﻿The Amount of Science in Oology 207 



But the main error of his article lies in his claim that the knowledge of 

 bird life in general, of their songs, nesting habits, food and characteristics, 

 is obtained only in the collecting of eggs, or, in his own words, that he 

 would not have learned them if he had not been hunting eggs." As if a 

 man must have other incentive than the love of nature itself to take him 

 into the glorious country! Is not that sufficient to attract one to the haunts 

 of the birds, to make him study and watch their nesting habits, to hear 

 their songs and observe their traits as exhibited in the various species? 



I am not an egg-collector, or oologist if the word sounds better, yet am 

 proud to say that in a busy business life I can find time to spend some six or 

 eight weeks of each year in the woods and fields and find it very enjoyable 

 too, even without bringing home some egg-shells. I, too, have found even 

 as many nests in a month as he mentions, yet could see no reason for 

 robbing them. I have learned much of the bird songs, have seen many of 

 the various eggs, have some fine photos of birds and their nests, have 

 watched the feeding of birds, and know, from my own observations, of their 

 advantage to man to a greater or lesser degree. I also know that birds have 

 enemies, that the Cowbird and red squirrel, the snake and house cat are all 

 destructive to bird life, and that the weather in spring has much influence 

 on the rearing of young birds, — yet I did not have to collect their eggs to find 

 it out. When a man knows the enemies the birds do have, it would seem 

 that he would not desire to add one more to the list. 



If a man can not find enough attraction to call him to God's beautiful 

 out-of-doors, when the birds are singing their sweetest songs and the green 

 things putting on their gayest attire, without needing the excuse of robbing 

 bird's nests, scientifically or not, he is, to my mind, neither a lover of nature 

 nor of birds. Very respectfully 



Frank A. Brown. 



Bird-Lore's Colored Plates 



WITH the publication in this number of Bird-Lore of the twenty- 

 fourth plate, the series of colored plates of North American 

 Warblers is completed. While, in some instances, these plates have 

 not reached our standard, we may, nevertheless, say without fear of contra- 

 diction, that of no other family of North American birds does so adequate a 

 series of colored plates exist. 



We shall now take up the Thrushes, — and the plates already made are 

 even more satisfactory than those of the Warblers, although the subjects are 

 more difficult. 



The Thrushes will be followed by the Flycatchers, which will be reached 

 in the next volume of Bird -Lore, and, in this time, we hope to figure in 

 color every species of North American bird. 



