearly full plumage was taken by 

 A. INI. Tufts, at West Gloucester, Mass. .July H, 18S8. 



Mr. Harry B. Booth, of Bradford, Yorkshire, Eng- 

 land, reports the taking of a Whippoorwill in Derby- 

 shire, this being the first recorded occurrence of this 

 bird in the British Isles. 



The society that annually decorates country stores, 

 depots and out buildings with flaming placai'ds, of- 

 fering tempting cash prizes to any one who will give 

 information that will convict a person of shooting a 

 bird, nmst have derived Its lofty scheme from the 

 -Jnilas Iscariot affair. While we are forced to ac- 

 knowkulge that there are a few individuals in our 

 midst as unprincipled as he was, we doubt if there 

 are many who would stunt their manhood by accept- 

 iTig such a soul belittling fee. It is to be regretted 

 that such an open attempt should be allowed to con- 

 vertour people into siwak-peeps. 



Mr. C. II. Antlros has resigned his position as cash- 

 ier of the Taunton Bank and removed to Colorado, 

 where he "will be engaged in surveying. AVe imagine 

 that his Transit will be levelled at every suspicious 

 tree foi'k. This change will present a flne opportu- 

 nity to Mr- Andros to follow his favorite study. 



We refrain from recording the capture of an un- 

 savory bird in Massachusetts, as the purchaser desires 

 to send a note of it to another publication. 



Wc pigeonliolcd an article two months since. Just 

 as we were to print it we discovered it had been fur- 

 nished to our contemporary the Auk. No second 

 hand fiddles for us gentlemen. 



What lias become of that proposed Audubon mon- 

 ument? From the many expressions of opinion that 

 we have heard we are inclined to believe that the 

 design presented is not quite popular. 



Karly in .September ten subscribers to the O- & O. 

 were occupying the stands on Chatham Flats, and 

 still we are not allowed to gather under the mantle 

 of rights. Keep right on gentlemen and you will see 

 where we get. 



Capt. Gould reports that he has had the best Plover 

 shooting at Chathaui this season that he has expe- 

 rienced for a number of years. We guai-autee that 

 none came within reach of him and got by. 



Now say, some of you members of the F. and G. As- 

 sociation, how about those small birds taken during 

 the Branting season, when you looked at them ami 

 mildly expostulated, why did yon not push the case? 

 Too bad it had not been a poor naturalist who had 

 shot them, so you might have made an e.'cample of 

 him. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the 

 gander, anvl don't you forget it. 



We notice that collectors are very slow to adopt 

 the new A. O. II. code in numbering their specimens. 

 In fact most of the dealers find it impractieable to 

 adopt it, adhering to the Ridgeway System. This 

 will remain the case if the list is not reduced to a 

 price that will place it in the hands of all. 



.earNo exchange notices will be accepted in future 

 at less than regular rates. .^£9r 



