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liii^ 



^ OOLOG 



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VOL. VIT. 



ALBION N. 1., OCT, 1890. 



No. 10 



The Use of the Garaera in the Field. 

 .■1 Stiiihj o/\V,..s/.s. 



From year to year more ami muri; in- 

 terest is mauitVslctl in tli,; impoitaiiec 

 of one ul' ilu' iiK.sl (lelighifiil aiitl in 

 striietivf (j! all sludies — the study of 

 nests; and we Jiojx; we may, at liie pics- 

 etit time, introdiiec into oni' midst tin; 

 eameia as an assistant in this grand 

 ■A\n\ illter(^sting study, wliieh Inis un- 

 doubtedly been luueh iiegleeted. It is 

 perhaiJS a more extensive stud/ than 



o>dogy, in\-oiviug as it does the study of 



j b(;taiiy and requiring familiarity with 



I all thy charaeteristie iilaiits ami trees 



j of our respeetive loealities, but don't 



let these obstacles detain you, there is 



s(nnueli pleasure to be derived that you 



will be amplj- paid for all 3our 



tr(jHble. 



Here I wish Xu transfri!>e in {)art Mr. 

 Ernest Iiigersoii's plea for the stuily of 

 nests, fnnu his exeelleiit "Bird's Nest- 

 ing," knowing it will interest y<iu. 

 "As a -. . atihe study, there is far 



NEST O:- YELT.OW W.\I!BI.EI{ AVITH VdlNO (OWBIi;!). 



more advantage to be ol)t:iim d fivim a | 

 series of nests than fi-om a series of! 

 eggs. The nest is something with 

 which the will and energies of the liird 

 are concerned. It expresses the char- 

 acter of the workman, is to a certain I 

 extent, an index to its rank among j 

 birds, for in general those of the high- ! 

 est organi/ation are the best ai-chi- i 

 teots, and give ns a glim])se of the 

 i)ird's mind and power to understand 

 and adapt itself to changed conditions ' 



of life. Over the shape and ornamen- 

 tation of an egg the bird has no con- 

 trol, being no more ai)le to govern the 

 matter tiian it can the s'l'owth of its 

 beak. Theie is as much difference to 

 me, in the interest insriiicd, between 

 the nest and egg of a bird, as between 

 its l)rain and its skull, using the word 

 br<iin to mean the seat of intellect. 

 The n( st is a'ways more or less the re- 

 sult of ( onsc'ous planning and intelli- 

 gent work, even though it does follow 



