116 



THE OOLOGIST. 



not to be envied. To the average mind 

 he is not only engaged in something 

 they do not comprehend but something 

 very few follow — hence he is a crank. 

 Did he devote equal time and energy 

 to reading they would pronounce him 

 wise, and even if his intellect was of 

 wooden Indian brilliancy he could yet 

 retain chis reputation by ; keeping his 

 mouth shut. The opera glass adherant 

 also gets his share. They credit him 

 with insanity. He wanders about just 

 to look at birds, a thing no sane man 

 would do. The Ornithologist escapes 

 this honor because he carries a shot 

 gun and ''stuffs" birds — they can un- 

 derstand that; but to returu. Some of 

 the Ornithologist's friends, who believe 

 him to possess talent and brains, deep- 

 ly regret the step he has taken for they 

 regard it as a total waste and point out 

 what he might have done. To others 

 he is gleaning^knowledge along certain 

 chosen lines of no benefit to anyone ex- 

 cept himself, thus working out his own 

 selfish ends at a sacrifice of innocent 

 life. They fhave forgotten that they 

 were sent to- school and later continued 

 their studies foi the sole purpose of 

 improving number one and no one else. 

 It is true that a great deal of his knowl- 

 edge will never be imparted to the 

 world for a person may know a certain 

 section of country well but can not 

 make another equally familiar by mere 

 description— that other must go over 



ginner to shoot all he'needed. A well known 

 and popular bird writer has told us all about 

 the captivating ways of the dear little Horned 

 Lark, but either did not know, or deemed it 

 unnecessary to state that the bird belonged to 

 the Desert variety. Probably she would ex- 

 claim, "A Horned i^ark is a Horned Lark and 

 that is all we bird people care to know." So is 

 a man a man, but in reading his biography it 

 is interesting to know whether he belongs to 

 the red, white or black variety— of course this 

 is only the Ornithologist's point of view. An 

 article in the Outlook, written for the amuse- 

 ment and instruction of children, takes the 

 glad young reader by the hand and leads him 

 to where he can peep down tlje chimney and 

 gaze upon the chimney swift's cozy nest lined 

 with feathers and straws upon which is the 

 lovely, glossy backed, flufly breasted mother, 

 covering her ' 'f reckly speckly eggs. ' ' Evident- 

 ly a little more knowledge would not hurt this 

 writer. His next step will be to criticise the 

 Ornithologist, 



the actual ground. He also has an un- 

 kind way of treating all criticism .and 

 advice with absolute indifference thus 

 counting general disapproval on the 

 ground of prevalent but by no means 

 acknowledged opinion that a man has 

 no business to mind his own business;, 

 now to leave him for a moment.- 



Of all classes interested in birds, the 

 sportsman stands nearest to the people, 

 in fact, is of the m. Fire arms are fa- 

 miliar to all and have a numerous fol- 

 lowing, hence their use seems very 

 natural and proper. Of the number of 

 birds annually killed, the sportsman 

 can claim an ascendency over the Or- 

 nithologist reaching far into the thous- 

 ands. In some places he has been 

 obliged to restock the country or fore-' 

 go the pleasure of shooting. He is a 

 power, and game laws are adjusted to 

 suit him but being of the people there 

 is little difference of general opinion. 

 Self interest is the ruling power with 

 us all. Some birds serve man best 

 killed and dressed, others by their song 

 and beauty; hence the former may be 

 killed at certain seasons and the latter 

 are protected the year round, while a 

 third class possessing the merits of 

 neither, are not protected at all. Only 

 a brother sportsman has a right to kill 

 birds. If a hawk presumes it must be 

 shot and he who robs a game bird's 

 nest should be hung. Wnen a boy, the 

 writer was threatened with the law be- 

 cause a rumor got afloat that he took 

 four Woodcock's eggs, and only proof 

 was wanting to execute the threat. 

 "Just think!" exclaimed the indignant 

 sportsman, "that young imp has de- 

 stroyea four Woodcocks I might have 

 shot this fall." Those eggs are still in 

 existence. We find discord among 

 lovers of the chase as elsewhere. First 

 comes the game hog. The sportsman 

 who lives where six bird is a lucky 

 day calls the one who boasts of getting 

 twenty-five a game hog. Jealousy and 

 resentment tend to promote and 



