4 



B i OOLOGIS 



1^^ 



VOL. VII. 



ALBION N. Y., OCT, 1890. 



No. 10 



The Use of the Camera in the Field. 



A Hindi/ of N't; sis. 



From year to year more and more iu- 

 tere.st is manifested in tlie importanee 

 of one of the luosL deliglitful and in 

 strnctive (jf all stndies — the study of 

 nests; and we hope we may, at the pres- 

 ent time, introduce into our midst the 

 eamera as an assistant in this grand 

 and interesting study, which has un- 

 doubtedly been mneh neglected. It is 

 perhaps a more e.\tensi\'e study than 



oology, involving ;is it does the study of 

 bcjtany and requiring familiarity with 

 all the characteristic plants and trees 

 of our respective localities, but don't 

 let these obstacles detain you, there is 

 so much pleasure to be derived that you 

 will be amply paitl for all yonr 

 tn);ible. 



Here I wish to transcribe in part Mr. 

 Ernest IngersoU's plea for the study of 

 nests, from his excellei.t "Bird's Nest- 

 ing," knowing it wid interest you. 

 • "As a scieutilic studj-, there is far 



NEST OF YELLOW WAKBLEK WITH YOUNG COWBIRD. 



more advantage to be ol)tained from a 

 series of nests than from a series of 

 eggs. The nest is something Avith 

 which the will and energies of the bird 

 are concerned. It expresses the char- 

 acter of the workman, is to a certain 

 extent, an index to its i-ank among 

 birds, for in general those of the high- 

 est organization are the best archi- 

 tects, and give us a glimpse of the 

 bird's mind and power to understand 

 and adapt itself to changed conditions 



of life. Over the shape and ornamen- 

 tation of an egg the bii-d has no con- 

 trol, being no more able to govern the 

 matter than it can the growth of its 

 beak. There is as much diiYerence to 

 me, in the intei-e.«t inspired, between 

 the nest and egg of a Ijird, as between 

 its biain and its skull, using the word 

 b7-am t-o mean the seat of intellect. 

 The n(st is a'ways more or less the re- 

 sult of ( onsc'ous planning and intelli- 

 gent work, even thoi^.gh it does follow 



