striction of the unscientific collection of eggs by individuals, who amass them in 

 cabinets for their own private gratification. Pie went further than that and 

 pointed to the fact that many large public museums had had egg collections be- 

 queathed to them only to take so little care of them as to render them quite 

 valueless. He pointed out that the Charter of his own institution would prevent 

 such abuse of valuable scientific material, and indeed the list of the Museum's 

 patrons and supporters is in itself a sufficient guarantee for the continuity of 

 careful custodianship of the eggs entrusted to it. 



"The Director's views as to the private ownership of objects of scientific 

 interest are so sound that they are worth quoting. On page 19 of the Journal 

 referred to above, after deprecating the methods of some collectors, he goes on 



THE WREN DRAWER, RUNNING SERIES, CASE XIII, DRAWER 5, M. C. O. 



to say 'The agitation in favor of conservatism has left us with another legacy 

 more important than any of the foregoing. It has taught us that the things of 

 nature belong to the public, and that the possession of these things must justify, 

 or render an equivalent in service. This is the square basis of the modern prefer- 

 ence for public museums. The private ownership of material which came from 

 the public and which, therefore, belongs to the public, is an anomoly over which 

 an enlightened democracy is increasingly restive.' 



"The agitation referred to was that of the Audubonites in America which 

 resulted in new legislation which yet found a place for, and recognized, the interests 

 of the scientific collector of eggs. The Audubon Society, like those responsible 

 for the introduction and failure of the Plumage Bill in our own legislature, took 

 such an uncompromising attitude that they lost considerably by it. The lesson 

 should not be lost upon those who now so sedulously malign the oologist in this 

 country. 



"It does at first sight seem something like vandalism to suggest that a 

 Museum should have as many as 80 sets of the eggs of some species which vary 

 to a very great extent, but happily there are not many species that would need to 

 be so represented in a great international collection of this sort. I wonder, 



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