Editorials 



35 



Btrti'Eore 



A Bi-monthly Magazine 

 Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds 



OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES 



Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN 

 Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 



Vol. V Published February 1. 1903 No. 1 



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 twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, post- 

 age paid. 



Subscriptions may be sent to the Publishers, at 

 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, or 66 Fifth avenue. New 

 Vork City. 



Price in all countries in the International Postal 

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COPYRIGHTED, 1903, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN 



Bird-Lore's Motto: 

 A Bird in the Bush is IVorth Two in the Hand 



The articles on the Nuthatches in this 

 number of Bird-Lore are especially inter- 

 esting for the evidence given of the perma- 

 nent residence of an individual bird at one 

 locality throughout the year; and also of 

 the return of a migratory bird to the same 

 locality on successive winters. 



On another page we print a protest from 

 Mr. Abbott H. Thayer against the publi- 

 cation of photographs of mounted birds. 

 With much of what Mr. Thayer says we 

 are in thorough accord. Still we feel that 

 his condemnation of the use of mounted 

 birds for illustrative purposes is too sweep- 

 ing. The attempt to pass off a photograph 

 of a mounted bird for that of a living one 

 is a moral and scientific lie, for which 

 there is no excuse. 



Nor should we for an instant defend 

 the publication of photographs of poorly- 

 mounted birds ; such, for example, as dis- 

 figure the pages of numerous modern bird 

 books. 



It is possible, however, to mount a bird 

 perfectly, — so perfectly that the better the 

 beholder knows the bird in nature the more 

 satisfaction will he receive from the art of 

 the taxidermist ; and its expression will 

 prove a stimulus to his memories of the 

 bird in life. If this is not so, if perfection 



in taxidermy be impossible, let us abandon 

 at once our effort to bring nature within 

 the walls of our museums ; our strivings so 

 to display animals that they will not only 

 be interesting and truly educational to 

 those who do not know them, but will 

 give pleasure to those who do. 



While we trust it is needless for us to 

 say how heartily we endorse Mr. Thayer's 

 high estimate of the value of the camera 

 in portraying birds, good photographs of 

 birds in nature are not often available, 

 when a photographl of a well-mounted 

 bird, presented as such, will, we think, 

 prove more desirable than the average 

 drawing. 



Our statement in the last number of 

 Bird-Lore, that only five ornithological 

 journals in this country have lived to see 

 their fifth birthday, having apparently been 

 misunderstood, we think it well to name 

 the magazines in question, premising the 

 list with the explanation that by ''orni- 

 thological magazine" we mean a magazine 

 devoted wholly to the interests of birds or 

 bird-study. With this restriction, then, 

 the list stands: (i) 'The Auk,' which, 

 as a "continuation of the Bulletin of the 

 Nuttall Ornithological Club," established 

 in 1876 and continued for eight years under 

 that title, is now in its twenty-seventh 

 volume, being the oldest, as it is the fore- 

 most journal of ornithology in this country ; 

 (2) 'The Ornithologist and Oologist,' es- 

 tablished in 1875 ^s 'The Oologist' and 

 issued under that title for five volumes, 

 when the name was changed, as indicated, 

 and held until the final issue of this pioneer 

 amateur journal, in October, 1893; (3) 

 'The Oologist,' established in 1884 as 

 'The Young Oologist,' issued for two 

 volumes under that name, and now in its 

 nineteenth volume ; ( 4 ) ' The Wilson 

 Bulletin,' established in 1895, and now in 

 its fifteenth volume; (5) 'The Osprey,' 

 established in 1896 and now in its seventh 

 volume, the last number received being dated 

 July, 1902. To this honor roll are now 

 to be added ' The Condor,' ' The Journal 

 of the Maine Ornithological Society,' and 

 Bird-Lore, all of which celebrate their 

 fifth birthday with their first issues for 1903. 



