"i.ii:{ " J Barboi i;. Thi Cast of Roosevelt vs. Thayer. SI 



was first seen by Miss Jordan, and it was viewed for several minutes 

 at very close range by herself and Mrs. Hatch. 



Another rare species is the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, PolioptUa 

 ccerulea ccervlea. An individual of this species was here on August 

 31, L908, and for some time was watched through powerful bin- 

 oculars when no farther distant than twenty to fifty feet. 



The last ease may possibly he considered by some people as a 

 hypothetical one. It was outside this decade and before the days 

 of the binoculars; hut the strange, little, gray bird that through 

 long, hot, August days so constantly sang the unfamiliar notes 

 of ' peto, peto' will always be thought by me to have been a Tufted 

 Titmouse that had wandered north of its customary range. 



A DIFFERENT ASPECT OF THE (ASK OF ROOSEVELT 



VS. THAYER. 



* 



By Thomas Barbour. 1 



Mr. Francis II. Allen, in 'The Auk ' of last. October, has pub- 

 lished some comments on the ' case of Roosevelt vs. Thayer, with a 

 few independent suggestions on the concealing coloration question.' 

 Mr. Allen's remarks are very unfair to all those who are unable to 

 agree with Mr. Thayer's conclusions. His independent sugges- 

 tions are, for the most part, unimportant, and add little to the 

 arguments for either side. 



In the beginning of Mr. Allen's recent paper, we find ourselves 

 compelled to take issue with him on the question of what is 'com- 

 mon sense.' lie says, " lit ( Olumbus's day common sense declared 

 the world was Hat." This was a dictate of science, and was as 

 worthy of being believed at that time and in that state of knowledge 



1 'Phis would probablj have been a paper written jointly with Dr. J. C. 

 Phillips had he not lefl a short time am> ('or the Sudan. I assume sole respon- 

 sibility for it. a* it stands. A large part is written from notes which we made 

 together some time ago, and for the permission to make free use of these I thank 

 Dr. Phillips \ ery heartily. 



