14 



THE OOLOGIST 



chestnut around the neck; under parts 

 lighter; bill and feet blackish iris 

 brown. 



It is very interesting to me, be- 

 cause I have two sets of their eggs 

 in my collection from the Orkney Is- 

 lands in Scotland. 



Ottomar Reinecke. 



AN ORNITHOLOGICAL WONDER. 



Gentle reader, we are going to take 

 you into our confidence but you must 

 promise not to breathe a word to any- 

 one of what we are about to tell you. 



He was seated upon a log in the 

 woods and watching a wood pecker. 

 Noting this apparent interest in the 

 Class Aves we proceeded to get ac- 

 quainted. The reward was some facts 

 relative to birds such stupendous mag- 

 nitude that it made us dizzy. His 

 cranial end was a mine of ornitholo- 

 gical knowledge. He described some 

 common birds we never dreamed ex- 

 isted and took apparent pleasure in 

 over aweing one more modest in store 

 of learning. He was positively shock- 

 ed when we admitted that after some 

 years of careful research we had seen 

 no bats' eggs and considered them rare 

 in collections. He had seen lots of 

 them. The nests were made of sticks 

 glued together and to the inside of a 

 tree or chimney and the eggs were 

 white without "any freckles on 'um." 

 A very mild intimation that a differ- 

 ence existed between a bat and a 

 swift met with a storm of indignation 

 and we never again questioned his 

 statements. There was some consola- 

 tion, however, in the discovery that 

 he was a trifle deficient in a few 

 minor details — for instance, he did 

 not know whether the candal vertebra 

 was situated in the liver or organs 

 of respiration and was a little uncer- 

 tain whether the intestinal canal was 

 located in Michigan or California. 

 Great as was his brilliancy it posed as 



an infant beside his egregious conceit 

 but we found a conceit of such ab- 

 normal proportions more amusing 

 than oppresive and as he felt that we 

 looked up to him with a sort of rev- 

 erential awe a mutual liking took root 

 that lasted into the following nesting 

 season. So it came to pass that he 

 condescended to honor us with his 

 presence on our early hawking trips. 

 He did no climbing but what he did 

 not know about that art was unworthy 

 of mention. Somehow we never exe- 

 cuted an ascension that met with his 

 full approval and from the start a 

 volume of advise followed us to the 

 first limb and from that point back to 

 terra firma. Difficulties were often 

 encountered and at such moments he 

 would recollect how some far more 

 expert climber fell ijot half the dis- 

 tance and knocked his spirit into the 

 great unknown. So while we worked 

 and perspired, our friend sat in the 

 cool shade and passed judgment with 

 a bearing of ineffable wisdom and an 

 expression that said plain as words, — 

 "Someday I will become so disgusted 

 that I will be obliged to take the irons 

 and give you a few lessons." 



The season of high climbs was 

 drawing to a close and we were put- 

 ting the finishing touches to a par- 

 ticularly diflflcult one when the irons 

 tore loose and down we came. In- 

 stead of sympathy the self appointed 

 advisory board almost wept with in- 

 dignation that we would not Tetain 

 his advice in our empty head piece 

 and despaired of ever learning us any- 

 thing. If the reader thinks there is 

 much joy in dropping fifteen feet and 

 fondling a pair of skinned shins let 

 him try it, anyhow, we were not over- 

 whelmed with joyous emotion; be- 

 sides, this unvarying, never ceasing, 

 monotonous outpour of unsolicited 

 criticism had commenced to under- 

 mine our nervous system and this lit- 



