June, 1889.] 



AIS^D OOLOGIST. 



95 



Notice. 



I caution all ])arties doiii^i; business with nie 

 to make all remittances payable to my order. 



While usin<i' utmost care I am vmable to 

 prevent the continual loss of copies of the 

 O. & O. in the mail. It is mailed the last of 

 each month to all. Parties who find that they 

 have not received a number will have a duiili- 

 cate mailed them upon apjilication. 



Frank B. Wkustek. 



Brief Notes. 



N. Yickary informs us that a nest with three eggs of 

 tlie Golden-crowned Kinglet was taken last month at 

 Lynn, Mass. It was found in a spruce tree. He says 

 that the outside is covered with green moss and of 

 bejtutiful construction. This is the only instance that 

 has come under his observation. 



From reports that come to us, the .Springtield member 

 of the Fish and Game Commissioners still continues 

 far from being popular with our ornithologists. It is a 

 " curious" fact that the favored dozen to whom He has 

 gratuitcmsly granted permits do very little collecting, 

 while those to whom the privilege (?) is denied as well 

 as those who don't care to submit to his nonsensical 

 catechism it is surmised are unusually active. Orni- 

 thologists would like to see him scalped, in the same 

 manner as he expressed a desire to handle taxidermists. 



We have had the extreme pleasure of glancing over 

 the last report of the Massachusetts Fish and Game 

 Commissioners. The glowing accounts of the Hights of 

 silver eels and suckers, and the capture of baby loV)- 

 sters are unusually thrilling. One unfortunate seems 

 to have committed the heinous crime of having three 

 or four caged Ijirds for sale. " What depravity ! " 



Why the people of the state should allow j)ublic 

 funds to be wasted by such a foolish exiienditure as 

 the printing of such a mess can only be accounted for 

 by a lack of attention. 



Arthur Pettit, who recently took control of the 

 Oologixts Exchange, has opened his editorials in a very 

 vigorous manner. He has placed a very good sized 

 chip on his shoulder. 



Looking at the .lune issues of the Loon and the Cur- 

 lew we are reminded of the early issues of the O. & O. 

 (Oologist). All such publications have our best wishes 

 ami we hope that our ornithologists will give them 

 support. 



H. Austen took a I51a<tkliurnian Warbler at Halifax, 

 N.S., in May. 



The cloth-covered edition of Coues' Key is exhausted, 

 only the Sportmen's edition (flexible) can now be had 

 from the publishers, and there is no pro.-pect of another 

 etlition being out for some time. 



Four of the boys at the Thompson Island Institution, 

 while at play .May 30, discovered a Turkey liuzzard on a 

 small spruce tree. They succeeded in knocking it over 

 with stones and then captured it. The bird, which 

 proved to be a J, was sent to us by W. W. Hill. 

 Tliompson's Islantl is situated in Boston Harbor, less 

 than two miles from the city wharves. The bird was as 

 fragrant as the average. 



We have had in the our hands a Sabines (full taken 

 at Cape Cod, Mass., in 18S8. The bird was in inunature 

 plumage. 



M. Bixler's article reminds us of an instance when 

 called to attend to an owl that a party wished preserved. 

 We were piloted to a large attic room and found our- 

 selves let loose in pretty much the same manner as the 

 owl had been, i.e., shoved in and the door slammed 

 after us. To add to the dilemma the owl appeared to 

 be an unusual lively one and there was nothing to use 

 with which to secure it. The owl blinked at us and we 

 winked in return. In desperation we loosened a round 

 from a rickety chair and jirepared for action. A grand 

 waltz was had around the enemy and never did we see 

 a more perfect swivel action than that owl's head. 

 Finally, after many whacks and thrusts a lucky tap at 

 the seat of wisdom laid it low. Steaming with perspir- 

 ation we picked it up by the feet and started for 

 home. On our way, passing through the centre of the 

 city, an object of much attention, the utmost possible 

 indifference was assumed ; but alack, swinging the owl 

 in one hand and making our politest salute to a lady 

 friend with the other — such a Masonic grip as we ex- 

 perienced has never been equalled since Solomon was 

 king. To drop on one's knees and have a rough and tumble 

 in the streets of a city would not do ; there was but one 

 alternative, to grin and bear it. And such a grin— we can 

 feel the inspiration as we write. Well, we sailed along 

 and the way we hugged that mass of flapping feathers 

 was not exceeded in any of the round dances at the late_ 

 Centennial Hall. Arriving at a convenient turning-in 

 jilace, with the assistance of a friend, the deadlock 

 was broken, and the half-completetl job was finished. 

 The moral to this was, be sure your owl is dead before 

 you carry him by the feet. 



A son of Erin, " so they .say," connected with the 

 navy, being tired of land service, wished for a change. 

 He was summoned before a board of examination and 

 his ability tested. Am(mg the ipiestions put were: 

 Suppose you were sailing in a gale at a high rate in the 

 China Sea anil one of your men should fall overboard. 

 What would you do? He looked thoughtfully for a 

 moment and replied : " Sure, I would retire to me cabin 

 anil write to his folks that he was drownded." 



It was a cousin of his, that remarked about a turtle 

 that he had decapitated, and which continued to crawl : 

 "He's did, but begorra, he don't realize it." 



During the past two years there has been an inclina- 

 tion to substitute the use of naiihthaline, and various 

 similar products, for camphor, to prevent the ravages 

 of moths and dermestes. We have found Cryst Alba to 

 be very etticacious. 



E. B. Webster, in his treatise on the embalming pro- 

 cess, states : In warm weather all large birds should be 

 skinned as far as possible, and flesh removed, also that 

 the process is not generally applied to binls larger than 

 a pigeon. If it is necessary and best to do away with 

 the flesh of a grouse, why not with that of a pigeon? 

 We do not believe that it is an advantage in any case, 

 large or small, to have the cabinet fllletl with mummifled 

 birtls. Also, we do not see that there can be any prac- 

 tical gain in time by the process. We have two grouse 

 preserved by an embalming process, we think in the 

 manner descril)ed by Mr. Webster, some six years since. 

 The birds have become distorted by shrinkage. We 

 would be cautious about .adopting the process, but do 

 think there might be an advantage in using an embalm- 

 ing fluid in preserving birds temporarily while on col- 

 lecting trips, for future use. 



Our pet "mouser" brought us the remains of a 

 Robin one day last week. If a bird alights in our yard 



