32 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 10-No. 2 



In my turn I would like W. W. C. to answera question or 

 two. 



Does he consider the "members of the A. O. U. "gentle 

 idiots" because they have entered a protest against the 

 slaughter of birds? 



Can he adduce one case where the numbers of bird^ have 

 been lessened by the ravages of birds of prey? 



Does he not know plenty of instances where birds have 

 been perceptibly thinned out by the direct agency of man? 



Does he fiink it best to wait until his house is burglarized 

 before ijutting locks on the doors? 



Is he not needlessly prolonging this discussion when- 

 judging by inference— he has simply to produce his facts to 

 bring it triumphantly to a close ? Frederic A. Lucas. 



Ai'ROi'Os of bird destruction I have just looked over a 

 drawer of miscellaneous skins and find ; 45 insectivorous, 

 216 graminivorous, etc., 28 Shrikes, 6 Hawks, 1 Owl. That 

 is a fair sample of the work of one collector. Can any sane 

 man prove me a fell destroyer on that confession? — li^alti-r 

 IloXf'e, Fi-oijmorPy l^. V. 



Do Wild Birds Eat the Potato Buo? I notice in 

 the O. and O. for January that " VV. \V. C." seems to doubt 

 that any wild bird will eat the Potato Bug. One or two 

 instances have come under my observation : 



On June 2T, 1882, a Quail was brought to me to be mount- 

 ed, and in the process of skinning, I discovered that the 

 crop contrtined a number of Potato Bugs. On inquiry, 

 learned that the bird had been shot in a pasture adjoinnig 

 which was a large field of potatoes. 



July 20, ISSl, while at work among potatoes, I observed a 

 Chipping Sparrow hopping along between the rows, fre- 

 quently picking up something from the ground. By close 

 watching saw him pick up several larvie of the Potato 

 Beetle and devour them.— .S'. Albert fftiaw, Humptm), .V. //. 



Dermal Preservative. — "In your last issue of the 0. 

 & O, the article contributed l)y H. M. hits my case exactly. 

 About one year ago I sent to Mr. Maynard and ijrocured 

 some of his preservative, thinking that if it would answer 

 the i)urpose, it would he a great deal safer to have around, 

 than a pcjieonous preparalioui 



In the Spring I made up several skins of rare Warblers, 

 that could only be procured during the migration here, aud 

 left them exposed during the the drying process. Upon my 

 examining them a few days later I found them all spoiled. 

 Later in the Fall I used the preparation on some Squirrel 

 skins aud a-i a result 1 have some mutilateil Squirrels. The 

 above were left exposed, but some other specimens that 

 were not exposed but kept in cases, are all right yet. 



I have specimens that were prepared with dry arsenic anil 

 others with arsenical soap that have been exposed feu- 

 several years and no insects have ever damaged them, so I 

 have put tlie Dermal Preservative aside, and am now wait- 

 ing for something yet to fill the place of arsenic. 



While I have no doubt Mr. Maynard's pieservative will 

 preserve specimens all right if they are not exposed, yet 

 from experience I know it will not if the specimens arc ex- 

 posed. 



I hope to hear from others on this subject, and to find if 

 jxissible where the trouble lies. 



I do not wish to do any injustice to Mr. Maynard, bui it is 

 a matter that is of importance to science, and also to the 

 public— .1. /. Johnson, lii/iicville, >'(. 



I must say a few words and give you a little of my expcr- 

 ence with "Maynard's Dermal Preservative." I used only a 

 suiall quantity but used it thoroughly, though I must say 

 with not much faith. Perhaps that is one thing required, as 

 I have lost several siieeimens that were prepared with it, 

 while in the same cabinet those prcjiared with arsenic are 

 not disturbed. I also know of one other that has used the 

 same with similar experience so that Mr. Merrill is not 



alone in the loss of specimens from the use of Dermal Pre- 

 servative.- PAos. A". Reed, Barrington Centre, It. I. 



Red Crossbill in Indiana. Mr. Fletcher M. Noe of In- 

 dianapolis calls attention to a note of Mr. Everman's in the 

 "O. & O." for April 'S3, in which, recording his capture of 

 Laxia curvirostra on Feb. 10th, of that year, he says they 

 were the first recorded in that Stute. Mr. Noe says it was 

 his good fortune to secure two males and one female from a 

 flock of eleven on the 5th of the same month. This was 

 probably the Hock that was afterwards seen by Mr. Ever- 

 man. 



How to Soften Dried Skins. (F. M. R., Farmimjtan, 

 Me). "Kemove the stuffing; fill the interior with cotton or 

 tow saturated with water, but not drri)ping ; put pads of the 

 same under the wings ; wrap th* bill and feet and set the 

 specimen in a damp, cool place." 



Hawks and Owls IN Vermont. C. S. PhUh'ps, Gluver, 

 Vt., says a friend of his in Westmore, Vt., caught twenty- 

 one large Hawks and thirteen Owls in a trap set on an old 

 stub— wliicli our correspondent justly says seems a very 

 valuable stub. 



Htbrid Duck. E. C. Greenwood, Ipswich, Mass., reports 

 having bought a strange Hybrid Duck in that town, prob- 

 ably a cross between a Black Duck and Mallard. It is par- 

 ticularly fine and interesting. 



Boston— Review Koii, I .\.NiAi!Y. — lliiwk Owls, 

 usiiiill}' coiisitlert'd rare, liavc liwii <iuilc pleiiliful 

 fi'oiii Miiiiic to Minnesota. We ha\c ix'ci'ivcd 

 many letters offefinjr llieni lnr sale. .Mr. Vieka- 

 i-v. a well-known laxidefinisl of l.ymi, Mass.. fe- 

 porleil one taken near tlial loealily. \\c lliink 

 that it imist have taken a eii'enlar foiite, as we iin- 

 (lei-staiid Jff. Bowler of Ban.gor lias eslalilislied 

 a (h'lil liiii- aei-oss that seetion, P.arred Owls 

 have lieeii 11 (Ifun- in the market, al ■-'.")(■. While, 

 Shoft. I.oiij;- Kared and (Jreal lloiiied afe .searee. 

 We have not lieafd <if a single caiitnre of the 

 Snowy Owl tills season. 



TJiefe has been a notieeahle aliseni'e of the 

 I'ine (Jroslieak, whieli were so plentiful hist win- 

 ter, and Snow Biinlhigs have not apjieared in 

 an.\ i|iiantity. In Deeemlier tine Mallards oould 

 he hou.ghl al in-. Several barrels of Blue GroiLSe 

 were brouj;-lit in, but as the shippers had taken 

 Ihe precaution to elio|) olf all heads, they an<l in- 

 were a ,soiTy .set. We sueeeeded in fiiuliii.g- ,jusl 

 one female I hat wasiierfeet. The Hesli was white, 

 .iuiey and lender, in our opinion far surpassing 

 the i-omnioii Grouse. Sharp-tailed Grou.se arc 

 nearly as plentiful as the Pinnated. No collector 

 in Xew En.nland can have ,an excuse for not im- 

 prnvin.i;' the opi«ir(unity by jilaeing- a jiiiir in his 

 calnnet. 



Two or three invoices of Ptarmi.^an from 

 Labrador, arrived within the last week, and were 

 ottered at the stalls at ^XXM to |2.00 per pair. 

 From the way several prominent laxiderniists 

 are iirospectina; in the vicinity, we are led to be- 

 lieve that more than one eye Is on a future corner 

 ui the market.— F. B. W., Boston. 



