88 



THE OOLOGIST 



SUBJECTS OOLOGIOALLY CONSIDEEED. 



V. THE PROXIMITY OF A NEST 



INDICATED BY THE DEMEANOR 



OF THE PARENTS. 



Tfse ©ytoyist 



FOURTH PUBLICATION YEAR. 



JUNE, 1879. 



We desire to direct the attention of col- 

 lectors of birds' eggs and all who are study- 

 ing the natural sciences, to the announce- 

 ment of Professor Ward in this number. 

 His series of obje(!ts in nature, made up 

 with care, for cabinet and educational pur- 

 poses, are probably the most complete of 

 auv furnished in this country, and embrace 

 a large number of species from all parts of 

 the irlobe. 



Can those who publish articles taken 

 from tlie columns of The Oologist not 

 give credit when this is done? We are 

 surprised to see not only quotations, but en- 

 tire articles in other journals and publica- 

 tions, taken from this paper and published 

 as if original with them. Perhaps this may 

 not be inapplicable to a few of the latt st au- 

 thoritative ornithological works. 



OoLOGiOAL notes are mostly made up for 

 the season. Cannot collectors favor us 

 with their items? They will prove valua- 

 l)le to those who live in remote parts of the 

 country, and have no other means of com- 

 paring notes. 



Copies of the May number with the 

 plate may be ol>tained in New York of the 

 Am. News Company, or at the office of the 

 American Atjriailturist. 



T^XPERIENCE is an important factor in 

 the education of an oologist — in fact, 

 one cannot be called a naturalist until he 

 has mastered those parts of a science whicli, 

 in practical language, are beyond the gen- 

 eral scrutiny of avei'age mankind. In the 

 study of birds' eggs, especially, one should 

 possess considerable experience — knowl- 

 edge of the birds themselves — of ornitholo- 

 gy, to pursue the study profitably. Hence, 

 it is seen that in the minute details which 

 the student nmst ever keep in view, person- 

 al experience is an aid which no literary 

 inculcation in this direction can supercede. 

 Anyone can describe what he has seen a 

 bird perfoi'm, or measure and name an egg 

 when he has the parent before him ; but 

 when called upon to make deductions and 

 apply the result to future use in the study, 

 it is evident that some knowledge of bird 

 nature is required. That a llobin is build- 

 ing a nest is manifest when she is observed 

 with straws in her beak ; how long it will 

 take her to build it, lay her eggs and rear 

 her young, requires patient observation to 

 determine. Moreover, if one is able to 

 predict with tolerable accuracy the position 

 of the nest, from certain unanticipated or 

 uncalled-for demeanor on the pai't of the 

 parents, lie has, at least, the qualification 

 of being a studious observer. 



In a previous paper,* it has been observ- 

 ed that many birds demean themselves o- 

 penly in sucli a manner as to give an im- 

 portant clew to the whereabouts of the nest ; 

 but the circumstances in the present case 

 are very ditlerent. In the article just quot- 

 ed, mention was made only of those actions 

 elicited or provoked hy anticipation of dan- 

 ger ; but in the present connection, we have 

 to deal with those little studied and seem- 

 ingly commonplace, though often siguificant 



i *Page 44, Number 6, for January, 1879. 



