86 



THE OOLOGIST. 



which at various points was beautifully 

 colored by various shades of green, 

 violet and blue. Skimming over the 

 inrolling waves by hundrbds, the previ- 

 ously mentioned birds enlivened the 

 maritime views. The Terns with their 

 graceful forms andexquisitly contrasted 

 markings were especially beautiful. 



One day at ebb tide we were sitting 

 in a secluded spot on the ocean beach, 

 when a large number of Plovers and 

 Sandpipers gathered near us. We had 

 a powerful achromatic telescope, which 

 enabled us to study their habits min- 

 utely. We could see them pruning 

 their feathers, caressing each other, go- 

 ing through playful antics, and chasing 

 the waves out on the strand, after small 

 crustaceons and algre, only having to 

 retreat precipitately a few seconds later 

 to escape being overtaken by the re- 

 turning foamy billows. The Plovers, 

 with their large eyes and grtcifully 

 rounded forms, were very interesting 

 to observe. A pair of Turnstones and 

 several sm&ll Sandpipers approached 

 within ten feet of where we were bitting. 

 The Turnstones realized that we ap- 

 peared strange, and with a low startled 

 twitter, turned and ran away from us. 

 The Sandpipers seemed to be less timid 

 and unconcernedly gleaned their saline 

 food. 



While here we often sat on the yel- 

 lowish-white sand for hours reading 

 and conversing. It was a great pleas- 

 ure to me for I could see and hear much 

 of the class aves in which I take a great 

 interest. Hundreds of shore birds and 

 many swallows were constantly in view, 

 and at low water thousands of the 

 former collected on the sand-bars and 

 fed or rested. At this time I observed 

 that the families had a habit of separat- 

 ing. That is, the Gulls, Terns, Plovers 

 and Sandpipers would each occupy a 

 different part of their chosen bar. While 

 reading, the rather discordant notes of 

 the Terns, the peeping of the smaller 

 shore birds, and the loud ha, ha! of the 



Laughing Gulls, commingled with the 

 swash of the waves of the beach. 



Earlier in the season a number of 

 these birds breed extensively on Muske- 

 get, Huttyhunk and other sandy islands 

 in this vicinity. At that time the birds 

 and eggs are protected by wardens from 

 the too greedy collectors. This circum- 

 stance is to be commended for the birds 

 are too beautiful and interesting to be 

 thinned out without sufficient cause. If 

 space but allowed I might write papers 

 about these birds and the charming en- 

 vironments. I will now close, however, 

 trusting the kind editor may allow more 

 space to this subject at some future 

 time. 



A Further Consideration. 



I note with regret that the subject 

 that I suggested for the consideration 

 and discussion of ornithological stu- 

 dents under the title of "A Considera- 

 tion," Oologist XVIII 88, June 1901, has 

 not, up to the present, called forth a 

 single expression of opinion. I had 

 hoped that the seriousness of the sub- 

 ject would have induced such advanced 

 students as the Rev. P. B. Peabody, and 

 Prof. P. M. Silloway to furnish the suc- 

 ceeding chapters, thereby insuring to 

 the Oologist's readers, and the ornithol- 

 ogical students of the country, the ad- 

 vantage of the opinions of more mature 

 student than the present writer. 



A critical review of the history of 

 American Ornithology, in detail, and 

 of the methods of workers contributing 

 thereto will reveal certain things that 

 to the student who holds the study of 

 birds as living individuals, far above 

 that treatment which tacitly recognizes 

 them merely as units of organic matter, 

 and exemplifications of the various 

 phenomena attaching to organic mat- 

 ters are by no means pleasing. 



When one tries to account for the very 

 evident fact that the rapidly developing 

 bird students to day (particularly con- 



