The Hawkeye Ornithologist and Oologikt. 



OOLOGTSTS VS. "RAGE" COL- 

 LECTORS. 



BY W. HULL. 



By a "Rage" Collector is meant 

 one who is suddenly seiz ed with the 

 idea that, he is deeply interested in 

 oology, and must get together a col- 

 lection of eggs as soon as possible, 

 gome are inspired by reading oologi- 

 cal papeis, others become interested 

 by associating witb those who are at 

 the height of excitement. 



A great many persons are seized 

 with a greater or less desire to col- 

 lect stamps, coins, etc. These can be 

 identified at any time, but eggs can- 

 not. 



A true oologist collects with a sci- 

 entific purpose, actuated by a true 

 love of nature, and an egg is of no 

 value to him unless its identity is cer- 

 tain. Some collectors have a large 

 coHection, but know little or nothing 

 about the parent birds. This would 

 not be the case if they really cared 

 for the eggs, but they simply keep 

 them to gaze upon in blank admira- 

 tion and boast that they have so 

 many more eggs than some one else 

 who may or may not collect with 

 real interest. 



I have on my tongue's end the 

 names of at least two dozen collect- 

 ors of this class, those that collect 

 merely for the number of eggs. These 

 collectors can truly be called "Great 

 American Egg Hogs." Unrefined as 

 this expression is, nevertheless it is to 

 the point. 



This class of collectors number 

 many hundred throughout the Unit- 

 ed States and Canada. The excuse is 

 "that egg collecting is a healthful 

 and innocent pastime." Healthful it 

 is, if one collects the eggs himself 

 (which is not the case with the ma- 

 jority) but as to the innocence, that 

 is due to the fact that it is not. taken 

 under a full view, and as long as it is 



healthful and no serious results are 

 immediately visible, it is taken for 

 granted to be innocent. This is a 

 matter which the American Ornithol- 

 ogist's Union is acting upon, and ap- 

 peals to the true oologists, for their 

 assistance in discouraging these "nat- 

 uralists"(?) in their wild career. — Mil- 

 waukee Naturalist. 



BIRD DESTRUCTION. 



BY JOS. M. WADE. 



Twenty to thirty years ago, it was 

 not an unusual sight to see even the 

 scarlet tanager, a bright red bird with 

 black wings and tail, flitting from 

 tree to tree in the heart of our cities 

 like a fiery meteor in the sun-light, 

 and to find their nests, built very 

 lightly of straws and similar material 

 on the horizontal limbs of our shade 

 trees. But they were killed or driv- 

 en off long before the advent of bird 

 millinery as a fashion. They were, 

 indeed, a "shining mark," and every 

 body wanted a specimen, or thought 

 they did, until at the present time 

 the scarlet tanager is really a very 

 rare bird throughout the New Eng- 

 land States. 



The Baltimore oriole, so named be- 

 cause the colors of the bird, black 

 and yellow, resembled those of Lord 

 Baltimore, has almost met the same 

 fate, as it has done duty in ornament- 

 ing thousands of ladies' bonnets with- 

 in the past five years. Four years ago 

 this bird was quite plenty on the 

 elms of Boston and suburbs. The 

 hanging nests, made of hemp, old 

 twine, etc., were quite common. But 

 the past season showed a great 

 change. These birds have been shot 

 so ruthlessly, both while here and at 

 the South, and during the migration, 

 that hardly a pair could be found 

 during the breeding season of 1886. 

 ******* 



Scientific American. 



