' I'll', NoU i and Neu 623 



fort foi i Ai the time ol hi di ath hi 



in preparing foi publication the eighth volume ol hi 'American 

 Ornithology.' Thin confining worl during th< hi il ol mid ummci oom 



bo ho • I too M mi 1 1 i hi i constitution never robust, and he wa unabli 



in wiHi i 1 1 1. 1 .11 1 1 I'll I .,i hi in- which might not undor othei oiroum 



I 'MUM 



w il "M in' iii iturc death removed him from the scientific world, when 

 he wa in"' ii i<> l hi i vi i' oul i' i' "i in iiu Miii', Ho did noi live to 



I- .i 'i" i in H e thai i'i "il received in the scientific centei oi 



i gland and France, and ipparcntl had reaped no financial profit from 

 i. publication. 



One oannol bul speculate upon whal the effect would have been upon 

 l <" i ornithologi ' had \\ il on be< n spared to round oul thi period ol life 

 normally allotted to man, We know thai be had < worl on American 

 Mammals in mind .- 1 r i< I also a popular manual oi handbool on American 

 bird wiiii influence would the exi tonce ol uch worl have had upon 

 the similar publications of Audubon and Nuttall? Indeed the presence 

 in \iin i H i ni an ornithologi i of the reputation thai Wilson must surely 

 havi i would certainly have had s tremendou influence upon the 



whole career ol Audubon, who had the field practically to him elf. 



[n the March and June numbei of 'Bird Not© and i iri ome 

 inter ticli on the prevention of bird mortality ai lighi houses. 



The idea oi i ing thi bird which, attracted by the light, are supposed to 

 'i i ii then mi the masonry or glass of the lighthouses, originated 



thi 'ii tingui hed Dutch naturali t, Prof Jac P Thijsse. He ad- 

 vanced the theory thai the majorii of th< migrants fascinated by the 

 glare, or o bewildered l>\ ii thai then loose then en i of direction, fly 

 aimlessly round and round seeking a re ting place, until they become 

 n ted, fall, and peri h 



For three year pa il he ha had in tailed al the Ti r chelling Lighthou e 

 'in the In i. hi I land . laddei liki perches of wood or nun covered with 

 cloth, attached i<> the roof and platform, On nighl when condition 



orabli for attrai nl to thi light, the porche become crowded 



with n ting bird 'to the number of ten thou and" and whi n dawn ap 



proachc the whole company resume their flight. The mortality ha been 



duced thai al preseni il docs nol exceed a hundred bird during the 



whole migration period 



Similar experiment an now in prog] I ghthouseon 



the Bngli h coa t, being conducted bj the Ro foi the Protection 



of Bird with the heart} uppori oi thi Lighthou e Board li hasalready 

 been d< mon trated both here and al Terschelling thai the racl oi pi n 

 inn i be placed actually in the glare of the light, a the bird will not alight 

 in i he d ibove or In-low. 



li i encouraging to find what promi et to be uch a imple solution of 

 thi problem. 



