Great Nebraska

Naturalists and Scientists

NOU, Robert Wolcott, Letter, 1904, June 10

University of Missouri
Zoological Laboratory

George Lefevre
Winterton C. Curtis

Columbia, Missouri, June 10, 1904.

My dear Bruner
Proof received promptly and forwarded to Klopp-Bartlett Co. Most of changes I had to make need no discussion; but am glad to have had the proof. For speckled as it was when I got it, I found a lot of errors you had overlooked – so many I counted them, and found 11 misspellings, 48 errors in punctuation, 10 in capitalization, 9 in style of type, and 2 in arrangement of matter. Of all these there could be no question, and some were very apparent, as Illinos, Machrochires, Pahsianidae (instead of Pha), &c., which simply shows how easy it is to overlook such things and how desirable for more than one to read proof.

As to other changes, there may be some question. You cut out the hyphens in “wing-coverts” and “tail-coverts,” and in breast-band” and “crown-line” in some places and not in others. I looked up carefully in both the Century and Standard Dictionaries and it seemed clearly to be in accord with both to retain the hyphen, though I believe to omit it would also be correct. Since it made less proof-changes I fixed up the proof to leave it in.

 

 

 

You corrected the spelling of the specific name of the Osprey to “haliaaetus” – I can only find “haliaetus.”

So far have this list of birds:

1. Dove.
2. Quail.
3. Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
4. Kingfisher.
5. Red-tailed Hawk.
6. Yellow-shafted Flicker.
7. Red-bellied Woodpecker.
8. Red-headed Woodpecker.
9. Hairy Woodpecker.
10. Downy Woodpecker.
11. Screech owl.
12. Chimney Swift.
13. Kingbird.
14. Wood Pewee.
15. Phoebe.
16. Prairie Horned Lark.
17. Crow.
18. Bluejay.
19. Meadow Lark.
20. Orchard Oriole.
21. Baltimore Oriole.
22. Bronzed Grackle.
23. Cowbirds.
24. Chipping Sparrow.
25. Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
26. Cardinal.
27. Dicksissel.
28. Grasshopper Sparrow.
29. Field Sparrow.
30. Indigo bird.
31. Barn Swallow.
32. Purple Martin.
33. Yellow Warbler.
34. Sycamore Warbler
35. Northern Yellowthroat.
36. Yellow-breasted chat.
37. Kentucky Warbler.
38. Louisiana Water Thrush
39. Catbird.
40. Brown thrasher.
41. House Wren.
42. Chickadee.
43. Tufted Titmouse.
44. White-breasted Nuthatch
45. Woodthrush
46. Robin
47. Bluebird.
48. Wrabling vireo.

The omissions re more striking than the species included. No water or shore birds. Weather fine -, insects numerous – but work keeps me pretty busy.
With my sincere regards –
Yours—
Robt. H. Wolcott