88 



THE OOLOGIST. 



ran back about six feet. I at once said it 

 was no use, but my chum would not listen 

 to me, but kept on digging, so I left him at 

 it and started along the road a little ways; 

 when I came back he was still digging, and 

 said he felt the old bird; I told him I did 

 not believe him, and we were contradict- 

 ing each other when it began to rain and 

 thus settled the argument. As it was late 

 advanced in the afternoon we started for 

 onir friends house; it stopped raining just as 

 we reached it. We took supper with our 

 friend and after supper we went fishing 

 with him, and after tramping all over the 

 country in the dark, and being bitten by 

 all kinds of night bugs and insects, we 

 caught one small eel. We got home about 

 10:3U p. jr., and stayed at our friend's house 

 all night. Thus ended our day's tour in 

 the woods. R. R. Dearden, Jr., 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



The National Museum — Department 

 of Birds -Their Nests and Eggs. 



Perhaps some of the older readers will 

 recollect the infancy of the National Mu- 

 seum, when it was contained in a few 

 cabinets of diverse curiosities kept in the 

 Patent Office. 



Now they fill both Smithsonian and Na- 

 tional Museum buildings. 



The latter was finished in 1882, at an 

 expense of over $250,000. 



The Smithsonian is now known as the 

 West Hall, and both are under the same 

 staff of officers. Prof. S. F. Baird is the 

 head of this staff, as well as of the United 

 States Fish Commission and Bureau of 

 Ethnology. 



Robert Ridgwaj^ as curator, presides 

 over the Department of Birds. 



The museum library now contains about 

 6,000 volumes and 5,000 pamphlets, bound 

 and unbound. 



The library of general interest is in the 

 northeast corner of the museum, but those 

 works relating to this department are for 

 the convenience, of workers, kept in the 

 Ornithological Laboratory, which occupies 

 a gallery of the West Hall and where origi- 

 nal investigation is still pursued. 



The departments of Ornithology and 

 Oology now occupy most of the space on 

 the lower floor of the West Hall. Of the 

 birds' eggs, which are first seen, I have no 

 certain account as to number, but presume, 

 from a hurried observation, that the most 

 of our ISTorth American birds are repre- 

 sented. The larger number of these eggs 

 are arranged in cases to the right and left 

 of the door of entrance. This part of the 

 collection is in sets, each set being in a 

 separate saucer of the proper size. Many 

 of these eggs are disfigured by being end- 

 blown. Most of the eggs, and birds also, 

 have lately been provided with new labels, 

 giving number, scientific and common 

 name8 and habitat. 



The remainder of the eggs are in nests in 

 upright cases ranged along the further side 

 of the hall. Nearly all of these are gifts, 

 as will be seen by the data, which also give 

 the collector's name. 



These are of much interest to the oolo- 

 gist. The birds, of which there is about 

 150,000 specimens, next claim attention. 



Of this number about four-fifths are held 

 in reserve for purposes of study and ex- 

 change. The early Smithsonian men were 

 especially interested in birds, hence this 

 large collection. 



This immense amount of material has 

 been brought in from all parts of tlie globe. 



Many of the specimens bear labels affixed 

 years ago by Audubon, Bachman, and the 

 naturalists of the Geological Survej^s, the 

 Wilkes exploring expedition, and of many 

 armj-, naval and Arctic expeditions. 



Parts of this collection have at different 

 times passed through the hands of natural- 

 ists, and have furnished the material for 

 manj' valuable books. 



The "tj'pes" of hundreds of novel spe- 

 cies, including all of iVudubon's and most- 

 of Wilson's, are treasured in the store- 

 rooms, and many of Audubon's pictures of 

 our birds adorn the walls of this hall. The 

 mounted birds are displayed in the order 

 of Ridgway's arrangement. These must 

 be seen to be appreciated, as a satisfactory 

 desciiption is impossible. 1 think in the 

 National Museum the United States has 



