116 



OENITHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 12-Ko. 7 



Fortunate Collectors. 



The season of 1887 will always be pleasantly 

 remembered by several collectors as being one 

 in which many rare specimens of eggs were 

 found. 



Col. Goss has taken six sets of eggs of the 

 Mississippi Kite, (Ictinia subcccrulea) in South- 

 ern Texas, while Mr. J. A. Singley has secured 

 seven sets of eggs of the Swallow-tailed Kite, 

 {Elanoides forficatus) in Central Texas. Mr. J. 

 R. Chalker has taken six sets of eggs of the 

 Oolden Eagle, (Aqnila chrysaetus canadensis) in 

 California; and Mr. Samuel B. Ladd has found 

 nineteen sets of the Worm-eating Warbler, 

 {Helminthotherus vermivorus) in the vicinity of 

 West Chester, Pennsylvania; while Mr. Thom- 

 as H. Jackson has secured ten nests of the 

 same warbler in the same locality. 



J. P. N. 



Messrs. Elwin A. Capen of Canton, F. W. and 

 C. H. Andros of Taunton, and F. H. Carpenter 

 of Boston, Mass., returned the middle of June 

 from the Island of Grand Manan. N. B. The 

 above gentlemen are members of the Bristol 

 Ornithological Club, under whose auspices the 

 explorations were conducted. 



A fine specimen of the Ring Billed Gull {L. 

 delawarensis) was shot at the San Lais Lakes 

 by Mr. D. O. Dornell, of Monte Vista, on 

 April 4th, 1887. It was a male in the adult 

 plumage. Two others of the same species 

 were seen. 



A. H. Woodbury. Monte Vista, Col. 



Recent Publications. 



We are indebted to Mr. Hurbert L. Clark for 

 a copy of his '■'■Birds of Amherst and Vicinity, 

 including nearly the whole of Hamshire Coun- 

 ty, Mass." An introduction is given by Prof. 

 C. H. Fernald, followed by "An artificial Key" 

 for the purpose (>f enabling a novice to deter- 

 mine any specimen in hand. A list of 107 birds 

 is given as of "regular and certain appearance 

 in Ajuherst.'' Part II. gives a list of thirty-five 

 birds, whose aj)pearance is uncertain in Am- 

 herst but which ma}' be connnon in other parts 

 of the country. Part III. is a list of thirty-five 

 "Birds extremely rare or accidental in this 

 county." Mr. Clark has treated of 177 species, 

 and the work makes a valuable addition to our 

 state scientific literature. 



Bulletin no. 2 of the Ridgway Orni- 



thological Club is an extremelj' interesting 

 document of eighty-five pages. It gives a brief 

 resume of the organization of the Club and its 

 constitution and by-laws. The leading article, 

 '■'•Notes on the Birds of Southern California and 

 South-western Arizona'' by Mr. G. Frean Mor- 

 com, gives by far the best account of the orni- 

 thology of tlie region that we have ever seen. 



Another extremely interesting paper is A 

 Contribution to Our Kwndedge of Albinism, by 

 Geo. L. Toppan, Esq., who presents an exhaus- 

 tive summary of all the causes which may pro- 

 duce that phase of plumage termed albinism. 

 About the only criticism we would care to pass 

 upon so admirable a work is that it contains no 

 index for refei'ence, — something that no scien- 

 tific treatise should lack. 



Transactions of the Ottawa Field Nat- 

 uralists Club, Vol. II. No. III. 



Transactions of N. Y. Acad, of Sciences. 



Canadian Entomologist. 



Bird Migration by Prof. B. W. Evermann 

 from Popular Science Monthh/. 



F. h. c. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



Editok ORNrmoLOGiST AND OoLOGiST, Dear Sir : — 

 A few words in regard to collectors may not be out 

 of place. It is a great pity that we cannot have ex- 

 tended accounts from dilTerent sections in regard to 

 our birds. In my wanderings the past ten years, I 

 have realized the fact, more and more; many are 

 content with simply obtaining all the specimens 

 possible for their cabinets, regardless of any ad- 

 vance in the science, and by a constant series of ex- 

 changes in all parts of the country get together a 

 collection which is only seen, or heard of, by a few 

 local collectors, all of whom are anxious to have a 

 collection of skins that will beat his neighbor's. 

 This feeling is (of course), kept to himself; but is 

 still the truth, (not as common however, in orni- 

 thology as oology). If these persons would spend 

 part of the time in writing up descriptions, etc., 

 for the public to read, that tliey spend in cor- 

 responding in regard to an exchange which when 

 made proves to be a waste of time, ornithology 

 would be benefited. Instead of this, many spend all 

 the long winter evenings in arranging an exchange 

 with f)arties in distant localities, and in eight cases 

 out of ten he could not hold up his hand and swear 

 that this partj' had not swindled him. These are 

 the parties that should not receive permits to collect. 

 Let the taxidermist take his place and mount all he 

 wishes to a7i(l sell them too and I warrant the decrease 

 in our "native song birds" will not be so great. At 

 ail events the "Tax" can make up a bird to look well 

 while the other mentioned personages give us a cari- 

 cature of what is, or ought to be, "a thing of beauty," 

 and perhaps "a joy forever". More collectors are 

 needed in this section, and if more were in the local- 

 ity of the "four corners", (Arizona, Utah, New Mex- 

 ico and Colorado), great things might be accom- 

 plished. Charles r. Morrison. 



