90 



THE OOLOGIST 



many kinds. This was noticeable in 

 Montcalm County, Michigan, where I 

 lived four years and yet only gathered 

 a list all told of the species, and J never 

 listed much over 50 species in one day — 

 even in May. This was a comparative- 

 ly new country in 1880 and the birds 

 following civilization had not yet fully 

 arrived. Advanced cultivation with 

 still plenty of woodland, lakes, streams, 

 etc., always produces a much larger 

 list of birds notwithstanding that sever- 

 al species are nearly or quite extermin- 

 ated thereabouts; for instance, in Kala- 

 mazoo township, six miles square I can 

 by slight effort record more species of 

 birds in a given week of observations 

 than I saw combined in four year's ob- 

 servation 1880 84 in Reynolds Town- 

 ship, Montcalm County; for Kalamazoo 

 Countv is nearly forty years in advance 

 of the more northern county. I am 

 familiar with with over 170 species in 

 the neighborhood of Kalamazoo, while 

 with the assistance of fellow observers 

 I have recorded a list of over 230 birds 

 in the county. 



A lady who is a lover of birds and a 

 reliable observer visited Kalamazoo last 

 spring, and I took pleasure in showing 

 her about. On one drive of nine miles 

 with horse and carriage in which we 

 visited two pieces of woods, we saw 

 and heard 47 species of birds in a a trip 

 from two to six p. m. which is not the 

 best part of the day. I was agreeably 

 surprised in the accuracy with which 

 she identitied birds songs. She did not 

 make one error on the trip and was of- 

 ten ahead of me in naming a songster, 

 . and only failed — in the case of three 

 species, the identity of whose songs she 

 could not give as the birds were new to 

 her in the woods. They were the Aca- 

 dian and Traill's Flycatchers and the 

 Long-billed Water Thrush. This lady 

 is near-sighted and has to rely largely 

 on her opera glass, yet so accurate and 

 methodical is she in identitication that 

 she now identities by ear in almost ev- 



ery case. On hearing the odd notes of 

 the Traill's she left the carriage and 

 with her glass studied the movements, 

 of the little Flycatcher about the willow 

 copse for twenty' minutes. 



Our drive led us through a leafy, 

 grove-be-girt road known locally as- 

 Lover's Lane, and of course I fell in 

 love with her. Why should 1 not? She 

 is one woman in several millions. 1 do. 

 not believe there are five women in 

 America who can equal her, and I 

 have collected, walked, talked, ridden 

 and rowed with dozens of men and 

 boys who styled themselves Ornitholo- 

 gists, who did not comprehend the 

 songs or identity their owners in one- 

 third or fourth of the notes questioned 

 about. Let me add that this lady has- 

 not a collection of e^gs and but a few 

 bird's skins and they :ire not for cabi- 

 net but to illustrate her talks, for she 

 has classes who listen to her with pleas- 

 ure. 



To a true lover of bird.s it is much 

 more of a pleasure to take a trip and 

 talk with a companion of this pleasing- 

 type, than to listen to a collector tell 

 how many sets of eggs be took, or how 

 many birds he shot. Surely with our 

 dear birds in consideration we ought 

 not to cast ti'ue sentiments aside and 

 give over to the greed of gain, and it is 

 largely nothing more, in amassing big 

 collections without knowing their true 

 value. MoRKis Gibbs, 



Kalamazoo, Mich. 



Rallidse of Southern Louisiana. 



The most common Rail found here is 

 the Sora, Porzana Carolina, which is a 

 migrant, arriving here about the mid- 

 dle of August, and departing during the 

 latter part of March. 



How they endure their long flights 

 during migration is a mystery to me as 

 here they never liy more than a few 

 yards and then, only a short distance 

 above the ground. Very often they are 



