THE OOLOGIST. 



177 



entered upon it, not as many are wont 

 to do at present, namely, as an amuse- 

 ment, but with a deep and determined 

 spirit he made it the one great business 

 of his life. At all times he made him- 

 self a social companion of his feathered 

 friends, he studied them as he would a 

 familiar friend. His life was spent in 

 the study of their domestic habits in- 

 stincts,nidihcatiou. migration and seem- 

 ed in fact to pry into their very nature, 

 and interpret their language and dis- 

 positions. Their voice to his trained 

 ear was not music but language, and 

 instead of dying away upon the ear, it 

 went down into his very soul and mov- 

 ed him as the voice of a human friend. 

 In his description of birds he speaks of 

 them as if they were intelligent beings, 

 and has thus given a life and charm to 

 his descriptions which will mate his 

 work the chief attraction of ornithologi- 

 cal science for years to come. 



When we think of his sad end we 

 cannot but deplore his untimely death; 

 called away at the age of forty-seven, 

 in the very prime of life. If he had 

 lived he contemplated preparing a 

 similiar work on the quadrupeds of 

 North America. 



Of all characters in history none are 

 more worthy of emulation for the 

 young ornithologist than is this life of 

 Wilson's. All vulgar or selfish consid- 

 erations he was purified from by his 

 devotion to science. He made his life 

 conform to the requirements of a true 

 naturalist. His study of ornithology 

 was not as a mere pastime to amass a 

 large store of specimens, but his great 

 life's end was to cultivate a love for 

 pure ornithology. We deplore very 

 deeply that there are not more exem- 

 plifying his life today. Let us resolve 

 to emulate him and by so doing raise 

 our beloved science to a higher level 

 and place it where our great predeces- 

 sor left it. 



An Inexpensive Boat 



Every collecting oologist and ornith- 

 ologist is almost sure to have use for a. 

 boat at some time. As a suitable craft 

 is not always at hand or for other 

 reasons, sometimes pecuniary the col- 

 lector frequently attempts the construc- 

 tion of something in the boat line. 



As most of us "collecting cranks" 

 are not blessed with great store of 

 earthly treasures " it is desirable to re- 

 duce the cost to a minimum. 



While the boat constructed after the 

 directions below is hardly stylish or 

 very speedy it is serviceable, strong 

 and safe and the cost is so little that a 

 single season or even a few weeks use 

 will repay the builder for- all trouble 

 and expense incurred. The material 

 needed is as follows: 



Bill of Material. 



4 Boards, 1 ft wide, inch thick. 16 



ft. long, @ l|c per ft $ 96 



1 piece timber, 4x6 in., 1 ft. long. . 05 



5lbs. lOd nails (cd 4c per lb 20 



lOlbs pitch @ lie per lb 16 



Total ... $1 36 



The boards may be rough hemlock or 

 or pine, and should have no loose, knots 

 two of them should have no large knots 

 or cracks. 



The boat will have a better appear- 

 ance if the boards are dressed but that 

 is not essential. 



For the sides of the bateau use the 

 two clear boards, first cutting them 

 clown to twelve feet in length. Make a 

 mark six inches from the end of one of 

 them and saw it across diagonally, this 

 is the bow end. 



Mark nine inches down the diagonal 

 cut and two feet six inches back from 

 the lower end and connect these marks 

 by a saw cut. This takes off a long 

 wedge shaped piece and makes the up- 

 ward curve of the bottom at the bow. 



Mark nine inches down the stem end, 

 which is square and two feet along the 

 lower edge, sawing off another wedge 



