CASSINIA 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE DELAWARE 

 VALLEY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB 



No. XVin. PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1914. 



Some Old Philadelphia Bird Collectors and 

 Taxidermists 



by spencer trotter 



' ' Chris ' ' Wood 



During the middle years of the last century there was a type 

 of man — type of mind would probably be a happier way of ex- 

 pressing it — individuals of which appeared here and there in a 

 community, though always sparingly and often in unexpected 

 walks of life. This race or type is apparently now extinct. It 

 was my good fortune to know quite intimately one of these per- 

 sons, to spend many hours in his company, and to become more 

 or less familiar with this attitude of mind. Christopher D. 

 Wood, or " Chris " Wood as he was always called, was a typical 

 old-time bird collector and taxidermist. I first made his ac- 

 quaintance in the summer of the year 1875. The picture that 

 "Chris" Wood's name calls up is that of a man of medium 

 hight, possibly a trifle under the average, of spare build, a rather 

 prominent nose, dark chestnut hair with a tendency to curl, and 

 a drooping reddish moustache. His eyes were blue — a sort of 

 light china blue. The color of his eyes was further impressed 



