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THE OOLOGIST. 



and worms, carrion, and injurious 

 mammals, are beneficial; again, birds 

 w hich feed on beneficial plants, shrews, 

 moles, bats, other beneficial birds and 

 eggs, beneficial insects, carrion worms, 

 benifical worms, spiders, and myra- 

 pods, are detrimental. Yes who would 

 say that because a certain species lived 

 for a time on food which might make it 

 for the time being harmful it must be 

 harmful no matter how much good it 

 might do at other times; hence every 

 one should make war against it? If 

 such were the case one robin would 

 have to be called detrimental on ac- 

 count of the fruit and earthworms he 

 eats. The food, which a bird eats, 

 varies at different stages of the bird's 

 life, at different seasons of the year, 

 and to a great extent in different local- 

 ities. Some birds during migration are 

 a sore trouble to raisers of crops, but it 

 must be taken into account that this 

 does not last forever, and that it may 

 be in their northern homes they are 

 more than paying for the damage they 

 may create elsewhere. 



A state, therefore, can not afford to 

 offer a bounty on a species whose ident- 

 ity is not exceedingly general, for the 

 verdict: "Weighed and found want- 

 ing," must only be rendered after all 

 the evidence gathered by the many has 

 been thoroughly sifted by the state. 

 The farmer, who keeps his gun loaded 

 for "hen-hawks," and who cannot dis- 

 tinguish the species of hawks common 

 to his locality, will not be able to bring 

 in evidence of any value, as he is down 

 on hawks on general principles and not 

 some one species which may pay his 

 poultry-yard a visit during his absence. 

 It is expert testimony that is wanted, 

 and we can but commend our Dept. of 

 Agriculture for the great work it is 

 doing in this direction. 



Many of our game birds are fast dis- 

 appearing in some sections of the coun- 

 try. The great flocks of Passenger 



for days are stories of the past. In my 

 locality lhe Partridge has chosen to 

 rear her young amid the secrecy of our 

 tamarac swamps, that is near their 

 edges. I know of two nests having 

 been taken in one of the thickest parts 

 of the swamp. The Am. Woodcock is. 

 also fast disappearing in this vicinity 

 except in the most secluded places. It 

 is certain that of some game birds the 

 number shot every year must approach 

 very near the number reared; andAvhen 

 we know how many of our water birds, 

 are disturbed in their haunts during the 

 period of incubation is it surprising 

 that we constantly hear of sportsmen 

 petitioning our legislatures? Pot hun- 

 ters stimulated by prices paid for game 

 in our city markets have made sad 

 havoc among some species. The mil- 

 linery trade has done its share of the 

 work too, but it has not taken game 

 birds. Whole heronries in our south- 

 ern swamps have been depopulated by 

 the plume hunter. Of course some 

 may say their destruction may not be 

 felt directly; but who can say it is not 

 felt indirectly? As birds of brilliant 

 plumage are the ones desired, those 

 from the south are most taken, but 

 some of our northern song birds are 

 shot in large numbers. Men spend 

 their whole time collecting skins for 

 the millinery trade, and the business. 

 often pays him better than can a Nat- 

 ural History dealer a collecting natural- 

 ist, who has spent years in study and 

 collects for strictly for scientific pur- 

 poses. In some cases they cover their 

 deeds "under the gauzy lace of science,"' 

 and in others under Fashion's roof. It 

 is to be hoped that in that bright Utopia 

 of which Edward Bellamy gives us such 

 graphic descriptions no store keeper 

 will ever be called upon to punch cards 

 for bird mummies for hats 



While the collecting of eggs and skins 

 by naturalists and others has done 

 much toward furthering: the science of 



Pigeons which used to darken the sky . Ornithology and Oology, the spreadin 



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