OOLOGIST'S EXCHANGE. 



Published Monthly at 15 cents a year. 



Teems or Advektising. 



Five lines 50 One inch 1.00 



Half column 3.50 One column 6.50 



Address communications of all kinds, to 



T. VERNON WILSON, Austin, III. 



Entered in the Post Office at Austin 111, as second-class matter. 



Our '"Prize Sio?'y" Offei\ 



For the best article, or collecting exper- 

 ience, setting forth the habits, nesting or 

 otherwise, of one or more of our North 

 American Birds, we will give a first-class 

 egg of the African Ostrich; and for the 

 second best, a pair of strapped Climbing 

 Irons. 



All articles sent in for competition shall 

 become the property of the paper, and 

 must not contain over 750 words. All 

 articles must be in by May 15th. The 

 names of the winners, together with their 

 articles will be published in later numbers 

 of this paper. 



Now collectors, we have made you a 

 good offer, and it is free to all. Show us 

 that you appreciate it, by hearty re- 

 sponse. 



Address "Prize Stories" and communi- 

 cations of aU kinds to The Oologist's 

 Exchange, Austin, 111. 



We publish in another part of this pa- 

 per the two best articles received in com- 

 petition for the February prizes, which 

 were, 1st, a set of 2 eggs and nest of 335 

 Ruby -throated Humming-bird; 2nd, a set 

 of one egg of 585 American Flamingo. Be 

 low, we publish by permission the critic's 

 report. 



Columbus, O. March 8, 1888. 



Dear Sir:— Of the two compositions 

 which I have marked 1 and 2 respectively, 

 it has been difficult for me to decide which 

 should hold first place. They are both of 

 great interest to any ornithologist: No. 1, 

 because of its originality, and apt style of 

 composition; No. 2, from the fact that few 

 ornithologists ever see the Snowy Owl in 

 its northern breeding grounds, and the 

 eggs are rarely taken. There also seems 

 to be comparatively little written concern- 



ing this bird's nesting and eggs, by actual 

 observers- This last fact alone makes 

 the latter article of considerable vahie. 



The articles on the Flycatchers and the 

 Shore Lark are very good. 



Oliver Davie. 



The Farallones. 



About 23}^ miles North-west of the 

 Golden Gate lie a group of six islands, 

 whose peaks rise in rugged yet pictur- 

 esque confusion from the very bosom of 

 the deep. These islands, known as the 

 Farallones, ought to be of special interest 

 to every Oologist, as from them large 

 numbers of specimens are obtained annu- 

 ally, in fact there are few Oologist's in 

 whose collection these islands are not 

 represented by one or more sets. 



Living in sight of the passing commerce 

 of our Western coast, yet isolated from 

 the world, the life of the light-house keep- 

 ers of this group would indeed be a lone- 

 ly one were it not for the thousands of 

 sea-birds of various kinds which breed 

 here annually. Here Guillemots, Puffins, 

 Gulls and other sea-birds breed in such 

 numbers as to render their eggs of con- 

 siderable value to the commercial world. 

 The egg season generally lasts from May 

 to July, during which time some twenty 

 men are daily employed in gathering and 

 shipping. The gathering is rendered ex- 

 tremely difficult and hazardous by the 

 rocky character of the islands, but as the 

 men are skillful climbers, few accidents 

 occur. 



It is estimated that these islands fur- 

 nish fifteen to seventeen thousand eggs 

 annually which find a ready sale in the 

 San Francisco markets at thirty-five cents 

 a dozen, being used chiefly by hotels and 

 restaurants. 



The greedy avarice of man was fast 

 leading towards an extermination of these 

 birds, and we are glad to hear from Prof. 

 W. Otto Emerson that steps have been 

 taken to have this wholesale collecting 

 stopped, and during 1he coming season 

 uot even the Oologist will be allowed to 

 satisfy his modest desires. — J. 



