108 



THB OOLOOItt 



and the laws governing the same. 



There is "something" in the time ap- 

 plied to a study of eggs, and the ac- 

 companying observations gleaned 

 from the "time" consumed in their 

 collection. A "fool" and his time soon 

 part; and there is no greater evidence 

 of this than can be found in the man 

 with an incentive to kill and destroy 

 for the desires of immediate pleasures. 

 But "time" is conserved for the good 

 of mankind by the student who col- 

 lects a toll from Nature and preserves 

 that toll for future investigation and 

 research. In the truly scientific and 

 studious oologist do we have this 

 standard. 



"AN OUTRAGE" 



What can we legitimate collectors 

 do in regard to the collecting permit 

 question? Here in Pennsylvania as is 

 the case in some other states it is al- 

 most impossible to secure a permit It 

 seems in so many states the so-called 

 sportsmati, who delight in killing 

 every game bird they can flush, so 

 control the Game Commissions and 

 Wardens that the collector who takes 

 a set of eggs of a game bird becomes 

 a felon of the blackest dye while for 

 a dollar any one can get a permit to 

 shoot as many as he cati carry. Here 

 in Pennsylvania between October 20th 

 and November 30th a gunning liecnse 

 costing one dollar permits the holder 

 to kill in one day 8 Quail, 4 Ruffed 

 Grouse, 4 Hungarian Partridge, 6 

 Woodcock, 25 Ducks, 8 Geese, 8 

 Brant, 25 Wilson Snipe, 15 in all Plov- 

 ers and Yellow Legs, 50 Sora, 25 other 

 Rails, Coot and an unlimited number 

 of black birds as well as quite a list 

 of four-footed game. 178 game birds 

 without the Blackbirds. When we 

 collect a set of eggs the bird will lay 

 again; when a bunch of sportsmen 

 find a covey of birds they follow it up 

 till they get them all. And yet we are 

 told that the collectors exterminate 



the birds . I, of course, do not approve 

 of the collector who takes or buys 

 big series of a species. What good 

 can a drawer full of Eagle eggs do 

 anyone? Surely one set of Bald 

 Eagle eggs should be enough for any- 

 one, with the Golden Eagle, laying an 

 egg that is often beautifully marked, 

 a reasonable series showing the vari- 

 ations is proper. 



Everywhere we hear of the wonder- 

 ful good it does so many men to roam 

 the woods in the Pall with a dog and 

 gun. We grant this but does it not 

 do the naturalist's soul some good too, 

 to roam the fields and streams and to 

 climb the hillsides and to wade the 

 swamps seeking out the nests of birds. 

 If it is right for the sportsman to 

 shoot and take home and eat the 

 bodies of what birds he can retrieve 

 leaving the wounded to crawl away 

 and die, should it not be permitted to 

 the collector to take home and pre- 

 serve the eggs from a very small per- 

 centage of the nests that he finds? It 

 looks like class legislation clear and 

 clean, to me. 



James R. Gillin. 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



"The Passenger Pigeon in Pennsyl- 

 vania," by John C. French, I Vol. 1919. 

 This is a most interesting resume of 

 the information existing at the time 

 of its publication relative to the habits 

 of this interesting bird in 1919. It is 

 illustrated with numerous cuts and 

 plates and many likenesses of per- 

 sons who furnished in whole or in 

 part the information contained in the 

 book. It has chapters by such well 

 known authorities as Samuel N. 

 Rhodas, Dr. B. H. Warren, Henry 

 Shoemaker, and others. This is ati 

 item that we have wanted to add to 

 our library for some time and Col. 

 Shoemaker has our thanks for this 

 copy. — R. M. B. 



