m 



THE OOLOGIST. 



aud worms, caiiion, and injurious 

 mammals, are benelicial; again, birds 

 which feed on benoticia] plants, shrews, 

 moles, bats, other beneficial birds and 

 eggs, benelicial insects, carrion worms, 

 beuilical worms, spiders, and myra- 

 pods, are detrimental. Yes who would 

 say that because a certain species lived 

 for a time on food which might make it 

 for the time being harmful it must l)e 

 harmful no matter how much good it 

 might do at other times; hence every 

 one should make war against it? If 

 such wei'e the case one robin would 

 have to be called detrimental on ac- 

 count of the fruit and earthworms he 

 eats. The food, which a bird eals, 

 varies at different stages of the bird's 

 life, at different seasons of the j'ear. 

 and to a great extent in different local- 

 ities. Some birds during migration are 

 a sore trouble to raisers of crops, but it 

 must be taken into ac(-ount that this 

 does not last forever, and that it may- 

 be in their northern homes they are 

 more than paying for the damage they 

 may create elsewhere. 



A state, therefore, can not affoi-d to 

 offer a bounty on a species whose ident- 

 ity is not exceedingly general, for the 

 verdict: "Weighed aud found want- 

 ing," must only be rendered after all 

 the eviilence gathered by the many has 

 been thoroughly sifted by the state. 

 The farmer; who keeps his gun loaded 

 for "hen-hawk.s," aud who cannot dis- 

 tinguish the species of hawks common 

 to his locality, will not be able to brins 



for days are stories of the past. In ray 

 locality ihe Partridge has chosen to 

 rear her young amid the secrecy of our- 

 tamarae swamps, that is near their- 

 edges. I know of two nests having- 

 been taken in one of the thickest parts 

 of the swamp. The Am. Woodcock is. 

 also fast disappearing in this vicinity 

 except in the most secluded places. It. 

 is certain that of some game birds the- 

 number shot evei-y year must ajiproachi 

 very near the number reared; and when, 

 we know how many of our water birds: 

 are disturbed in their haunts during the 

 period of incubation is it surprising; 

 that we constantly hear of sportsmen 

 petitioning our legisbitnresV Pot hun- 

 ters stimulated by prices paid for game- 

 in our city markets have made sad' 

 havoc among some species. The mil- 

 linery trade has done its share of the 

 work too, but it has not taken game- 

 birds. Whole heronries in our south- . 

 ern swamps have l)een depopulated hy 

 the plume hunter. Of course som& 

 may say their destruction may not be- 

 felt directly; but who can say it is not 

 felt indirectly? As birds of brilliant 

 plumage are the ones desired, those 

 from the south are most taken, but 

 some of our northern song birds are- 

 shot in large numbers. Men spend 

 their whole time collecting skins for 

 the millinery trade, and the business?, 

 often pays him better than can a Nat- 

 ui-al History dealer a collecting natural- 

 ist, who has spent years in study and 



„ . collects for strictly for scientific pur- 

 lu evidence of any value, a.s. he is down poses. In some cases tho^y cover their' 

 on hawks on general principles and not deeds "under the gauzy lace of science,- 

 some one species which may pay his and in others under Fa.shion's roof. It 

 poultry-yard a visit during his absence, is to be hoped that in that bright Utopia 



of Miiich Edward Bellamy gives us such 

 grajihie descrijjfions no store keeper 

 will ever be called upon to punch cards 

 for bird mummies for hats 



While the collecting of eggs and .skins 

 by natiwalists and otlievs has done 

 much toward furthering the science of 

 Ornithology and Oology, the spreading; 



It IS expert testimony that is wanted, 

 and we can but commend our Dept. of 

 Agriculture for the great work it is 

 doing in this direction. 



Many of „ur game birds are fast dis- 

 appearing in some sections of the coun- 

 try. The great flocks of Passenger 

 Pigeons which used to darken the sky 



