Some Early American Ornithologists 



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the published works of others, as he was himself familiar with but a small 

 portion of the animal kingdom. So far as North America was concerned, he 

 relied almost entirely upon Catesby's 'Natural History' and gave a binomial 

 name to each of the birds described and figured in that great work. So that 

 the Mockbird, Turdus minor cinereo-albus non maculatiis of Catesby be- 

 came the Turdus polyglottos of Linnaeus, and in our present nomenclature 

 we have nothing to perpetuate the name of this worthy man. 



In the history of North American ornithology, however, Catesby will 

 always stand out prominently as the pioneer, and our only regret is that he 

 has not left us more details of his life and character; for a man with the 

 enthusiasm and energy necessary for the production of such a work, in the 

 face of such difficulties as must necessarily have confronted him, was a man 

 whom we should like to know better and whose character must have been 

 one well worthy of study. 



CEDAR VVAXWING ON NEST 

 Photographed from nature by R. H. Beebe, Arcade, N. Y., July, igo? 



