THE OSPEEY. 



27 



them quieted down. And now a new trouble 

 presented itself. Both of the principals persisted 

 in j^oinff to sleep, and the only effect of a poke 

 in the ribs was to make them open one eye and 

 look at you reproachfully and then f;"o oft" af^ain. 

 However, I did finally succeed in g-ettin<i;- three 

 exposures, and you can see the results for your- 

 self. In the spring- of 1898, I made another at- 

 tempt: this time it was a young- Screech Owl in 

 the gray plumage. I made three exposures, but 

 spoiled the best one on account of using- old de- 

 ■veloper. I enclose copies of the other two here- 

 with. Both of these latter were snap-shots. In 

 the lighter colored one the bird was in the sun, 

 and in the other in the shade. All of these 

 pictures were taken with a b'/i x 8'4 lense fitted 

 to a 5 X 7 camera, and taken on a 5 x 7 plate, and 

 the prints cut down to 4 x 5. 



The Owls were taken from a hollow tree in 

 the woods near here, and were kept alive for 

 about five months. 



Hoping- that the above will give you at least 

 a hazy idea of when, where and how the pictures 

 were taken, 



I remain yours very truly, 



Chas. R. Higbke, Jk., 

 13 Austin St., Hyde Park, Mass. 



Dksikabiijty of Repkinting C01.LINS' Notes 

 ON Sea-bikds. 



Editor of the Osprey: 



Washington, .SV//. 2, 1899. 



The article of the Rev. Herbert K. Job ("The 

 Enchanted Isles") in the Ospkey for November 

 last (which I have only read recently) interested 

 me greatly, and recalled an article published 

 many years ago by Capt. J. \V. Collins. That 

 article was issued in a volume whose title would 

 scarcely' attract the attention of an ornithologist 

 or induce him to examine it with the expecta- 

 tion of findings anything- of special interest to 

 him. Indeed, I have found that it was unknown 

 to several ornithologists I have asked. It was 

 entitled "Notes on the habits and methods of 

 capture of various species of Sea Birds that 

 occur on the fishing banks off the eastern coast 

 of North America, and which are used as bait 

 for catching Codfish by New England fisher- 

 men". It was published in the Report for 1882 of 

 the U. S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries (p. 

 311 — 335). A plate illustrates "Hag fishing" or 

 the capture by hook and line of the great shear- 

 water {Puffiniis uiajor) which is called Hag- or 

 Hagdon b}' the fishermen. 12 species or groups 

 of species are commented upon. Captain Collins 

 was for many years master of a vessel engag-ed 

 in bank fishing- and, having- been a good ob- 

 server, his notes ai'e valuable. 



Another noteworthy article on Sea Birds I have 

 noticed in my miscellaneous reading- has the 

 title "Notes on the birds observed during- the 

 cruise of the U. S. F. C. Schooner (1 ram pus in 

 the summer of 1887", and was published by Mr. 

 William Palmer in the Proceedings of the U. S. 

 National Museum for 1890, (p. 240—265). 



Would it not be well to republish Captain 

 Collins' article in the OspkEY? It is a verv in- 



teresting one, and inaccessible, I am sure, to 

 the great majority of your readers. 



Yours trulv, 



H. A. G. 

 [The suggestion of our correspondent is a 

 good one. and maj' by adopted. If room can be 

 found for Capt. Collins' article, it will be publish- 

 ed in part at least in the next number. — Ei)iT(ji<.] 



A Nf;w Device for Amateur Photographers. 



EniTOR OF The Osprey: 



Washington, D. C, Sept. 12, 1899. 

 A propos of your note on a "New device for 

 amateur photographers", I may inform you that 

 some years ago Prof. Marey, the well-known 

 investigator of problems of animal locomotion, 

 devised a camera to be used after the fashion of 

 a gun, and so arranged as to take several con- 

 secutive photographs. The apparatus suggested 

 an overgrown, but short, Colt's rifie. I do not 

 know what results were obtained. 

 Yours trulv, 



L. 



Amende Honorable of Dr. Knowlton to 

 Mr. Norris. 



Editor of the Osprey: 



In my discussion of the crime of excessive 

 egg--collecting in a recent issue of The Osprey, 

 I made the statement that "it is perfectly' evi- 

 dent that Mr. Norris had not the honor of a per- 

 sonal acquaintance with Major Bendire or he 

 would never have dared bring him into this 

 malodorous discussion". 



I am nov,' informed that I wrs in error, and 

 that Mr. Norris did enjoy the privilege of such 

 an acquaintance. I hasten to make the proper 

 acknowledgment, and to observe that Mr. Norris 

 evidently possesses a high order of coura'-e for 

 which I did not give him proper credit. Those 

 who were best acquainted with Major Bendire 

 will readily appreciate the situation wl:en tliey 

 recall his often expressed ojjinioii on t!ie 

 subject. 



In a succeeding- paragraph I made the state- 

 ment that "there was no place in his (Bendire's) 

 economy for frauds and charlatans". This is 

 so manifest a fact that I have learned with great 

 surprise that Mr. Norris has seen fit to apply it 

 to himself and to take oft'ence thereat. It is 

 certainly remarkable that Mr. Norris would be 

 willing- to admit that Major Bendire entertained 

 no hig-her opinion of him than to class him with 

 frauds and charlatans! 



As for myself I would be the last ])er>on to 

 apply these epithets to one who is so well known 

 among ornithologists generally as Mr. Norris, 

 or one whose collection indicates such an ex- 

 haustive accjuaintance with the individual ])ecu- 

 liarities of the eggs of our birds. 



F. H. Knowi.Ton. 



[Mr. Norris has wronged himself in applying 

 to his own personality the general statement res- 

 pecting- "frauds and charlatans" made b^- Dr. 

 Knowiton. If we had supposed that such an in- 

 terpretation would have been put on the remarks 

 in question, we should not have admitted them. 



