THE OOLOGIST 



THE BOY SCOUTS AS STUDENTS 

 OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



By Alfred Cookman, A. B. 



Naturalist, Boy Scout Movement in 

 Los Angeles, Cal. 



A new office has recently been in- 

 troduced into the Boy Scout move- 

 ment in Los Angeles, California. Mr, 

 D. W, Pollard, Scout Executive for 

 the Los Angeles Division, has com- 

 plied with the request from the boys 

 for the privilege of studying the birds, 

 insects, flowers and larger mammals, 

 and has appointed the writer "Head 

 of the Department of Nature Study 

 for the Boy Scout Movement of Los 

 Angeles." The photograph, which 

 was taken in our laboratory of re- 

 search and investigation, pictures my 

 staff of Boy Scouts engaged in Nature 

 Study. 



There is a great deal of enthusiasm 

 being aroused in the many troops 

 throughout this great city over the 

 spirit of Nature Study. We are 

 pleased to report that the lads are 

 "alive" and doing something that will 

 speak for itself in the lives and ac- 

 tions of the Boy Scouts of Los Ange- 

 les. Nature Study clubs have been 

 formed and "hikes" are planned and 

 carried out, the purpose of which is 

 to study and learn all that they can 

 concerning Natural Phenomena. They 

 are learning to recognize many of our 

 feathered friends from the mountains 

 to the sea. They are curious and very 

 anxious to know the secret of the 

 mysterious habits and development of 

 our insects, fishes and other strange 

 creatures of God's creation. 



By living in this atmosphere, the 

 writer feels that the Boy Scouts are 

 bringing themselves into close touch 

 and sympathy with Nature and are 

 adding new zest to live — a zest, be it 

 noted, which enriches without harm to 

 any creature. 



On August 7th, the writer is going 

 to take the Boy Scouts of Troop 9, 

 about 25 lads, into the mountains 

 north of Mt. Wilson, where they will 

 locate a permanent camp and enjoy 

 living out for a week among the pines, 

 sycamores and gigantic boulders by a 

 running stream, and the result of our 

 trip, w^e will submit for publication in 

 THE OLOGIST at a later date, be- 

 lieving that such a movement as the 

 Boy Scouts is of general interest to 

 all true American citizens. 



AMERICAN MIGRANTS IN GUIANA. 



The following meagre list of east- 

 ern U. S. birds noted on the Mazaruni 

 River in British Guiana during the 

 present year (1916) is interesting in 

 comparison with my list of twenty- 

 six species recorded from Columbia, 

 S. A., in 1913. Oologist, Vo. XXXH, 

 No. 3, Page 50-53. 



It gives some idea of how much 

 more our eastern migrants prefer the 

 western side of the southern conti- 

 nent for their winter home. Twenty- 

 six species from Colombia, against 

 five from Guiana. 



It is interesting to note that the 

 barn swallow was noted continually 

 from March until late in July, possibly 

 the late individuals were very old 

 birds or ones that had been disabled. 

 Besides the Barn swallow, the other 

 four species were: Yellow-legs, Feb- 

 ruary 24; Purple martin, March 1; 

 Wood thrush, March 1; Yellow 

 warbler February 10 and March 1. 

 PAUL G. HOWES. 



»-♦— • 



NOTICE. 



From and after this date a person 

 by the name of Joseph F. Honaker, 

 who travels under the title of "U. S. 

 Ornithologist," will not be permitted 

 to use the columns of The Oologist 

 for any purpose, either for advertising 

 or for anything else. 



