204 



THE OOLOGIST 



gone to such extremes as to bring our 

 science to the verge of ridicule among 

 real thinking people. 



The recent description of an alleged 

 sub-specific geographic form of one of 

 the Herons based upon a skin that was 

 afterwards discovered to be a juvenile 

 of one of the well known species, be- 

 ing a case in point. The Editor has 

 repeatedly had occasion to express his 

 views on this subject and in so expres- 

 sing them has merely re-voiced that 

 which has been poured into our ears 

 practically every place we have gone, 

 and wherever we have met ornitholo- 

 gists. — Editor, 



Likewise under date of July 2d 

 makes the announcement that he has 

 seven dead- cats this year to his 

 credit. Let the good work go on. 



Thanks! 



In a letter from Lillian L. Beers, 

 widow of the late Henry W. Beers, to 

 the Editor, relating to the recent pur- 

 chase of the collection of eggs made 

 by Mr. Beers in his lifetime, the fol- 

 lowing among other things is found: 



"It gives me great pleasure to ex- 

 press my appreciation of your unfail- 

 ing courtesy and consideration in con- 

 nection with the packing of Mr. Beers' 

 collection. As you will so well under- 

 stand, it was not an easy thing to me 

 to see my husband's collection, repre- 

 senting the work of a lifetime, broken 

 up and sold. But it will always be a 

 satisfaction to know that it went into 

 hands of one who could appreciate 

 its worth ... I want to thank you 

 for your kindly interest and the fair 

 treatment you have shown in your 

 business relations with me. It has 

 been a pleasure to deal with one so 

 courteous and fair minded." 



Note. 

 W. A. Strong, San Jose, California, 

 reports taking an English Sparrow, 

 February 18th with the head and back 

 light rusty brown, wings and tail much 

 lighter and throat and under parts 

 nearly white. 



June Here and Elsewhere. 



Your latest number comes to hand, 

 while we are enjoying June weather; 

 Oriolus is singing in the apple-trees 

 before I am out in the morning. How 

 different are the nesting habits of his 

 kind from those of the Emperor Pen- 

 guins in the Southern Hemisphere. 

 According to Mr. Wilson of the "Dis- 

 covery" expedition, they nest in the 

 dead of winter, in the middle of the 

 Polar night, (in the month of June), in 

 cold that may reach 50 degrees below 

 zero. 



These birds come together on a solid 

 iceberg to lay a single egg. There are 

 no preparations, no nest. To keep the 

 egg off the ice, the penguin places it 

 on his feet, held between the legs, pro- 

 tected by a fold of skin covered with 

 feathers, at the base of the abdomen. 

 As the incubation last nearly two 

 months, the birds, of which not many 

 are engaged in brooding, pass the egg 

 to one another in turn. At the begin- 

 ning of September the egg is hatched. 

 There is only one chick to ten or more 

 adults, and as every one of these lat- 

 ter wishes to brood, there is much 

 struggling to get possession of the lit- 

 tle ones, sometimes causing death. 



This seems as wonderful as any of 

 Baron Munchausen's stories ,and yet 

 it may be read in more ample form in 

 the Smithsonian annual report for the 

 year 1912. 



Some years ago, a gentleman from 

 this section where I now live publish- 

 ed a monthly, "Birds and All Nature" 

 very liberally illustrated with colored 

 plates, and to my mind those repre- 

 senting eggs and nests were faraway 

 the best. I have a hope that THE 

 OOLOGIST may have a circulation 



