244 HARPER’S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
only indigestible substances, such as, most com- 
monly, the feathers of the bird itself in the 
form of large balls, the purpose of which ap- 
pears to be to keep the stomach distended. This 
peculiarity was frequently observed in the va- 
rious species of grebes, in the winter months, 
during the prevalence of frost. 
It is undeniable that the results obtained by 
the naturalists above-mentioned are exceedingly 
valuable; but they serve only the more clearly 
to indicate the need of a more humane, a more 
manageable method of inquiry. There are few 
persons so situated that they could study the 
subject in the style of M. Prevost, and there are 
many who would shrink from the wholesale 
slaughter which is unavoidable in the system 
of Professor Jenks. What is needed is a 
method of research which shall not involve the 
destruction of the bird in order that we may 
examine the things which are put into its stom- 
ach. ‘There is, of course, the familiar method 
of noting every particular instance in which 
birds are seen feeding upon any thing the char- ' 
acter of which can be well ascertained. The 
method, if it were perseveringly carried out by 
a number of different observers, working in con- 
nection with each other, and all reporting to a 
common centre, would undoubtedly lead to val- 
uable results. But besides this there presents 
itself another plan which, though applying, it is 
true, to only a portion of the breeding-season, 
could be so easily carried out that it would seem 
to be worthy of careful trial. This consists 
merely of a modification of the school-boy’s sys- 
tem of rearing young birds through the inter- 
vention of the parent birds. The nest and 
young birds therein contained being placed 
within a wire cage, this is left hanging upon the 
tree from which the nest was taken, so that the 
parent birds can feed their offspring through the 
bars of the cage. This they will soon proceed 
to do, and in a short time will labor for the 
support of the young birds as tranquilly as if 
nothing had happened. Now to any one who 
has ever seen this method put in practice, and 
has noticed the heedless way in which the 
young birds push and crowd one another about 
whenever the parent comes to distribute food 
among them, it will be evident that there would 
be little or no difficulty in so arranging matters 
that a portion of the food proffered by the old 
birds should fall, not into the open mouths of 
their offspring, but into the bottom of the cage, 
whence it could be taken for examination at the 
convenience of the observer. Little if any thing 
more would be needed than to so adjust the po- 
sition of the nest within the cage that the young 
birds could neither have access to the sides of 
the cage, nor be able to reach completely to its 
upper bars; and in case the food consisted of 
living insects, some adhesive coating, like glyc- 
erin, for example, would of course be needed at 
the bottom of the cage. 
Now taking, for the sake of example, the one 
hundred and seventy species of land-birds which 
are enumerated in the Report on the Ornithol- 
ogy of Massachusetts, there are probably at least 
sixty per cent. of these, the habits of which, as 
regards food, could be thoroughly made out in 
a few years by a combination of the methods of 
research last mentioned, and by the united ob- 
servations of several contemporaneous observers 
at different stations. Of the very general inter- 
est which would attach to a fund of knowledge 
of this description, and of its great importance, 
not only to the husbandman, but to all lovers of 
nature, there can be no question. 
Is it too much to hope that in this land, 
where all men are familiar with the value of 
co-operation and accustomed to the conduct of 
Societies, there may not be one day established 
an Association for the Advancement of Knowl- 
edge which shall be truly in harmony with the 
spirit of the times in which we live? Such a 
Society, possessing somewhere a central office 
or bureau in charge of competent officers, and 
sending out ramifications into all sections of 
our common country, so that it could number 
among its active members every person of ob- 
servant habits and scientific tastes throughout 
the length and breadth of the land, would quick- 
ly settle a host of questions, like this of the 
food of birds, which are too large to be grasped 
by a single man. 
EDUCATION OF THE COLORED 
POPULATION OF LOUISIANA. 
a few years elapsed after the settle- 
of Louisiana in 1699 by the French, 
before slave labor was introduced to aid in de- 
veloping its\resources and sustaining the colo- 
nists. For a‘¢entury and a half since that period 
has the contest between freedom and slavery 
been waged there, and always under circum- 
stances favorabld to the latter.. In many of the 
English colonies along the Atlantic coast loud 
and repeated remgnstrances, until the era of 
the Revolution, were made to the mother coun- 
try against the introduction of this element 
among the awe find asa in the early history 
of Louisiana we find that no systematic opposi- 
tion was made to the use\of slaves, or apprehen- 
sion of future evils by their presence. The ear- 
ly governors welcomed slayéry as the only means 
of causing prosperity to visi{their country, and 
the whole moral and political influence of the 
people was in favor of its genekal adoption as a 
part of the political economy of the country. 
The monarchs of France regardéd slavery as a 
proper element of industry in their colonies, and 
as long as their revenues were — by the 
slave-trade they saw nothing but humanity and 
civilization in its practice. 
The early history of this State blends the so- 
ber realities of truth with the poetry 4nd ro- 
mance of the Middle Ages. The chivalry of 
France and Spain watched over the birt 
Louisiana. Kings and statesmen fostere 
early growth, and the treasures of Louis X 
were liberally expended to make it a succes 
Every thing which wealth, power, or influence 
