posal as you seem to have at drum barracks, and I hope 

 to put it to good account in the line of ornithological 

 studies. I have never before lived on the South Atlan- 

 tic seaboard. 



Of course you heard the sad, sad news that John 

 Cassin's labors are ended. The loss to Science none of 

 us can measure; nor can those privileged to call him 

 friend adequately express the depth of that bereave- 

 ment. And many as are our American ornithologists 

 high as some stand in American ornithology there is 

 none left in all our land who can lift up the mantle 

 that has fallen from his shoulders. His good work is 

 accomplished, and he has gone to reap the rich reward 

 of a life nobly spent in the survey of Nature's beauties, 

 in drinking from the perennial fountain of Nature's 

 truths. Since Audubon passed away from the scene 

 of his usefulness, death has struck no such cruel blow 

 to our beloved science. As Dr. Brewer has said to 

 me, "which one of our younger ornithologists will 

 undertake to stand, after thirty-five years of training, 

 where Cassin stood at his death?" The all-worthy time- 

 honored quartette has been rudely broken. Now only 

 a triangle, L,awrence, Brewer and Baird, remains of the 

 last generation of American ornithologists. Who shall 

 lead opinion when they too are gathered to their fath- 

 ers? A higher trust than we perhaps appreciate, is 

 laid upon the few of us of this later day who pay 

 devotion to the beautiful study of ornithology. It is 



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