AVERY BIRD COLLECTION LG 
An extensive correspondence was carried on with I. 
Yearsley, Jr., of Coatesville, Pa., for whom he trained 
‘many bird-dogs. He also raised and sold dogs registered 
with the American Kennel Club of New York City. He 
was also interested in game fowls as shown by the fol- 
lowing rote from his sister, Miss Mary E. Avery: “You 
will notice that there are quite a number of hawks in the 
collection. I am sure that my brother felt a peculiar 
‘pleasure in stuffing them rather than they should stuff 
‘themselves with his beautiful game fowls.” Like all true 
sportsmen the Doctor was keenly interested in guns, and 
the two works following occupied a place among his 
‘bird books: “The Gun and Its Development,” 1884, by 
W. W. Greener, and “The Dead Shot; or Sportsman’s 
‘Complete Guide: Being a Treatise on the Use of the Gun,” 
1867, by “Marksman.” Another book, much used and 
‘bound in cloth, probably by Dr. Avery himself, is “The 
Wild-Fowler,” 1864, by H. C. Folkard. In a letter from 
Amory R. Starr of Marshall, Texas, is the interesting 
statement that Dr. Avery was the “‘first to introduce the 
use of short guns into this section; by short guns meaning 
30 and 382 inch barrels.”’ At that time (August 28, 1889) 
‘however, one of Mr. Starr’s friends was still addicted to 
the use of a 48-inch muzzle-loader! Doctor Avery owned 
several guns, of course, because he hunted deer as well 
as quail. For his ornithological collecting he used a .44 
caliber and No. 12 shot. 
Dr. Avery was an authority on Latin and Greek and 
was not unacquainted with French, Spanish and German. 
“Much of his correspondence with Dr. Coues and Mr. Ridg- 
way related to the etymology of ornithological names, 
and Mr. Ridgway in several letters took occasion to thank 
Dr. Avery for his criticisms of the nomenclature used in 
the “Manual of North American Birds,” 1887. A con- 
siderable portion of Dr. Avery’s correspondence with Dr. 
Merriam was devoted to questions of nomenclature, par- 
ticularly etymology, and to some of Dr. Avery’s criti- 
cisms of the nomenclature adopted by the American Or- 
nithologists’ Union Dr. Stejneger replied at length 
“through Dr. Merriam. Dr. Avery was a stickler for the 
