THE OOLOGIST 



71 



Aud again, a plea for more accurate 

 and rertective observation, with a lield 

 glass if possible. Many observers need 

 to cultivate a deeper appreciation of 

 what a certain argus-eyed veteran iu 

 our favorite science has meant by the 

 comprehensive title, "Life Histories." 

 And, about iield glasses. When will 

 some bright optician manufacture and 

 put on the ornithological market, au 

 instrument especially fitted to our 

 needs, with the price brought within 

 the limits of the slender purses that 

 some of us are carrying about with us 

 these days? 



As to observation.s and field-notes: 

 I am a little chagrined to hear, to see 

 nothing more as to the wonderfully 

 handy 8J by 3^ inch note -books refer- 

 red to in a not long remote issue of the 

 OoLuGiST. These bank books are in- 

 terleaved with absorbent paper. You 

 jot down your notes iu ink, always in 

 ink, and close the book, unblotted. 

 There's a column for the date, and a 

 space for the particulars and any met- 

 erological or other pertinent notes may 

 be written on the bibulous paper, two 

 sets of notes in the same book, and side 

 by side, .just where one wants them, 

 and all for a sonrj. Why not two 

 or three hundretl of us sit I'ight 

 tlown, just as soon as this copy of the 

 OoLOGisT is read from cover to cover, 

 and overwhelm the editor with an or- 

 tler for half a dozen copies, each of the 

 Model Field Bookv 



A linal attack on the question of 

 "Standard Datas:" Tlie accompanying 

 form represents, (for my purposes and 

 tastes at least), the summing up of the 

 best ((ualities to be found in twenty or 

 thirty different forms, occurring among 

 hundreds of datas in my collection. 

 The datum "situation" I venture to 

 add, on my own responsibility, though 

 the fairts that it sh()ul<! involve arc lack- 

 ing in most descriptions, while yet they 

 are of deepest interest to the true lover 

 of ornithology and nidiology. The up- 



per left hand corner arrangement, in 

 which 1 especially delight is, I take it, 

 largely the idea of a big-hearted ranch- 

 man and ornithologist of Denver, wide- 

 ly quoted and still more widely known. 

 Its beauty and utility are seen in the 

 fact the given arrangement brings close- 

 ly together on the data just the mark- 

 ings which should be found on the eggs. 

 The "date" and "incubation" details are 

 pUii'pd together and on the lirst line be- 

 cause if acui'ate, they tell us e:j(actly 

 what we wish to know about the nest- 

 ing date. Special attention has been 

 given to the reserving of abundant 

 space for "particulars." What a host 

 of delightfully interesting informalities 

 do some of our most accurate and en- 

 thusiastic field workers manage to 

 crowd overllowingly into such a space 

 as this! 



The data has been made as large as 

 it could be aud still lit, wilhotU Jolding, 

 into a No. 6 envelope. The big square 

 datas that must be folded, and the rag- 

 ged edged stubdatas are equally an 

 abomination. Wherefore, buy of Un- 

 cle Sam a package of No. C stamped 

 envelopes, to forward your datas with- 

 out folding, and provide yourselves 

 with lield books for recording data 

 complete for each set, and allow the 

 wretchedly inadequate "stub" to des- 

 uetudinize. The form presented here- 

 with, and i-ecommeuded for use, is filled 

 out with an actual record from my '92 

 field book, to give some indication of 

 its possible and proper use. If any 

 pertinent suggestions occur to any one, 

 we shall all, surely be gratefid for them; 

 and if any thing touching this form has 

 been left obscure, perhaps our obliging 

 Mr. Lattin will give space in the next 

 issue, for a few words of added explan- 

 ation. 



Here goes tlie inevitable moral: 

 Throw away your old and blunted 

 drills, and buy sharp ones — scorning 

 the cheapest sorts. Drill the hole on the 

 least finely marked, or on the stained 



