12 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 8-No. 2 



The Humane Side. 



"We make the following extract from a 

 private letter received from a valued lady 

 friend. A lady who knows more about the 

 Immortal Wilson than any person living. 

 The father of this lady was the engraver of 

 Wilson's plates as well as those of Bona- 

 parte's continuation. It is not likely that 

 such engraving on copper will ever again 

 be attem2)ted. But to our extract : 



"I was very much pleased with an arti- 

 cle in the O. and O. in which the writer 

 recommends the use of a field glass for 

 the purpose of watching the habits of birds. 

 It showed a true humanity. I cannot think 

 we have a light, because we have the power, 

 to destroy life or happiness. It has struck 

 me as the jDertinacious robbery of the nests 

 of birds for their eggs, that is driving a 

 great many useful as well as beautiful birds 

 away from their natural haunts. We all 

 know that birds are very useful in destroy- 

 ing insects injurious to trees and vegeta- 

 tion generally, and all the good they do 

 none of us can know. I notice from your 

 Journal that in m^ny places where certain 

 birds were once numerous they have be- 

 come very rare. Common observation 

 teaches las that neither bird or animal will 

 return or remain where they are subject to 

 continual persecution. I cannot see any 

 good it can do to science ; and if it is for 

 the mere love of gain, it is petty larceny in 

 its meanest form. 



In an account I read some time ago of 

 the increase of grasshoppers and other in- 

 sects destructive to vegetation in the West, 

 it was attributed, and I believe justly, to 

 the wholesale destruction of the wild Tur- 

 key and Grouse. It is a ciirious thing that 

 the silly vanity of women is causing the 

 destruction of so many beautiful birds. 

 Many species of Humming Birds are be- 

 coming almost extinct, the prices paid for 

 them making it an inducement for their de- 

 struction. I suppose, however, these things 

 are no business of mine, but I always pitied 



suffering, and as I grow older and nearer 

 the grave it seems to me that cruelty is so 



unnecessary." 



-^ 



Blue Yellow-backed Warbler's Nest. 



Some time ago Mr. TAvogobd of Putuam, 

 Conn., presented us with the nest of a Blue 

 Yellow-backed Warbler that is very unu- 

 sual in shape, and the finding of it was no 

 peculiar that we think it best to place it on 

 record. It will be noticed that Mr. Two- 

 good was not acquainted with the bird or 

 its habits, but found the nest from the 

 vibration alone of the hanging moss, which 

 must have been caused by the pulse of the 

 bird. Wlien we received the nest we placed 

 it in warm water to get it back to its natu- 

 ral shape. After it was di*y we measured 

 it vei-y carefully and found it twenty-two 

 and a half inches long ; and what was still 

 more strange there were two perfect nests, 

 one above the other. The one described 

 below was the bottom nest. The one above 

 had undoubtedly been used the year pre- 

 vious, but both nests are still perfect. But 

 we will let Mr. T. tell his own story. 



"I was returning home from a day's 

 ramble down the Quinebaug River and no- 

 ticed, while passing a Pine tree, several 

 long pieces of "hanging moss" growing 

 from the horizontal limbs. I noticed one 

 piece in particular swaying to and fro while 

 the rest were quite motionless, and I threw 

 a stick at the swapng moss, when out flew 

 a small bird which dropped instantly to the 

 low bushes which covered the ground on 

 the river bank. I did not see the bird 

 again as she would not fly from the bushes. 

 I climbed the tree but could not see into 

 the moss, so I pulled it down and found 

 it was a bird's nest. The limb from which 

 I took the nest was about fifteen feet from 

 the ground. The nest is a single piece of 

 moss twenty inches long and about two 

 and a half wide in the widest part. The 

 entrance to the nest is eight inches from 

 the top and two inches in depth. The 

 eggs, four in number, were so far advanced 



