illustrations liberally scattered through it will be found useful by
beginners, to whom the book may be commended.--F. M. C.
Our Common Birds. Suggestions for the Study of Their Life and
Work. By C. F. Hodge, Ph.D., Clark University, Worcester, Mass.
Food-chart and Drawings by Miss Helen A. Ball. 8vo, pp. 34, 3
half-tones, 8 line cuts in text. 10 cts. per copy, $6 per 100
copies.
This is a contribution to the pedagogics of ornithology which cannot
fail to interest every one desirous of seeing bird studies introduced
in our schools. It opens with a chapter on the 'Biology of Our Common
Birds,' which shows the importance of becoming acquainted with them,
giving, in fact, the reasons which have actuated Professor Hodge in his
work in the schools of Worcester.
The nature of this work and the success which has attended it are
set forth in the succeeding pages, whose contents are indicated by
the sub-titles 'The Bird Census,' 'The Food Chart' (A very useful
compilation by Miss Helen A. Ball, showing graphically the food of
our commoner birds), 'Bird Study in the Schoolroom,' 'Taming Our Wild
Birds and Attracting Them to Our Houses,' and a 'Life Chart of Our
Common Birds.' Lack of space prohibits a description of the methods of
bird-study given under these headings. Some of the results of their
practical application, however, are to be found in the concluding
chapter on the 'Ten-to-One Clubs' formed in the Worcester schools,
which were joined by "not less than 5,000 children," who signed the
club constitution, which opens by stating that "the object of the club
shall be to use every means possible to increase the number of our
native wild birds by providing them, when necessary, with food, water,
shelter and nesting places."
The pamphlet gives other and equally striking proofs of the enthusiasm
with which the children welcomed the opportunity of becoming familiar
with birds, and indeed is the most convincing proof of the educational
value of bird study which has come to our attention.--F. M. C.
Book News
With its August issue 'Our Animal Friends,' the organ of the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, concludes its
twenty-sixth volume. This magazine is edited with a breadth of
view which must result in winning many supporters for the cause it
represents. In its columns we find no senseless tirades against the
inhumanity of partly civilized man, but sane, logical discussions
of the rights of animals and the manner in which they may best be
secured; of the habits of animals, including many interesting papers on
birds,--of animals and their value to man, all of which are calculated
to arouse sympathy or interest in them and respect for the journal
which so ably champions their welfare.
'Wilson Bulletin,' No. 26, issued May 30, 1899, has an extremely
interesting paper by its editor, Lynds Jones, recording the number
of species observed by him on May 8, in Lorain county, Ohio. Work
was begun about Oberlin at 3.30 a. m., and continued at 11 a. m. at
Lorain on the shore of Lake Erie, resulting, finally, in a record
of 112 species identified with the aid of an "Eight Power Bausch &
Lomb" field-glass during one day. This number speaks volumes for the
observer's activity and the richness of his field; we doubt if it has
ever been exceeded in the same period of time in North America.
Mr. C. Barlow publishes in the May-June issue of the Bulletin of the
Cooper Ornithological Club, of which he is editor-in-chief, an eloquent
appeal to ornithologists to take only such birds as they may require
for their own use, and not to collect birds at all during the nesting
season. Particularly does he condemn collecting for profit, saying with
equal force and truth, "Every naturalist owes it to science to protect
the natural beauties with which the Creator has blessed the earth, and
how can the collector, with never a twinge of conscience, quiet the
sweet voices of the woodland in a fashion little less than barbarous,
for pecuniary gain."
We congratulate Mr. Barlow on the stand he has taken, and we
congratulate all bird-lovers on the fact that his declaration of
principles adds another journal to the list of those in which the
egg-thief cannot boast of his exploits.
The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, appreciating the
significance of the widespread and constantly increasing interest in
birds, has decided to introduce a volume on ornithology into its course
of 'Required Reading,' Miss Merriams' 'Birds Through an Opera-glass,'
one of the first, as it is one of the best text-books for beginners,
having been selected for this purpose. Implying, as it does, the
formation of a class of several thousand bird students, this may be
considered a step in educational ornithology of unusual importance.
'The American' for August 26, commenting on the 'Hints to Young Bird
Students,' published in Bird-Lore for August, says: "This paper
deserves the most serious consideration from all. It is well meant, it
is timely, it is sensible; the friendly advice it tenders should be
accepted and observed."
