THE OOLOGIST. 



Devoted to Birds ami Birds' Eggs 

 TIIIUD PUBLICATION YEAR. 



S. L. WILLAED, EDIIOE, 



Assisted by able Associate Editors 



TERMS: 

 Porty cents a Year in advance, postage paid. 



Items on Ornithology and Oology solicited. 



g^^Those wishing to dispose of birds* eggs 

 or skins will liiid The Oologist tlie best 

 means of communicating the fact to a large 

 class of collectors ot anj- paper published. 

 8i)ecimen copj' for stamp. 



Address all communications to 



THE OOLOGIST, 

 OxEiDA Street, Utica, X. Y. 



OCTOBER, 1877. 



"IT is very singular that our scientific acad- 

 eniies and persons interested in ornith- 

 ology do not evince more interest in the re- 

 searches of our practical but little-known 

 naturalists. Some of the most valuable 

 contributions to our general and local avi- 

 fauna- have been made by remote natural- 

 ists and collectors, wlio have also been the 

 means of communicating items of rare in- 

 terest and deserving merit. Such natural- 

 ists, instead of being permitted to pursue 

 their studies and investigations with the us- 

 ual congratulations and praise, should be 

 pecuuiarily encouraged, and aided by citi- 



zens generally who are interested in oruitli- 

 ology ; and this can be done by purchasing 

 the frequently exti'emely rare and merito- 

 rious specimens for cabinet use or orna- 

 ment. We regret to say that very many 

 of these little known but practical ornith- 

 ologists are disregarded and neglected, while 

 honors, botli verbal and pecuniary, are con- 

 ferred upon more noted persons for knowl- 

 edge obtained by closet study, and which 

 does not, in very many cases, reflect near 

 as much practical and sound information, 

 as the observations of tlieir unlettered fel- 

 low-naturalists. AVe received a call from 

 a gentleman not long since, who is an ar- 

 dent naturalist, and who has spent much 

 time in diligent study and research in the 

 natural history,' and especially the ornithol- 

 ogy, of the West Indies and Floi-ida. He 

 has a large collection of birds, reptiles, 

 and mammals, both preser\ed and alive, 

 among which are some species that few if 

 any collectors in this country possess ; and 

 the birds, numbering perhaps one hundred 

 and fifty species, are many of them excep- 

 tionably rai"e. Several individuals and col- 

 leges have been appealed to to purchase these 

 collections or a part of them, to defray the 

 expenses of collection and transportation, 

 but, notwithstanding the great oppor- 

 tunity and the deserving assistance of the 

 collector, the most encouragement received 

 has been sympathy and praise. Why do 

 not our colleges and schools employ such 

 men to obtain the specimens they desire for 

 them, thereby not only stimulating the in- 

 terest of the collector, but indirectly push- 

 ing his investigations to a degree of vigor 

 which may later on form the foundation of 

 invaluable intelligence concerning new and 

 little known birds, instead of going to the 

 expense of fitting out and paying a person 

 to collect miscellaneously, and then, per- 

 haps, to furnish unsatisfactory information 

 on the subject, from lack of proper inter- 

 est? It requires not only position and 

 learning to enable one to render service in 

 the study of ornithology, but a keen and 

 permanent interest must be felt ; in fact, 

 one must be '' born to it." 



