The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-03

of some Of these same birds. Indeed the eeg.
! Of some common birds of the present gay na NV
never been found. and IL Is unlikely tha. .nSs
ever will be had. There Il the room smiTT
Mayfeld, the famous biologist Ut HTmlngnamm ~,
England, kept a man going up and u"wr EAR
coast Of labrador for weeks one fall a rev years
H RS' pI Mps sT IN TO Sai Es' f Z sG BIRD IS known by
! thousands Of people, but breeds far norm ano
so remote from any civilization that u" : the
tifc observer can ever eet 10 nn ~ wing I he
fripnte bird, that Is so commonly s,,asan S ~ such
on the Pacific and on the West lnn,es, Sh
a solitary bird and Is so seldom IN NS ", rnre
ing hours OF daylight that its eggs are rauhr,
Many fine collections of eggs, even sohrm i,
Western States. lack a frigate. blrds sgH, =.
seems strange, but the eggs Of so we,,hmowu
n bird as the Sandpipe-, seen In nearly eveIS
state in the Union and in all parts q nnslhS how
and Scotland. are unknown, No one kn9wsnpw
much money u fortunate finder Of shnnpipett
things are without price 4 few Englishmen
have pretended to find nests oi Sanup', ~,
put they never, ret any eggs 20 pon ndniners
occupy any old deserted nest, and there
fore cannot he traced. The eggs OF Two or lnuee
varieties of owls are very Val,laDit' oe'au,
these birds are too crafty to nest ana Jay rst9
where man. Is going to come PROVING arouihu a
The eggs OF the pigmr owl, 80 common ~ ,me
Southwest, especially in Texas, are worm ~,
each any day in n city where there 1re mp-'oIuavv
biologists, know n man who sofa seven plsInS
owl eggs nj one time In New Orleans ior 800.
There are three varieties of humnlne piroS w
california; and MeNico whose eggs are UNKNOWN.
The guIllemot that focks in countless nunoe,s
In the North Seas Is So s%ecretive about rs nest
ing places that there are less than 1901 MS eggs
~ all the collections of the world. The egg o.
the white gyrfalcon OF Greenland 5 cohs' Is
rare. while the birds are very common J nave
known such eggs 10 sell for 500 each, II may bea
surprise to bird hunters to know that the eggs
Of the commonly hunted plover OF autumhai
days pre worth a. cppb
"A peculiar fact in collecting birds eggs is
the wide difference in value OF eggs OF lhe same
Sami,y, of, of B SI nd For Instant soms ssw tHere eggs rs sne
worth but a few cents each, and Others find a
ready sale at ~, s.. and 81 each. II makes 2
500 bill look dilapida,cd TO buy : Gomp, st s :,
of even Western hawks eggs. vhlle 2 t,ll SCI
of all known hawks egg. cost WARD o. sNs,
The eggs of a marsh hawk. a red-backed hawk
and 4 cooper hawk may h" BOUGHT !"r 2ncennSS
each, and the broad winged hawk eggs will
bring - each the world over. liie eggs 81
Swain>on's hawk and the buN-breasted hawk
are worth $3.50 each.
Some biologists devote themselves 10 collect
inF for themselves egg Of a certain bird family,
only. There are probably more collectors oil
cumming birds eggs than of any, other variety
7 know several Frenchmpn and Germans who
have been all over the world and have spent n
lot of money and several years solely 10 nave me
most complete collection of humming BIRDS
eggs, and to be known as AUTHORIZES among
biologists concerning humming birds. But 50
far there j. not n comrlete collection OF the eggs
of the wonderful and beautiful little creatures.
and doubt If there over will be. The eggs OF
the lue-winged humming bird Of the AZORES are
worth $40 ariece, They are the size OF burkshot.
There are two varieties Of humning birds in
Venezuela that Law eggs worth 81? each. The
common broqd-tailed cumming birds eggSof
California sell for az each. 4 half dozen varie-
ties Of hummlng birds in the United States lay
eggs worth 81 and IS cents each.
There are n few private collections NJ birds
eggs that comrrise IL, 100 and 1900 eggs. Inc
passion for egg collecting is an expensive one.
unless the man does his own collecting ard then
trades his duplicate with other egg collectors
who have duplicates. The oOlogiSt declares
that his fondncss for egg collecting is nota lad,
because an egg collector must have S~clentl1c
knowledge and n fondness for nature and Scier.
tlnc classification. The birds must be studied
in their haunts' bird literature, of which there Is
no lack, must be delved into 10 sunuly proper
Identification. Like John Muir. Thorean, or
other nhilos ophers Of the woods If they do not
find birds or eggs. or fruit or nuts. they find
wisdom and they find health. Differing from
birds. eggs do not always carry their IDENTITY,
and the knowledge and accuracy Of the col.
lector must he derended uron. with many OF
the species of hawks and callinaCeous birds II Is
often IMPOSSIBLE even for an eNpert IN name INC
eggs without having sopn the bird or AZ least the
nest. for all birds have their pecul az. method or
building. use certain materinlS and select nesting
sites known TO the collector who has mace n
study of the ieathered creation