CORRESPONDENCE 263 



turned his attention to natural history and in 18G7-G9 

 was zoologist to the United States exploring expedi- 

 tion of the Fortieth Parallel of which the late Clarence 

 King was chief. For the past twenty-three j^ears or 

 since his first appointment to the position in 1880, Mr, 

 Ridgway has been curator of the department of orni- 

 thology in the United States National Museum of the 

 Smithsonian Institution. He was one of the founders 

 of the American Ornithologists Union and is an hon- 

 orary member of several foreign scientific societies, 

 among them of the Zoological Society of lyondon. His 

 writings upon ornithological subjects have been numer- 

 ous and important. With Prof. Baird and Dr. T. M. 

 Brewer he was the author of that monumental work, 

 A History of North American Birds, in five volumes. 

 He is also sole author of A Manual of North American 

 Birds ; A Nomenclature of Colors for Naturalists ; The 

 Ornithology of Illinois, in two volumes, together with 

 more than three hundred and fifty scientific papers pub- 

 lished either separately or in transactions and proceed- 

 ings of learned societies, most of them upon subjects 

 connected with bird life. A great work upon which 

 he is now engaged is : The Birds of North and Middle 

 America, the publication of which is being carried 

 forward by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, 

 D. C. Two volumes, only, have appeared, 1901-1902, 

 of 748 and 854 pages, respectively ; while it is expected 

 that eight volumes will be required to complete the 

 work. 



Mr. Ridgway writes Mr. Boardman, April 20, 1871, 

 sending him a copy of his treatise on the Falconidae and 

 asking for the entire heads of each species of- owl that he 



