THE OOLOGIST. 



13? 



better? Is not the time fully come, for 

 & grand fraternity of bird students all 

 over the continent? The American Or- 

 nithologists' Union is excellent for the 

 Savants in the science, but we of the 

 laity must stand in the outer porch of 

 associate memcership, or stay out-doors 

 entirely, if we are too indigent to raise 

 '■$3.00 per year for the "Auk." 



Let us who are of the people, aye, 

 'even those who are in the "primer" of 

 ■Ornithology, strike hands and with «, 

 grandeur of enthusiasm, that can stand 

 alike in the icy cold of winter and the 

 burning heat of summer, talk with each 

 •other continually along the various 

 lines of enquiry. 



Some of us here in Washington and 

 vicinity have been trying for several 

 months to lay the foundations for such 

 a fraternity. Sickness has hindered 

 "some of us from doing our part to push 

 "the work rapidly, and the undertaking 

 being one that requires thought and 

 tact, we find oni'selves obliged to move 

 slowly. It will probably be some 

 "months hence, before we can decide up. 

 \)u the details of the membership. The 

 uiost difficult part of the organization 

 will be in respect to corresponding 

 members — how to attract them with 

 mutual advantage and how to secure 

 an active fellowship at a distance. In 

 •other words, what can we do for them, 

 and what can they do for us? Through 

 ; some chosen periodical we can give 

 them the results of our researches; we 

 •can advise them of the information, 

 which reaches the various institutions 

 at Washington, concerning the birds of 

 North America or the world, and we 

 can reply to correspondence, inquiries, 

 •etc. such as can be answered better 

 here, with our immense resources, than 

 ■elsewhere. 



But no one can answer all these let- 

 ters of inquiry, without a few stamps, 

 a little stationery, and a contribution of 

 Valuable time, which his circumstances 

 fc&ay not allow him to loose. Yet no 



one here wants to make any money out 

 of ornithological students. In other 

 words the most difficult points are the 

 choice of a periodical which shall talk 

 best to the largest number, and fixing 

 of dues for corresponding membership, 

 such as they can conveniently pay and 

 will at the same time enable the corres- 

 ponding secretaries to give due atten- 

 tion to enquiries. 



Any suggestions from friends at a 

 distance on these points will be most 

 welcome. 



J. H. Langiixe, 

 Kensington, Md. 



The Amusing Antics of a Pair of Brown 

 Thrushes. 



A few years ago I had the pleasure of 

 securing two young Thrushes for pets. 

 I took the nest before they could fly, 

 and placed it in a large wire cage. 

 Where in a few hour's time, they would 

 take the food from my hand as readily 

 as from the beaks of the parent birds. 

 They soon evinced a great fondness for 

 their captor, and would flutter against 

 the wires of their prison when I would 

 leave them, as though begging to go 

 with me. Sometimes I would, take 

 them out, when they would cuddle 

 down in my hand to sleep, as content- 

 ed as two kittens. Wheu they became 

 almost grown they seemed so tame, I 

 concluded to turn them out and see if 

 they would go away. They never off- 

 ered to leave the trees and shrubs near 

 the house, until late in the fall, when 

 they became very restless, and also a 

 little shy. They would perch high on 

 some tree top, uttering loud cries, as 

 though trying to attract the attention 

 of others. Each night they would re- 

 turn to their cage to roost, but each 

 day would go farther and farther from 

 home, and seemed to loose all their 

 cunning playful tricks. I became sus- 

 picions that they were preparing to take 

 their departure for a sunnier clime than 



