200 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



in passing laws for the protection of birds, not only in this country 

 but also in Europe. The law is so severe in some parts of Germany 

 that for the second offense in destroying a nightingale the punish- 

 ment is imprisonment in the penitentiary, the punislmient for the 

 first offense being a heavy fine ; while to keep a nightingale in a 

 cage one has to pay a license. 



France, better than any other country, shows the result of 

 man's destruction. In traveling from Mt. Cenis to Paris 1 did not 

 see any birds except a few sparrows, and even these were scarce 

 and shy, and in the parks and other places where birds are protect- 

 ed, the only wild birds observed were a few wood pigeon and 

 sparrows. In Italy, outside of the gardens and parks, birds were 

 very scarce, caused by the enormous destruction carried on by the 

 inhabitants, who eat! up everything from a least titmouse to a 

 hawk. 



Skylarks are regarded as a great dainty in Europe. Statistics 

 inform us that over five millions were brought annually into Leipzic, 

 and into the little town of Dieppe, France, the official returns state 

 that during the winter of 1867-68 one million and a quarter were 

 taken. I suppose Dr. Langdon, by his methods of multiplication, 

 would figure out that the destruction of this vast number of birds 

 would make no appreciable difference in the quantity in the vicinity 

 of these cities. 



The paper under consideration, in endeavoring to prove that 

 birds are becoming more numerous in this locality, mentions 

 several species in support of the theory, prominently the Ca^rulian 

 wrabler and the quail. He states that the Cajrulian warbler 

 was but once observed by Dr. Kirtland, therefore it was not here 

 at that time. He further stated that it is now the commonest 

 warbler we have This warbler is a forest bird, and frequents the 

 tops of forest trees, and moreover, is very small, so that Dr, Kirt- 

 land may have overlooked it (as I did myself for several years.) It 

 being essentially a forest bird, the clearing of forests would rath- 

 er diminish than increase them. I found them common one season 

 in Clermont County, Init not nearly so abundant since. In Avon- 

 dale it has always been an uncommon bird, and not nearly as 

 abundant as several others of the SylviiolidiC. This last spring 

 (1886) I failed to either see or hear a single one. 



Dr. Kirtland speaks of this sjjecies in 1838-1841, and again 

 in 1852, so he must have seen it oftener than the single time, as 



