8o AMATEUR ORNITHOLOGY. 



6 Yellow-breasted Woodpeckers, i Flicker, 5 Crow Black- 

 birds, I Kingfisher, and i Wood Thrush. On May 9th, 

 1893, in the same park, I saw 10 Myrtle-birds, 2 Yellow- 

 green Warblers, 3 Chipping Sparrows, 4 Flickers, i Oriole, 

 9 Robins, 3 Brown Thrashers, i Wood Thrush, 2 Ruby- 

 crowned Kinglets, 2 Brown Creepers, i Black-and-white 

 Creeper, 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers, and 3 Blackbirds. 

 This proves one can go to the suburbs and find splendid days 

 for observation. 



There is something barbarous in the desire of any person, 

 young or old, to destroy birds. I am charitable enough to 

 think it may come into a boy's mind purely from the love 

 of showing his skill, how accurately he can aim, and how close 

 he can come to the mark. Akin to this destruction, is that 

 of gathering eggs " to make a collection," as they say. It 

 becomes a craze in the spring for boys to rush out into the 

 fields, beside the tangled brush of streams, and climb trees 

 to rob nests. This is done ruthlessly, without any fore- 

 thought. It is dreadfully bad. At this time of life older 

 heads should direct, older ej^es watch, and strong words of 

 counsel be used. I venture to say that in the colleges and 

 schools of North America there are eggs enough for all 

 the scientific culture that is needed in this age. 



As I close this paper a thought cognate to the subject 

 comes to mind. Every motion in nature, I believe, has been 

 imitated by man, except that of a bird flying. The Duck or 

 Goose swimming on the water is shown by the side-wheel 

 steamer. The fish in the water is imitated by the propeller 

 which now takes the place of paddle-wheels, and by that 

 quite late invention of the electric torpedo. Will a bird's 

 flight ever be successfully attained by man ? I believe it 

 will. There are not data enough yet, I admit, to make a 

 perfect argument or come to a conclusion. But the science 

 of aviation is slumbering in men's minds. Invention, the 

 characteristic to a Yankee's intellect, is constant and per- 

 petual. There is a seething desire in some people to fly 



