134 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 9-No. 11 



THE 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



—AND — 



OOLOGIST. 



A MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF 



NATURAL HISTORY, 



ESPECIALLY DEVOTED TO THE STUDY OP 



BIRDS, 



THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



DESIGNED AS A MEANS FOR THE INTERCHANGE OF NOTES 

 AND OBSERVATIONS ON BIRD LIFE. 



FRANK B. WEBSTER, Publisher, 



PAWTUCKET, E. I. 



Editor's Notes. 



In our advertising Columns will be found 

 a notice of the remarkably interesting and 

 valuable collection of Eggs belonging to 

 Dr. E. Baldamus of Coburg. It is much 

 to be desired that so unique a Collection 

 could be secured for some one of the many 

 Museums in this country. 



At the risk of being considered intract- 

 able, we venture to plead for an arrest of 

 judgment on the English Sparrow. The 

 charges brought against him are neither 

 new, nor unknown in the land from which 

 he comes. With all due respect to the 

 Committee of the "Union who have reported 

 against him, we venture to submit that the 

 Sparrow, even if occasionally graminivor- 

 ous, yet helps us to control many trouble- 

 some and destructive insects. Is he not 

 usually found in towns where the damage 

 to "crops" is not an item of much import- 

 ance ? As to exterminating song birds, he 

 does not seem to have done it in the land 

 of his ancestors, and if the charge is valid 

 here, which seems at any rate doubtful, the 

 process is a very slow one. 



We spare considerable space this month 

 to a discussion on the destruction of birds 

 for millinery purposes. That our song 

 and plumage birds should suffer any seri- 



ous diminution from the ravages of feather 

 hunters would be deeply regretted by all. 

 But on this point the evidence is not con- 

 clusive. It is not sufficient to point to the 

 large trade demand, nor even to show that 

 in certain localities a summer visitor once 

 numerous is now rarely seen. The former 

 may be supplied from the annual large 

 excess of bird life, and the latter from 

 causes that have no connection, or only a 

 remote one, with the subject under con- 

 sideration. We know of no common bird 

 that is now rare. The notes that we print 

 from month to month from widely sepa- 

 rated localities show a teeming bird life, 

 which neither natural enemies nor feather- 

 hunting has yet made much impression 

 upon. The demand is subject to the ca- 

 price of fashion and may soon drop off as 

 quickly as it has arisen. In the meantime 

 the friends of the birds will watch the re- 

 sult and will not be backward in coming to 

 their protection if the necessity shall arise. 

 Our ever increasing population will drive 

 some species to more quiet places, but it is 

 doubtful whether the destruction of Hawks 

 and similar predatory birds, does not re- 

 sult in an increase of the security of the 

 smaller birds, fully equal to the direct de- 

 struction for trade purposes. 



American Ornithologists' Union. 



The Second Annual Meeting of the Amer- 

 ican Ornithologists" Union, was held in New 

 York Sept. 30, and Oct. 1 and 2, 1884, un- 

 der the presidency of Mr. J. A. Allen. Dr. 

 Merriam, the Secretary, presented his re- 

 port by which it appeared the present 

 membership was : Active, 44 ; Foreign. 20 ; 

 Corresponding, 16 ; Associate, 63. An ex- 

 tensive addition was made to the member- 

 ship on the recommendation of the Council. 



Keports were presented from the various 

 Committees of the Union, as under: 



Dr. Coues read the report on "Provi- 

 sion of Nomenclature and Classification of 

 American Birds" of which more will prob- 

 ably be heard shortly. 



