August, 1889.] 



AM) OOLOGIST. 



125 



eagle had been rtiunially paying a visit. As soon as 

 the last fact was duly ascertained, Mr. McCallum's two 

 sons — Leopold, aged 14 years, and Xeil, aged 10, — said 

 they would "capture that fellow if possible." On an 

 evening of last week they set a fox trap 100 years old, 

 which had belonged to their great grandfather. Early 

 next morning the two young braves with rapid strides 

 repaired to the spot where the bait was situated, when, 

 lo ! to their great joy and admiration his imperial eagle- 

 ship was there held a prisoner by the claw. Released at 

 once from the trap by boy Xo. 1, who carried him 

 home under his arm, the noble bird so attempted to 

 capture the boy that large quantities were torn from 

 his coat before the youth could be liberated from the 

 iron grasp of the terrible talons of the imperial pris- 

 oner. A strong cage was soon constructed, in which 

 his high mightiness can be seen at any time. His 

 length from tip to tip of his wings is six feet six inches- 

 —[Guar. Daily Patriot, Charlottetown, P.E.I. 



Fashion and Taste. 



As exemplified in a conversation betwixt Mrs. Meek 

 and her daughter, Mary, relating to the uncivilized 

 mode of decorating ladies' headgear, with the feath- 

 ered skins of humming birds, scarlet tanagers, paro- 

 quets, red-wingetl blackbirds, Haltimore orioles, and 

 other members Of the feathered tribe, as lately in 

 fashion, versified and dedicated to the Society for 

 the Prevention of Cruelty to Birds. 



BY PETTEK PEPPERCORN. 



Bob-o-link, bob-o-link, 

 AVhat do you think? —Anon. 



" My daughter, dear," said Mrs. Meek, 

 " It's wrong you may depend upon it, 



To slaughter little harmless birds 

 And with their skins adorn a bonnet. 



" It's fashionable now, I know, 

 To decorate with skin and feather ; 



But what is fashion at the best? 

 As changeable as April weather. 



" It somehow seems to me as if 

 All Christian feeling ha<l departed. 



And makes me nervous, Mary, dear, 

 Oh, why am I so tender-hearted? 



" But you have bought a bob-o-Iink,* 



I could to him indite a sonnet. 

 Although I think it out of place 



To see him perched upon a bonnet. 

 " It's bad enough to keep confined 



Within a cage, the little creature; 

 J}ut stuffed and impaled upon a hat 



Is cruelty in every feature. 

 " What ! kill my favorite bird to get 



His head and tail, his wing and feather? 

 I wish such wanton sacrifice 



Could be abolished altogether. 

 " It is against all rule of art, 



And sinful, I feel sure of that; 

 And I shall sigh and wish for fall 



To see him perched upon your hat." 

 " Oh, ma," said Mary, " if that's so. 



On my headgear, I don't desire him ; 

 But, mother, dear, please tell to me 



In what condition you admire him? 



* DoUchonyx orzivorns, better known as reed bird, 

 rice bird, Bo'b-lincoln, bob-o-link, Ijunting and other 

 local names. 



" My darling," Mrs. Meek replied, 

 " Some years ago, and in September, 



Y(»ur father (now an angel) bought 

 The bird I ever shall remember. 



" I know not where he got it from. 

 But at some restaurant, I think ; 



And ever since that time I've had 

 A liking for the bob-o-link. 



" I love him in his native wilds, 

 When spring is opening up before him. 



I love him, too, in summer time, 

 And in the autumn I adore hira. 



"His note is sweeter then to me 

 Than love song of a caged canary. 



And how delicious broiled on toast. 

 Oh ! that is how I love him, Mary." 



Wade'fi Tfut/is of Nature. 



New Publications. 



The O. <t- O. Semi-Annunl, W. H. Foote, pub- 

 lisher, Pitt.sfield, Mass. Vol. 1, No. 2, .Julj\ 

 This, the second number, fulfils the publish- 

 er's promise in regard to its standard. We 

 note witli pleasure that his enterijrise bids 

 fair to be a success. 



From J. M. Rusk, Secretary of Agricultui-e, 

 Bulletin No. 1, The Enf/ll^h Sparrow in North 

 America, especially in its relation to agricul- 

 ture. Prepared under the direction of Dr. 

 C. Hart Merriam, ornithologist, by Walter B. 

 Barrows, assistant ornithologist. It contains 

 an account of the introduction, increase, its 

 relation to other birds, together with accumu- 

 lated evidence from all sections of the country. 

 It presents the subject of what shall be done 

 in a manner that will certainly arouse public 

 attention. 



We are in receipt of the third edition of 

 Davie's ^e.si'.s and E(jg.^ of North American 

 Bird-^. This book has steadily advanced from 

 a simple descriptive egg check list, in which 

 form its first edition appeared, to a valuable 

 standard work of 455 pages, well illustrated by 

 18 full page plates of typical nests. It is very 

 gratifying to see how much can be accom- 

 plished without recourse to any but the private 

 collections of our naturalists. Mr. Davie has 

 had exceptional facilities for this work, inas- 

 much as he has a large collection of his own, 

 and has had the assistance and the free use of 

 the collection of Mr. J. Parker Norris of 

 Philadelphia, who has one of, if not the largest, 

 private collection of eggs in the country, and 

 that he has made good use of liis advantages 

 is apparent on every page. 



