222 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



even the proposed "Audubon Societies'' do not advocate the pro- 

 tection of the European sparrow ; they do not even give him 

 credit for what good he undoubtedly does do. 



The pleasant sarcasm of my ornithological friends I enjoy as 

 fully as any of you ; but sarcasm is not argument. To the various 

 misquotations and misinterpretations of my former remarks I have 

 no reply to make, since they carry their own refutation upon their 

 face ; and I should be very sorry to believe them malicious in their 

 intent. 



While one member of your committee considers as excessive 

 my estimate of three billion as the total bird population of the 

 Americas, another member cites as crediljle Wilson's computation 

 of wild pigeons in a single flight at over two billion ; and a third 

 member corrects me by placing the entire bird population of the 

 Americas at two billion only. Until the committee can reconcile 

 their own differences in this respect I shall thinkit useless to at- 

 tempt to do so for them. As for my estimate being a "mere guess," 

 the same argument applies to their own. I would state, however, 

 that I consider my estimate a very moderate one, based on per- 

 sonal observation over a wide extent of country at various seasons, 

 and quite as fully entitled to credence as the estimate of ten mil- 

 lion bird-wearing women in the United States, advanced by Mr. 

 Allen, and offered as evidence by your committee. 



Again, while the rnarine species and water birds generally 

 (non-singers) are cited by tens and hundreds of thousands, the fact 

 remains that the birds especially under consideration (North Ameri- 

 can song birds) are mentioned by dozens and rarely by hundreds, 

 in. connection with their use for millinery purposes. The ten 

 thousand Nonpareil Finches mentioned by your committee as trap-' 

 ed in Louisiana and Texas for cage purposes have nothing to do 

 with the millinery question, nor do they effect the fauna of the 

 Eastern localities where the alleged decrease of small birds is 

 taking place. Moreover, in these older Eastern States, where col- 

 lectors and ornithologists have been observing birds closely for 

 fifty years or more, no notable decrease in the familiar song birds 

 has been recorded by this reliable class of observers. As for the 

 statement of a member of the New Jersey State Lc^^islatiire^ which 

 applies only to the immediate vicinity of one city, it comes from 

 no recognized ornithological source; and I would further submit 

 to your careful consideration that the average legislator is more 

 competent to estimate the votes tha-n the birds in his precinct. 



