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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. Xo. 98. 



THE INSTINCTS OP BIRDS. 



To THE Editok op SCIENCE : So much inter- 

 est is now taken in psychology that, although it 

 is not the field of science with which I am most 

 familiar, I believe that the statement of an 

 observation I made this summer may be of 

 interest. 



My hired man brought home a nest of young 

 hawks, probably a week old. We tried to rear 

 them on meat. After a few days I noticed in 

 some way that they tried to peck at a red rag. 

 It occurred to me to try if the color had any 

 influence. I found that, while they would 

 sometimes peck at any rag, they would always 

 attack a red one. It would seem, therefore, that 

 they noticed the red of the meat. 



We also found that they were cannibals, for, 

 not being fed quite enough meat one day, they 

 attacked the weakest one, and would have 

 killed it ; in fact, it did die in a day or two. 

 Geo. Chas. Buchanan. 



Henning, Minn. 



PINAL SUMMARY REPORT OF THE GEOLOGICAL 

 SURVEY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



To THE Editor of Science : In your issue 

 of June 12, 1896, there appeared over the 

 signature of Dr. J. J. Stevenson a brief review 

 and criticism of the Final Summary Report of 

 the Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, in which 

 Dr. Stevenson was good enough to commend, 

 in general, the results attained under such ad- 

 verse circumstances as the general public could 

 hardly be expected to realize. 



It was several weeks after this article was 

 written that my attention was called to it, and 

 in writing to the author of it, to thank him for 

 his very generous praise, I expressed chagrin 

 and regret that he should have taken apparent 

 exception to the manner and place in which 

 credit was given to the various assistants whose 

 work and reports formed so large a part of, and 

 the basis for. Volume III. , in the compilation of 

 which I was so largely responsible. 



In his reply, as well as in the original article, 

 Dr. Stevenson was courteous enough to realize 

 the absence of any intention to detract from the 

 very high merit due him and others for the 

 painstaking work they performed in elucida- 



ting the geology of the State, but very properly 

 pointed out that the casual reader of the Final 

 Summary, from the character and number of 

 references to his name in connection with the 

 chapters on the bituminous coal measures in 

 southwest Pennsylvania, might readily fail to 

 give credit to him for his labors in that district. 



After carefully reviewing the chapters referred 

 to, pp. 2448 to 2564 in Vol. III., Part 2, I cor- 

 dially endorse Dr. Stevenson's criticism, and 

 ask the medium of your widely read journal, 

 not only to express my sincere regret for that 

 deficiency in the Summary, but to accord to 

 Dr. Stevenson the fullest possible credit for his 

 exceptionally excellent work in the coal dis- 

 trict. 



To all who have had access to the reports of 

 the Geological Survey this tribute is hardly 

 necessary ; for the several volumes* which bear 

 his name attest the fidelity and general value 

 of his work as well as the high scientific char- 

 acter of his investigations ; but to such as have 

 not become familiar with these individual vol- 

 umes it gives me only pleasure to say, that not 

 only were his several reports (in common with 

 those of many other assistants) freely used by 

 me in my compilation of the survey in the Bitu- 

 minous Region, but his sections, plates and 

 measurements of coal beds as well, and I regard 

 them as amongst the most valuable and reliable 

 data secured during the progress of the survey. 



This was the object of the ' Summary Re- 

 port,' and if space and means had permitted it, 

 every assistant's name should have been at- 

 tached to his particular work, in the body of 

 the report as well as in my prefatory letter (see 

 Volume III., Part I., pp. 1855 and 1856), where 

 a general acknowledgment was made of the 

 work of all the aids. 



To Dr. Stevenson, as well as to the Messrs. 

 Piatt, White, Ashburner, Chance and Sher- 

 wood, is Pennsylvania indebted for a wealth of 

 facts concerning the geology of the Appalachian 

 coal field. To them all, and individually, are 

 due my heartiest acknowledgments in the 

 preparation of the ' Summary Report, ' and 

 above all, to the venerable Director of the Sur- 

 vey, Dr. J. P. Lesley, whose notes, illustrations 

 and valuable prefatory notices, were all freely 



* Reports K, Kj, Kg and %. 



