THE OOLOGIST. 



89 



claims of science may properly assume su- 

 premacy at the cost of pain, has been fore-, 

 ed upon us by the requests of many per- 

 sons to publish notices of the desired ex- 

 change of bird-skins for bird-skins, and of 

 eggs for eggs; and, on the other hand, by 

 the simultaneous and equally strenuous 

 prayers of well-meaning philozoists, that 

 we would strictly refuse to countenance at 

 all either the killing of birds or the taking 

 of eggs. The solution of the question, 

 which we have reached after long consider- 

 ation, is included in the following rule, 

 which we shall henceforth adopt, with ref- 

 erence to the publication of such exchange 

 notices : 



Notices of the exchange of birds' eggs or 

 bird-skins will be printed in the 'Swiss 

 Cross, ' provided that the person sending 

 the notice shall be a member in good stand- 

 ing of the Agassiz Association, that his col- 

 lections shall have been made in conformity 

 to the laws of the State in which he may re- 

 side, and that the description of his material 

 for exchange shall be in terms sufficiently 

 accurate to indicate that he is doing scien- 

 tific work. ' ' 



The egg-collector's outfit consists of a 

 pair of climbers, a suit of stout clothing 

 (buttons riveted if possible!), a few tin 

 boxes full of cotton, and a note-book. The. 

 test collectors take the nest and a full set 

 of eggs, and in such case they need some 

 sort of basket in which to carry them. 

 less damage is done by actral students, even 

 if they take the nests and all the eggs, than 

 by mere robbers, who perhaps content 

 themselves with stealing "only one egg 

 from a nest ; ' ' because the latter are never 

 content with one good specimen, but con- 

 tinue pilfering accessible nests until, in 

 some instances, they accumulate hundreds 

 of useless robins' and bluebirds' eggs, and 

 rob the orchards of their melody. Eggs 

 should be blown through one neat hole in 

 the side, and for this purpose a set of egg- 

 drills and a blowpipe should be procured. 

 The specimens should be rinsed with some 

 poisonous solution, and may then be ar- 

 ranged in cabinets in their proper nests, or 

 in compartments filled with sand, cedar 



sawdust, or cotton. The lesson of their 

 fragility is one speedily learned by experi- 

 ence. It is frequently vivedly impressed 

 upon the student while, during his descent 

 from some towering pine or oak, he carries 

 his treasures in that most available recepta- 

 cle — his mouth. 



It may not be out of place to caution the 

 young collector against a danger that at- 

 tends the exploration of deep holes in trees, 

 such as wrens delight in. Unless the open- 

 ing is evidently large enough to give com- 

 fortable room for the arm, never allow your 

 arm to crowd into a hole beyond the elbow, or 

 you may not be able to withdraw it. 



With eggs as with all other specimens, 

 their value depends largely upon the 

 fulness and accuracy of the data 

 accompanying them. Date, location, 



and description of birds, both male 

 and female, together with such other 

 facts as may be observed, should be care- 

 fully noted at the time of collecting, and to 

 this should be added, of course, the name 

 of the collector. — Three Kingdoms. 



Bird Voices. 



The study of bird voices is both profitable 

 and interesting to any one; but especially so 

 to Ornithologists, and Oologists and all in- 

 terested in bird life. 



As we lis'ten to the various voices of the 

 birds, do we think of the fact, that these 

 notes ever new, fresh and melodious, have 

 sounded from year to year, and century to 

 century, that before man, these winged 

 creatures were on the earth. 



There is something in the simple wild 

 song of a bird, that man's art can never 

 equal. 



But let us turn to the list of American 

 birds, and notice a few characteristic voices. 



The birds of highest physical develop- 

 ment are placed last in the A. O. U. List 

 and first in Ridgway's, and well may the 

 place of honor be given them; for in the 

 first family, the thrushes, our finest songsters 

 are found. 



The mockingbird, leader of bird music- 



