70 



THE OOLOGIST 



lot is discarded and forgotten. No real 

 use is made of these birds. 



So the reason we are discouraged 

 from making large collections, is that 

 so many of us never make any real use 

 of the birds, and to destroy life for no 

 better reason than has the stamp or 

 coin collector for his business, is not 

 justifiable. But the beginner may have 

 a genuine interest in birds, and may 

 be willing to work hard to add his part 

 to science Every ornithologist has to 

 make a start by collpcting, that he may 

 know the birds So every chance should 

 be given him that he may do good 

 work. It is for this reason that I wish 

 to tell him some of the things which 

 may be studied at the same time he is 

 making his collection. 



To identify your specimens is the 

 first step in any branch of zoological 

 work If in anew field you may find 

 undescribed species and they are to be 

 attended to But among birds there is 

 little of this work. Ornithology stands 

 at the head in systematic work. In no 

 other branch of zoology is the nomen- 

 clature so nearly fixed. Practically all 

 the species and sub-species of North 

 American birds have been named and 

 fully described. The eggs of nearly all 

 species on our check-list are known. 



Several of my personal friends have 

 begun on birds, but finding the race 

 for novelties too keen, have gone over 

 to fishes, mammals, insects or plants. 

 These men will affect to despise sys- 

 tematic work and will tell you that 

 they do not like to be troubled with 

 naming new species, yet I find these 

 very men have done the most in that 

 line and often have done nothing else. 



New s'^ecies of birds are now to be 

 had only by travel in far countries, con- 

 tending vdth tropical or polar temper- 

 atures. For those who must remain at 

 home and who have plenty of time it is 

 left to take up other, but equally, valu- 

 able and interesting work. For these I 

 wish to make a few suggestions as to 

 what is to be done. 



There is nothing new here, only a 

 gathering together to give the novice 

 some idea of the rich harvest which 

 awaits him, requiring only patience 

 and accurate observation for the reap- 

 ing. There may be uncertainty as to 

 what your results will be, this makes 

 the discovery all the more delightful, 

 but that you will find something there 

 is no doubt whatever. 



In the first place keep a note book 

 and write down everything you find 

 out, for even the most common facts 

 will escape your memory. 



1. Local list. — Keep a full list of all 

 species which occur in your locality, 

 when they are with you, how abun- 

 dant, and the kind of country each in- 

 habits. 



3. Migration. — Notes on migration 

 belong with the local list. 



3. Nesting records. — These should in- 

 clude dates of all nests found, number 

 of eggs or young, actions of parents, 

 etc. A complete investigation of some 

 one species or genus may be taken up. 

 Howe's ''Breeding Habits of the Ameri- 

 can Robin in Eastern Massachusetts" 

 (Auk, XIV, 163,) is an excellent model 

 and shows what may be done on a com- 

 mon species. 



4. Incubation. — This is a life time 

 study in itself. Nothing is known of 

 the necessary conditions of moisture 

 and tempature and but little as to the 

 normal period of incubation. 



5. Food. — Very little is known, ex- 

 cept in a general way, of the normal 

 food of birds or about the effect of 

 various foods. This may be studied by 

 direct observation of the wild birds, 

 from stomachs, from pellets of such 

 species as eject food remains from the 

 mouth, and by feeding captive young 

 and adults. 



6 Studies on young. — This may be 

 carried on along several lines at once, 

 quite enough to keep one observer busy 

 during all his spare time. Some of 

 these lines are food, feather growth, 



