THE HAWKEYE ORNITHOLOGIST AND OOLOGIST. 



83 



the same locality to breed, the people of 

 the cities mast miss his song. In support 

 of this comes the observacion that there are 

 ten robins breeding in the edges of the 

 groves, where a few years ago there was 

 one. v Bn t even here they ai e far from be- 

 ing safe, for. although the nests are not so 

 easily found, they are confronted by another 

 enemy in the shape of a shot gun. During 

 a recent evenings stroll, we saw, in one 

 small grove and surrounding underbrush, 

 three parties of boys busily hunting. The 

 smallest of these gangs, consisting of two 

 about fourteen years of age (each being 

 armed with a revolver) had succeeded in 

 securing a chipmunk, the remaining two 

 parties were doing fairly well among the 

 smaller birds, and, judging from the incess- 

 ant firing. on the opposite side of the grove, 

 several others were having immense luck. 

 We merely mention this as a common oc- 

 curence — six days in the week. 



And even this is not all; there are other 

 scarcely less important influences, one of 

 which, the "bird-minder," requires special 

 mention. He is usually an old man (boys 

 are too impatient) who spends the greater 

 portion of the small fruit season in exter 

 minating the smaller birds in his vicinity. 

 As a particular instance of this, we might 

 mention one, a retired minister, well thought 

 of by our people in general, but at heart so 

 mean and stingy that he could not spare 

 the orioles a few peas from his bountiful 

 supply. Of what value is a half peck of 

 peas worth 20 cents, compared to two pairs 

 of orioles? Ask his neighbors, in whose 

 trees their nests were built and young left 

 to the slow tortures of starvation. 



It is not, as one would imagine, the chil- 

 dren of the poorer people of the town who 

 commit the most wholesale robbery, but 

 those of the wealthy business men — men 

 who should know that they are responsible 

 for every bird killed and every nest disturb- 



ed in violation of law. Yes, we have laws 

 but they are never enforced. The gentle- 

 man before mentioned rendered himself lia- 

 ble to fines for violating two distinct laws 

 every time he shot a bird, and yet we sup- 

 pose he considers himself a thorough Chris- 

 tian . 



But to return to the original subject; 

 one might enquire, "What do they do with 

 the eggs?" Some get them to throw at 

 each other; the majority collect them for a 

 pastime — such smash a hole in each end, 

 put them on strings and preserve them as 

 an Indian would scalps — usually breaking 

 them when tired of them, and then get a 

 new lot the next spring; others collect them 

 as you would shells or fossils, the more the 

 better; quantity is the only thing taken into 

 account, each one trying to get a larger col- 

 lection than his friend has. That this is 

 the case is evinced by the frequent inquiries 

 as to the number of eggs we have. "Don't 

 know as we ever knew; never counted them," 

 is the only answer that can be given. We 

 began collecting one or two eggs of a spe- 

 cies; ancL.our cabinet contains the same two 

 robin's eggs that it did eight'years ago, and 

 no more. As the eggs of the different spe- 

 cies were gradually added, we have had to 

 travel farther and farther in search of new 

 species, until a ten mile walk has become a 

 short mornings stroll, affording excellent 

 opportunities for- the study of habits and 

 song, and but seldom giving occasion for 

 the blackening of gun barrels. 



--' EQOT MOVEMENTS IN BIRDS. 



: BY, K*. i£. GIBBS, M. D. 



^OME-one has said: "Let me see a per- 

 Jl^ son walk and I will give you many 

 points in his character without further in- 

 troduction." To those who have carefully 

 studied the peculiarities of different individ- 



