182 



THE OOLOGIST 



the same to you for an opinion and 

 will wait with interest your decision 

 as to whether it is of sufficient value 

 to justify publication. 



I did realize this morning, however, 

 that although Christmas came but 

 once a year as some bright poet in- 

 formed us, yet it was not possible to 

 start on the bird listing tramp par- 

 ticularly early. The cows had to be 

 pailed and the barns cleaned on this 

 morning, just the same as on all other 

 mornings of the year. So I found 

 that I had to putter off a few chores 

 before I could make the start. 



To proceed with the idea: first I be- 

 lieve that Chapman suggests making 

 note of the wind and weather. I won- 

 der if Chapman knows what weather 

 is. Or how much carlessness of an 

 employee can influence the weather 

 for good or bad. For whoever wenr 

 out through the north pasture last, 

 must have forgot to shut the gate 

 and this morning I found the whole 

 back yard full of wind. All that the 

 people down east know about weather 

 is that it is something to be experi- 

 enced but not seen. That is one ad- 

 vantage, people living in Colorado 

 have over you. When I was down in 

 York State, looking at the John Lewis 

 Child's mail bag collection — you re- 

 member the time — when you got sore 

 because I did not stop off to see you? 

 I recall that it rained some. The con- 

 tinuous rain was interspersed with 

 slight showers, but where it all came 

 from I could not tell; neither could 

 Childs or the policeman, over in the 

 corner drug store. 1 could not see 

 half a mile in any direction to obtain 

 a line up on the indications. (Neither 

 could the policeman). 



But on this particular morning (in 

 Colorado) I did see great gobs of 

 weather in various directions. Hang- 

 ing up over old Long's Peak is a bunch 

 with some more trying to stay hidden 

 back of the main range. To the east, 



thirty miles or so there is plenty of 

 weather in sight. So apparent at first 

 sight, that a second sight, later in the 

 day will be prudent. 



My point of view was, therefore, 

 somewhat narrow this morning and 

 the immediate vicinity of the house 

 and buildings appeared the most like- 

 ly looking locations for the beginning 

 of the "list." (Let me quote as fol- 

 lows): "As I now stand, pencil and 

 shingle poised in hand, the wind is 

 coming from behind yon chicken 

 house, around the buggy shed 

 thence down my neck at the back and 

 out my overalls at the shoe tops. Its 

 effect is quite in evidence on the 

 birds; for every chicken on the ranch 

 is under this shed and the pigeons are 

 in airy flight (nit). 



But the list! On the barn i see 

 three magpies. Under the cow shed 

 I observe and record nine living speci- 

 mens of pica; two parent birds and 

 seven juv. Back of the hay stack, 

 where we throw the dead animals, are 

 seventeen Pica pica. On the roof of 

 the chicken house there are eleven 

 Pica pica hudsonia. About the pit, 

 where the dead cabbages are interred, 

 are — but — perhaps we had best cut 

 short our "list" for your printer won't 

 have enough pica to print it. 



Our Christmas Greetings have been 

 somewhat scant this year. Plenty of 

 verbal greetings but no substantial 

 evidence, like the old felt slippers 

 that stay with you to the end of many 

 Christmas days. And this lack of sub- 

 stantial Christmas greetings is prin- 

 cipally on account of these magpies 

 we are listing. For thereby has gone 

 all of Mrs. D's promised Christmas 

 fund. When we came to this ranch, 

 we came with this understanding: 

 She was to have the revenues from 

 the sale of superfluous chickens and 

 useless eggs. The suggestion was al- 

 so volunteered that Christmas pre- 

 sents could be obtained with revenues. 



