244 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[April IS, 1888. 



BIRDS AND SPECIMENS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I noticed the courteous reply of Mr, Swift, and some- 

 thing else from Mr. E. M. Hasbrouck, to my .stricture on 

 skinning rare birds. I foresaw that I should stir up 

 some such matter as the latter. Mr. H. says "there are 

 men and men." Might I also remark that there are or- 

 nithologists and other folks. My remarks were not 

 directed against ornithologists as such, but against the 

 craze that is abroad in the land for killing anything that 

 is new to the eyes of the would-be ornithologists or so- 

 called scientists, or which they do not happen to have in 

 their collection. Truly "the 'woods are full of them." 

 They can be seen almost any fine day running around 

 thecountry labeled "ornithologist'" and "scientist," scaring 

 the o'ipoUoi most to death. 



I included as authorities for sufficient reference Audu- 

 bon, Wilson and Coues. If Mr. H., who rises in such 

 haste, arrayed in the habiliments of ornithology and 

 science (which he so discourteously champions), thinks 

 he can name three who better eover the ground of orni- 

 thology, he may do so— in silence. I purposely named 

 Coues as a later* and first-class authority. Mr. H. says: 

 "If, in accordance with the doctrine of 'O. O. S.,' the 

 study of buds had stopped with naturalists (Audubon 

 and Wilson) to say nothing of what Coues has done, 

 where would our ornithology be to-day?' Well, but 

 instead of saying nothing of Dr. C. I expressly mentioned 

 him, did I not? There was no criticism of reputable 

 ornithologists. Mr. H. exhibits more heat and haste than 

 candid statement and simple justice demands. 



Do I suppose that mankind will be benefitted in any 

 commensurate or otherwise degree for all the time and 

 effort donated by these would-be ornithologists and 

 scientists? Not much. I have a misty idea somewhere 

 that there have been a good many wood sawyers and 

 clock peddlers spoiled in the intere-t of science. Just as 

 like as not Mr. H. will find a grosbeak or tomtit one of 

 these days with a wry tail or cast in his eye, and then 

 there will be a noise about "variation between individ- 

 uals." The nations of the earth are yearning for this 

 "right now." An evening grosbeak, Coecothraustes ves- 

 per Una (if he hadn't a Latin name he wouldn't be worth 

 gathering), is an evening grosbeak, isn't it? It has 

 been described, hasn't it? More than once? And it 

 couldn't be mistaken and potted for a blue heron 

 or a cow, could it? No. Such being the case I su im- 

 pose the world is all agog with its mouth wide open 

 to know what the said evening grosbeak aforesaid is 

 thinking of when it scratches its head with its off hind 

 foot, or which egg is male and which female, or how 

 long it takes to build its nest, or whether its northern 

 limit is latitude 42 or 42 A,, or how long it will t ike the 

 female to find a mate (in the interest of science) when 

 the male is shot by a would-be ornithologist, or in which 

 direction the bird will fly when the w. b. o. gets after it 

 with a gun. It is the want of such valuable information 

 as this that is causing the world to he awake o' nights 

 and wobble in its orbit. 



It was not necessary that Mr. II. should state that 

 were he to find a flock of grosbeaks he would work his 

 old scatter gun until he had a full collection. I can 

 imagine him after the very last grosbeak on earth, and 

 if his legs and wind and shot held out he'd exterminate 

 the species to ascertain whether that particular bird had 

 a crooked toe, or differed in other important particulars 

 from the last one he murdered. I saw a speckled robin 

 last year, but I did not wish to shoot it. Why? Because 

 I'm not a scientist, 1 suppose. Well for the robin. 



Mr. H. thinks that because he thinks that the Audubon 

 Society has no voice as to what scientists may deem 

 wisest to do, therefore a private individual ought not to 

 object. Um! Sacred circle! Might a cat look at a king? 

 Further, Mr. H. insinuates that because I have an honest 

 opinion as to what is right and merciful, I am a would-be 

 sentimentalist and sensationalist. Well, now, if grazing 

 in the pasture of science stimulates such deductions as 

 that, I will, as Uncle Remus puts it, "jestify my stomach" 

 along the roadside. 



In the last place, tbirty-fourthly, I say again that the 

 whole business of bird slaughter by would-be ornitholo- 

 gists, scientists, what not, who think they have a mission 

 (encouraged by the laws) to slay every bird they see in 

 the name of science, is an abomination that should be 

 wiped out. Nine-tenths of them are in the same category 

 with the birds' -nest robbers, who go about as soon as they 

 can climb a tree, tearing their clothes in the name of 

 science, despoiling the birds' homes that they may get a 

 collection of eggs as large as somebody else's collection. 

