THE NIDIOLOGIST 



33 



In the preface Mr. Davie says, " Our aim 

 has been to produce a work amply illus- 

 trating the various modes of procedure in 

 the art of taxidermy, intended especially to 

 instruct the beginner. " As a guide to the 

 beginner the book is indispensable, while 

 to the modern artist-taxidermist it is re- 

 plete with interesting illustrations and val- 

 uable suggestions. We wish it the success 

 which it unquestionably merits. 



The Aiik, Vol. XI, No. 4, Oct. 1894. 

 The colored plate accompanying this issue 

 of The Auk is by Mr. John Ridgway, illus- 

 trating an adult and immature specimen of 

 the Point Pinos Junco {[unco Jiyemalis pino- 

 sus), with a notice of this new variety by 

 lyeverett M. I^oomis. For Oologists there 

 is a very interesting account by R. G. Haz- 

 ard on the " Breeding Habits of the King 

 Penguin," illustrated by a drawing from a 

 photograph made to show the position of 

 the Q:gg in an abdominal pouch, where the 

 bird is said to carry it during the period of 

 incubation, "and only laying it down for 

 the purpose of changing it from male to fe- 

 male." The author is perfectly convinced 

 of the reported egg-carrying habit of the 

 Penguin, and it remains to be seen what 

 views are held by those present at the meet- 

 ing of the American Ornithologists' Union. 



In an editorial note attention is called to 

 the revival of the fashion of women wear- 

 ing birds on hats, or rather an increase of 

 the fashion, for at no time since the appoint- 

 ment of the A. 0» U. Committee on Bird 

 Protection has it been entirely out of fash- 

 ion, simply varying from wings, alone, to 

 plumes, birds' heads and single large birds, 

 but now the fashion journals announce that 

 Blackbirds in paiis are quite the thing on 

 the front of small bonnets, while /c"?/;^ may 

 be worn on large hats. Much no doubt has 

 been accomplished by the labors of Orni- 

 thologists to create a sentiment in favor of 

 the birds, especially by the individual in- 

 terest of Olive Thorne Miller, but the few 

 who have abandoned the wearing of birds 

 are a very small per cent of those who pro- 

 pose to be in fashion if they can afford it, 

 and will continue to patronize the bird- 

 destroying milliners. By the time the sen- 

 timentalists have created a new popular 

 mind in regard to ornamenting hats (and 

 some certainly are ornamental) the fashion 

 will die out of itself; the collecting of birds 

 for millinary purposes will no longer be 

 profitable, first. 



There must be some other way of check- 



ing the " brutal and perverted taste." It 

 must first be fashionable to wear ribbons, 

 bows or artificial flowers, or something 

 else, before any impression can be made 

 against the votaries of fashion in Kurope 

 and America. 



Screech 0\x)\ Notes. 



THINKING that my experience with 

 the little Screech Owl will interest 

 some of the readers of the Nidiolo- 

 GiST, I write a few lines showing the 

 tenacity for locality of this little hooter. 

 For a number of years I have hunted high 

 and low for the nesting place of these birds, 

 and previous to last year without success. 

 L/ast spring (1893), while looking over an 

 apple orchard, my brother discov- 

 ered an Owl's feather. This was the first 

 indication, so we made a thorough search 

 and at last located Mr. Owl's domain by a 

 tell-tale feather at the entrance. It was in 

 a natural cavity of an old apple tree, about 

 8 feet from the ground. We found Mrs. 

 Owl at home and two almost round glossy 

 white eggs beneath her, — this was April 15. 



I paid her a visit on the- 19th and col- 

 lected a set of four eggs, and also collected 

 the old lady, thinking I would have her 

 mounted. But after keeping her a week in 

 a cage, feeding her on raw meat, I decided 

 to take her back, as she was not a ver}' 

 good specimen. On Ma}^ 28 I happened in 

 that vicinity, so took a peep. As I neared 

 the tree I saw the male looking out, but he 

 quickl}' dropped out of sight, and if I had 

 not known the exact spot I would have 

 passed the tree without seeing him, as he 

 was in the gray plumage and just the color 

 of the tree. This time I collected a slightly 

 incubated set of three eggs. Both birds 

 were at home this time and were very 

 dumpish. 



This year ('94) I paid them the third 

 visit on the 24th of April and collected a 

 set of 4 eggs, thus making 11 eggs taken 

 from this pair. Next year I intend to 

 make them the fourth call. 



I have heard a great many collectors say 

 that it was very easy to locate Owls' nests 

 by the pellets about the trees, but I know 

 of a number of cases where pellets were not 

 found near the tree where the eggs were, 

 but generally about other trees in the orch- 

 ard where the male had very likely dis- 

 gorged them. Percy G. Bourne. 



Haverhill, Mass. 



