1S90.] Notes and News. OQ 



history specimens. The names given in his honor to Bell's Sparrow, 

 Bell's Vireo, and Bell's Warbler, mark the esteem in which he was held 

 by these eminent naturalists. As an aid and collector he accompa- 

 nied Audubon on the famous journey to the Upper Missouri, securing 

 with his own hands a large proportion of the new species described by 

 Audubon as the result of this expedition. 



Mr. Bell's tastes led him into the field and work-room rather than the 

 study, but he freely gave to others the results of his experience, and the 

 pages of our earlier works a f te^t the keenness of his observation. Five 

 years before his death he retired from active business in New York, and 

 the remaining years of his life were passed at his home at Sparkhill. 

 Here he erected a small building, placing in it the material then on his 

 hands, amounting to several thousand specimens of birds and mammals. 

 He was never again actively engaged in taxidermal work, though frequently 

 sought for by his older patrons to preserve some pet or trophy of the chase 

 Being thus isolated from persons of kindred tastes he gave a warm welcome 

 to visiting naturalists, and his eager enthusiasm on these occasions, when 

 recounting early adventures in the field, testified alike to the charm of his 

 presence and the undying character of an inborn love of nature. — F. M. C. 



The exhibition" of specimens of Horned Larks, and of Thrushes of the 

 Tardus alicia-bickne-lli group, proved an interesting feature of the late 

 Congress of the A. O. U. Of the latter the number of specimens was 

 small, but afforded fair material for the illustration of the relationship of 

 these closely allied and not generally well understood forms. The Horned 

 Larks thus brought together numbered over 1200 specimens. It was of 

 course impracticable to attempt any elaboration of this material under the 

 circumstances attending its display to the Union. The various forms as 

 now recognized were pointed out and their affinities explained by Mr. 

 Ridgway. In order to utilize this important material to the fullest extent 

 practicable, the Committee of Arrangements, under whose auspices it was 

 brought together, turned it over to Mr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr., for study, 

 and to report upon in a special paper to be printed in 'The Auk.' Mr. 

 Dwight, having entered at once upon the work, finds that the material 

 adds much to our knowledge of the forms of this perplexing group, and 

 throws much new light upon their character and geographical distribution. 

 He finds the material from the region west of the Rocky Mountains, how- 

 ever, too scanty to enable him to reach wholly satisfactory conclusions 

 respecting some of the Pacific Coast and Southwest forms, and solicits 

 the loan of additional specimens from any part of this area for use in 

 completing his monograph. Packages may be addressed to him, care 

 American Museum Natural History, 77th St. and Sth Ave., New York 

 City. A prompt response is desired. The specimens will be returned as 

 soon as practicable, labelled with his identifications. 



The Committee of Arrangements for the Eighth Congress of the 

 A. O. U., to be held next year in Washington, has been requested by a 



