26 



THE OSPREY. 



Tlu' naturalist-collectors that have enriched the 

 National Museum and other collections since 

 then are innumerable. 



Nor have the explorations of American nat- 

 uralist-collectors been confined within the 

 bounds of their own country. (What ex])edition 

 up to the time of the Challeuf^er had been so 

 fruitful as the Wilkes' Exploring: Expedition 

 of 1838-42?! Among- them even are several who 

 anticipated Whitehead in his exploration of the 

 Philippine Islands — Dr. J. B. Steere, Prof. Dean 

 C. Worcester, (now one of the Commissioners to 

 the Philippines,) and Dr. Frank S. Bourns. 



Another naturalist-collector, Mr. Frederic A. 

 Ober. has explored the West Indies and to his 



facile pen we are indebted for the article on the 

 Wild Guinea-fowl of Barbuda which appears in 

 the present number of the Ospkey. 



The countrj- of immediate paramount interest 

 South Africa — hasal.so a museum which .sends 

 out or employs naturalist-collectors, and is col- 

 lectiiii^- the material for a series of works on the 

 zoolog-y of the ret;ion. It is almost superfluous 

 to add the names of the institution — the South 

 African Museum of Capetown — or its accom- 

 plished director — William Lutle^' Sclater. 



Various Museums of South America, Austra- 

 lia, India and Japan have also enriched and 

 are still enriching- their collections by means of 

 travellin"- naturalists. 



Letters. 



Photographing Sckeech-owi.s. 

 Editor of the Opsrey: 



Hyde Fakk, J la/e 25, 1809, 

 Your letter of recent date was duly received. 

 The pictures you refer to were taken in March. 

 1897, and the subjects were two Screech Owls, 

 one in the red, and the other in the g'ray plum- 

 age. The lighting was rather poor, and as I 

 had a slow lens, and there f<ire had to <'-ive a 



just as I g-ot ready to make the exposure. One 

 might think to look at the result that I had used 

 a ship's hauser to fa.sten them, but that is one 

 disagreeable efl^ect of g^etting- too close. Well, 

 after I had them fixed just as I wanted them, 

 and drawn out the slide preparatory to making- 

 the exposure, one of them concluded that he 

 would rather be somewhere else, and started out 

 to get there. He v\-as broiig"ht up rather short 



Photograph of Screech-Owls. 

 somewhat difficult 



time exposure, it made 

 subject. 



In the first place I fastened the two sitters to 

 the perch, so as to be sure they would not elope 



b^'the cord, however, and I finally convinced hiin 

 that he had better stay where he was. 



During- the excitement his comrade g-ot rather 

 restless and I had some little trouble in getting- 



