488 Notes and News. [oct^ 



For many years Mr. Scott was deeply interested in the study of the 

 hving bird, and for this purpose he maintained for some years a large 

 aviary at his Princeton home. In the last chapter of his 'The Story of 

 a Bird Lover,' entitled 'The Naturalist's Vision,' he relates the growth of 

 his interest in birds as individuals and the development of his "laboratory 

 for the study of live birds," in which, at the time of writing, he had installed 

 and under constant observation between four hundred and five hundred 

 birds. At about this time (1901-1904) he published in 'Science' a number 

 of papers on the results of his observations, mostly in reference to the in- 

 heritance of song in birds. In 1904 was founded the ' Worthington Society 

 for the Investigation of Bird Life,' at Shawnee, Munroe County, Pennsyl- 

 vania, by Mr. Charles C. Worthington, along the lines indicated in Mr. 

 Scott's 'The Naturahst's Vision,' with Mr. Scott as Director of the pro- 

 posed work. (See Auk, XXI, Oct. 1904, pp. 511, 512.) Mr. Scott soon 

 after broke down in health and little has been heard since of this well- 

 conceived project. 



His 'Birds of Patagonia' is based on the collections made by the late 

 Dr. J. B. Hatcher and his assistants on the Princeton University Expedi- 

 tions to Patagonia, 1896-1899. In order to prepare this work, to which 

 he had been assigned, Mr. Scott took the collection to England for the 

 purpose of thorough identification at the British Museum, in which he 

 was assisted by the late Dr. R. B. Sharpe, whose name also appears on the 

 title-page of the work. Although only the first 350 pages (probably less 

 than one half) have been published the manuscript of the whole work had 

 been finished and the completion of the work thus assured. This is Mr. 

 Scott's sole piece of systematic work, but, thanks doubtless to a guiding 

 hand, it forms a most convenient and useful compendium of Patagonian 

 ornithology. 



In recent years Mr. Scott suffered seriously from ill health, being thus 

 compelled to give up active work and seek relief in the dry and bracing 

 climate of the Adirondacks. Although apparently benefited for a time 

 by the change, the improvement proved only temporary. His last orni- 

 thological paper was published in the July issue of this journal, and is 

 apparently the only ornithological paper issued by him in recent years. 



In 1877 Mr. Scott married Miss Marian Johonot, daughter of James 

 Johonot, a well known educator of Ithaca, New York. She manifested 

 always deep interest in his work, and shared with him the vicissitudes and 

 exposures of his various natural history journeys. 



Ornithologists will be interested to know that arrangements have 

 been made by the Smithsonian Institution with Mr. A. C. Bent, of Taunton, 

 Mass., for the continuance of the work on the ' Life Histories of North 

 American Birds' which was so ably begun by Major Bendire and for 

 which there seems to be a general demand. 



We understand that the work will be conducted on practically the same 

 plan as that followed so successfully by Major Bendire, and its completion 



