The OoLOGiST. 



Vol. XXVI. No. 4. Albion, N. Y. April 15, 1909. Whole No. 261 



THE REASON. 



I have purchased THE OOLOGIST and now own the oldest publication in 

 America devoted to Oology. It is only proper to give my reasons for making 

 this purchase to the patrons of the publication. 



For more than thirty years I have been a student of our birds and for more 

 than twenty years I have been engaged in gathering together a collection of 

 their nests and eggs. During all of this time I have had much correspondence 

 with leading students along these lines in almost every state in the Union. Al- 

 ways I have felt the necessity of a medium of exchange and inter-communication 

 between those similarly interested. And an old subscriber to the old and loved 

 "O. & O.", I always regretted not having purchased it and thereby rescued it 

 from an untimely grave. I became convinced that THE OOLOGIST was about to 

 follow the "O. & O." into inocuous desuetude, so have secured control thereof in 

 an endeavor to preserve to us all ,this one tie that binds. 



THE OOLOGIST, in the future will be, I hope, as good as it has been in the 

 past and much more, for it is my purpose to make it a representative of us all. 

 It is not now published in the interest of any one person, nor of any dealer in 

 anything. I have never sold a bird skin or a bird's egg in my life and never ex- 

 pect to. I will treat all with equal fairness and recognize that to succeed, one 

 must deserve success. It is not possible to bring THE OOLOGIST up to the 

 standard where it belongs without the co-operation of those it serves, and of 

 those who are interested in it. Earnestly I solicit this co-operation; every new 

 subscriber you send in will help some; every advertisement you send will help 

 more; and every bright, fresh, crisp bird note or article will, I assure you, be ful- 

 ly appreciated and properly accredited. 



That you may all meet me, face to face, I refer you to the next page. 



R. M. BARNES, 



Lacon, 111. 



