NATUKAL SCIENCE NEWS. 



119 



were lost by over-heating. Vari- 

 ous cells were introduced to pre- 

 vent this, but they shut off the 

 light to such an extent as to mini- 

 mize results desired to be obtained. 

 I was led to substitute solar light 

 for the lime light, but the uncer- 

 tainty of the results led to its 

 abandonment in favor of photo- 

 micrography, and now with an in- 

 expensive oil lantern better results 

 are obtained by this process than 

 formerly with the most expensive 

 stereopticons, under the most fav- 

 orable conditions. I make my 

 own photomicrographs and find it 

 a delightful recreation. In past 

 years I used to keep on hand an 

 extensive cabinet of microscopic 

 slides for reference. These have 

 latterly been discarded for the 

 photomicrographic negative. My 

 custom now is to photograph all 

 points of especial value as I am 

 studying and file the negatives 

 away for future use. But little 

 time is required for the work when 

 one has a dark room handy which 

 is fitted up for it. 



The objection has been offered 

 to photomicrography in that it 

 only reproduced the slides in light 

 and shade. To overcome this ob- 

 jection I have invented a process 

 by which it is possible to repro- 

 duce the original stains of the mi- 

 croscopic slide in the lantern posi- 

 tive, in double stain if necessary, 

 and that without hand painting as 

 was formerly required. 



In conclusion let me reiterate 

 that by adopting the lantern and 

 photomicrographs the subject of 

 animal biology may be successful- 

 ly brought before the classes of 

 our high schools and colleges, 

 now debarred from its study by 

 lack of suitable equipment. — W. 

 Xavier Sudduth, A. M., M. D., in 

 Science. 



Bird Notes. 



By Morris Gibbs. 



What one of the birds moults 

 first? * This question is difficult 

 to answer, but from observations 

 of over a score of years in this sec- 

 tion, southern Michigan, I am 

 pretty well satisfied that the Bobo- 

 link is among the first, if not the 

 first to moult. The moult begins 

 by the 20th of July, and sometimes 

 by the middle of the month. At 

 the date of writing flocks of these 



* The American Crossbill, a Michigan bird, 

 probably moults earlj as it is a very early 

 breeder according to some authorities, but 1 

 do not include it here as it is not a summer 

 bird in the southern part of the state. 



birds may be seen in low fields and 

 meadows, and a queer looking lot 

 they are. No one, unfamiliar with 

 Bob would recognize him in his 

 peculiar dress of mixed design. 

 The black coat and white spots 

 have disappeared, and the dingy 

 appearance of his once prominent- 

 ly marked dress, is in marked con- 

 trast to the gay appearance of May 

 and June. The complete moult 

 occupies considerable time, and 

 throughout the condition the birds 

 continue to flock and keep low, 

 never rising much above the fences 

 and weeds. Soon the males and 

 females are of one color and the 

 sexes cannot be distinguished as 

 they settle about you, or rise and 

 fly a few rods uttering their tink- 

 ling call notes. The once dashing 

 songster no longer rises on flutter 

 ing wing to stimulate us with his 

 ecstatic, rollicking song. He is 

 content to remain silent in the 

 meadow with his mate and off- 

 spring and only utters a few faint 

 notes as he gleans in the marsh or 

 field. The notes are common to 

 both sexes. Soon these augmenting 

 flocks will leave for the South. In 

 the East they are called Reedbirds 

 and are shot for the city markets. 

 Farther south, where the rice fields 

 of the Atlantic and Gulf States of- 

 fer food and shelter, they are con- 

 sidered a great nuisance and are 

 killed in vast numbers;the slaught- 

 er answering the double purpose 

 of getting rid of a pest, as well as 

 supplying the shooters with a most 

 palatable dish. 



What one of our .birds moults 

 last? Undoubtedly the Goldfinch, 

 as it rarely drops its full summer 

 dress until October and I have 

 shot a male, still in its bright yel- 

 low plumage, on October 21st. A 

 friend of mine took a Goldfinch's 

 nest with fresh eggs in September, 

 and certainly this species, as with 

 all others of my acquaintance, does 

 not change its 'dress until nesting 

 duties are fully finished. By the 

 term, completion of moulting, I 

 mean the rehabitation of a bird; 

 the finishing of its season's change 

 of plumage. The period of moult- 

 ing depends on certain conditions 

 affecting both sexes, and these 

 conditions are largely dependent 

 on the nesting season. In the 

 large majority of cases the birds 

 begin to moult within a month af- 

 ter the nesting duties are complet- 

 ed, but this is not a rule by any 

 means, as will be shown in the 

 case of the Bluejay and Crow. 



Therefore it follows that the 

 Hawks and Owls are among the 

 earlier birds to change their coat, 



and this is so; and out of over 

 100 hawks, of seven of our com- 

 mon species, shot in early Septem- 

 ber, only six gave the slightest 

 evidence that the process had not 

 been fully completed, while the 

 Owls were all perfect. Yet at the 

 same date, of 206 Bluejays and 

 over 40 Crows which were examin- 

 ed, three-fourths of the Jays gave 

 evidence that moulting was still in 

 progress while pin-feathers still 

 covered the heads of many speci- 

 mens, and several Crows plainly 

 showed evidence of feather-shed- 

 ding. * Herons of two kinds and 

 two bitterns, evidenced comple- 

 tion of the process, as did also a 

 large number of Kingfishers. 



Hawks and Owls, who are uni- 

 versally credited with raising a 

 single brood in a season, as also 

 the waders, moult early. Every 

 collector has seen flocks of Least 

 and Semipalmated Sandpipers and 

 Semipalmated Plovers on the 

 shores of our small interior lakes 

 by Angust 10th. It is well-known 

 that these small waders generally 

 breed well to our north and only 

 appear with us after nesting and 

 moulting. At least I have yet to 

 meet with these summer visitors 

 from the north who gave evidence 

 of present moulting. 



In conclusion reference must be 

 made to the so-called English 

 Sparrow. This species, rapidly 

 becoming cosmopolitan, like the 

 rat, mouse and some other nui- 

 sances, is perhaps altered in hab- 

 its and therefore cannot be taken 

 as a standard — at least we hope 

 not. Strangely enough, this im- 

 ported pestiferous passer varies in 

 the time of its annual after breed- 

 ing moult August 1 st to October 

 20th; being probably regulated in 

 this condition by the completion 

 of its nesting duties. Contrary to 

 the generally accepted belief that 

 the English Sparrow raises five 

 and six broods each season, and 

 the Robin and other common 

 birds rear three broods a year, I 

 maintain that all of them rear but 

 two broods each season. The ex- 

 travigant efforts of the importation 

 do not prove that it ever rears 

 over two broods a year. But 

 more of this at another time. 



* Observations drawn from the examination 

 of birds shot in the prize contest for killing 

 [game and fish destroyers]. The writer was 

 appointed judge in the contests held in Sep- 

 tember, 1892-'3 and '94. The notes above ap- 

 ply to the Hawk? and Owls taken during the 

 three years, but the Crows and Jays spoken of 

 are of'the year 1893, Sept. 11-12, at Kalamazoo, 

 Mich., annual hunt of the Kalamazoo Fish 

 and Game Protective Association. 