A Writer on the slaughter of birds for millinery purposes, in 'The New
Illustrated Magazine' for September, whose zeal for the cause of bird
protection exceeds his knowledge of ornithology, makes, among others,
the remarkable statement that "Florida is now the only country in which
Hummingbirds are found, except as rarities." He also gives a unique bit
of information in regard to the Toucan, which is said to use its "big
beak" to trim its "primary tail-feathers"!
=Bird-Lore=
A Bi-monthly Magazine
Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
=Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN=
=Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY=
=====================================================
Vol. 1 October, 1899 No. 5
=====================================================
=SUBSCRIPTION RATES.=
Price in the United States, Canada, and Mexico,
twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, postage
paid.
Subscriptions may be sent to the Publishers, at
Englewood, New Jersey, or 66 Fifth avenue, New
York City.
Price in all countries in the International Postal
Union, twenty-five cents a number, one dollar and
a quarter a year, postage paid. Foreign agents,
Macmillan and Company, Ltd., London.
-----------------------------------------------------
Manuscripts for publication, books, etc., for review,
should be sent to the Editor at Englewood,
New Jersey.
-----------------------------------------------------
Advertisements should be sent to the Publishers
at Englewood, New Jersey, or 66 Fifth
avenue, New York City.
-----------------------------------------------------
COPYRIGHTED, 1899, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN.
-----------------------------------------------------
Bird-Lore's Motto:
_A Bird in the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand._
-----------------------------------------------------
At first thought there seemed to be little connection between the
'closet' ornithologist, minutely examining his series of specimens and
describing differences which, to the untrained eye, do not exist, and
the bird-lover in the fields and woods with heart atune to nature's
songsters. But one has only to read Dr. Allen's article on the American
Ornithologists' Union in order to appreciate the close relationship
existing between scientific and popular ornithology. The organization
of the Union brought isolated bird students throughout the country in
touch with the leaders in ornithology and, perhaps, for the first time,
made them aware that there were successors to Wilson and Audubon.
This result was due largely to the work of the Union's Committee
on Migration, which, under the direction of its chairman, Dr. C.
Hart Merriam, sent out thousands of circulars calling for observers
to supply it with data on migration. Circumstances have thus far
permitted the publication of only a small portion of the vast amount of
information secured by this committee, but even if not another word is
set in type, it can be said to have created a new era in the history
of American ornithology. It asked for assistance, but it gave far more
than it received. Its chairman and his superintendents of districts
became, as it were, instructors in ornithology, with pupils in nearly
every state in the Union and throughout Canada. The value of the advice
they gave to students who had been plodding in the dark, prompted only
by an innate love of birds, cannot be overestimated, but we believe it
to be a demonstrable fact that the popularity of bird-study in this
country to-day is due more to the aid and encouragement given students
by the members of the American Ornithologists' Union's Committee on
Migration than to any other influence.
* * * * *
In connection with the publication of a plate of 'Quills to Avoid,'
we would add to Mrs. Wright's plea for the Eagle an appeal for the
preservation of the Brown Pelican. The feathers of this bird are now
worn so commonly--hundreds may be seen in New York City daily--that
every one knowing of the ease with which the bird may be killed and
its comparatively restricted range, must feel that at the present rate
of destruction its early extinction, at least in the United States, is
assured.
From Texas reports come to us of the slaughter of Brown Pelicans in
large numbers, and we have also heard rumors that they are being killed
for their feathers in Florida. If the residents of the last-named
state could be made to realize how infinitely more valuable to them a
live Pelican is than a dead one, we do not for a moment doubt that its
destroyers would speedily receive their deserts.
This apparently ungainly, but in reality singularly graceful bird is
the most picturesque element in the life of Florida's coasts, where its
size and familiarity render it conspicuous to the least observing. To
the tourist it is as much an object of interest as the alligators or
cabbage palms. It is distinctly strange and foreign, and its presence
lends a character to the view given by no other bird in Florida. Its
loss would, therefore, be irreparable, and we appeal to every lover of
Florida to aid in its protection.
=The Audubon Societies=
"_You cannot with a scalpel find the poet's soul,
Nor yet the wild bird's song._"
Edited by Mrs. Mabel Osgood Wright (President of the Audubon Society of
the State of Connecticut), Fairfield, Conn., to whom all communications
relating to the work of the Audubon and other Bird Protective Societies
should be addressed. Reports, etc., designed for this department should
be sent at least one month prior to the date of publication.
