igi?-] Ohiluary. .251 



In 1909 Dr. Mearns accompanied Col. Eooscvelt on liis 

 expedition to British East Africa and Uganda, and in 

 1911-12 he visited Abyssinia as field-naturalist of the 

 Ciiikis-Frick African Exj)edition. Since his return from 

 Africa lie has been engaged in working up his African 

 collections at the United States National Museum at 

 Washington. He had already published a number of papers 

 on the most interesting novelties which he found among 

 tlie birds, and at the time of his death was preparing 

 a comprehensive report on the birds obtained in Africa. 

 It is much to be ho[)ed that this work is in a sufficiently 

 advanced state to enable it to be completed and published. 



Dr. Mearns was an enthusiastic all-round naturalist. 

 An indefatigable collector, he also had the ability and 

 desire to work out his own collections. He was a Founder 

 (an original member) of the American Ornithologists^ Union, 

 and his death is a great loss to American Ornithology. 



FosTEK Ellenborough Lascelles Beal. 



The 'Auk ' for January also announces the sudden death 

 of Prof. Beal at his home in Maryland on 1 October, 1916, 

 in his 77th year. He was a Fellow of the American Orni- 

 thologists^ Union, and well known for his many researches 

 into the food-habiis of American birds. 



Born at South Groton in Massachusetts in 1840, his early 

 life was spent on a farm ; but he was determined to acquire 

 an education, and graduated at the Massachusetts Institute 

 of Technology in 1872. He held various teaching posts 

 until 1892, when he was appointed to the service of the 

 Biological Survey in connection with the Agricultural 

 Department at Washington. He continued in this em- 

 ployment until he died, and prepared either wholly or in 

 part some twenty-four official publications besides numerous 

 other scientific articles, almost all in connection with his 

 researches into the food-habits of birds. He was one of 

 the originators of the present system of the examination 

 and analysis of the contents of stomachs and crops, and 

 played an important part in the building up of the existing 

 system of laws for the protection of American birds. 



