Correspondence 34;5 



tliousanils of bird stomachs, and in fact impossible in Government 

 documents. The data and the specimens upon which they are based, 

 are kept on file in the Biological Survey, for inspection by anyone 

 interested. 



8. Relating to field observations, " it yields results with far 

 greater accuracy than its critics are ready to admit"' (p. 161). 



The writer made no criticism of field observations Init only of a 

 certain phase of a few particular pieces of such work. Field work 

 is necessary to round out the study of almost >any l)iological prob- 

 lem. Its necessity, however, is no greater than the necessity tliat 

 it sliould be accurate. 



9. " It is not particularly reassuring to read the boast of having 

 killed so many thousands of nestling birds in order to determine 

 what their food has been." 



Professor Stephens has never yet been compelled to read such a 

 " boast," for the reason that nothing like it has been i)ul>lished. 



It ill befits anyone interested in the scientific study of ornithol- 

 ogy, and especially is this true of tlie President of a society whose 

 sole object is the study of birds, to say or do anything that will 

 render the collecting of specimens more difticult than it now is.* 

 Those advocating all-inclusive protection have so far had their way 

 that scientific collecting has been forbidden in some states and so 

 hedged about with restrictions as to be impracticable in several 

 others. The laws of some states are even so worded that no relief 

 can be had when serious losses are suffered because of ravages 

 by birds. 



As to the effect of scientific collecting upon the bird population. 

 it is undoubtedly true that more birds have l-)een destroyed by 

 single cold rain, or sleet storms, or other meteoric disturbances, 

 than the total that have been killed by all of the scientific collectors 

 in this country since the beginning. 



10. " What is needed above all on the part of iconoclastic review- 

 ers is more certainty and less quibbling, and more hard work in 

 the field and laboratory that there may be developed an apprecia- 

 tion of the difficulties to be encountered in productive effort" (p 

 Kil). 



Professor Stephens' controversial attitude is nowliere more mani- 

 fest than here, and leads him far astray. The writer has spent 

 practically all of the working days of the past ten years and more, 

 in field and laboratory study of the food of birds, a total that many 

 times exceeds that employed to the same end by Professor Stephens 

 and his students. 



* In this connection see Grinnell. .!., Conserve the Collector, Sci- 

 ence, N. S. XLI. pp. 229-282. Feb. 12. 101."). 



