148 



THE OOLOGIST. 



ly Blue-bills. Loons are common on 

 Delavan Lake, but not many are shot. 

 On April 17, while walking along the 

 Shore, I noticed the foot of a bird stick- 

 ing out from a hollow stump. On ex- 

 amination it was found to be a dead 

 Loon which had probably been shot by 

 gunners last fall, and being wounded, 

 had crawled in there to die. I think 

 the Loons bred sparingly- around here 

 as I have noted them onfJJelavan Lake 

 during July in pairs, but I have never 

 found a nest. 



Ned Hollister, 

 Delavan, Wis. 



From West Virginia. 



I think egg collecting has % become 

 (with many) a mere nest robbeiy, lor 

 what there is in it, of|dollars and cents. 

 Unskilled boys and even negroes are 

 preying upon the nests -of our lovely 

 feathered inhabitants- for pecuniary 

 gain. 



This is not what high-toned collectors 

 for personal scientific knowledge start- 

 ed out to do, and which such honorable 

 gentlemen do. They collect for a cabi- 

 net of preserved 'egg-shells, odlogically 

 defining in the eggs what ornithology 

 taught previously in the birds — viz. — I 

 have learned, for instance, all about the 

 class of Thrushes, so that I know them 

 by their scientific and common names; 

 know their habits, and their hab- 

 itats, their voices and "their regimen. 

 Their colors and their structural fabric: 

 then, if I know this, I ought to know 

 also their eggs, when I see them, and 

 all that science teaches me, oologically 

 about them; but if I only take their eggs 

 to ti-ade on something classed more 

 utilitarian, I am neither a northy or- 

 nithologist or oologist, but'a mere bird's 

 nest robber for pay, and am classed by 

 true naturalists as a pot-hunter is among 

 is among sportsmen. 

 If this aggregation of nest robbery does 

 not receive the frown 'Of true oologists: 



between the House Sparrow and nest 

 robbers, the feathered beauties will soon 

 be as a tale that has been told. I think 

 when a gentleman has a set of any spe- 

 cies in his cabinet, he should stop on that 

 species, or at most he should be restrict- 

 ed to procuring one [set for a feeble 

 friend. V. M. 



Prizes' for Best- Articles. 



We have decided to give our 

 patrons, each month, five prizes. 

 These prizes are to be awarded 

 to the five best articles appearing in the 

 Oologist in which the offers are made. 



For the five articles in this (May) Oolo- 

 gist which are the most instructive, 

 valuable and interesting we shall give as 

 follows: 



1st prize — A Part of Maynard's Birds 

 of Eastern North America, bound in 

 boards and leather. 



2nd prize — Davie's Key to the Nests 

 and Eggs of- N. A. Birds, in e cloth, 



3d prize — Same as 2d prize, in paper. 



4th prize — Hagerup's ' 'Birds of Green- 

 land." 



5th prize — Leverkuhn's ••FremdeEier 

 Im Nest." 



For the June competition we will 

 give a similar set of prizes, and through- 

 out the year the aggregate value of 

 these monthly prizes will not be less 

 than ten dollars. The value of prizes 

 offered this month is $15.00. 



The articles entering into competition 

 must contain at least one hundred 

 words and we prefer that they do not 

 exceed seven hundred words, unless 

 they fairly teem with very, very inter- 

 esting facts or happenings — Remember 

 that "fancies," ' rehashes," "sparrow 

 stories" and articles of a similar nature 

 are not solicited and will rarely be 

 found "available." 



THE JUDGES: Tow have been sel- 

 ected to act as one of the Judges in 

 these Prize article contests, and your 

 decision must be promptly and fairly 

 given, and in no case later than the 

 10th of the month following the one on 

 which the Oologist was issued upon 

 which your decision is given. 



Your decision for this month's com- 

 petition must be mailed us not later 

 than June 10th. Write on the back of a 



