44 
THE NATURAL SCIEGCE JOURNAL. 
Department of ©rnitboloos 
ant) ©olOG^. 
Prof. W. A. STEARNS, Editor. 
7^ Whitehall Street, Atlanta, Georgia. 
It is tlie Editor’s desire to conduct tliis department to 
the best interests of those engaged in the active stud}^ of 
the subjects of which it treats. 
In order to obtain tlie most satisfactory results it is 
necessary to have the cooperation of all interested. To 
tins end, the Editor requests that each one send him any¬ 
thing of interest that comes to their notice, either in the 
form of notes, articles or questions. 
GREETING. 
To OUR Young Ornithologists and 
OoLOGISTS TO WHOM THIS MAGAZINE 
MAY COME, Greeting! — We are about 
to open the columns of a New Magazine 
to the youth of our country, wherein 
observations and rare captures, may be 
recorded, and questions freely asked— 
and answered if possible. A child can 
ask questions that a sage cannot answer; 
therefore, Agassiz said once in my hear¬ 
ing, “ Never be afraid to say ‘ I do not 
know.’ ” If any of your questions should 
remain unanswered, it is presumably for 
this reason. 
As we shall probably coniine ourselves 
largely to the birds of North America, 
our natural question first is, what list 
will be used? In answer I will say, 
those of Mr. Robert Ridgeway of the 
Smithsonian Institution, and of the A. 
O. U. The former is a recognized scien¬ 
tific authority both in this country and 
abroad; the latter is more popular with 
many, however. But, however much or 
little we shall use either one of these 
lists or both of them, we shall study and 
observe, directly, birds, their ways, do¬ 
ings, habits, peculiarities, places of re¬ 
sort, etc., and try rather to be an honest 
observer than a theory hunter. 
Birds will exist and be a fruitful object 
of instruction, long after systems, so¬ 
cieties, and A. O. U’s. shall have per¬ 
ished and their members been forgotten. 
Simplicity and truth survive much longer 
than error and exaggeration. To be a 
good and a true observer, and always to 
tell the truth—no more, no less—is what 
all of you should aim to do. If an un¬ 
truth once gets fastened on one, his best 
efforts are ever after clouded and called 
in question for this very reason. 
Now we shall ask you to send us all 
the local observations, local lists, rare 
captures, and rare finds that you can. 
When you write have something to say. 
We can get plenty of the I-thought-I-saw 
kind ; and it is hard enough sometimes 
to identify rare species from the actual 
specimens^ so don’t send us the observa¬ 
tions of the opera glass, please. You 
cannot scientifically depend upon them. 
A pleasing, well-written account of a 
bird or an egg hunt is always of value— 
particularly if the language is well chosen 
and the descriptive matter accurate. 
Don’t send hastily gotten up sketches, 
but think well of what you are saying, 
and let it be something worth saying. 
Now' every one of you send in all the 
good news that you can, and wm will try 
to give it room somewhere. For the 
present send to W. A. Stearns, 7 1-2 
Whitehall Street, Atlanta, Georgia. 
Don’t send to the Editor of the maga¬ 
zine at New Bedford, as it will all have 
to be sent to me, and that will require 
double postage and cause much needless 
delay. 
Atlanta, Ga., March 12th.—The Red 
Birds or Cardinals are out in full force, 
making the air ring with their long, full, 
clear w'arbles. W. A. S. 