 However, they are less to blame than the slayers, for the 

 live birds can lay more eggs on a pinch — in the interest 

 of science. The song birds migrate in the autumn, and 

 the pot-shooting negro at the South mercilessly pursues 

 them the livelong winter with his Zulu or old army mus- 

 ket. The survivors come North in the spring and straight- 

 way the army of would-be ornithologists, scientists, 

 feather hunters and nest robbers take up the hunt, until 

 between the upper and nether millstones the poor birds 

 have a hard squeak to pull through. It is wrong. There 

 is no adequate good in it. The larger j>art of the slaying 

 is done to minister to vanity. To paraphrase a little — 

 Oh, ornithology, what cruelties have been practiced in 

 thy name! 



I can understand very easily how Mr. Swift came to 

 shoot the grosbeak, but what good in general and par- 

 ticular did it do? It is a well-known principle that ignor- 

 ance of law is no excuse for crime. Mr. Swift's ignor- 

 ance of the bird caused him to shoot it, according to his 

 own statement. Now, don't hop up, a few dozen of you 



?uasi-ornithologists, and spill over with the charge that 

 called the killing of the bird a crime. I say nothing of 

 the kind. I say it was wrong. Because a bird flew 

 across a State line after something to eat is it right to 

 kill it? The bird has been classified aud described. As a 

 grosbeak, can it be classified any better or better 

 described for the benefit of students? Of what advantage 

 is it in any way under heaven to know that a grosbeak 

 was seen in Schuyler county when it hadn't been seen 

 before north of Chemung? Does it make it a ScMiylarJcus 

 cocobolo concertina, and change its form, color or 

 character ? 



Because I condemn the killing of birds it by no means 

 follows that I am blind to the benefits conferred by orni- 

 thology, though I think that sometimes a fictitious value 

 is placed upon results. I appreciate Mr, Swift's research 

 as to food of rapacious birds, and hope it may result in 

 repeal of laws sanctioning the killing of birds which are 



of benefit to mankind, just as much as I hope for the 

 repeal of the laws permitting Tom, Dick and Harry to 

 slaughter song birds to no good. 



Now, I have no doubt other bright and shining lights, 

 scientists and ornithologists so-called, will burst upon 

 your vision from the sacred and undefiled precints of 

 science (if they are able to get out past the lynx-eyed 

 guardianship of Mr. H.) and hurl the awful and annihi- 

 lating charge against me that I am no scientist, or don't 

 know a chickadee from a dodo, and will throw paper 

 wads at me aud ooze all over with contempt. As Toddy 

 used to say to Budge, "Aw wight, g'won!" It don't 

 count. " What I says I stands to." Stop the bird killing. 

 It is needless and cruel. O. O. S. 



THE SONG SPARROW. 



AN INVESTIGATION OF HIS LIFE HISTORY. 



WITH a view to suggesting lines of investigation to 

 those would-be workers who do not go the length 

 of styling themselves ornithologists, these notes containing 

 the subject matter of an address recently delivered at the 

 Canadian Institute, were put in their present shape. 



The rapid advance of ornithological science in our 

 country during the last few years, and the systematic 

 organization of the great body of working ornithologists 

 of America, have had the satisfactory effect not oniy of 

 stimulating the interest felt in the subject by that snow- 

 ball process of increment that is a property of all knowl- 

 edge, but also of demonstrating clearly to the lay follow- 

 ing that all who have eyes may be of use, and all who 

 would be of great use must keep their eyes in one 

 direction. 



Now, with any one who for the first time sees a new or 

 unknown object, the three questions that naturally arise 

 are: What is it? Where did you get it? and What is it for? 

 i. e., we are asked its name, native place and nature; and 

 it is the whole province of each branch of zoological 

 science to answer these three questions with regard to its 

 individual subjects. Or to illustrate to the point, orni- 

 thology treats of birds and is supposed to supply the 

 student, first, with the name of each bird; second, with 

 information about its country or habitat; third, with in- 

 formation of its nature, which includes two very wide 

 fields, the physical and the metaphysical, or anatomy and 

 life history. The first of these questions, the which?, can 

 be answered only by authorities profoundly versed in the 

 subject, and the Check List of the American Ornitholo- 

 gist's Union contains the united opinions of the com- 

 petent authorities of America. 



The second question, the where ?, comprising the whole 

 subject of geographical distribution and migration, is 

 partly answered already with regard to most of our birds. 

 As it can be properly treated only by persons who have 

 large collections of material at hand, and have given a 

 great deal of time and study to the subject, here also it 

 is better for the lay bird man to refrain from "rushing 

 in" 



But the last question, the what?, is the greatest of all. 

