Obituary. 343 



in New York, John Cassin in Philadelpliia, and S. F. Baird 

 at Washington. 



In 1869 Dr. Elliot left America primarily for study, 

 but also with a commission from the Trustees of the 

 American Museum to purchase any collections which he 

 thought advisable. He secured for the Museum those of 

 Prince Maximilian of Neuwied, who had lately died, and 

 had travelled extensively in South America and the western 

 part of the United States, making large collections. He 

 also selected many rare birds from the Verreaux collection 

 in Paris, and from those of other dealers in Amsterdam and 

 London. At this time he purchased a specimen of the Great 

 Ank in winter plumage for £105 ; this is now one of the 

 most cherished possessions of the American Museum. During 

 this period Elliot lived principally in London, and was very 

 well known to all the English ornithologists of those days. 



Returning to America in 1883, he brought with him a 

 wonderful collection of Humming-birds, which he presented 

 in 1887 to the American Museum, while his extensive 

 ornithological library also passed to the same institution by 

 purchase. 



In 1894 Elliot became Curator of Zoology of the newly- 

 founded Field Columbian Museum at Chicago. This post 

 he held until 1906, when he resigned and returned to New 

 York. During this period he made an expedition to Africa 

 in the interests of the Museum, selecting, on the advice of 

 the late Dr. Sclater, the Somaliland country for this 

 purpose. Though even then over sixty years of age, he was 

 wonderfully successful and succeeded in bringing back a 

 large collection of birds and mammals, which not only 

 became the basis of important exhibits in the museum, but 

 of several valuable papers giving the results of his ex- 

 plorations. 



After settling down in New York in 1906, Elliot gave up 

 birds and occupied himself with 'A Review of the Primates,' 

 begun in 1906 and completed in 1912, and published in 

 three volumes by the American Museum. In order to 

 examine all the types of this group, Elliot travelled round 



