Fragments of Natural History. 19 



Art. II. — Fragments of Natural History; by J. P. Kirtland, 

 M. D., Prof. Theo. and Prac. Phys., Medical College of Ohio, 

 Cincinnati. 



" I write that which I have seen." — Le Baum.- 



No. II. — Ornithology. 



The feathered tribes of our country have been so thoroughly 

 investigated by Wilson, Bonaparte, Nuttall, Audubon and Town- 

 send, that the young ornithologist can hardly expect to meet with 

 anew species, unless it be some straggler or accidental visitor 

 from other parts of the world. An ample field is however fur- 

 nished him, in which he may successfully employ his talents. 

 The habits of some of our most interesting birds are but very 

 imperfectly understood. If we take for instance the migratory 

 Sylvias, we can obtain but little more than their names and scien- 

 tific characters from those authors — and in regard to their habits, 

 less than we have been able to discover by our own observations. 



On investigating this subject, it may perhaps be discovered that 

 in some instances, errors have been imbibed and perpetuated by 

 mistaking the accidental movements of an individual bird under 

 unusual circumstances, for the common habits of the whole spe- 

 cies. 



The term of life of no one person is of sufficient duration to 

 allow him to complete a full and perfect history, even of our 

 American species, from his own researches and observations ; 

 such a work must be the production of the joint labor of several 

 ages and many individuals. Many facts remain to be supplied 

 before it can be successfully completed. The opportunities for 

 observing the movements, and obtaining a correct history of the 

 habits and characters of the more rare birds, are only occasional and 

 fortuitous, and are as likely to fall in the way of one who knows 

 not how to improve them, as of one who possesses the talent for 

 correct observation that distinguishes the author of the " Birds of 

 America." 



It is not to be expected that the public generally will ever turn 

 aside from their usual pursuits to make observations on matters 

 relating to natural science. The energies of some idle gunner 

 may perhaps be aroused sufficiently by the appearance of a new 

 or rare bird to induce him to destroy its life ; the carcass will be 