 It naturally divides itself into two branches, anatomy 

 and life history. With regard to the first, much the 

 same remarks apply as in the preceding paragraph, but 

 the second, the life history, is the most important, and 

 affords the proper field for those who simply love nature 

 for her own sake, and desire only to know the wild birds 

 in their wildness. "The real history of a bird is its life 

 history. The deepest interest attaches to evervthing that 

 reveals the little mind, however feebly it may be de- 

 veloped, which lies behind the feathers." So says the 

 celebrated English ornithologist Seebohm, in his History 

 of British Birds, and I am very sure that there is no lack 

 of bird lovers to re-echo the sentiment. The first two 

 questions are of very great importance, and of such a 

 nature that they insist on first notice, but having settled 

 them as we now have, sufficiently for the purposes of the 

 ordinary observer of Eastern America, we are brought 

 face to face with what is, after all , of chief interest, the 

 great question of the "little mind." 



The almost absolute ignorance that exists with regard 

 to the life history of our buds is only beginning to be 

 appreciated. We have, in fact, as a result of great labors 

 during the last few years, only just succeeded in obtain- 

 ing enough light to make the darkness visible. To show 

 our utter nescience with regard to even the best known 

 species, I would take for example the bird of all others 

 that we are supposed to be perfectly familiar with, the 

 common barn fowl. How many of us can prove or dis- 

 prove the simplest statements that can be made concern- 

 ing it? How many of us can decide on the theory that a 

 hen beginning to lay, lays on the first day early in the 

 morning, next day an hour later, and so on until after- 

 noon is reached, then a day is missed, and on the next 

 day the bird begins again in the early morning? How 

 many of us can contradict the statement that the hen is 

 capable of real and faithful attachment to one particular 

 male, even though several be in the yard? Which of us 

 can say when and why the hen turns her eggs, or whether 

 she knowingly turns them at all ? It would be easy to go 

 on exposing our ignorance, but sufficient has been said 

 for my purpose, and I would now follow with the remark, 

 if we know so little of our familiar domestic fowls, how 

 insignificant must be our knowledge of the wild birds. I 

 am so satisfied that a harvest of knowledge and pleasure 

 awaits those who will venture into this almost virgin 

 field, that I have determined to spend one season at least 

 in in vestigating the life history of a single SDecies, and to 

 the end, that I may approach the subject systematically, 

 I have tabulated the lines of investigation under seven- 

 teen heads. These heads, be it noticed, are naturally 

 limited by the knowledge and theories of the writer, but 

 I believe that in working them out one will most assuredly 

 stumble on clues which, properly followed, will lead to 

 light most unexpected, and to ideas of startling newness 

 that have not even been guessed at by the preliminary 

 schedule, for such has ever been the experience of those 

 who have blindly but earnestly groped after the truth. 



For numerous reasons, more or less evident, I have 

 selected the song sparrow (Melospiza fasciata) as the 

 species for study, and propose collecting all possible evi- 

 dence on the following items: 



1. Spring Migration.— Give earliest appearance, etc.; 

 state whether in flocks or singly; males in advance 

 or both sexes together; by day or by night; crossing 

 the lake or skirting its shores; flying high or low; 

 recording in full the weather at the time of obser- 

 vation, also elate, locality, etc. Does it hide or re- 

 turn southward during the late spring storms? Do 



individuals that come early differ from those that 

 come late? If so. are both found breeding here? 



2. Habitat.— Is it found in dry uplands, dense forests or 



marshes, or does it manifest a preference for the 

 vicinity of water, or especially of running water? 

 Can any reason be assigned for its choice of local- 

 ity? 



3. Voice of the Male. —Song and the variations of the 



same; height from ground when singing; time of 

 day; alarm notes, song periods, song flight, song by 

 night; influence of the weather. 



4. Voice of the Female.— Song, if any, and full particu- 



lars as above. 



5. Habits.— What are its peculiar tricks of attitude, 



motion and expression? Does it hop or ran? Is its 

 flight ever undulatory, like that of many of its rela- 

 tives? Is it nocturnal @r aquatic at all? Does it 

 ever wade for food or swim to escape its enemies? 

 Does it feed on the wing? Does it regurgitate pel- 

 lets of indigestible matter? Does it indulge in any 

 sort of play, especially in a social way? Does it 

 enter holes or burrows? Does it distinguish pois- 

 onous plants or insects? How do individuals com- 

 municate with each other? 



