96 



THE OOLOGIST. 



" Behind the Veil." — It is a rare 

 treat to be taken back two score years 

 into the studio and study of Audubon, 

 to see the mass of ornithological mater- 

 ial, birds, nests, paintings, correspond- 

 ence, manuscripts, all lying before you ; 

 a rough sketch here, a finished drawing 

 there, a letter from an ornithological 

 friend on the table, a half stuffed Owl 

 on the window ledge, or a pet Gros- 

 beak on the wall. Dr. Coues in the 

 Nuttall Bulletin for October, and Dr. 

 Brewer in Harper's Monthly^ have surpris- 

 ed and delighted us with the, wonderful 

 revelations which they have made. Who 

 ever thought that such an accumulation 

 ' f valuable material could have been 

 Hi.kde by a single person ? For several 

 years, inspired only by love for the ac- 

 complishments of those men who have 

 made themselves famous for their or- 

 nithological work, Mr. Joseph M. Wade 

 has been a zealous collector of the 

 works, manuscripts, and autograph let- 

 ters, portraits, &c. of Audubon, Wil- 

 son, Nuttall, and others ; and through 

 an indomitable persevei-ance and disre- 

 gard of expense, and an acquaintance 

 with the family of Audubon, the nat- 

 uralist, he has got together a mass of 

 material not equalled by that of any 

 other individual. As Dr Coues pleas- 

 antly says, in the Bulletin, one is almost 

 lost to himself, and feels as if he were 

 living in another age, while being shown 

 the host of letters written by and to 

 the great naturalist. We wish we 

 might publish some of these, but jjer- 

 haps they may be thrown open to the 

 world at no distant date, when the life 

 of Audubon will be written by his own 

 hands, from his own notes and letters. 



WiLLARD. 



Oliver Davie, Columbus, Ohio, pub- 

 lishes an unique catalogue of birds, skins, 

 eggs, books and Taxidermist's supplies 

 generally ; every thing from Mr. Davie 

 indicates prosperity ; he states that he 

 devotes one-third of his profits to ad- 

 vertising, and it pays. 



"Nuttall Bulletin." — We are glad 

 that the science of ornithology is so 

 well represented in America by the 

 Bulletin oi the Nuttall Ornithological 

 Club. It is hardly necessary to say that 

 it is almost a necessity to the woi-king 

 ornithologist, who should be kept post- 

 ed on current bird news The January 

 number, forming the first of Volume 

 VI., is as fresh and interesting as our 

 best scientific talent can make it. The 

 articles are new, and the notes as ever 

 show progression. We wish the Bul- 

 letin all the success that its excellence 

 deserves. 



Beautiful and Curious Birds of 

 THE World. Mr. Chas. B. Cory, auth- 

 or of Birds of the Bahama Islands, has un- 

 dertaken a grand work, with the above 

 title. It is to consist of ten parts, each 

 to contain three plates and approin'iate 

 text, at ten dollars per part. The work 

 is to be 21 x 27 inches, printed on heavy 

 paper, and colored in water colors by 

 hand. But two hundred copies will be 

 printed, after which the drawings will 

 be erased from the stones. The value 

 of the work will thus be enhanced by 

 its limited edition. 



Bright I^eathers. — Mr. Frank R. 

 Rathbun has issued the first ])art of a 

 serial publication, entitled '•'•Bright 

 Feathers,'''' in which he figures the Pur- 

 ple Finch, male and female, with ac- 

 companying text. The succeeding parts 

 will be issued at short intervals. Mr. 

 Rathbun is his own artist, and if he su(!- 

 ceeds as well with the following parts 

 as with this one, the work will be one 

 of artistic excellence. Address Auburn, 

 N. Y. 



Science. — Among recent publications, 

 Science, published weekly in New York, 

 and edited by John Michels, claims re- 

 cognition from the scientific readers of 

 this country. It does not confine itself 

 to any department, but treats all alike. 

 The nature of its articles is, primarily, 

 a rigid adherence to science. 



