V0l i<J 5 XI1 ] Notes and News. 44 1 



specimens, which was doubtless the inspiration of the son. In 1SS4 

 Bryant received instruction from William T. Hornaday in mounting 

 mammals, and he studied museum work at the National Museum, and 

 the Museum of Comparative Zoology in Cambridge. 



The greater part of his time was given to ornithology and other natural 

 history work. From 18S6 to 1894 he was curator in the California Acad- 

 emy of Sciences. His principal expeditions during which he made nat- 

 ural history collections were as follows : 1883, summer in Oregon ; 1S84, 

 Guadelupe Island in December; iS85-'S6, Guadelupe Island for four or 

 five months in winter; i8S7-'88, California and Nevada; 1889, vicinity of 

 Magdalena Bay and adjacent islands, Lower California; 1890, Gulf region, 

 Lower California; 189a, in the spring, San Jose" del Cabo. and vicinity, 

 L. C. ; 1901, Central America ; i902-'o3, two summers in Alaska; June, 

 1 904- April, 1905, San Bias, Mexico. 



Bryant's ornithological work, for which he had an unusual enthusiasm, 

 was undoubtedly much curtailed by a series of misfortunes, financial and 

 otherwise, which befell him just at the time when he should have been 

 doing his best work. But for these unfortunate circumstances he might 

 have been greatly more active. He was especially interested in humming- 

 birds, of which he had a large collection. This, with his collection of 

 nests and eggs, is now the property of his mother. He gave his mounted 

 birds to his father previous to his last trip, and his mammals were sent 

 last year to the Milwaukee Museum. His other bird skins were disposed 

 of a number of years ago to the California Academy of Sciences, in 

 cooperation with which institution some of his more important expedi- 

 tions were undertaken. 



A little over a year ago Bryant went to San Bias, Mexico, to investi- 

 gate and straighten out the tangled affairs of a fruit company. With his 

 usual conscientious care he thoroughly succeeded, but overworked, and 

 in that abominable climate brought on a serious illness which later caused 

 his death. Bryant was the moving spirit and only president of the short 

 lived California Ornithological Club which was organized in San Fran- 

 cisco in 1889. Although the sudden removal of several of its active mem- 

 bers made this club a failure it served a purpose as the forerunner of the 

 Cooper Ornithological Club which appeared a few years later. Bryant 

 was at one time an Active Member of the A. O. U. and later was made a 

 Corresponding Fellow. In recognition of his services to California orni- 

 thology he was elected to honorary membership in the Cooper Ornitho- 

 logical Club, of which organization he was once the president. 



Two well known western birds bear his name, Ammodramus sandzvich- 

 ensis bryanti Ridgway, and Heleodytes brii7ineicapillus bryanti Anthony. 

 Two species of mammals have also been named for him, a woodrat, Neo- 

 toma bryanti Merriam, and a pocket mouse, Perognatkus bryanti Merriam. 

 — W. K. Fisher. 



