THE OOLOGIST^ 



19 



More faces of well kuowa ocHogical 

 iind ornithological writers next month. 



Nathan L. Davis of Brockport, N. Y., 

 (one of Prof. Ward's World's Fair Taxi- 

 dermists) is now the chief taxidermist of 

 AVebb's Natural Science Establishment. 



With this issue we advance the sub- 

 scription price of the Oologist to 

 75c per annum, until Feb. 15th, however, 

 subscriptions and rennewals will be ac- 

 cepted at the old rate — 50c. 



To the Nidiologist we are indebted for 

 the finely executed half-tone of Dr. 

 Gibbs. It might be well to mention in 

 this connection that the enterprising 

 publisher of the Nidiologist is not con- 

 tent with sending out the leading illus- 

 trated ornithological magazine but is 

 making it a work of art as well. High 

 grade heavy weight glazed paper and 

 colored plates ai'e among the latest 

 wrinkles. 



In a letter of recent date. Dr. Selah 

 Merrill of Andover, Mass., wi'ites: — " I 

 have resided in the East chiefly in Pal- 

 estine and my collection of birds, ani- 

 mals, and curiosities from the Holy Land 

 is the largest ever yet made. In the 

 Theological Seminary in this town there 

 is a fine Oriental Museum which is large- 

 ly my own collecting. My field issome- 

 what out of the way still it is a field of 

 gi'eat interest to ma.iy persons and it 

 may be that some of your readers will 

 be glad to correspond with me I'espect- 

 ing my specimens." 



Among the 80 charter members of 

 the new Michigan Academy of Science, 

 which held its Hrst meeting in the cap- 

 toi building at Lmsing on Dec. 26 and 

 27 '9i, we find eight active ornitholo- 

 gists of that state i. e. — Walter B. Bar- 

 rows, Agricultural College; Oscar B. 

 Warren, Palmer; Morris Gibbs, Kala- 

 mazoo; L. Whitney Watkins, Manches- 



ter; Newell A. Eddy, Bay City; Robt. 

 H. Wolcott, Grand Rapids; Dr. J. B. 

 Steere, Ann Arbor; and Jerome Tromb- 

 ley. Petersburg. The aim of this so- 

 ciety is to carry forward systematic 

 study in all and any branch of science. 

 With above members we have little to 

 fear for the proper recognizance of our 

 favorite branches of Ornithology and 

 Oology. 



Prof. Geo. L. Bates left on Jan. 1st 

 for a two years collecting tx'ip in West 

 Africa. We take the following extract 

 from a letter dated Dec. 25th. "The 

 region to which I propose going is that 

 about the "Cameroon Mountains," on 

 the "Bight of Biafra." The region it. 

 self is now called "Cameroons." or 

 "Kameruns," and belongs to Germany. 

 In the southern part of the German, 

 territory the American Piesbyterians 

 have misson stations and it is to one of 

 these that I shall probably go. There 

 is a forest belt also along the coast 100 

 miles wide, and back of that grassy high- 

 lands. The Cameroons Mountains ap- 

 proach the sea to the north, however, 

 and narrow the forest belt to a point. 

 The mountains at one place reach a 

 height of 13,000 feet. This diversity of 

 topographical features ought to make 

 a rich fauna and Hora." The birds and 

 eggs as well as the bulk of the miscell- 

 anous material secured by Prof. Bates 

 is to be placed in the hands of "Lattin" 

 for disposal. Special commissions for 

 anything in the Natural History line 

 native to that coimtry will receive care- 

 ful attention and be procured if among 

 the procui'ables. 



Necrology- 

 E. (i. Sours, Rochester, N. Y. 

 Charley G. Albery, the only child of 



Dr. Thos. W. Albery, of Ovid, Ohio. 



Charley was instantly killed on Dec. 15 



by the accidental discharge of his gun 



while out collecting. 



