June 1890.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



95 



THE 



ornithologist#o6logist 



A Monthly Magazine of 



NATURAL HISTORY, 



ESrECIALLY DEVOTED TO THE STUDY OF 



THEIR NESTS AND EGGS, 



and to the 



INTERESTS OF NATURALISTS. 



Under the Editorial Management of 



FRANK B. WEBSTER, Boston, Mass. 



J. PARKER NORRIS, Philadelphia, Pa. 



FRANK A. BATES, Boston, Mass. 



PUBLISHED AT 



FRANK B. WEBSTER'S 

 NATURALISTS' SUPPLY DEPOT, 



Boston-, Mass., U. S. A. 



The O. & O. is mailed each issue to every paid sub- 

 scriber. If you fail to receive it, notify us. 



Editorial. 



Spare the Sparrow. 



And now the Massachusetts legislatui-e takes 

 up tlie Enjiflish Spari'ow extermination ques- 

 tion. They may be a nuisance, gentlemen, but 

 why not let them live ? Your Bobolink is as 

 destructive a nuisance when on his southern 

 trip. The Robin and the Cedar Bird are not 

 welcome visitors to the cherry tree, and we 

 might nientit)n others that have certain pe- 

 culiar faults. A colony of tlie Sparrows may 

 locate in an undesirable place, and we would 

 not object to driving them otf, but let it be by 

 individual action. We always maintain that 

 the collection of birds should be allowed for 

 purposes of study and art, but we emphatically 

 object to the enactment of a law to exterminate 

 any bird. It is monstrous, unwarranted and 

 cruel. 



Uncalled for, as the people are quite cap- 

 able of handling the question individually, 

 when necessary. 



Shortsighted, as it will begin a class of 

 destruction by those who will kill merely for 

 sport, and will not discriminate, but shoot 

 anything that flies. 



We sincerely trust that our readers will 

 overlook the few petty and imaginary faults 

 of this little creature, and shield it from the 

 attacks of the same people who are continually 



charging us with the destruction of bird life. 

 Xever have the collecting ornithologists, so far 

 as we have observed, offered, proposed or in- 

 stituted a plan so dii-ectly liable to annihilate 

 God's creatures as those who manufactvire 

 laws by the mile "to protect them ?" 



Brief Notes. 



Just now many of our readers are looking over the 

 collection of eggs that has resulted from the spring's 

 work. The majority of you have taken them without 

 getting a permit, and quite rightly, as we do not think 

 the Almighty ever intended to delegate that authority 

 to any one ; it is an individual right and will so be 

 regarded by us all. In so doing we must not overlook 

 the fact that we are inseparably interested in bird 

 I)rotection. They once gone, and our pleasure and 

 entertainment is a thing of the past. We would im- 

 press upon you to be careful of your collections. Keep 

 your eggs in drawers where you can examine them 

 without unnecessary handling. Every egg accidentally 

 broken requires another to take its place. The greater 

 the care you take the less you require. Some of our 

 collectors who have large collections will tell you that 

 tliey seldom lose any. They make them go a long ways. 



No law could force us to kill, or prevent us from 

 feeding a small lot of English Sparrows that remain at 

 our back door throughout the year. 



The sportsman demands the protection of Grouse. 

 The season opens, with improved gun and dog he falls 

 in with a covey of a dozen to twenty and kills them all, 

 nor does he stop here. He would keep it up every day 

 for the whole season. The ornithologist would take 

 two or three. The sportsman eats his, feels good for 

 an hour. The ornithologist preserves his, and they 

 last him a lifetime, and afford hours of pleasure to 

 him and his friends. The laws in this State protect the 

 sportsman and interfere with the ornithologist. 



The Massachusetts S. P. of C. to A. offers 1000 cards 

 to be distributed, on which is offered a reward of $10 to 

 any one who will convict an ornithologist of killing a 

 bird. Is it not about time to shift that matter on the 

 sportsman? Why not try your hand at stopping him? 

 Perhaps you think boys are safer game. 



Oliver Davie's "Nests and Eggs of North American 

 Birds" should be in the hands of all. We do not pre- 

 tend to be sole agents for it, but we will present a copy to 

 any subscriber who will send us three new subscribers. 



Rare.— F. H. Kennard, Chestnut Hill, Mass.. reports 

 two Pileated Woodpeckers at that locality, May 3. 



Neckties made of rattlesnake skins, tanned, are one 

 of the latest Southwestern novelties. They are orna- 

 mented with the rattle. 



One of our correspondents again refers to our in- 

 larging the O. & O. We are ready to, when our sub- 

 scription list warrants it. We send out thousands of 

 sample copies, but depend on paid subscriptions to pay 

 printer's bill. 



No Rats about the O. & O., if the printer did say so 

 in the advertising column last month. 



Quite a number of our subscribers have ordered 

 Davie's new Taxidermy. "Let the good work go on." 

 Subscription blanks furnished on application. 



