3514 The Zoologist — May, 1873. 



Hewitson, at all events, should be the last to originate such a 

 charge, for what indignation would he feel— and as I maintain, 

 justly feel — did any one insinuate for a moment that some of 

 the rarer eggs figured in his valuable book, alluded to above, were 

 not genuine, but spurious ? (8.) It seems almost unnecessary to 

 answer the last paragraph of Mr. Hewitson's paper. Does he 

 seriously maintain that it is my duty, because I admire the genius 

 and the diligence of certain German ornithologists, to uphold the 

 opinions of all other Germans, whatsoever and wheresover they 

 may be ? Does he himself feel called upon in like case, and with 

 regard to the wild and random assertions, sometimes rife even among 

 British naturalists, to endorse them ? But this is childish : it is 

 not argument ; it is not logical ; neither is it philosophical or in- 

 structive. I will only repeat that I deprecate most heartily such a 

 way of getting rid of a question, which may not commend itself to 

 the judgment of the individual ; and I would loudly call for a fair 

 field and fair play for this or any other kindred question, be it 

 broached by an Englishman or a foreigner. 



I have thought it right to vindicate myself from the charges 

 brought against me ; but I turn now with considerable satisfaction 

 from these miserable personalities, from which Natural History dis- 

 cussions should be wholly exempt; and 1 proceed to reply to some 

 of the more telling arguments which have been, fairly enough, 

 adduced against the theory of Baldamus. First, however, 1 have 

 to thank Mr. Rowley for so readily acceding to my request in 

 giving his opinion of the last list [viz. that of Dr. Key) which I 

 have published : and most certainly do I agree with him that this 

 matter is as yet sub judice, and that hitherto we have by no means 

 arrived at the bottom of it. 1 acknowledge that Mr. Rowley's first 

 argument is very powerful, if it can be certainly proved ; viz. that 

 there is no adequate cause for such assimilation in colour of the 

 cuckoo's egg to those of the foster-parent. But the question which 

 starts before my mind here is, whether it is establised as a fact that 

 birds, as a rule, will sit upon eggs so readily, or whether it is not a 

 fact that many birds will Ibrsake the nest, if they find that their eggs 

 have been tampered with ? It is long since I went birds'-nesling, but 

 my recollections of past experiences certainly tend to the conclusion 

 that most birds do not like their eggs meddled with at all. I 

 perfectly remember that when a boy at Eton, where some hundreds 



