AA.O Notes and News. \skx 



Island. And as for the scientific value of Bryant's recorded observations, 

 Avhere can we find any more reliable and valuable contributions to West 

 Coast ornithology. 1 Between 1880 and 1S94 Bryant published forty 

 articles and notes on ornithological subjects. Of these the more impor- 

 tant are : ' Nest and Eggs of Myiadestes toxvtiseitdi' (Auk, I, 91) ; ' Piranga 

 rubriceps and Tringa fuscicollis in California' (Ibid. IV, 78) ; 'Additions 

 to the Ornithology of Guadelupe Island ' (Bull. Cal. Ac. Sci. II, 269) ; ' Dis- 

 covery of the Nest and Eggs of the Evening Grosbeak {Coccothraustes 

 vespertinaY (Ibid. II, 449) ; 'Description of a New Subspecies of Petrel 

 from Guadelupe Island ' (Ibid. II, 450) ; ' Birds and Eggs from the Farallon 

 Islands ' (Proc Cal. Acad. Sc. 2d ser. I, 25) ; 'Description of a New Sub- 

 species of Song Sparrow from Lower California, Mexico' (Ibid. I, 197); 

 ' Descriptions of the Nests and Eggs of some Lower Californian Birds, 

 with a Description of the Young Plumage of Geothylypis beldingi" 1 (Ibid. 



II, 20) ; ' Puffin us griseus (Gmel.), Puffinus gavia (Forst), and Stercorarius 

 pomarinus (Temm.) on the Coast of California' (Ibid. II, 87) ; ' A Cata- 

 logue of the Birds of Lower California, Mexico' (Ibid. II, 237) ; 'Notices 

 of Supposed New Birds ' (Zoe, I, 148) ; ' The Cape Region of Baja Cali- 

 fornia ' (Ibid. II, 185); 'A Check-list of the Water Birds of California' 

 (Ibid. Ill, 135); ' Occurrence of Clangula hycmalis in California' (Ibid. 



III, 363). 2 Among these papers were several based upon the work of 

 others and illustrate a characteristic of the author. He was in corre- 

 spondence with many of the younger ornithologists of the West and was 

 continually encouraging them and suggesting lines of work or observation 

 to them. If results of importance were thus secured, he often elaborated 

 them for publication, always giving fullest credit to the observers. In 

 this way he brought out many interesting points which otherwise might 

 never have seen light. He also wrote upon the mammals of the regions 

 which he visited, having described several very distinct forms. 



Walter E. Bryant was born January 14, 1S61, at Sonoma, Sonoma 

 County, California, and was the son of Daniel Sharp and Susan H. 

 Bryant. His parents moved to Oakland when he was four years old and 

 he resided there (with few exceptions) until 1896 when he moved to 

 Santa Rosa. His education was secured in a private and, subsequently, 

 in the public schools of Oakland. As a child he was passionately fond 

 of natural history, especially of flowers. He was trained from childhood 

 by his father in the use of firearms, his first gun having been given him 

 when he was seven years old. When still quite young he commenced 

 collecting insects and eggs, and he also mounted birds, having been 

 instructed by his father. His father, who was at one time a very pros- 

 perous merchant of San Francisco, had been interested in birds as an 

 amateur and had formed a considerable collection, chiefly of mounted 



1 Joseph Grinnell in 'The Condor,' Sept. 1905. 



2 The writer is indebted to Mr. Joseph Grinnell for this list. 



