The Destruction of Wild Birds in General throughout the World. 855 



to Sci}- against the oologist who collects sparingly for scientific 

 purposes, and who honestly tries to interpret. 



But 1 will wage eternal warfare against the man who collects 

 birds' eggs with no mo're definite or intelligent aim than to bring 

 together a number of objects the possession of which gives him 

 pleasure, all the greater because his neighbour does not have them. 

 The multitude who thus destroy out of the idle lowe of possession 

 are a distinct menace to the continuance of species, and if it were 

 possible to secure sufficient data on which to base an estimate of 

 their number, and of the approximate number of eggs in their 

 possession, it is likely that figures would be required to represent 

 the totals which would confuse us by their immensity. 



As an instance of what egg-collectors can do in the exter- 

 mination of a species, I will cite the case of the Californian 

 Condor {Gymnoqyps calif ornianvs). So scarce is this bird that 

 there are, I believe, but 41 of its big bluish-white eggs in the 

 museums and private collections of the world. For all that, as 

 the bird has no dangerous natural enemy, it would probably hold 

 its own, if unmolested by man. But its eggs are eagerly competed 

 for by collectors, and high prices are offered for them. Conse- 

 quently, every breeding season men ransack the mountains of 

 the bird's limited range for its eggs, and this magnificent member 

 of the vulture family is doomed to a sure and rapid extermination. 



Scientific collecting of bird-skins for a definite object has 

 never, and would never, appreciably diminish the number of any 

 species. Purposeless collecting, however, is to be strongly de- 

 precated, and any one who has taken a peep behind the scenes 

 knows that the practice indulged in by some museums of accu- 

 mulating skins of individuals of the some species of bird has 

 assumed proportions which amount to a scandal. No man is 

 justified in taking the life of a bird unless he has reasonable hope, 

 by so doing, of making an addition to knowledge, and no addition 

 can be made to knowledge by accumulating the skins of a bird 

 which has been already named and classified times without 

 number. The amount of obstruse, technical, scientific publications 

 which is poured out each succeeaing year, is enormous; but I 

 have yet to learn that it is of any real practical value to the world. 



Scientists indeed, appear constitutionall}^ unable to think of 

 birds in any other light than the gloom which is associated with 

 corpses. 



The mounted specimens in museums are doubtless very pretty 

 and attractive, but they have none of that interest and value 

 which attaches to the records from nature. For example, we are 

 shown stuffed birds mounted in what are called their "natural 

 surroundings". If these exhibits are intented to be instructive, 

 they fail signally in their object. If the bird were placed in it 

 most usual natural surroundings, it would be invisible. It is only 



