316 Proceedings of Indiana Academy of Science. 



made a small collection of nests and eggs, which doubtless would have 

 grown to considerable size and value if the boys had lived, but they 

 both died while yet in their teens. The other two brothers also were good 

 observers and I am indebted to them, particularly to Sidney, for many 

 records of rare or uncommon birds noted. Frank C. Porter, a cousin of 

 the Sterling boys, and living on a farm near them, also was interested in 

 birds and contributed many observations of value. I spent many a day 

 pleasantly with these boys hunting in the Deer Creek bottoms. My nephew, 

 Edwin C. Evermann, of Burlington, another promising young naturalist who 

 died while yet a. boy in 1888, made a small collection of bird eggs which is 

 now in the Museum of the California Academy of Sciences. Two other 

 Burlington boys who showed some interest in birds were the brothers, 

 William and Dalton Wright now of Los Angeles, California. Still others 

 who have communicated to me observations or data of value, or specimens, 

 may be named : D. C. Ridgley, now professor of geography in the state 

 normal school at Normal, Illinois ; Harry C. A'an Der Volgen of west of 

 Pittsbvu-g; James Milton Beck (my brother-in-law), of Burlington ; Miss Ava 

 Evermann (my niece), then of Burlington, now of Kokomo ; and Frank C. 

 Groninger, one of our students at Camden, now a prominent lawyer of 

 Indianapolis. And recently my young great nephew. Donovan Beck of Bur- 

 lington, has sent me notes and specimens. 



Favorite collecting places about Camden wore the following: Along Deer 

 Creek in the woods from the Vandalia railroad to Leonard's mill, a distance 

 of two or three miles; the woods and hillside thicket at the southeast edge 

 of Camden ; the Deer Creek bottoms from Camden to below the Porter mill, 

 a distance of perhaps three miles ; along the lower course of Bachelor Run ; 

 in the heavy forest on the AVise farm southwest of Camden ; on and about 

 the Wm. R. Stewart farm southwest of Camden ; in the open woods just 

 north of the Frank Thomas farm south of town ; in the woods northwest 

 and north of the town ; and about the Armstrong pond at the south edge 

 of Camden. 



The localities about Burlington most frequented were the following: My 

 father's farm and the farms adjoining it. about a mile south of town ; along 

 Wild Cat Creek from a mile below Burlington to the dam about the same 

 distance above town : and the Maple Swamp near Lexington. Many ob- 

 servations were made also along the road between Camden and Delphi and 

 along the Wabash River near Delphi. 



Monroe Covxty. 



From August, 1881, to March. 1883. and again from July. 1885, to July, 

 1886, while students in Indiana University, we devoted much of our spare 

 time to the birds of Monroe County, particularly of the region within a 

 radius of 15 or 20 miles of Bloomington. During those years our pleasure 

 and enthusiasm in ornithological studies were increased through associa- 

 tion with several other students of kindred tastes. Among these may be 

 mentioned the following : Willis S. Blatchley, afterward teacher of biology 

 in the Terre Haute high school and later the able State Geologist of Indiana 

 for many years: Charles H. Bollman. a very promising young naturalist 

 interested chiefly in myriopods but also deeply interested in birds and fishes, 



