THE OOLOQI8T 



107 



horned Lark. There was something 

 in its song that suggested the Lark 

 Sparrow. The song is always sweet 

 and pleasing, and several birds singing 

 in unison is a concert worth listening 

 to. 



At many points in France and Ger- 

 many I met the Skylark, and though 

 many incidents connected with my 

 travels while with the A. E. F. may 

 be forgotten, the song of the Skylark 

 will always live in my memory as one 

 of the pleasant features of soldiering 

 days abroad. 



Ben. J. Blincoe. 



THE WORK OF THE OOLOGIST, 

 ELEVATING AND COM- 

 MENDABLE 

 By Warren Jacobs 



The work of the Oologist is elevat- 

 ing and commendable, although he 

 may specialize largely in amassing a 

 collection of birds' eggs. Sometimes, 

 however, a mere collector of curio 

 poses as an oologist, but not to the ex- 

 tent as formerly, when it was a com- 

 mon thing for scores of small boys of 

 a community to follow nest robbing 

 and forming egg collections. 



There was a time when bird studies 

 of the oologist were limited to making 

 a collection of eggs; but as the time 

 progressed, there developed a desire 

 to delve into the science to a greater 

 depth and with greater zeal and keen- 

 er interest in all phases of bird study. 



Even the youth of today, in making 

 his start as a bird student, along in- 

 clinations to collect eggs, begins with 

 a deeper interest in birds than did 

 many of the greater ornithologists 

 who began as an egg collector. 



The science of oology is a branch of 

 ornithology, and indeed, to a certain 

 degree, both are kindred branches 

 which must depend, one upon the 

 other, if the spirit of true scientific 

 study and research is to be attained. 



I have talked with some very good 

 bird students whom we may class as 

 ornithologists, even some who have 

 attained professional standing, pos- 

 sessing a very thorough knowledge of 

 birds and birds' habits, but who ex- 

 hibited considerable ignorance of 

 eggs, apparently preferring to bridge 

 over this epoch in the bird's life his- 

 tory to what appeared to them, the 

 more fascinating study of juvenile and 

 adult life of the bird, its color, food 

 and general habits. These branches 

 do not escape the true oologist, for 

 his own real success in finding nests 

 of birds, depends largely upon a 

 knowledge of these very subjects, as 

 well as others affecting bird study. 

 Most well known naturalists began 

 bird study by a desire to form an egg 

 collection. 



Athletic sports becoming so popu- 

 lar, as much as any other thing, have 

 been responsible for a dropping off in 

 the craze among small boys to collect 

 birds' eggs. All we, who have the 

 welfare of the birds at heart, and 

 wish to study them properly, even by 

 robbing them, should say: "Go to it, 

 small boy, with your ball playing and 

 all other forms of athletic sports; 

 but leave the field of oology to us, for 

 its proper care and exploitation." 



Now there are other things, besides 

 athletic sports, responsible for this 

 better condition. Education, among 

 both young and old, more than laws, 

 on the subject of protection instead of 

 harming the birds, enters into the 

 cause of better conditions, and will be 

 future cause for a better understand- 

 ing of the oologist and his work. 



Because of the work of irresponsible 

 boys, not entirely wiped out, reproach 

 is often brought upon the more worthy 

 youthful oologist who must start in 

 somewhere as a beginner, as did Au- 

 dubon, Wilson, Bendire and many 

 other greg-t naturalists, ornithologists 