6. Condition of each Specimen. — Give full notes re geni- 



talia watching for cases of sterility, hermaphrodit- 

 ism or disease, counting if possible the number of 

 ova, especially of those enlarged; giving also 

 general condition of the specimen; stating whether 

 fat or lean, diseased or healthy, parasitized or not, 

 internally or externally, and to what extent. 



7. Food.— Give in full— contents of mouth, gullet and 



gizzard, and preserve the same in labeled phials. 



8. Plumage. — Particularize each specimen in form, color 



, and measurement, noting differences of sex, season, 

 age, moult and locality. 



9. Mating.— Note fully any courtship observed, with 



maneuvers of both birds, or competitions of rivals; 

 is it ever polygamous? do the same birds remain 

 paired throughout the season, or for more than one 

 season? 



10. Nesting— Give full particulars of construction, mate- 



rials, proximity to the ground and to the water of 

 each nest, preserving, photographing or sketching 

 the same, and observing whether covered over or 

 approached by a covered way; giving details of 

 laying, time between each oviposition, variation 

 of the eggs in size and color, stating whether those 

 first laid are larger or more heavily marked than 

 those laid later: are the eggs turned daily, and if 

 so by which bird. 



11. Broods.— Number per season; average of each. Are 



later broods less? How long is each cared for by 

 the parents? Is the female first to desert her 

 change? 



12. Coivbird Parasitism.— Is the song sparrow ever im- 



posed on by the cowbird? Particularize each case 

 observed. 



13. Young.— Give in full their habits, food, plumage, 



comparing them with their parents and with their 

 near congeners. Are they ever fed from the crop 

 of the parents? Is there any evidence of a late 

 summer northward migration among them? 



14. Relatives. — What are their nearest congeners? Com- 



pare them in range, local habitat, changes of 

 plumage, etc. 



15. Competitors. — With what species do they most 



actively come into competition in the struggle for 

 life ? 



16. Natural Enemies.— Enumerate predatory birds, mam- 



mals, reptiles, etc. Also meteorological pheno- 

 mena, and means employed to combat, elude or 

 withstand in each case. 



17. Fall Migration.— Particularize as in spring ditto, 



giving latest appearance. Does it arrive in the 

 spring singly and go in the fall in flocks? Is it ever 

 a winter resident here? 

 Of course no one would expect to elucidate many of 

 these points in a single season, but it is believed that 

 enough may be gathered to form a valuable contribution 

 to ornithological literature, and to decide whether or not 

 the investigation may ultimately be made a complete suc- 

 cess. * Ernest E. Thompson. 



BUFFALO FOR WASHINGTON. 



SOME time ago Mr. Goode, Curator of the National 

 Museum, set on foot the project of establishing a zoo- 

 logical garden in Washington in connection with the 

 Smithsonian Institution. The idea excited great inter- 

 est, and a beginning was made, though at first only in a 

 small way, since no funds were available for this purpose. 



One of the first species of North American mammals 

 which was desired was the buffalo, now almost extinct 

 in a wild state. There were opportunities to purchase 

 three or four head at different localities, but the appro- 

 priations were so low that it was impossible to use the 

 money at the present time for this purpose. In his di- 

 lemma Mr. Goode bethought him of Commissioner Black- 

 ford of this city, to whom he wrote as follows: 



"We are at present very much interested in the project 

 of establishing a national zoological garden in Washing- 

 ton, with every prospect of favorable action on the part 

 of Congress. Mr. Beck and several other influential Sena- 

 tors are enthusiastic about it, and in connection with this 

 we are anxious to accomplish another very e.sential 

 thing, namely, to secure for Washington, for the Smith- 

 sonian, and for the prospective garden, a nucleus of a 

 herd of buffaloes. You know how near they are to ex- 

 tinction. I do not think that there are 100 at large in the 

 United States, and it seems probable that if our plan is 

 not carried out without delay, even the few now remain- 

 ing will be exterminated very soon. We have the oppor- 

 tunity to buy at North Platte, Neb., for $400, a fine bull 

 and a cow which will have a calf in August. Unfortu- 

 nately, it being near the end of the year, our appropria- 

 tion for the museum is getting very low, and we do not 

 feel that we ought to venture upon this expenditure. 



"If Prof. Baird were alive I have no doubt he would 

 find some means to accomplish this end, but his resources 

 were much larger than mine are. Y ou can see that if 

 we could have a pair of buffalo through the summer on 

 the Smithsonian campus, and especially if a young buf- 

 falo could be born here, it would be a great boom for the 

 zoological garden project. Now, there are two ways in 

 which you could help us out of our difficulty. If you 

 felt disposed to present these animals to the Smithsonian 



