16 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 15-No. 1 



Dr. H. E. Daviflson, the well-known promoter of 

 icthytaxidermy, is at present in Boston. He contem- 

 plates sailing for Bermuda early in January. His method 

 of operation gives the best results that we have seen. 

 During the past year he made a choice collection of 

 fishes from the Mediterranean. 



Oliver Davie, author of "Davie's Egg Check List," re- 

 cently took the contract to mount a collection of Birds 

 from the Holy Land. They were presentetl to the Ohio 

 Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, by I'nited States 

 Consul Webber, at Jerusalem — it embraced some 500 

 specimens. There also were about fifty species of 

 quadrupeds. Among the birds were fine specimens of 

 the Egyptian Vulture. Mr. Davie is a taxidermist of 

 reputation and the trustees cannot have cause to re- 

 gret their decision to place the contract in his hands. 



D. D. Stone. Oswego, N. Y., made a iiilgriniage to 

 Boston last month. He made two successful climbs, one 

 up Bunker Hill and the other into our office,— and he 

 did'nt use irons. 



How the Heathen are Amused.— Clippings 

 from Gold Hunter and Farmer's Journal. 



" Fair." 

 Chased by a Moose.— The Keutville New Star 

 says: Mr. George Creemer, of Morristown, Kings Co., 

 while hunting in the woods a few days ago, saw two 

 moose approaching him. He at once took aim endeav- 

 oring to shoot one of them. Unfortunately the gun 

 burst, leaving the stock in his hand. The moose sj)rang 

 at his assailant. Mr. Creemer then managed to climb 

 a tree where he remained several hours when the ani- 

 mals walked oft. Creemer then started for home. The 

 moose then renewed his attack chasing the defenceless 

 man many times arounil a tree which lie tried in vain to 

 climb, and finally gave himself up as lost. As a last 

 effort he trie<l screeching whicli happily drove the 



moose awav. 



" Good." 



A gentleman was (mt shooting nearTotnes, England, 



the other day, when he had the misfortune to shoot his 



dog. For a moment he was too unich overcome to see 



what damage he had done, and before lie had recovereil 



himself the animal, a black retriever, had come up to 



him, bringing in its mouth its own tail which had been 



shot clean off. 



" Takes the Cuke." 



A REMAiiKAiiLK Case.— Mr. Alex. McLellan, of 



North (iut, St. Ann's, has something strange to relate 



in reference to an animal of his. In 18H7 one of his 



sheep had every indication of being about to lamb and 



the event was fully expected to occur in the course of 



a few weeks. At the proper time, however, it did not take 



j)lace, nor ever afterwards. The other day Mr. Mc- 



Lellen had occasion to kill the sheep, when insifle was 



found the young which should have been dropped in 



1887. The lamb was pertrificd and a perfect shape, and 



the body covered with wool. The sheej) has never been 



sick in any way.— [North Sydney Herald. 



Correspondence. 



Makes a Suggestion, Scores a Point, and Backs 

 the O. & O. 



workers that have very incomplete labels. 

 Just the date, locality and sex is all that is 

 noted. Not even the name, let alone length, 

 extent of wing and tail. All these points help 

 to make a specimen valuable. I even wei(/li 

 my birds and mammals, for I collect also the 

 latter. The stomach should be investigated 

 and due note made on the tag. The data tells 

 the story. It is no wonder to me to read of 

 collectors preparing so many skins in one day. 

 Do your work well even if it should take a lit- 

 tle longer. 



Allow me to say to our friend Mr. G. G. 

 Cantwell that on the 24th of May, 1888, 1 pro- 

 cured a beautiful ^ specimen tif the Strep><i- 

 lan interpres (Turnstone), on the shores of our 

 beautiful lake, Minnetonka, and am therefore 

 just one year ahead of him im this bird. 



You may consider me a lifelong subscriber 

 to your magazine. AJI>rrt Laiia. 



Excelsior, Minn. 



Editor Ornltlinhxji.st (tivl Onlni/i.^l: 



Permit me to say a few words in your valu- 

 able magazine of natural history in regard to 

 data of specimens. I have birds in my collec- 

 tion from some of our most ]>rominent field 



Read the Hatchet Story Before he did Honda's. 



Editor (). .t- O.; 



A sort of Wasiiingtonian regard for truth, 



which is the base principle of science, leads 



nte to a few remarks on the snake and eagle 



story whicli appeared in your November 



number. 



Now the snakes are of all animals the ones I 

 have the least l()ve for,and as I am also ignorant 

 of their habits I can listen to a " snake story "" 

 without a dissenting murmur, and the bigger 

 and more ferocious the re))fcile vaiKjuished the 

 more am I pleased. I'.ut 1 draw the line at the 

 birds. 



I appreciated the graphic description of your 

 contributor from Colorado, especially the part 

 where the birds (inally spoiled his snakeship"s 

 anatomy, but his statement that one eagle 

 measured nine feet, eleven inches, from tip to 

 tip, and the other ten feet (less a (juarter of an 

 inch) proved too much for me. I would like 

 to infinm the gentleman from Colorado that 

 we have some pretty big things in f'alifor- 

 nia; in fact to excite astonishment we simply 

 tell the unvarnislied truth. Our California 

 Condor, of which there are a few left, is the 

 lanjest bird of flight; and a specimen in my 

 possession, bigger than any of the six or seven 

 I have heard of, measures onii/ nine and one- 

 half feet in extent. Could not those "eagles"" 

 of our friend "Honda"" have been Ccuidors? 

 Or were their pi'odigious proportions only ap- 

 parent because of a raritied atmosphere*.* 1 

 have been in Nevada, but when it comes to 

 Colorado I remove my hat. //. H. T(i>/I<>r. 



Alameda, Cal. 



