83 



THE OOLOGIST. 



that of an old woman gatlu'ving up her 

 hens' eggs or killing a few chiekens for 

 market. She is just as mucli tjf an 

 ornithologist or oologist as they are. 

 In faet their objeet in view is elearly 

 mereenary. 



This manner of eolleeting should In- 

 stopped; and anyone who will stand by 

 and see our native birds being rapidly 

 exterminated should be ashamed of 

 himself. 



Two other things to be tlone away 

 with are "pot-hunters" and "plume 

 hunters." Take for instanee the Wild 

 Turkey, it is surely following the fate 

 of the Great Auk. As to the doings of 

 the "plume hunters" I cannot do better 

 than to refer you to Dr. F. W.Langtou's 

 "Destruction of our Native Birds," in 

 Oologist, vol. 5, No. 4. 



There is a fourth enemy to our poor 

 birds; this last is the English Sparrow 

 [Pugnacius tramp7ii<) and the destruc- 

 tion caused by these pests everyone 

 knows. 



I think the way these evils coidd be 

 remedied woidd be this: In the first 

 place laws should be made forbidding 

 the collecting of eggs Accept for strictly 

 scientilic purposes. These laws should 

 be very stringent. The next two evils 

 could be gotten over by strengthening 

 the game laws. • 



The last is only to be put down by 

 uniting and striving "with tooth and 

 nail" to drive out that little pest, the 

 English Sparrow. 



Now we should not let these matters 

 stand, they have already stood far too 

 long and I make an appeal to evei'y tnie 

 ornithologist and oologist to help rem- 

 ed}' these great evils. 



Could a society not Ije formed to 

 more quickly obtain these objects? 



I would like to see an article in the 

 Oologist written by a more experi- 

 enced hand than mine. I hope that the 

 ornithologists and oologists of America 

 Avill remember that collecting is but a 



secondarj' considciation and that studj' 

 is the tirst. 



(j. M. Leslie, 

 Hamilton, Out. 



The Chinese or Mongolian Pheasant in Idaho. 



A few years ago several pairs oi this 

 gay-pliimaged bird were imp(jrted from 

 their native home in China, and turned 

 loose in Oregon, the State Legislature 

 giving them the protection of the game 

 laws of that State. Since that time 

 these birds haA'e increased rapidly. A 

 pair of old birds will in one season 

 hatch and bring up sometimes as many 

 as three broods of j'oung, each brood 

 ranging from 12 to 25 young Ijirds. 



During the spring and summer 

 months their slirill crj-, veiy much re- 

 sembling their domestic cousin's voice, 

 may be heard in the meadows and 

 Avheat fields. In the winter they be- 

 take themselvs to the low ground 

 around small lakes and along grassy 

 river bottoms. I have often Avhile 

 hunting ducks, scai'ed them up- among 

 bands of snipe and wild ducks. 



The male of these birds is beautiful. 

 The breast is a brilliant red-ljrown. 

 The back and Avings are of a bright 

 sti"aw color mingled with green and 

 bronze. The neck is bright green with 

 a bronze tinge and a ring of ])ure white 

 feathers encircles the neck. The head 

 is surmounted with two tufts of feath- 

 ers, resembling ho^rns, and the tail 

 which is cfimposed of several long 

 feathers, is of dark olive color. The fe- 

 male is of a duller cohn-, being dark ol- 

 ive-purple striped with lighter gray 

 bands. The meat of these birds is very 

 white and delicious; fully equalling 

 that of the Sabine Grouse {Bonasa 

 fi(ibinn), or the Dusky Grouse {Tctnia 

 obscurus. 



Clay McNamee, 

 Moscow, Idaho. 



