THE OOLOGIST 



John Farwell Ferry. 



"Good afternoon : are you connect- 

 ed with this Institution?" 



"Yes sir; is there anything I can do 

 for you?" 



A number of years ago in August, 

 the writer was leaning over the dis- 

 ply case of North American birds eggs 

 in the Field Museum of Natural His- 

 tory in Chicago, when a tall athletic 

 appearing young man of studious mein 

 passed. Addressing the above words 

 to him, a kind voice replied as above. 

 That was the commencement of the 

 friendship long existing between Mr. 

 Ferry and the present editor of THE 

 OOLOGIST. 



Mr. Ferry died in Chicago at St. 

 Luke's Hospital on the 11th day of 

 February, 1910, of acute pneumonia, af- 

 ter but a few days illness. He was 

 born October 12, 1877 and graduated 

 from Yale in 1901, ranking well to- 

 ward the top of his class. 



At different p ■.-: ds of his life, he 

 was connected with the Smithsonian 

 Institution at Washington, the Field 

 Museum of Natural History at Chi- 

 cago, and the United States Biologi- 

 cal Survey at Washington; doing 

 field work for these institutions as a 

 matter of choice. This he chose in 

 lieu of a life of trade. He sought the 

 green fields and bubbling brooks, for 

 every day associates, rather than the 

 huge ledgers and bustle of the office of 

 a great commercial institution. 



He was a grandson of the late John 

 V. Farwell, one of the merchant prin- 

 ces of Chicago, and h^ hi:.^. flowed the 

 same sturdy Scotch blood that made 

 for success in his grandfather, in ev- 

 ery undertaking in which he engaged. 



Mr. Ferry was religious by instinct, 

 and always championed the side of 

 right regardless of popular opinion, 

 or present policy. During his exper- 

 ience in the field, he visited the moun- 



tains of California, the deserts of Ari- 

 zona, the Island of Porto Rica, the 

 Isthmus of Panama, the Saskatche- 

 wan Country of Canada, and the is- 

 lands of the Carribean Sea, lying oil 

 the Northeast coast of South America. 

 In the latter islands visiting places 

 never before visited by white man, and 

 discovering birds never before scienti- 

 fically described by man, and thereby 

 added to the known list of birds of 

 that vicinity and materially. 



The writer was with Mr. Ferry for 

 thirty days in the Saskatchewan 

 country in Canada in the Spring of 

 1909. The close association of camp 

 life revealed to me the many lovable 

 characteristics with which he was en- 

 dowed. A more ardent scientist could 

 not be found. A more careful or ac- 

 curate collector and observer is sel- 

 dom seen. A more energetic person 

 would indeed be a novelty. Many times 

 while resting myself, after a hard days 

 work in Canada and noting that my 

 friend Ferry was still busy at someth- 

 ing, perhaps way into the night — and 

 sometimes he worked until two o'clock 

 — I would chide him for attempting to 

 do too much, or working too long. 



Another thing that impressed me 

 much was the great regard that Mr. 

 Ferry had for his mother, and the 

 great amount of credit he gave his 

 mother for his scientific success. 

 Many, many times he told me of the 

 interest his mother took in his work, 

 and of the assistance she had been to 

 him therein; more than once announc- 

 ing with almost boyish pride, "Moth- 

 er can make as good a bird skin as I 

 can." 



The family has lost, American Orni- 

 thology has lost, and we have all lost 

 one who deserved the highest respect 

 and sincere admiration as a citizen, a 

 scientist and a friend. 



Editor. 



