THE OOLOOIST 



159 



senger Pigeon, Carolina Paroquet and 

 others. Permitting the extermination 

 of the birds above enumerated is a 

 hideous blot on the escutcheon of our 

 Republic which can never be effaced. 

 The very best and the very least that 

 we can do from now on is to prevent 

 the smear from spreading. We can 

 do it, but will we? 



In the case of the Vultures the time 

 to act is NOW! 



By the simple act of vaccination 

 cattle may now be rendered practical- 

 ly immune from the disease which the 

 vulture has helped to spread and for 

 which unwitting sin he has paid so 

 dearly, so why not let the veterinar- 

 ians do their work and protect the 

 vultures while there are still a few 

 to protect. Surely we should be able 

 to profit by California's unspeakable 

 shame in the case of her noble Condor. 



There are perhaps few if any oolo- 

 gists who do not possess at least a 

 small series of sets of the beautiful 

 eggs of both aura and uruba. Hang 

 on to your Vultures. Unless speedy 

 action is taken to check the threat- 

 ened extinction of these birds, vulture 

 eggs will soon be as rare in Texas and 

 other southern states as they are in 

 Canada. 



Turkey Vulture Eggs. 



While looking through the rocky 

 hills around Ft. Worth, I found one 

 egg of the Turkey Vulture. This is 

 the way I found it. The bird flew out 

 and on looking under an overhanging 

 rock I discovered what looked to be 

 a set of two, but on closer examina- 

 tion I found the bird was setting on 

 one egg and a nearly round stone tlie 

 same size of the egg, and a few broken 

 egg shells laying just outside of the 

 nest, or the spot where she was sit- 

 ting, as though there were once two 

 eggs in the set. 



And the thing I would like to know 



is this: The egg is so heavily spot- 

 ted that 1 would like to save it as a 

 set, but 1 don't know if this one egg 

 would be counted as a set or not. So 

 any information along this line in re- 

 gard to it being a set, would be highly 

 appreciated. Earl E. Moffatt. 



In a letter to Mr. Moffatt, under 

 date of April 21, 1916, Mr. E. F. Pope 

 of Colmesneil, Texas, says: 



"In reply to your letter of the 17th 

 inst., would state that I have never 

 found a nest of the Turkey Vulture 

 corresponding in every particular with 

 the nest you mention, although I have 

 found several nests containing but one 

 egg more or less incubated, as well as 

 many nests with but one young, how- 

 ever, the result of many years of close 

 observation and study of our vultures, 

 leads me to believe that a complete 

 set of but one egg is very rare. 



In this instance the broken egg 

 shells you observed near the nest are 

 pretty good evidence that this set was 

 composed of two eggs. The first egg 

 laid may have been broken by being 

 rolled around with the stone in the 

 nest, or it may have been destroyed 

 by one of the numerous prowlers 

 which delight to feast upon eggs. 

 Under the circumstances, I hardly 

 think you would be justified in call- 

 ing this egg a full set, but if the egg 

 is a well marked specimen, as you 

 state, it is well worth preserving, as 

 the day is fast approaching when vul- 

 ture eggs are going to be quite desir- 

 able. 



Vultures in this section are becom- 

 ing quite scarce and in localities 

 where I once found dozens of nests, I 

 am now fortunate to find one or two 

 in a whole season. 



I would be glad to learn if you have 

 noted any marked decrease in the 

 numbers of vultures in your section of 

 the country." 



