142 



Notes and NevjS. [January 



question occurred to me at the moment, and I should like to propose it to 

 the readers of 'The Auk,' whether birds mav not be subject to a revival of 

 the sexual passion in autumn, and whether this may not be connected 

 with the well-know-n fact that many species have a second period of song 

 after a longer or a shorter interval of silence. Is anything known on this 



point? 



Bradford Torrey. 



Boston, October 13, 1885. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



Mr. John Burroughs has achieved a reputation as a popular, though 

 not over-correct, writer on a variety of natural history topics, and is the 

 author of many delightful essays about birds, and has even come to be 

 looked upon as somewhat of an ornithologist, not only by the general 

 public, but by ornithologists themselves. But his recent eifusion on 'Bird 

 Enemies,' in the 'Century' for December, 1885 (pp. 274-278), is for him at 

 least an- unfortunate production, being surprisingly weak on the score of 

 intelligence, to say nothing of good taste. It is grossly erroneous in 

 statement, slanderous in spirit, and betrays a degi-ee of ignorance and a 

 narrowness of vision on the part of this well-known writer, which 

 would be quite beyond belief were not his name appended to the article. 

 In speaking of the natural enemies of birds he is either not up to his 

 usual standard, or we have heretofore ranked his proficiency in matters of 

 this sort quite too highly. But when he classes ornithologists "as among 

 the worst enemies" the birds have, and closes his article by saying, "but 

 the professional nest-robber and skin-collector [his pet epithets, as the con- 

 text shows, for ornithologists] should be put down, either by legislation 

 or with dogs and shotguns," he betrays the usual intolerance begotten of 

 io-norance. No further proof of his lack of appreciation of the require- 

 ments of science is required than his dictum that a student of ornithology 

 "needs but one bird and one egg of a kind." Comment on such a state- 

 ment in these pages would be superfluous, but unfortunately the general 

 public is as ignorant as this 'blind leader of the blind.' 



Can it be that our friend is so entirely unconscious of the wholesale 

 slaughter of birds for millinery purposes as his complete silence on this 

 subject would seem to indicate.? — a slaughter which runs into the millions 

 annually, compared with which the total destruction of birds for scientific, 

 or y/<rt5/-scientific. purposes is as -but a drop in the bucket.' Can it be. 

 too. that his acquaintance with genuine ornithologists is so slight that he 

 does not know that they, as a class, are among the best friends the birds 

 have; that \\\ty never destroy wantonly or needlessly, and often regret 

 the necessity of taking the lives of birds in behalf of scientific progress; 

 that they deplore and frown upon much of the egg-collecting done in the 



