Ornithologists' Club. 129 



B. O.U. List of British Birds, published in 1 883, and tlie General 

 Editor of that work. In the composition of the B. 0. U. List, 

 Wharton's classical knowledge was of very great assistance to 

 the Committee, and it was to his learning that we are indebted 

 for the explanations of the generic and specific terms, which 

 form such useful features in that work. I must also not forget 

 that we have lately lost from our ranks an energetic Indian 

 ornithologist, Lieut. Henry E. Barnes, F.Z.S. I may likewise 

 allude to the untimely death, from hematuric fever, of Ernst 

 Baumann, as recently announced at Berlin. Bauraann was a 

 young and energetic collector, who had worked hard at the 

 birds of the German Colony of Togoland, on the West Coast of 

 Africa, and had added upwards of 100 species to its avifauna. 



I will now proceed to more cheerful topics. 



Since we commenced our last Session great progress haa 

 been made with the British Museum Catalogue of Birds, and 

 we may well expect that the year 1896 will witness its final 

 completion. Count Salvadori^'s volume on the Anseres, 

 Tinarai, and. other lower Orders is complete and ready for 

 publication. The joint-volume of Mr. Saunders (on the 

 Laridse) and Mr. Salvin (on the Tubinares) is nearly ready, 

 I am informed ; and that of Dr. Bowdler Sharpe on the 

 Waders is said to be in a very forward state. There remains, 

 therefore, only Dr. Sharpens Catalogue of the Divers, Pelicans, 

 Cormorants, and Herons, on which, I believe our Editor is 

 busily employed at the present time. I am much pleased 

 also to learn that steps have been taken towards the compi- 

 lation of an additional volume (as suggested in my last 

 Address), in which the names of all species described since 

 the commencement of the Catalogue in 1874, and not already 

 recorded in the different volumes, will be enrolled. When 

 this additional volume and the General Index of the whole 

 series shall have been issued, the result will be a work 

 of surpassing value to all workers on the Class of Birds. 



As regards other works on systematic Ornithology in 

 progress, I will not say much more on the present occasion. I 

 may, however, mention that Captain Shelley is now engaged in 

 printing a complete Catalogue of African Birds, which he has 



SER. VII. VOL. IT. K 



