256 McAtex, In Memoriam F. E. L. Beal. way 
with them, we are informed that they appeared in the Sunday 
editions of that journal. The Editor further states with reference 
to the articles: “They are by Professor Beal of the chair of Zoology 
in the State Agricultural College, and we consider them, modest 
as they are, to have decided merit. No one who has intelligent 
sympathy with the charming little world of bird life, can begin to 
read one of the articles without finishing it..... Several of our 
most intelligent and critical readers tell us they are charmed with 
them and that all the articles....have gone into their scrap- 
books.” In a letter to the editor sent from Webster City, Iowa, 
probably by Charles Aldrich, is high praise of Professor Beal’s 
writing. “He is master of a bright, lively, piquant style of writing 
and is never dull and prosy. He reminds us of Dr. Elliott Coues, 
and that is praise enough to award any writer on birds.” 
Following is a short extract from one of the sketches to illustrate 
Professor Beal’s style. The,subject — The Catbird — is one that 
inspired Coues also to some of his finest passages. 
“There is nothing, unless it be the ubiquitous birch, more closely 
associated with school days in the recollections of the New England 
country boy, than the catbird. He always declares that he hates 
a catbird, but there are few of his surroundings with which he 
would more unwillingly part. The fun of stoning one of these 
birds is a joy not to be lightly given up and the best part of it is 
the bird seems to enjoy it as well as the boy, and it is certain that 
there results no harm to the former while the latter has all the 
fatigue. Down in the elder thicket by the brookside, when the boy 
goes to cut a stick of elder to make a pop-gun with which to en- 
liven the dreary hours of school, the catbird meets him and taunts 
him with a long drawn m-i-a-u. Fired with rage at this insult 
he hurls stone after stone with no other effect than to put himself 
in a heat and waste his hour of nooning, till at last he is late to 
school, for which he is punished; then, while attempting to make 
his pop-gun during school time, he is detected, his elder and his 
dearly beloved jack-knife both confiscated, and he sent in disgrace 
to sit among the girls for the rest of the afternoon; and all because 
of that catbird upon whom he vows revenge.” 
Probably most of the articles were printed during 1876-1883 
inclusive, the period of Professor Beal’s residence in -Iowa, but in 
