166



Correspondence.



possession from the commencement, perhaps I may be permitted to

publish a few remarks.


In addition to an intimate connexion with other bird societies

and journals, I have been pleasantly associated with active members

of the Avicultural Magazine and Bird Notes and have contributed to

both these magazines, and during this time when trying to obtain

recruits to either or both I have more than once been unsuccessful on

the score that “ both lumped ” would be worth a subscription.


All worth publishing from either source would well go into

one publication, likely to sustain increasing interest, and I believe all

(who are not inclined to place personal ideas or interests in front of

aviculture) would be willing to help bring about such a state of

affairs, especially when an aggregate membership at the commence¬

ment is hardly likely to exceed 500 subscribers. Such a magazine,

with its combined influential membership, would get a much larger

circulation and run of success if its Council undertook to safeguard

the legitimate interests of keepers of living birds, in addition to the

collection and publication of items relating to scientific and popular

aviculture.


I am inclined to think even to-day that ornithologists have

not awakened to the fact that of those interested at all in birds

by far the greatest number are those occupied in bird-keeping either

for reasons of recreation or instruction, and that the most entertaining

and reliable information relating to birds is that culled from a union

of scientific aviculture and field-work. Little of value (apart from

structural investigation) can he obtained from lifeless things, and ten

minutes with a living specimen will supply more information than

weeks with a preserved one.


It is to be hoped that something will be done to supply those

interested in living birds with a popular and scientific monthly

magazine, enjoying a much wider circulation than has at present

been the case, and as far as lies in my power I should he most

willing to help, although my spare moments in these days are

increasingly limited.—Yours faithfully,


Allen Silver, F.Z.S., F.R.H.S.



