though the great naturalist had used 

 it as an indispensable and convenient 

 companion for so many years, was 

 slowly and we thought reverently 

 divested by Dr. Coues of its wrappings 

 and held up to the surprised and grate- 

 ful gaze of the spectators. It was 

 dramatic. Dr. Coues is an actor. 

 And then came the comedy. He 

 could not resist the inclination to talk 

 a little — not disparagingly, but truth- 

 fully, reading a letter never before 

 published, of Swainson to Audubon 

 declining to associate his name with 

 that of Audubon " under the circum- 

 stances." All of which, we apprehend, 

 will duly find a place on the shelves 

 of public libraries. 



We would ourself like to say 

 something of Audubon as a man. To 

 us his life and character have a special 

 charm. His was a beautiful youth, 

 like that of Goethe. His love of 

 nature, for which he was willing to 

 make, and did make, sacrifices, will 

 always be inspiring to the youth of 

 noble and gentle proclivities ; his per- 

 sonal beauty, his humanity, his love- 

 life, his domestic virtues, enthrall the 

 ingenuous mind ; and his appreciation 

 — shown in his beautiful composi- 

 tions — of the valleys of the great river, 

 La Belle Riviere^ through which its 

 waters, shadowed by the magnificent 

 forests of Ohio and Kentucky, wan- 

 dered — all of these things have from 

 youth up shed a sweet fragrance over 

 his memory and added greatly to our 

 admiration of and appreciation for the 

 man. 



So many subjects came before the 

 Congress that we cannot hope to do 

 more than mention the titles of a few 

 of them. ]\Ir. Sylvester D. Judd dis- 

 cussed the question of " Protective 

 Adaptations of insects from an Orni- 

 thological Point of View;" ]\Ir. William 

 C. Rives talked of " Summer Birds of 

 the West Virginia Spruce Belt ; " Mr. 

 John N. Clark read a paper entitled 

 " Ten Days among the Birds of North- 



ern New Hampshire ; " Harry C. Ober- 

 holser talked extemporaneously of 

 " Liberian Birds," and in a most enter- 

 taining and instructive manner, every 

 word he said being worthy of large print 

 and liberal embellishment ; Mr. J. A. 

 Allen, editor of The Auk^ said a great 

 deal that was new and instructive 

 about the " Origin of Bird Migration;" 

 Mr. O. Widmann read an interesting 

 paper on " The Great Roosts on Gab- 

 beret Island, opposite North St. Louis;" 

 J. Harris Reed presented a paper on 

 "The Terns of Gull Island, New 

 York ; " A. W. Anthony read of " The 

 Petrels of Southern California," and 

 Mr. George H. ]\Iackay talked interest- 

 ingly of " The Terns of Penikese 

 Island, Mass." 



There were other papers of interest 

 and value. " A Naturalist's Expedition 

 to East Africa," by D. G.. Elliot, was, 

 however, the piece de resistance of the 

 Congress. The lecture was delivered 

 in the lecture hall of the IMuseum, on 

 Wednesday at 8 p. m. It was illus- 

 trated by stereopticon views, and in 

 the most remarkable manner. The 

 pictures were thrown upon an immense 

 canvas, were marvellously realistic, and 

 were so much admired by the great 

 audience, which overflowed the large 

 lecture hall, that the word demon- 

 strative does not describe their 

 enthusiasm. But the lecture ! Descrip- 

 tion, experience, suffering, adventure, 

 courage, torrid heat, wild beasts, 

 poisonous insects, venomous serpents, 

 half-civilized peoples, thirst, — almost 

 enough of torture to justify the use of 

 Coleridge's Ancient Mariner in illustra- 

 tion, — and yet a perpetual, quiet, 

 rollicking, jubilant humor, all-pervad- 

 ing, and, at the close, on the lecturer's 

 return once more to the beginning of 

 civilization, the eloquent picture of the 

 Cross, "full high advanced," all com- 

 bined, made this lecture, to us, one of 

 the ver}^ few platform addresses entirely 

 worthy of the significance of unfading 

 portraiture. — C. C. Marble. 



