Oct. 1888.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



159 



Editorial, 



The O. & O. is iiiaile<l each issue to every paiil sub- 

 scriber. It'you fail to receive it, notify us. 



.Since our )a.st issue we have received many 

 in(|Miries as to our reasons for aftaikini!; tlic 

 Mass. Fish and Game Commissioners. W(! 

 tliou<>;ht we had shown iu the articles tlic utter 

 incompeteni'j' and ini-apacit.v of the commission 

 for the jiositions they occupy, and the evident 

 unfair, unjust and unprincipled manner iu 

 wliich the letter as well as the spirit of tlie 

 game law is executed. 



The Naturalists of the state are awakening 

 to the fact that it is high time for a correction. 

 The following quotations from pulilic utter- 

 auces may be interesting: 



"sti;(»\(;ly i'i:(;ki) p:FFOKrs to dk- 



STHOV TllK L\TEHEST.S OF TAXIDEl!- 

 MISTS." 



E. H. LATHROP. 



"THE BU.SIXE.S.S OF EVERY TAXIDER- 

 MIST I\ MASSACIirsETTS SHOULD BE 

 KILLED I'lIIMAIMLV.- 



E. A. BKACKEIT. 



Both are sentiments given at a dinner of the 

 Mass. Fish and Game Protective Association. 



Communication. 



The following extract from a letter received 

 lately is but a rellex of a complaint wliich has 

 come to my knowledge, ([uite frei|nently witli- 

 in the last year, and I wish to call the atten- 

 tion of collectors throughout to country to it. 



" Will you Idndlij li'll me irhij and how it is, that 

 large dealers in skins and eyt/s are compelled to 

 pay collectors the same price for specimens a.s a 

 person wAo is bmjinij but a single one. I prefer 

 to pick xchat I desire from a series, even if I have 

 to pay more, and deal irith parties that I know are 

 responsible, than to send to some one I do not 

 know, a thotisand miles aicay, vith a result too 

 often of not receiving what I want. 



'I'lie only reply I could give was to quote 

 that given me personally in a neighboring city, 

 by one of the largest dealers in the country, 

 wliiih was: "I hav(^ not got them in stock nor 

 do I carry them, for the reason that 1 cannot 

 get them of the collectors at ,iny less price than 

 you or any one else can, and I am not doing 

 business for fun." Upon exinessing my 

 astonishment he said, '■The collectors will find 

 by and by that they are making a mistake in 

 being so greedy," and he instanced oue wlio 



sent him a large number of skins and affixing 

 a price to be sold at on commission, at the same 

 time taking orders for single specimens at the 

 same, and in some cases a tritie less than the 

 list price furnished him. The result was he 

 stored and cared U>y the skins smne months, 

 and until he found out where tlie trouble lay in 

 Tiot being able to dispose of them, and then 

 shipped them back, losing the freight and the 

 expense tti handling and caring for them while 

 in his hands. 'I'he etfect being that he (and I 

 tinil other <le:ilers in the same position), has not 

 in stock the skins of several birds that are plen- 

 tiful in this collector's vicinity, and natur.illy 

 enough declines (except as a favor to a friend) 

 to advertise the collector's business by giving 

 any information where or of whom they may 

 be procured. 



I think the collect(H-s are iiiakijig a great 

 mistake. Almost every buyer prefers to select 

 what ite wants from a series, as there is sure to 

 be variations of some sort or another, iMlhcr in 

 the make-up of the skin, coloration, data etc., 

 and has a fancy he can suit himself better iu 

 the selection than any one else, .\dded to this 

 the fact tliat frequently when receiving a skin 

 by mail it is not vvliat he expected, poorly made 

 or has been damaged in transit, and if eggs, 

 broken, and the consignor is condemned. We 

 notice that nniny who are making collections 

 have declared that they will deal only with 

 those who carrj' a stock and who have a busi- 

 ness reputation at stake, preferring to hold them 

 responsible. There is no question but that a 

 middle-man is of great pecuniary value to a c<d- 

 lector, and it would seem that those who have 

 not yet realized tliat f.ict stand in their own 

 light; they shoulil understand also, that it costs 

 something to carr'}' a large stock of skins, eggs 

 etc., and that the opportunity of (juiekly dis- 

 posing of their consignments is greater in the 

 hands of parties of extended reputation at home 

 and abroad, doing a large business, and with 

 ample linancial resources, than iu their own nv 

 those who do what is called ''a postage stamp 

 sort of business." 'J'he business of supplying 

 specimens of N^atural History to individuals, 

 nmseums and educational institutions h;is out- 

 grown its infancy and is ikju as thoroughly 

 established as any requiring capital and reputa- 

 tion. It has been discovered by not a few who 

 have ventured to embark in it that it requires 

 no small amcjunt of liotb, added to eueigy and 

 a thorough acquaintanceship with each and 

 every department to make it successful. And 

 those who are in the business of collecting will 

 lind that it is for their interest to ally them- 