DIRECTORY OF STATE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
With names and addresses of their Secretaries.
=New Hampshire= Mrs. F. W. Batchelder, Manchester.
=Massachusetts= Miss Harriet E. Richards, care Boston Society
of Natural History, Boston.
=Rhode Island= Mrs. H. T. Grant, Jr., 187 Bowen street,
Providence.
=Connecticut= Mrs. Henry S. Glover, Fairfield.
=New York= Miss Emma H. Lockwood, 243 West Seventy-fifth
street, New York City.
=New Jersey= Miss Anna Haviland, 53 Sandford Ave.,
Plainfield, N. J.
=Pennsylvania= Mrs. Edward Robins, 114 South Twenty-first
street, Philadelphia.
=District of Columbia= Mrs. John Dewhurst Patten, 3033 P street,
Washington.
=Wheeling, W. Va.= Elizabeth I. Cummins, 1314 Chapline street,
(branch of Penn Society) Wheeling.
=Ohio= Miss Clara Russell, 903 Paradrome street,
Cincinnati.
=Indiana= Amos W. Butler, State House, Indianapolis.
=Illinois= Miss Mary Drummond, Wheaton.
=Iowa= Miss Nellie S. Board, Keokuk.
=Wisconsin= Mrs. George W. Peckham, 646 Marshall street,
Milwaukee.
=Minnesota= Mrs. J. P. Elmer, 314 West Third street,
St. Paul.
=Tennessee= Mrs. C. C. Conner, Ripley.
=Texas= Miss Cecile Seixas, 2008 Thirty-ninth
street, Galveston.
=California= Mrs. George S. Gay, Redlands.
Consistency.
Audubonites may be divided into two classes as regards their attitude
toward the wearing of feathers,--the moderates and the total abstainers.
The moderates hold that they violate none of the interests of bird
protection in its fullest sense by wearing the plumes of game or food
birds, or those of the Ostrich, which is as legitimately raised for its
feathers as a sheep for its wool. In short, they see the necessity of
keeping feather-wearing within conservative bounds, and elect to take
the individual responsibility of so doing.
The total abstainers say: "Let us break ourselves altogether of the
feather wearing habit. We shall be more conspicuously consistent as
bird protectionists, and we shall not be called upon to settle fine
points and follow difficult boundaries. We need not know anything about
plumage, and never have to decide whether the wings used by milliners
are really those of food birds, or the pinions of song birds disguised
with dye. Or if the fearfully manufactured confections are the heads of
real Owls and Parrots twisted out of all semblance to nature, or merely
compounds of Chicken feathers and celluloid." Both of these attitudes
are equally useful to the cause if they are maintained consistently,
but inevitably the way of the total abstainers is the easier of the
two. The total abstainers need not, to quote Hamlet, "know a hawk from
a handsaw." While, in order to be consistent, the moderates must be
bird students of no mean intelligence if they would keep safely on the
exceedingly narrow pathway that divides the feathers that may be, from
those that _must not_ be worn, not alone by Audubonites, but by any
woman who has either sense or sensibility. A pathway? A slack wire is
the better simile, so treacherous is the footing.
What is it that causes the downfall of many of the moderates, who know
the common birds fairly well, and could not be hoodwinked into buying
Egret's plumes or dyed swallow wings?
[Illustration: QUILLS TO AVOID
1. Inner wing quill of Bald Eagle; length, 10-13 inches; brownish
black, more or less white at the base.
2. Outer wing quill of Bald Eagle; length, 15-24 inches; black, often
whitish or brownish at the base, the broader web of the five outer
quills notched, this notch being absent from the remaining quills.
3. Outer wing quill of Brown Pelican; length, 15-17 inches; black,
the quill, or midrib, white for about two-thirds its length.
4. Inner wing quill of Brown Pelican; length, about 10 inches;
blackish brown, the outer margins, particularly of the narrower web,
frosted with silver-gray.
]
You can guess easily, for you have seen the tempter protruding above
and behind the up-to-date outing hat the entire season, and unless you
are unusually lucky it has poked you reproachfully in the eye, as if
calling your attention to its plight.
