Vol. XVII Notes and News. 193 
1900 
NOTES AND NEWS. 
GEORGE B. SENNETT, an Active Member of the American Ornitholo- 
gists’ Union, died at his home in Youngstown, Ohio, March 18, 1900, at 
the age of 59 years. Mr. Sennett was born in Sinclairville, N. Y., July 
28, 1840, and for many years had been a prominent manufacturer of oil- 
well machinery and engines, with his place of business formerly at Mead- 
ville, Pa., and later at Youngstown, Ohio. Although an active business 
man, he was, nevertheless, an enthusiastic ornithologist, and for a num- 
ber of years was able to devote considerable periods to field work and 
more or less time to original research in systematic ornithology. His 
special field of investigation was the Lower Rio Grande region of Texas, 
and his collection of Texas birds and birds’ nests and eggs was the most 
extensive and most carefully selected and prepared ever brought together. 
His collection also includes many birds from northeastern Mexico, and 
a fair representation of the birds of North America at large. For many 
years this collection has been at the American Museum of Natural His- 
tory in New York, where it has been of great service to the Museum, 
and has always been accessible to ornithologists desiring to make use 
of it. 
His ornithological writings relate mainly to the birds of Texas, begin- 
ning with his ‘ Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Rio Grande of 
Texas,’ published in 1878, and his ‘Further Notes on the Ornithology 
of the Lower Rio Grande of Texas,’ published in 1879. In 1887 and dur- 
ing several following years his contributions to ornithological literature 
were frequent and important, his work being marked by keen insight, 
care and thoroughness. Later he became more deeply engrossed in busi- 
ness, but lost none of his interest in birds, and looked eagerly forward to 
an early retirement, when he would be free to devote his time to ornitho- 
logical pursuits, including the completion of a long-projected illustrated 
work on the birds of Texas, on the preparation of which he had already 
spent much time and money. He was actively interested in. the protec- 
tion of birds, and for several years was chairman of the A. O. U. Bird Pro- 
tection Committee. From 1887 to 1889 he was President of the Linnzan 
Society of New York, to whose interests he was ever heartily devoted. 
He was genial, generous, kind-hearted and conscientious, and will be 
greatly missed by those who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. 
In accordance with a standing order of the Union respecting deceased 
Active Members (see Auk, XII, p. 199), a special memorial of his life 
and work will be presented at the next meeting of the American Orni- 
thologists’ Unionjand published later in ‘The Auk.’ 
