THE OOLOGIST. 



heard. These notes, constituting the love- 

 song of gallinula, are heard at a distance of 

 over a mile, when they come floating across 

 the lake on still mornings. If one is close 

 enough, the answering notes of the female 

 within the tangle of reeds is heard, as she 

 favors her swain with a reply to his musical 

 effort. Her notes are a simple putt, putt, 

 and much resemble the call notes of the 

 wild turkey meleagris; these call notes are 

 common to both sexes. Sometimes I have 

 heard a continuous squealing note that was 

 fully believed to issue from this birds 

 throat, as the female was probably engaged 

 in nest building or other duties akin 

 thereto. 



The flight of the gallinule is peculiar, and 

 though much like that of the following spec- 

 ies, really differs from any other bird's. When 

 chased and, the cover for the birds is poor, 

 with small chance for them to escape ob 

 servation, they will rise and fly with more 

 speed than one would think them capable of 

 The flight is rarely at any height above the 

 water and twenty feet of elevation gained 

 in traversing a hundred yards is above the 

 average. Often the birds on flying from the 

 water, will so nearly skim along the surface 

 thatthe feet drag.and without great apparent 

 effort they seem to be running on the water. 

 This peculiarity is also seen in the Coot, 

 in fact the two have habits so nearly alike 

 that they are often mistaken for one-another 



FuLICA AMEKICANA. (Ginel.) 



American Coot. 

 Rarely found summering inland in small 

 lakes. Abundant in portions of the great 

 lakes in situations favorable for them. 

 Breed, I am informed on the St. Clair flats, 

 and as low as 42 degrees, north latitude. 

 To the main portion of the lower peninsula 

 this bird is a transient. Arrives about the 

 tenth of April or sooner, and is sometimes 

 seen by March fifteenth, and remains a 

 month occasionally. Appears again, from 

 the north about September twentieth and 

 stays often till November tenth and occa- 

 sionally much later. Having never met 

 with this species during the breeding 

 season, I can offer nothing regarding their 



nesting habits. 



The food of the members of this family 

 is of quite a variety and consists principally 

 of small mollusks and aquatic insects, with 

 the smaller representatives, and of seeds of 

 aquatic plants, sometimes crustaceans 

 and even nirrui'ius and small batrachians in 

 the larger species. 



Kalamazoo, Michigan. 



Egg Collecting. 



Hardly any other branch of natural history 

 isso liable to abuse as that pertaining to the 

 eggs of birds. There is something fascinat- 

 ing about the search for them. The artful 

 devices of the nest-builders to hide their 

 fragile buildings in sequestered places, as if 

 to challenge the acuteness, alertness, and 

 agility of boys; the interesting structure of 

 the nests; and the rare beauty of the eggs 

 themselves: have always proved stronger 

 temptations to idle plunder than the average 

 youth can resist. Yet great harm is done by 

 an indiscriminate robbery of eggs: and 

 while oology, if scientifically pursued, is an 

 entirely commendable and valuable study, 

 yet we have felt obliged to impose .certain 

 not severe restrictions upon its pursuit in 

 connection with our Association. Our atti- 

 tude is sufficiently defined by the following 

 extract from an editorial note in our offi- 

 cial organ, The Swiss Cross : 



" There is no conflict between scientific 

 study and a gentle spirit of mercy, There 

 are, indeed, times when the interests of sci- 

 ence require the suffering, and even the 

 death, of insect, bird, and beast ; but every 

 true scientist shrinks from these necessary 

 occasions, and makes them as few as possi- 

 ble. There is no room for cruelty in any 

 labratory. "Whenever pain must be caused, 

 it must be made as slight and as short as it 

 can be made. Whenever life must be taken, 

 it must be taken reverently, as a costly sac- 

 rifice, and in the speediest and most merci- 

 ful manner. The responsibility of drawing 

 the delicate line which is to divide between 

 the cursed ground of cruelty and that hon- 

 orable but sorrowful region in which the 