"The Quill of course!"
Yes, the Quill is the mischief-maker. At its introduction many years
ago, the Quill was at first the harmless feather of a Crow, or a Goose
quill sedate enough to make a pen for a judge. After awhile it took on
dabs of color and even spangles, but all this time it was a good safe
outing and rainy day ornament.
Then a change came, the Quill grew suddenly longer with a curl to its
tip that made one wonder, if natural, how its original wearer had lived
with it. This Quill, however, did not stay well in curl, and less
than a year ago it was displaced by the reigning favorite, a Quill as
aggressively impertinent as any that decks the cap of the operatic
Mephisto, but not half as becoming to the wearer.
Now comes the inconsistency of the moderates. They wear these Quills
blindly, because they have not studied birds thoroughly enough to
distinguish between plumages except when aided by decided color. The
sentence, "It is only a Quill," covers deadly sins of omission. I
have cornered several women who are what might be called aggressive
Audubonites: "Do you know that the notched Quill in your hat is a
pinion of the American Eagle?" "Oh no, you must be mistaken, it surely
is only a Goose, or perhaps a Turkey feather, and besides,"--drawing
herself up with superior wisdom, "Eagles are very rare birds, that fly
so high it is very difficult to shoot them, and I know at least fifty
people who are wearing these Quills."
Rare? yes, pinion of peerless flight! But what bird can fly so high or
find so eery a resting place as to escape the 'desire of the eye' of
fashion? Pause a moment, well-meaning sisters of 'little knowledge.'
Hold a Quill class and lay your outing hats on the dissecting table!
Study out the things you have been wearing, and you will be wiser, and
I hope sadder also, resolving either to join the total abstainers, or
to devote enough time to bird study to be consistent in your actions.
"But," you may say, "We are consistent even now. The Eagle is neither
a song bird, an insect eater, nor a game bird, and from an economic
standpoint it can only be considered as a bird of prey and an eater of
wastage."
Yes, this is all true, and yet, in the higher view of life, the poetic
value of things must take rank with the practical. And what bird
expresses wild grandeur and poetry of motion in so great a degree as
the Eagle? What has Burroughs recently said of it?--"The days on which
I see him are not quite the same as the other days. I think my thoughts
soar a little higher all the rest of the morning; I have had a visit
from a messenger of Jove. The lift or range of those great wings has
passed into my thought."
Pegasus harnessed to a plow or 'Cæsar dead and turned to clay,'
stopping a hole 'to keep the wind away,' would not be a greater misuse
than thus plucking the pinions of our national Bird of Freedom to act
as rudders to women's hats.
M. O. W.
Audubon's Seal
(From a granddaughter of Audubon)
[Illustration: AMERICA MY COUNTRY]
Audubon's seal was made from a pen-and-ink sketch of the Wild Turkey,
being the portrait of a bird weighing forty pounds. The painting from
which the seal was reduced measured about thirty-six by twenty-eight
inches. A lady friend in Liverpool having seen the painting, was
talking, with others, to Audubon about it, and said to him, "Now you
ought to have this Turkey for your coat-of-arms." Audubon said that he
was too much of an American to use a crest, or coat-of-arms, but that
the picture could be easily reduced to the size of a fob seal, then all
the fashion for gentlemen's watch chains. Some surprise was expressed
by the company present at this statement, particularly by the "Lady
Rathbone," as Audubon was want to call her. No more was said then,
but in due time a tiny pen-and-ink sketch, perfect in every detail,
with the motto, "America my Country," was sent to Mme. Rathbone, with
Audubon's signature and compliments. Not long after, Audubon received,
to his amazement, a beautiful fob seal, cut in topaz, which he wore on
his watch chain as long as he lived. It is now a valued possession held
by his family. The accompanying cut is made from a die of this seal,
and exactly reproduces it in size, etc.--D. T. A. Tyler.
Report of the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia
For the District of Columbia the Secretary has a most encouraging
report.
On Saturday, March 25, a very successful exhibit of spring millinery
was given at the Hotel Corcoran, the ladies' parlors being kindly
loaned for the occasion. About 300 women attended the exhibit in
spite of a pouring rain, lasting the whole afternoon. Quite a number
of bonnets and hats were sold, and every person attending left well
supplied with Audubon literature.
