THE OSPREY. 



137 



i8g8; preliminary plans of nine of the principal 

 buildings, prepared and submitted for criticism of 

 several American and European Zoological garden 

 specialists ; and an increase of the societies member- 

 ship from ii8 to 600 active members. It is also stated 

 that the collections and animal buildings to be pre- 

 sented to the City of New York by the society, are 

 to cost not less than $250,000, and that the City of 

 New York has been authorized by the State Legisla- 

 ture to issue bonds to the amount of $125,000 for the 

 purpose of meeting the cost of the ground improve- 

 ments that are necessary to enable the public to 

 utilize and enjoy the park. 



Besides the publication of the business reports of the 

 society the publication contains three noteworthy ar- 

 ticles. Of these the first in order of appearance is the 

 "London Zoological Society and its Gardens', which 

 describes the famous ' Zoo ' and its management as an 

 object lesson for New York. Mr. Hornaday has made 

 this article interesting as general literature, and well 

 illustrated it with photographs and a plan of the gar- 

 dens. He speaks pertinently of zoological gardens in 

 general and of what the New York gardens will mean 

 to New York City. 



A feature of great importance that is proposed for 

 the Park is a school of animal paintings sculpture. 

 This subject is practically handled by Ernest Seton 

 Thompson with his characteristic enthusiasm. Mr. 

 Thompson says: "The time has come for a great 

 art school for studying animals." Mr. Hornaday has 

 already made provisions for a number of studios in 

 several of the principal buildings, and a gallery for 

 exhibition of animal paintings and statuary will be 

 situated in the administration building. 



The next article will command the most earnest 

 attention of bird-lovers; it is entitled 'The De- 

 struction of our Birds and Mammals : A Keport on 

 the Results of aninquir). ' In the limited space of 

 this department we feel that the subject cannot be 

 treated at a sufficient length to do justice to Mr. 

 Hornaday's inquiry and report, which gives extensive 

 results on this important subject, so the matter will 

 be taken up in a future number. 



We should not omit to express our admiration of 

 the five beautiful photographic views showing the 

 native wildness and scenic features of the park. 

 There are also two maps ; one showing the location 

 of the park in New York City, the other a large 

 colored final plan for the development of the park. 

 This excellent report will be a profitable advertise- 

 ment for the society It is believed by many fore- 

 most zoological authorities that in time, with the 

 efficient management of the able director, the new 

 park will become the leading zoological park of the 

 world.— W. A. J. 



In Brush, Sedge, and Stubble. A Picture Book 

 of the Shooting-fields and Feathered Game of North 

 America. By />7c'/i^'-//^ W. Huiiti)i;ylon. "Better to 

 hunt in fields for health unbought. Than fee the 

 Doctor for a nauceous draught." — Epistle to Dryden. 

 Cincinnati : The Sportsman's Society, 1898. Part 

 One, $1.00. 



'In Brush, Sedge, and Stubble,' of which this 

 ■part one' is a first installment, promises to be truly 

 magnificient both as an art-book and as a work for 

 sportsmen on the American game birds by a leader 

 of sportsmen and one who appreciates his field in its 

 noblest and grandest sense. The artist nimrod has 

 spent many years in the preparation of the work, 

 and has traveled from one end of the continent 

 to the other with gun, color-box, and camera The 

 monographs are written from the sportsman's point 

 of view, with a preference for the pictureque 

 rather than the scientific, though the technical des- 



sciptions given will enable the identification of birds 

 that are the legitimate object of sport. 



The work will be issued in 25 parts, which are to 

 be sold at the subscription price of $1.00 each The 

 first two parts will be devoted to the Grouse of the open 

 country, followed by two parts on the Grouse of 

 the woods ; the Turkeys and Pheasants will have one 

 part ; the Bob-white, alone, one part ; the California 

 Quail and the Quail of the Southwest, each one 

 part ; and soon through the game birds, completing 

 the 25 parts The work will contain twenty-five 

 full-page pictures in colors, twenty-five full-page 

 studies of game birds, and over three hundred text 

 illustrations. The pages are about 12x16 inches in 

 size, and are of heavy enameled paper 



In 'part one' there are 16 pages and two full- 

 page plates, all inserted loose in a heavy rough-paper 

 cover The first plate is a photographic study com- 

 paring the Sage Grouse and Prairie or Pinnated 

 Grouse. The second is a beautiful color reproduc- 

 tion of a painting by H. F. Farney, artistically 

 mounted on a gray board ; on the tissue-paper fly-leaf 

 of which is printed the title, 'Ptarmigan Shooting,' 

 and, apposite to the picture of the resting hunter with 

 his Indian guide and dogs in the snowy mountain 

 peaks, this is quoted : "The sportsman who climbs 

 the highest peaks of the Rocky Mountains, far above 

 the timber line, in pursuit of the Ptarmigans, usually 

 obtains a magnificient view, — oftimes nothing more." 

 Following the introduction to 'The Grouse of the 

 Open Country,' the Sage Grouse and Prairie Short- 

 tailed Grouse are interestingly treated by Mr. Hunt- 

 ington, with many beautiful text illustrations, mostly 

 by the author, who shows himself to be an accom- 

 plished artist 



The present writer is pleased to state that a second 

 illustrated article by Mr Huntington will appear in 

 an early number of The Ohprev, — W. A. J. 



Report of the Building Committee. Submitted 

 and approved December 23, 1897 The Scientific 

 Alliance of New York New York: Published by 

 the Council, i8g8. 



The Scientific Alliance of New York includes the 

 resident and active members of the New York Acad 

 emy of Sciences, the Torrey Botanical Club, the 

 New York Microscopical Society the Linna;an So- 

 ciety of New York, the New York Mineralogical 

 Club, the American Mathematical Society, the New 

 York section of the American Chemical Society, and 

 the New York Entomological Society. The total 

 membership in January, 1898, was 1.075. In June, 

 1895. the Council of the Alliance was incorporated 

 by an act of the Legislature of the State of New- 

 York, in which the objects were stated as follows: 

 "To establish and maintain a scientific center in the , 

 City of New York, in which scientific societies can 

 have their headquarters; to establish, accumulate, 

 hold and administer a public library and a museum, 

 having special reference to scientific subjects ; to 

 publish scientific works or periodicals, to give scien- 

 tific instruction by lectures or otherwise, and to ad- 

 vance by appropriate means scientific discovery and 

 the knowledge of scientific truth among the people ; 

 and to these ends to take and hold property as afore- 

 said ; to erect or acquire by deed, contract or other- 

 wise, a suitable building, buildings, or part of a 

 building, to contain such library and museum, and 

 other rooms appropriate to the purposes aforesaid, 

 and to the advancement of the scientific objects of 

 the various societies represented in said corporation." 



In the past the homes of the societies composing 

 the Alliance have been in the American Museum of 

 Natural History, the Mott Memorial Library, Haver- 

 meyer Hall, Columbia University, and College of 



