.^^ 



iskiii^if. 



VOL. I 



GARLAND, ME., SEPT, 1890. 



NO. VII 



Int7'oducIio7i of 

 ^obe7^t IK, Sco7'so, J^'^aturalistf 



Tliis Sparc has been kindly civen to 

 me by thee(litf)r. J slmll tlierefoie cii- 

 (kiivor to keep it well filled each inoiilh ! 

 with intere:?tii)g matter to the student oi 

 Ornithology, and to have them under- j 

 •stand that every being, which draws i 

 the breath of life lorms a part of one , 

 nniversal family, bound together by the 

 ( !.ai:i of ionimon creaturehood. 



And a.< bei njr ourselves members of 

 that liviiiL^ family, v\c should learn to 

 view wiih clearer eyes, those beings 

 which artless God-like than ourselves, 

 and for that very reason should have 

 our kindest and indulgent care. For 

 we, being made in the image of God, 

 arc to them the visible representations 

 of that Divine Being, who takes even 

 the smallest insect u^ider his personal 

 protection. Ju this view every creature 

 becomes more important in the history 

 of nature in proportion ap it is connect- 

 ed with man, then the smallest insect, 

 is a subject deserving more attention 

 than the most beautiful of the feathered 

 tribe. In this view, the Eagle and 

 Vulture are of less importance than the 

 smallest humming-bird. 



The paleogoic rocks show us that 

 binls have originated from strange ani- 

 mals. Tl»c first traces in the paleogoic 

 roi'ks. «'f Kiivthiag reseinhlinjj bird ar^ 



well defined foot prints, and then come 

 ori^MUic remains and fra^rnientai v 

 ••keletons for the mo«:t }*irt, of strange 

 bat like flying animals, baring mem- 

 branous wings and ti)e beak of a tooth, 

 ed bird. 



Feathers were not observcble among 

 any of the fossil records up to the dis- 

 covery of an imperfect skeleton and 

 portial cast of a strange creatine 

 named archaopleryx hall bird and half 

 reptile. Birds are the se'^ond class 



of vertebrated animals, and the first o^ 

 oviparous vertebrated animals, includ- 

 ing all the oviparous animals which 

 have warm blood, to this class belong 

 all animals, which have an internal 

 skeleton, and are capable of true flight, 

 except the Bats. 



In the future I shall use this space 

 for articals relating to birds their nests 

 and eggs . 



Monstrosity cf a Hermit Thrxish, 



"While out on a collecting triy for 

 Warblers skins last Spring, I noticed a 

 Hermit Thiush busily engaged in cat- 

 ching worms iu the braiches of a scrub 

 birch, and was holding tiiem in Us bill 

 probably entcnding them for its mate. 

 While watching its movements I notic- 

 ed it had a very pecular looking bill and 

 decided to shoot it upon which 1 found 

 ii to exactly resemble that of the Red 

 Cross-bill, and was decidcdlv hooked. 



