The Press., 1918-10-17
A Study in Monogarny
 ~(D
 By JANE OSBORNE
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure NSwspa-
 per 9Yndic&ts.)

old uncle, James Devridge, told him in his blunt, quaint way that he was strongly of the opinion that he-Philip was a lazy, lOaf1ng, worthless speci- men of humanity, and utterly un- worthy of being James Devridge's sole heir, as had been that distinguished mans original intentions.
 On the charge of never having done anything in life that he had not been made to do, Philip mentioned the fact, not at all bOastfully but only in self defense, that he had brought down various prizes for his amateur phO- tOgraphy.
 ''Yes, but what value has 1t been pictures of pretty girls and herses or something of that sort" muttered the old scientist. If you could get photo graphs of birds that would do to illus trate this book I've been working over, they might count for something"
 "Give me a chance" challenged the nephew. What sort of pictures do you want?"
 Read the mRnusCFipt and find Out," was the uncle's answer. "The 
 among the birds of eastern North America. It Is not popular work at all. doubt if you can make head or tail of 1t. It requires scientific point of view, and that you don't possess"
 "III try it," said the nephew, and the day after work at college was over he started off to a little cabin in the northern mountain country of New England, where his unde had in years past done considerable observation of bird life. there to get the photographs the uncle had assured him he couldn't get. Philip was perfectly confident of his lenses and his cameras and his photography. The thing that troubled him was knowing what sort of pie lures to take. For the first three days of his stay in the woods country he read the duplicate manuscript his uncle had gwen him, Frankly he was not very much encouraged.
 Then he yearned for a letup of his solitude, and with characteristic blunt ness asked the old cOuntTyman who drove the stage that passed his door twice a day whether there were any nice girls in the neighbOrhoOd. There is only one gOod-loOker," said the old man, who seemed to have made care full observations, land she's queer. You wouldn't like her and she wouldn't have anything to do with you, neither. She lives alQne in tAe summer in shack in the woods next to yours. She's awful queer. But she do be good looking" .*j
 Flows she queerW Queried Philip.
 Powerful Queer-that's how queer. She sometimes sets whole day at a time under a bush in the gully, and one day seen her setting way up in the tip-tOp of a tree. We'll, she was there when I went down in the morning and still there when I come home in the afternoon. Don't know how she got there, but there she was. And she goes around with opera glasses. just as if she thought there was a show going on, and she whistles and chirrups to herself, and-welI, there's no doubt but she's Queer," concluded the old man with a significant tapping of the side of his own head, as if to indicate where the weakness lay,
 Philip needed no further proof. He believed the old man had exaggerated the matter, but he had no doubt of the young woman's dementia. One day while still reading his uncle'S manu- script, hoping to find a clue as to what his photographs should be-he saw the strange young lady, sitting not in the top of one of her own trees, but in the top of one of the trees very near from the safety of his shack and then assuming a perfectly confident air and a cheerful whistle, Ventured out and began to walk lOiSily about the tree,
 "Oh, please tread softly" said the strange young lady. ''I think they are settling here in this tree, If you dis turb them they may go off again, Please go away, won't yOu2" Philip withdrew and did not return till later in the day. when the young lady de- scsnded very quietly.
 ''I think they are located" she told him. "They are in the next tree-twO thrushes. I watched them in my own trees and then they came over here. can watch them beautifully from this other tree that was sitting in. hope you don't nina" just those thrushes?" he asked her, and she told him that if he would let l her stay and eat lunch with him in his l shack instead of having to tramp back l the half mile to her own, she would | take time to tell him. It was in his | little cabin dining room over 8 rustic | sort of luncheon that Philip prepared | for them-cOfreO, smoky of aroma. but | delicious to the appetite, sharpened by | woods air, sliced ham, dry biscuits and cheese-that the girl explained.
 "Well, you see, I am making a study of mOnOgamy among birds-that is, want to get 6 little data that will be of some value in Establishing the fact | that thrushes either are or are not mOnOgamOus-thae is, that they do or don't mate for life. Last year I worked hard all summer. I studied the birds from the tree tops and from under the hedges. No one knows how long sat silently SO as not to disturb them, and I trapped some of them long enough to fasten little bracelets on their ankles. knew that If the same birds came back to these trees this year and mated with the same mates, then I would have some slnal; fact to to this great study. And now two of the birds with my brace lets have ome back and I think they are the mates of last year. Once they get settled for nesting I can get closer to them and find out. You know, James Devridge, the greatest of all bird students and one of the greatest scientists of the day, has made a spe- cial study of this. I read everything he writes, and I heard him lecture once. He said that he didn't have anywhere near enough data on the subject of 1nonogamy and that anyone