66 



THE OSPREY. 



THE OSPREY. 



An Illustrated Magazine of Popular Ornithology 

 Published Monthly except in July and August 



EDITED BY 



WALTER ADAMS JOHNSON 



ASSOCIATED WITH 



Dr. ELLIOTT COUES 



Subscription; In the United States, Canada and Mexico, One 

 Dollar a year, in advance. Single Copies. Ten Cents. 



Foreign Subscription; One Dollar and Twenty-five Cents. 

 Postage paid to all countries in the Postal Union. 



British agent; Frank A. Arnold, Mersham, Surrey, England. 

 Advertising rates sent on request. 



Official Organ Cooper Ornithological Club of the Pacific Coast. 



Notes and News of a relevant nature, and original contribu- 

 tions are respectfully solicited, and should be addressed to 

 the editor at the office of publication. 



Copyright, 1897, by The Osprey Company. 



THE OSPREY COMPANY. 



Removed December, 1897, from Galesburg, 111. to 



141 East 25TH Street, - - - - New York City. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



This number of The Osprey appears later than 

 usual, owing to the delay caused by the removal of 

 the office of publication. 



On November 15 the New York Zoological Society 

 submitted to the Park Commissioners of New York 

 its final and complete plan for the development of 

 the Zoological Park. Prof. Henry F. Osborne, who 

 presented the plan, stated that "neither time, labor 

 nor expense have been spared in the effort put forth 

 to make it as nearly perfect as human skill and 

 knowledge can make it at this time. In addition to 

 the knowledge and advice obtained in the best zoolog- 

 ical gardens of Europe, the zoological development 

 of the Park has received the benefit of advice and 

 criticism from no fewer than six expert zoologists, 

 covering practically all the questions involved in the 

 development of an ideal zoological park in this lati- 

 tude." The proof of abundant thought and study in 

 the preparation of the plan was so apparent that in 

 exactly one week the Board of Parks unanimously 

 adopted the plan, a decided triumph for the Society. 

 This means that active work on the ground will 

 begin early next spring. The original "Preliminary 

 Plan" which was prepared last year by the Director, 

 Mr. Hornaday, and published last year in The Osprey 

 for September, has stood all the tests to which it 

 was put before its final acceptance by the Executive 

 Committee, and the "Final Plan" is merely a care- 

 ful elaboration of it. 



At a recent meeting of the Linna;an Society of New- 

 York City, it was authoritatively stated that Audubon 

 Societies are the strongest in localities where there 

 are the greatest number of ornithologists. It is 

 pleasing to note the assiduity with which the Audu- 

 bon Societies are working, and there seems no doubt 

 but that they are an established institution and not a 

 mere passing fad. as some have been pleased to class 

 them. The Pennsylvania Audubon Society is an ex- 

 ample of the number of thoroughly live organizations ; 

 we have a copy of their annual report dated Decem- 

 ber I, 1897. It says as a result of one year's work 

 there are 2,200 members enrolled who have signed 



the pledge cards of the Society to abstain from the 

 use of wild birds for ornamentation in millinery, etc. 

 This, however, represents but a small fraction of 

 those whose attention has been directed to the im- 

 portance of bird protection by the circulars of the 

 Society. Of these circulars 20,000 have been issued 

 and distributed during the year, while 1,000 more 

 have been given to Audubon Societies in other States. 

 Valuable assistance has been rendered by members 

 situated in various towns and cities throughout the 

 State who have acted as local secretaries and attended 

 to the distribution of circulars in their vicinity. In 

 addition the Secretary has answered hundreds of in- 

 (juiries relative to bird protection, etc, from all parts 

 of the country, .As a result of a year's experience 

 the Directors feel convinced that the most important 

 work must be done in schools among children, by 

 teaching the rising generation that birds are friends 

 to be protected and cared for rather than common 

 property to be killed and mutilated In accordance 

 with this idea the Society used its best efforts in 

 support of a bill establishing a Bird Day' in the 

 schools of the State, and had the satisfaction of see- 

 ing it pass the Legislature only to be vetoed by the 

 Governor. This, however, need not hinder private 

 schools from adopting such a day — an action which 

 cannot be too strongly advocated Better success at- 

 tended the new game law which the Society also 

 supported, and which passed both Legislature and 

 Executive. This prohibits the killing of game for 

 sale, and the killing or using for ornamentation 

 any of the wild birds of the State (except a few 

 Hawks, game birds, etc. I under heavy penalties. 

 The Pennsylvania Societ}- is unique among such 

 organizations in that it does not charge a member- 

 ship fee, believing that its objects are best attained 

 by trusting to \'oluntary contributions from those 

 who are best able to help, than by taxing every one 

 who joins. The cost of postage has become so large 

 an item of expense with the increased membership 

 that it has been impossible to communicate fre- 

 quently with members by circulars To obviate this 

 difficulty arrangements have been made with the 

 Philadelphia ' P^-ening Bulletin ' to publish an article 

 on the Audubon Society and its work on Saturday- 

 of each week. This arrangement will begin with the 

 present month, and if the members show sufficient 

 interest in it, it will be continued through the year. 

 Among the projects which the Society has in view 

 for the winter and spring may be mentioned an ex- 

 hi'oition of millinery in which the use of wild birds 

 will be debarred, and a course of five lectures on the 

 birds of Philadelphia and vicinity by Mr. Witmer 

 Stone. 



A highly interesting article entitled 'A Bird's Egg,' 

 is to be found in the December number of ' Harper's 

 Magazine.' It is written by Mr. Ernest IngersoU — 

 the well known writer and naturalist — and warrants 

 the unprejudiced 'Nation's' characterization as "the 

 most interesting paper in the number. " Four beau- 

 tiful full-page colored plates illustrate selected eggs 

 of birds of prey, song birds, water birds, and game 

 birds. These plates make Harper's oological venture 

 a striking feature of the magazine. We notice that 

 Mr. IngersoU also has a paper in 'The Critic' of 

 December 18, on 'Charles Conrad Abbott, M. D., at 

 Trenton. ' This tells us something of the personality, 

 home life and work of the author who has written so 

 interestingly of birds and nature. 



The question as to whether or not the Richardson 

 Merlin breeds in Assiniboia in numbers recorded by 

 Mr. E Arnold, and incidentally the question of the 

 maple's existence in Assiniboia, threatens to become 



