8 



ORIN^ITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 12-^o. 1 



THE 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



AND 



OOLOGIST. 



,( MO\TIII.y MAilAZINE OF 



NATURAL HISTORY, 



ESPECIALLY DEVOTED TO THE STUDY OF 



BIIilD S , 



TIIEin NESTS AXD EGCS. 



DESIGNED AS A MEANS FOR THE INTERCHANGE OF NOTES AND 

 OBSKRVATIONS ON BIRD AND INSECT LIFE. 



F. H. CARPENTER, Managing Editor. 



REHOBOTH, MASS. 



J. PAKKElt NORKIH, Oolo^ical Editor, 



204 South Seventh Street, Philadelphia, Penn. 



FRANK B. WEBSTER, Publisher. 

 409 Washington St., Boston, Mass. 



Editorial. 



Our magazine has, during the eleven 

 jears of its existence, very plainly shown 

 its purpose and aim, and its creed, if it so 

 be called, will not change for the present 

 year. It offers its columns for an inter- 

 change of notes on the interesting study of 

 Bird and Insect life with preference only 

 given to articles of authentic source and 

 originality, without regard to personalities 

 of authorship. It may not seem like a 

 grateful spirit to our kind contributors to 

 dictate to them any rules of subject compo- 

 sition, yet, while knowing fully the high 

 value of the study of migration of birds, we 

 would advise a s^-stematic record of each 

 locality be kept and sent to proper 

 authorities. Another prominent feature 

 with ornithological writers is to give lists 

 of birds of various sections of the country, 

 complete in nomenclature but meagre in 

 detail of habits We would greatl}' prefer 

 more extended accounts of each species, as 

 the writer might set forth in his own origin- 

 al experience. Brief lists of localities, but 

 little known would be both valuable and in 



proper form with the value of the contents 

 of this journal. 



Having thus frankly laid our desire before 

 our readers we hope to receive an appreci- 

 ation of our efforts to produce a magazine 

 which will serve as present information and 

 future reference. 



As a valuable contribution to our knowl- 

 edge of the ornitholog}' of the North Caro- 

 lina mountains we present a list of the birds 

 of Bumcombe County, N. C, by a compe- 

 tent observer and Dr. LeMoyne's article 

 upon the birds of the region will be omitted 

 in this issue. 



The subscription rate of the O. and O. 

 with Volume X was increased to $1.50 in 

 proportion to the increase in size. It has 

 been the intention, when the subscription 

 met the expense to either increase the size 

 or reduce the price. P>om arrangements 

 that have been made, and the steady in- 

 crease of subscriptions, it is deemed advis- 

 able to reduce the price for 1887 to $1.00 

 per annum. As many subscriptions have 

 already come in and many more will before 

 the change is generall}' known, we pro- 

 pose to enter the names of all who send the 

 previous rate [of $1.50] for 18 months. 

 This will make the O. and O. the cheapest 

 publication of its nature offered to the Orni- 

 thologists of the country, and it is hoped 

 that the ranks of its friends will be filled, 

 so as to prevent a loss, which the reduction 

 would otherwise ensure. 



Hereafter complimentary numbers will 

 not be sent out except to correspondents 

 whose articles appear in the issue. 



Development of Birds. 



BY ^VALTEK HOXIE. 



Ill tlie present article, I shall try to toudi up- 

 on a few pomts to set others thinking, rather 

 than to discuss with any depth a very l)road 

 suliject. Last summer 1 received througli the 

 kindness of Professor Marsli, his valualile mon- 

 ograph on the Birds, and a study of its pages 

 has enal)led me to group together many facts 