In April, a free lecture by Mr. Henry Olds, entitled "Some Familiar
Birds," was given at the First Baptist church, which was also
kindly loaned for this most interesting talk. The lecture was fully
illustrated by colored lantern slides, and was made doubly entertaining
by Mr. Olds' clever imitations of the notes of the various birds
explained. About 400 persons attended this lecture.
The Rev. Mr. Leasitt explained the aim and objects of the Audubon
Society, Dr. C. Hart Merriam introducing the lecturer in the
unavoidable absence of the President of the Society, Surgeon General
George M. Sternberg. Audubon literature was again distributed, and some
copies of Mrs. L. W. Maynard's valuable book 'Birds of Washington and
Vicinity,' were sold.
The Audubon Society has started an Audubon collection of books in the
new Free Library. This collection is designed primarily to be books of
reference, large and expensive works, more especially for the use of
teachers.
For the work in the public schools, Dr. T. S. Palmer and Miss Elizabeth
V. Brown have been untiring and most successful. In the spring of 1898,
two classes were arranged, one for teachers in the Normal School, in
charge of Dr. Palmer, and one for teachers in the Second and Fourth
grades, in the hands of Mr. H. C. Oberholser. The classes were limited
to 12 members each, and work extended over ten weeks in 1898-9.
Specimens were kindly loaned by the Biological Survey, and the classes
were enabled to handle, compare, and identify skins of 175 species of
the 290 birds recorded for the vicinity of Washington. These specimens
included nearly all the land birds from this vicinity. Hints were given
concerning the classification of birds, the characters of the principal
groups, and the use of keys.
Short talks were also given on especially interesting topics, such as
the 'Relation of Birds to other Vertebrates,' 'Feathers and Feather
Structure,' 'Flight,' 'Migration,' 'Food,' and 'Nesting Habits.'
The Society this spring purchased 1,000 Audubon buttons from the
Society of the State of Wisconsin, Miss Elizabeth V. Brown taking
charge of their sale. A large number were sold to children in and
outside the schools, and while not strictly members of the Society,
they became more interested in the birds through the wearing of this
attractive button.
Miss Florence A. Merriam has given several valuable talks this past
spring, notably one at the Washington Club, before an audience of about
200 women, which created great enthusiasm and brought the Society an
increase in membership. The Secretary has been untiringly busy in
trying to get societies organized in the South and in some western
states.
Jeanie Maury Patten, _Sec'y._
ANNOUNCEMENT
------------
The Child Life Readers
BY
ETTA AUSTIN BLAISDELL
Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Brockton, Mass.
I. CHILD LIFE--
A First Reader Price, 25 cts.
II. CHILD LIFE IN TALE AND FABLE--
A Second Reader Price, 35 cts.
III. CHILD LIFE IN MANY LANDS--
A Third Reader In preparation
IV. CHILD LIFE IN LITERATURE--
A Fourth Reader In preparation
The central idea of these books is to _hold the child's interest_
by giving him reading matter (profusely illustrated) that he _can
understand and enjoy_. The lessons, therefore, relate exclusively to
_child life_.
The First and Second Readers have _easier reading-matter_ and _more
of it_ than do most of the other readers now available for first and
second year. They have been graded with the utmost care.
These books, beginning with the Second Reader, have been planned as
an _introduction to literature_. The subject-matter, therefore, is
confined to material of _recognized literary value_.
The aim of the publishers has been to produce _an artistic set of
Readers_ that shall be mechanically as nearly perfect as possible.
As a unique feature in binding, they would call attention to the
_covers, which are water-proof_, and can be cleansed, when soiled by
constant handling, without injury to the book.
Recent Publications on Nature Study
=Bailey's Lessons With Plants.= $1.10 _net_
Suggestions for Seeing and Interpreting some
of the Common Forms of Vegetation.
=Bailey's First Lessons with Plants.= 40 cts. _net_
"Extremely original and unusually practical."
=Harding's The Liquefaction of Gases. Its Rise
and Development.= $1.50
Complete and scientific, in a popular style.
=Ingersoll's Wild Neighbors.= $1.50
"Instructive as well as delightful."--_Popular
Science Monthly._
=Jackman's Nature Study for Grammar Grades.= $1 _net_
Proposes a few of the problems within the
comprehension of grammar school pupils, which
arise in a thoughtful study of nature, with
suggestions for their solution.