400 Palmer, In Memoriam: Theodore Nicholas Gill. [ ct. 



was made that 'The Osprey' would be edited by Gill in collabora- 

 tion with Robert Ridgway, Leonhard Stejneger, F. A. Lucas, C. 

 W. Richmond, Paul Bartsch, Wm. Palmer, H. C. Oberholser, and 

 Witmer Stone. With such a galaxy of talent the future of the 

 journal was very promising. Doctor Gill financed the venture, 

 Doctor Bartsch attended to most of the routine work and the col- 

 laborating editors contributed occasional articles and notes. But 

 after two years this plan was abandoned, the form of the magazine 

 was changed and a new series begun in January, 1902. Only a 

 few numbers appeared and the journal was finally suspended in 

 the following July. 



Among the more important of Gill's contributions to ' The Osprey* 

 were his plan for a new history of North American Birds, 1 his biog- 

 raphies of Swainson, 2 Richardson, 3 and Cassin, 4 his articles on 

 Longevity in Birds, 5 and on the Bower Birds of Australia and New 

 Guinea. 6 Many short biographical and critical notes were intro- 

 duced under his editorship and the character of the journal was 

 considerably changed. His plan for what he termed 'generized* 

 biographies of birds was outlined in the number for February, 1899, 

 p. 88, under the caption ' A Great Work Proposed.' After calling 

 attention to three great works on North American Birds, viz. those 

 of (1) Wilson, (2) Audubon, and (3) Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, he 

 remarks that Wilson and Audubon's works observed no classifi- 

 cation and were merely unconnected descriptions and biographies 

 of species without logical sequence, while Baird, Brewer and Ridg- 

 way introduced system and generalization of the classificatory 

 data but no generalization of the biographical information. More- 

 over a quarter of a century had intervened since the publication 

 of the Land Birds and much new data had been collected. His 

 plan for the new work may well be described in his own words : 



» Osprey, III, 88-94, Feb. 1899. 



2 William Swainson and His Times: Osprey, IV, pp. 104-108; 120-123; 135- 

 138; 154-156; 166-171; V, 8-10; (23-25; 29-30); 37-39; 58-59; 71-72; 136- 

 137; 152-155: 167-172, 176, Mar. 1900-Nov. 1901. 



3 Life and Ornithological Labors of Sir John Richardson, New Ser., I, 13-17,. 

 Jan., 1902. 



4 Biographical Notice of John Cassin, New Ser., I, 50-53; 80-84. Mar., May,. 

 1902. 



s Osprey, III. 157-160, June, 1899. 

 s Osprey. TV. pp. 67-71, Jan., 1900. 



