138 



Bird- Lore 



ilirti^llore 



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. VI Published August 1, 1904 N^o. 4 



SUBSCRIPTION RATES 



Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico 

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

 age paid. 



COPYRIGHTED, 1904, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN 



Bird-Lore's Motto: 

 A Bird in the Bush is IVorth Two in the Hand 



The editor begs the indulgence of corre- 

 spondents and contributors whose communi- 

 cations, owing to an absence from which 

 he has only recently returned, have remained 

 long unacknowledged. 



In this connection it may not be out of 

 place to add a postscript to the letter to Bird- 

 Lore written from Miami, Florida, May 2, 

 (Bird-Lore, May-June, p. 103). After 

 some discouraging experiences in the Okee- 

 chobee and Indian River regions, it may 

 be remembered that we turned toward the 

 Florida Keys with the hope of finding in 

 these more remote districts some place which 

 has escaped the plume-hunter's attention. 



But, alas! Warden Bradley, who had 

 sailed from Flamingo to Miami to meet us, 

 brought only the most unpromising account 

 of the birds in the county under his care. 

 Plumers had looted the great Cuthbert Rook- 

 ery, killing most of the aigrette-bearing 

 Herons, and other species which it was espe- 

 cially desired to see were not to be found. 



In the meantime news concerning Fla- 

 mingoes was received, which required an 

 early departure for the Bahamas; and since 

 the especial object of our trip south was to 

 study the almost unknown nesting-habits of 

 these remarkable birds, we lost no time in 

 setting sail for their headquarters. The 

 uncertainties of cruising in these waters at 

 this season is indicated by the fact that 

 twelve days were required to make a four 

 days' voyage. Nor did we at once discover 

 the object of our search. Indeed, a month 



had passed before the birds were actually 

 found. This time, however, we were suc- 

 cessful beyond our most ardent expecta- 

 tions. The difficulties incident to photo- 

 graphing and studying so wild a bird as the 

 Flamingo were overcome with surprising 

 ease, and, in the end, a series of photographs 

 was secured which we believe will illustrate 

 in detail the home-life of this species. 



Scoffers at the necessity for accuracy in 

 nature study, who say that so long as an in- 

 terest is aroused in life out-of doors the means 

 employed is quite immaterial, would, we 

 trust, have a new conception of the respon- 

 sibilities of those who seek to lead their 

 fellows afield, rather than astray, after 

 reading Mrs. Wright's admirable editorial 

 on this subject in the last number of Bird- 

 Lore. In our opinion it would make an 

 Audubon leaflet which could be used to 

 great advantage. 



Among the notes on Warblers which have 

 been sent, us and of which we will make due 

 acknowledgement in a later issue, none have 

 exceeded in interest and scientific value those 

 by Mr. Isaac Bildersee on the nesting habits 

 of Lawrence's Warbler, published in this 

 issue of Bird-Lore. Indeed, we may add 

 that the observations therein recorded are 

 among the most definite and satisfactory of 

 any concerning the puzzling relationships 

 of Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers 

 with which we are familiar. 



Reference to the colored figures of all the 

 birds involved, which were published in the 

 last issue of Bird-Lore, will enable the 

 student to whom specimens are not accessible 

 readily to compare their color characters and 

 at the same time to comprehend more clearly 

 the various theories which have been ad- 

 vanced to explain the status of Brewster's 

 and Lawrence's Warblers. 



Observations made at a later date than 

 those given by Mr. Bildersee, by Mr Miller 

 and others, left little room for doubt that 

 all the six progeny of the Lawrence's and 

 Blue-winged Warbler showed only the 

 characters of the female parent, that is the 

 Blue-wing. Even admitting the truth of 

 this belief, however, it does not follow that 

 the union of the birds was not true hybridism. 



