APR 10 Ans'd

 

My dear Mr. Bruner,

I think it mighty kind of you to furnish me so speedily the information I am seeking. I have in my story most that you say of the gulls. It is the hawk question on which I want to seek light. I do not think the birds I saw were Swainson's hawks, but good "old-fashioned," chicken hawks. They were larger than Swainsons and their breasts almost white with black irregular markings.

It was on the afternoon of the second Sabbath of October, what I was told was one of Nebraska's worst winds, was raging. The birds came sweeping down from the North and hung like a cloud in the sky above three hills, as if unable to proceed further in the face of the wind. Then they settled over a freshly cut 1,000 acre field of alfalfa and began on the grasshoppers which were just coming to the surface to seek fresh, growing food. I can't tell you what a picture they made. I drove about beneath them on the hills and among them over the fields and tried to the extent of my magazine to photograph them, but there were clouds, the wind raged beyond any experience of mine, I had only a small and fixed focus camera that I had carried off the cars at noon that day and I could not get them. I went out early the following morning with a telephoto and all necessaries and saw three smaller hawks with darker breasts that I took to be Swainsons. The flock I saw evidently were in migration.

I wish to call your attention to my next book, What I Have Done With Birds, beginning serially in the April Ladies Home Journal. When we arranged this series Mr. Bok said to me, "I will publish these six installments, as a feeler, and if people like them and will let me know they like them I will give you a department in the Journal and you can keep it up so long as you have illustration." Mr. Bok claims for the Journal 1,350,000 subscribers which he estimates to mean 6,760,000 readers. It would hit the biggest audience of our best people possible to reach at one stroke, if I could start this department. Won't you please look at this illustraiton and read the article, and if you consider it sane, natural, nature work, won't you please send Mr. Bok a line in your official capacity, saying so, and encourage all others you can to do the same, without, of course saying that I asked you to.

Faithfully yours,

Gene Stratton Porter.

James M. Pierce President and Business Manager

Frank Dunning Vice President

Dante M. Pierce Secretary

 

The Iowa Homestead A Western Farm Journal

Established 1855.

Homestead Co. Publishers.

An Independent Agricultural and Family Weekly.

 

Des Moines, Iowa Apr. 6, 1905.

Apr 7 Ans'd

 

Prof. Lawrence Bruner,

Lincoln, Neb.

DEAR SIR:---Your communication at hand, together with photograph, for which you will please accept thanks. These will appear in an early issue of The Homestead.

 

I have been quite interested in special bulletin from your department No. 3, entitled, "A Plea for the Protection of Our Birds." We are publishing a monthly paper, The Farm Gazette, copy of which I send you today, and it has occurred to me that a summary of this press bulletin would make interesting material for this paper. If you have the cut from which the print was made on the front page of this leaflet I shall consider it a favor if you will kindly furnish it. It will be returned to you in good condition after being used in the April issue. Thanking you in advance, I am, Very truly yours, Jas. Atkinson Editor Homestead. DEAR SIR:---Your communication at hand, together with photograph, for which you will please accept thanks. These will appear in an early issue of The Homestead. I have been quite interested in special bulletin from your department No. 3, entitled, "A Plea for the Protection of Our Birds." We are publishing a monthly paper, The Farm Gazette, copy of which I send you today, and it has occurred to me that a summary of this press bulletin would make interesting material for this paper. If you have a cut from which the print was made on the front page of this leaflet I shall consider it a favor if you will kindly furnish it. It will be returned to you in good condition after being used in the April issue.

 

Thanking you in advance, I am,

Very truly yours, Jas Atkinson

Editor Homestead.

The Montana Agricultural

Experiment Station

Bozeman, Mont.

Department of Entomology

R.A. Cooley, Entomologist State Entomologist

April 18 Ans'd

April 11, 1905

 

Prof. Lawrence Bruner,

     University of Nebraska,

          Lincoln, Nebraska.

 

Dear Prof. Bruner:

     I thank you for your attention to the matter of securing someone to help me in my work on birds. The party in Nebraska has opened correspondence with me.

     Yours very truly,

           R. A. Cooley

1905, March 21

Lincoln, Nebr., Apr. 11, 1905.

Chief Deputy Game Warden,

City.

My Dear Sir:-

      Will you kindly issue collecting permits for scientific purposes to the following named persons and charge the same to the Department of Entomology and Ornithology of the University of Nebraska.

Lawrence Bruner-Lincoln.

Robt. H. Wolcott- Lincoln.

Myron H. Swenk- Lincoln.

August Eiche- Lincoln.

 

J. M. Bates- Red Cloud.

     

Yours very truly,

Springfield Public Schools

J. H. Collins, Supt

. Springfield, Illinois

 

April 12, 1905.

MAY 3 Ans'd

 

Prof. Lawrence Bruner,

     Lincoln, Nebraska.

Dear Sir:-

     I was recently discussing "birds" with a gentleman who said that you believed that the so-called "Jack-o'-lantern", or "Will-o'the wisp", was caused by a specie of heron that frequented swampy districts. This explanation of that mystery appealed to me as a reasonable explanation of certain movable lights seen at night where I lived as a boy. I shall be glad to hear from you on this subject, as I occasionally speak on the subject of birds. I shall not quote you without your permission. Hoping to hear from you as soon as you can conveniently write me, I am

    Very truly yours

         J. H. Collins

Call attention to Holden's book on Lights in Nature - also the peculiar fluffy feather patches of Herons.

 1905, May 3

Nebraska Ornithologists Union.

Office of the President. Wilson Tout, Dunbar, 

President.

Miss Agnes Dawson, Omaha, V. Pres.

Miss Anna Caldwell, Lincoln, Cor. Sec.

Myron H. Swenk, Lincoln, Rec. Sec.

F. H. Shoemaker, Omaha, Treas.

Prof. Lawrence Bruner, Lincoln

Dr. Rob't H. Walcott, Lincoln

August Eiche, Lincoln

Ex. Com.

 

Dunbar Nebr. Apl 25 1905.

APR 27 Ans'd

Prof. L. Bruner.

    Lincoln

Dear Sir

     Jones goes East in two weeks and we want the Field meet here for Fri. and Sat. May 5 and 6. That will be just before he goes. Let me know right off it this can be.

     

Very truly

        Wilson Tout

Personally I think we had better announce the meeting anyway - Even if only you, Swenk, Lowry, and three or four others from here attend the people at Dunbar will be satisfied and it will do good there - then try and work up a crowd from Omaha. But Swenk should send out notice today if possible - Wolcott

American Museum of Natural History

77th Street and Central Park West

F. M. C. Department of Mammalogy and Ornithology

New York, April 28, 1905.

MAY 9 Ans'd

Prof. Lawrence Bruner,

University of Nebraska, 

Lincoln, Nebraska.

My dear Professor Bruner:-

I expect to leave New York tonight with two assistants to gather material and make field studies for our proposed group of Prairie Hens, and of other western birds. We shall stop in Chicago to visit the Field Museum and shall reach Lincoln on Tuesday next. I will look you up, and hope I may secure from you information which will lead to the desired results. Anticipating the pleasure of meeting you again,

I am

Sincerely yours,

Frans. M. Chapman