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THE OOLOGIST 



subscribers to THE OOLOGIST; and 

 more than twenty-five per cent of the 

 members of the American Ornitholo- 

 gists' Union now have their names on 

 our subscription list. This may give 

 our readers some idea of the rank and 

 standing of our readers. 



some people that would take the pen- 

 nies from their dead grandmother's 

 eyes; not many of them however. 



Volume 26. 



With this issue we close Volume 26. 



In January, 1884, THE OOLOGIST 

 first saw the light of day. From that 

 time on it has had a precarious exis- 

 tence, sometimes riding the foamy 

 crest of the wave of success and other 

 times wading laboriously through the 

 slough of despond. We leave it to 

 our readers whether or not since the 

 first issue of the magazine under our 

 management, in April last, it has im- 

 proved cr retrograded. 



There are not many bird publica- 

 tions that have lived for twenty-six 

 years. The mere fact that THE 

 OOLOGIST has survived that long Is 

 of itself evidence that there is a field 

 for it, and that with proper support 

 it will remain a recognized medium 

 for the interchange of specimens and 

 ideas appurtaining to oology, ornith- 

 ology, and taxidermy. And we be- 

 speak cf our readers, such support. 



Mean ! 

 William Hartley of Pierre, South 

 Dakota, Robert W. Glenn of Worces- 

 ter, Ohio, and Dr. J. B. Newton of 

 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, belong to 

 the class of little people who will reg- 

 ularly take cur journal from the post 

 office for a long period of time and 

 then all at once refuse it, and de- 

 cline to i)ay for it because of the 

 fact that the subscription price is so 

 cheap that they know it will not pay 

 us to take legal steps to collect that 

 which is justly due us. There are 



The New Year. 

 THE OOLOGIST for 1910 will be 

 bigger, brighter, newsier and better 

 than ever, and begins its 27th year 

 .Janupary 1, 1910. It has a larger cir- 

 culation than all other Bird Journals 

 in America combined, excepting only 

 Bird Lore ! Why ? Because we de- 

 liver the goods. Better get on the list 

 now. 50 cents per annum. 



Address THE OOLOGIST. 

 Albion, N. Y. or Lacon, 111. 



Fair Warning. 



With this issue, we drop from our 

 subscription list, all subscribers whose 

 number is below 257. We cannot and 

 will not mail the magazine to people 

 who will take it and then not pay for 

 it. Better look at the number on your 

 wrapper and renew at once. 



R. M. BARNES. 



The Towhee in Kansas. 



The Towhee is a common resident 

 in eastern Kansas although seldom 

 seen. It was in the National Military 

 Home that I first made my acquain- 

 tance with the shy little birds. 



One rainy morning, as I was going 

 through the woods, I noticed a Tow- 

 hee hopping about in the underbrush, 

 and stopped tQ watch it. I had been 

 there but a short time when I saw the 

 female a little way off and naturally 

 transferred my attention immediate- 

 ly. Being the first time I had ever 

 seen any Towhees. I was quite an in- 

 terested watcher. The little lady did 

 not pay any attention to me. for 1 

 kept in the background as I was anx- 

 ious to learn more about them. 



