84 



Notes and News. [January 



ence to applicants for collecting permits is omitted, the other restrictions 

 being deemed sufficient to prevent the granting of permits to persons not 

 properly entitled to receive them. The penalties for the infringement of 

 the law are increased, and one-half of the fines imposed for infringement 

 of the act are awarded to the informant or prosecutor. Accompanying 

 the draft are suggestions in relation to the manner of securing the en- 

 forcement of such laws. The 'Bulletin' also contains an abstract of the 

 report of the Committee to the American Ornithologists' Union, some 

 account of the work of the Audubon Society, and other matter relating to 

 the general subject of the Committee's work. 



The Committee having been continued by vote of the Union, and its re- 

 port for last vear accepted with thanks, its work will be carried on with 

 vigor through the coming year, to facilitate which the Committee will 

 probably increase its membership. 



Mr. M. Abbott Frazar is on his way to Lower California where he 

 will spend an indefinite period collecting bird* and eggs of the region for 

 Mr. William Brewster. It is Mr. Brewster's jntention to have the entire 

 peninsula, with its neighboring islands, thoroughly explored by Mr. Frazar. 



Mr. Herbert H. Smith has recently returned from Brazil with large 

 collections of natural history specimens, accumulated during five and a 

 half years devoted to collecting in the interior of Brazil. Although Mr. 

 Smith gave his attention especially to insects, of which he brought home 

 some 400,000 specimens, he made collections of much importance in other 

 departments of natural history. His collection of birds, numbering about 

 4150 species and 7000 specimens, was made chiefly in the Province of Matto 

 Grosso, on the headwaters of the Paraguay River, a region hitherto little 

 explored. It is doubtless the largest collection ever brought by one person 

 from so limited an area in South America; and besides throwing much 

 light on the ornithology of this particular district, it must contain some 

 novelties. Mr. Smith's collections are now at the American Museum of 

 Natural History, New York, where, it is to be hoped, a large part of them 

 will permanently remain. The birds have been placed in the hands of 

 Mr. J. A. Allen for studv and determination, who will in due time publish 

 an annotated list of the species. 



Mr. William Brewster is about to build a small private museum on 

 his place at Cambridge. It will be of brick and thoroughly fire-proof. It 

 will be arranged to accommodate a large collection of bird skins, nests 

 and eggs, with limited case room, also, for mounted specimens. 



Mr. Charles H. Tovvnsend has just sailed for Yucatan and, under the 

 auspices of the U. S. Fish Commission, will spent several months in 

 natural history work in that country and some of its neighboring islands," 

 devoting a considerable portion of his time to ornithologj'. 



