265 



THE PRINCIPAL AIMS OF MODERN ORNITHOLOGY. 

 By Ernst Habtert. 



I have often been asked by young persons interested in 

 Ornithology and eager to advance our knowledge, and I have 

 often asked myself, what can we do best in the interest of our 

 beloved science, what is most needed ? The answer has never 

 been easy, nor short. 



The aim of Ornithology is, of course, to study and explore 

 everything connected with birds : their external and internal 

 structure, their nests and eggs, development, seasonal changes, 

 habits, and everything else, to name and to classify the birds 

 as best as we can, so that we can speak of them, and to 

 understand their relation to each other, as well as to spread 

 our knowledge. 



There are, however, branches of our science which are more 

 or less neglected than others, certain questions of special 

 importance requiring special care in then solution. 



I wish to speak here of scientific Ornithology alone, and I 

 do not propose to consider kindred subjects, such as Bird Pro- 

 tection and Aviculture. Bird Protection is a modern incli- 

 nation and a very noble and laudable pursuit — but it will 

 be discredited if dilettantes without knowledge become 

 dominant in it and venture to make laws. It will cease to have 

 a noble aim if its advocates do not strictly adhere to truth 

 and facts, and it will only have a future, if we admit that 

 birds should be protected for their own sake. That birds in 

 general are "useful" is a fallacious theory — we want to 

 protect them because we love them, and because we wish to 

 save them. We wish to save the mighty eagle and the noble 

 falcon as well as the sweet songsters, the fishing and fruit- 

 eating birds as well as those which live on disagreeable 

 insects. Severe " bird-laws " will not help very much, and 

 especially not in countries where they are not or cannot be 

 enforced. " Bird-laws " in the wilds of Africa are nothing- 

 but a trouble and a difficulty for the conscientious collector 

 for scientific purposes, and those in England are useless as 

 long as every hedgerow and common is pilfered by our hopeful 



s 



