May, 1911 
LITERARY PRINCIPLEvS IN ORKITHOLOElCAI, WRITING 
85 
plishments ? I can see no need for this endeavoring to take away the literary vain 
from ornithological writing, for I consider it a decided asset. I have read articles 
on subjects of little range, and that usually are of a rather dry nature, yet written 
in such an entertaining way that they were equally as interesting as some exper- 
iences in the field, and yet not a whit of their scientific vakie was lost. The writer 
who inspires, instructs; and he is one who po.ssesses true enthusiasm, accurate 
knowledge and the mastery of word values. 
Audubon, famous as an ornithologist, has had some of his writings placed 
among the world's literary classics. One cannot read Bendire without appreciat- 
ing his delightful style, and these are only a few of many. For files of The Auk , 
The Osprey and our own Condor contain articles which aside from their scientific 
value must be given a high rank in a literary way. The high water mark in the 
latter respect is reached by Welch, I think, in his famous “Echoes from an Out- 
ing.’’ I frankly confess that this fascinating reverie was instrumental in luring 
me off to Fyffe in the Sierran wilds one summer, and as a result I have journeyed to 
some point in the region almost every year since. It has been said that Welch’s 
article is not scientific on account of its lack of the definite Latin names, and be- 
cause of this must remain buried where it now is. Perhaps as far as scientific rec- 
ords are concerned this may prove correct, but I believe it wall receive a place in 
literature and still be enjoyed, while descriptions of some of the myriad subspecies 
of song sparrows, which brought joy to the hearts of their discoverers, are buried 
beneath the dust of years. True literature is not for an age but for all time, and 
an example is shown by the work of Gilbert White, which loses none of its interest, 
and continues to be reprinted, year after year. Where White gains is the felicity 
he has for blending real information and literature. 
And I contend further that not only does literature make scientific ornithology 
more readable and interesting but that it is also a positive aid and that at times 
ornithological science must lean heavily on its helpmate, literature. Has our ad- 
vance in ornithology been so great that the help literature giv’es can be cast aside 
entireh^ ? If one desires to learn of the song of the Hermit Thrush or Water Ouzel 
will it be found in the bulky technical works? In fact is bird song itself not rather 
art than science ? Can one learn ALL of the everchanging iridescemse of the throat 
of a hummingbird, or the rare painting on a falcon’s egg by such a flat description 
as purple no. 38 or red no. 122 ? I maintain that there are ccrtai)i things in ornith- 
ology that require both literature and science jointly to be properly described. 
It is a generally accepted fact, I believe, that many readers shun the strictly 
technical articles, and this I attribute to a number of causes. The principal reason, 
I think, is that most articles of this nature treat of geagraphical variation, a subject 
which has lost interest because the standing of so many of the subspecies is seldom 
a settled fact. Other reasons are that many technical articles lack the very literary 
quality I have spoken of, and also that many readers have not acquired a taste for 
comparative anatomy. A reader voiced this latter sentiment in the technical Auk, 
vol. XX, page 234, to which the editors replied in what I considered a surprisingly 
frank and rather un-H//X’like fashion, saj'ing in part: “It is the aim of the editor- 
ial staff of The Auk to cater especially to the popular side of ornithology, to fur- 
nish to the amateur readers papers that they will enjoy and find profitable. The 
technical side will always take care of itself; the demand for space for such contri- 
butions is always greater than the supply and it is papers of this character that get 
the cold shoulder and not those of a popular character, provided of cour.se they con- 
tain something worthy of record.” 
While I realize the wide gulf that must ever exist between poetry and orni- 
