42 2 Xotes a7id Xe-a.'s. \f-^^ 



and in field exploration in southern California, including both the coast 

 and the interior as far east as Fort Mojave. In 1S64 he was commissioned 

 Assistant Surgeon in the Second Cavalry, California Volunteers. On 

 being mustered out, at the close of the Civil War, he served as naturalist 

 to the Geological Survey of California. In January, 1866, he was married 

 to Miss Rosa M. Wells of California, and soon settled down to the practice 

 of his profession, which, in 1S71, he was obliged to abandon in conse- 

 quence of failing health. In 1S75 he moved to Haywards, California, 

 where he subsequently resided. 



Dr. Cooper was throughout his life greatly handicapped by poor 

 health, and for a considerable period was dependent upon his medical 

 practice for support ; yet his scientific activity extended over a long period, 

 and embraced a wide field, although his chief work was in ornithology 

 and conchology. His best known ornithological publications are his 

 ' Report on the Birds collected on the Route near the 47th and 49th Paral- 

 lels " (jointly with Dr. Suckley, in Pacific R. R. Rep. of Expl. and Surv., 

 Vol. XII, part ii, pp. 140-291, 1S59), and his 'Ornithology of California' 

 (Land Birds, royal Svo, 1S70, edited by Baird). In 1S69 he published a 

 paper of inuch interest entitled 'The Fauna of California and its Geo- 

 graphical Distribution" (Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., Vol. IV, pp. 61-S1). and 

 in the same year a series of papers on ' The Fauna of Montana Territory,' 

 (Amer. Naturalist, Vols. II and III). His contributions to the literature 

 of conchology are far more numerous than his papers relating to other 

 subjects. 



In his field work Dr. Cooper was an 'all-around' naturalist, collecting 

 not only birds, mammals, insects, and shells, but extensively in botany, 

 so that many departments of natural history are indebted to his intelli- 

 gent labors. As already intimated, his field work and his writings relate 

 almost exclusively to the natural history of the Pacific coast region of the 

 United States ; and in recognition of his ornithological services the 

 ornithologists of California have very appropriately named their organi- 

 zation 'The Cooper Ornithological Club,' and have published as the first 

 article of the Club's 'Bulletin' (Vol. I, 1S99, pp. 1-5) a portrait of Dr. 

 Cooper and an extended sketch of his life, written by Mr. W. O. Emer- 

 son, to which we are mainly indebted for the biographical facts above 

 given.' 



Aloxzo M. Collett, an Associate Member of the American Ornithol- 

 ogists' Union, died at his home in Denver, Colorado, August 22, 1902, 

 from typhoid fever, at the age of 33 years. He was born in Indiana, and 



' Since the above was sent to the printer we have received the September- 

 October number of ' The Condor,' in which Mr. Emerson adds an ' In Memo- 

 riam ' to his previous biography of Dr. Cooper, and Mr. Joseph Grinnell adds 

 a list of his ornithological writings, which number 26 titles. 



