THE O0LOG1ST 



115 



scratches on, and shoes went swash, 

 every step I took. 



In going across a field I ran across 

 some men picking strawberrie?, and 

 asked them how far I was from the old 

 club house, and they said about a mile 

 and a half. I got back to the house be 

 fore my cousin did, and leaving the 

 box that contained the Cuckoo's eggs, I 

 went out to look for him. Not seeing 

 anything of him I went back to the old 

 house, and to my surprise I found him 

 there. He said he saw the boy that 

 showed us the old house, and he said 

 that no one ever crossed the swamp. 

 Mv cousin felt sure that I would try 

 and cross, and when he saw my box 

 and wanted to be sure that it was the 

 box I took with me, he looked in and 

 found an egg of the Cuckoo and thought 

 it was an egg of the Least Bittern. He 

 had taken a set of three Yellow-billed 

 Cuckco and had calculated to fool me, 

 making me believe they were Least 

 Bittern, but got tbe joke on himself in- 

 stead. When we had eaten our dinner 

 and rested a little while we blowed our 

 eggs, packed them up and started for 

 home, saying we had enough marsh col- 

 lecting for awhile. 



Ray Densmore, Perry, O. 



If Not, Why So? 



{concluded.) 

 When a person sees another shoot 

 out and ascend high above him in the 

 realms of knowledge, his generous, self- 

 sacrificing temoerment prompts him 

 into expressions of admiration, happy 

 congratulation, encouragement, etc. 

 The opera glass advocate never killed, 

 trapped, or kept wild birds in captivity; 

 hence he is in a position to criticise the 

 Ornithologist's motives with a depth 

 and breadth of comprehension that is 

 apalling. He also never robbed nests 

 and so does not know that most birds 

 waste little time in mourning the loss 

 of their eggs, often having a new nest 



constructed inside a week, or that it 

 often happens if an egg is touched or 

 even if they know their home is dis- 

 covered they will desert it. This does 

 not argue well for the affection and 

 heart-rending grief of the bereaved 

 parents as he depicts it, often compar- 

 ing to the woe of a mother deprived of 

 her child — a human being endowed 

 with reason and memory and who usu- 

 ally mourns such a misfortune during 

 life. It would seem as if his exagger- 

 ations were knowingly committed in 

 order to strike the harder, for no one 

 is entirely lacking in common sense. 

 That the Ornithologist understands, 

 does not in the least disturb him for he 

 succeeds in impressing the remainder 

 of the world with his wisdom. His is 

 the popular bird study, reaching out 

 into classes of people who but vaguely 

 know what an Ornithologist is; hence 

 he possesses their regard and confi- 

 dence and it is here he does his criticis- 

 ing. His importance is very like that 

 of a Congressman — a great man among 

 his constituents at home but when he 

 gets to Washington — well, he is not 

 quite so great. We must now drop the 

 opera glass advocate * but as the Orni- 

 thologist is the hero of this thrilling 

 tale we will let him remain awhile. 



Truly scientific men in all branches 

 of science will stand by the Ornitholo- 

 gist because they can gage true value, 

 but aside from these his popularity is 



* It should be understood that under head of 

 opera glass advocate we included all those who 

 study birds without recourse to the Ornitholo- 

 gist's villianous methods, and also that we 

 accuse this class of neither indolence nor lack 

 of intelligence. It is true, they have chosen a 

 field almost free from anything like labor, but 

 the fact is the majority work hard at various 

 occupations and indulge this pastime as a 

 means of rest and recreation. Bradford 

 Torrey spent his holidays in idle wanderings 

 about the country long before he became in- 

 terested in birds, and apparently nomadic in- 

 clination is still the ruling influence. Who 

 could conceive John Burroughs returning 

 from a long, weary tramp, peeling off his coat 

 and working far into the night on bird skins; 

 but one could easily picture Robert Ridgway 

 thus employed. A person with a highly in- 

 tellectual brain usually regards such a posses- 

 sion as an excuse from manual labor. Coues 

 had the brain, yet was not afraid to prepare 

 birds nor at all backward in advising the be- 



