Reminiscences of a Naturalist. 22y 



Of the Brydges' South American, Panama and Nicaraguan 

 collection of shells, ample series of these, now form a part of the 

 Newcombianand Stearns colletcions, and manyduplicates have been 

 distributed by me in the course of years, and give increased value 

 to the various collections in this country and Europe, of which 

 they form a part. 



In connection with the foregoing, I should mention the explor- 

 ation by Brydges of the ancient cemeteries or burial places of 

 Chiriqui during his collecting tour in South America. Though 

 not particularly interested in Ethnology, he was curious enough 

 to investigate some of the peculiar dome-shaped graves in which 

 he observed the bodies were plac d in a sitting posture. He 

 obtained many interesting and rare pieces of pottery, earthenware, 

 shaped so much like similar articles found in old Peruvian graves 

 as to indicate that the Chiriquians were of the same racial stock. 

 Some years afterward, these ancient graveyards of Chiriqui, so 

 old that trees of immense size may be seen growing between and 

 out of the graves, suggesting a forest in which the dead were 

 buried, rather than a subsequent sylvan growth, these old graves 

 were ransacked by gold hunters, who were stimulated by an 

 occasional find of quaint whistles and toy-shaped articles of the 

 purest gold. Brydges found earthen articles of the same general 

 character, but, so far as I am aware, none that were made of the 

 precious metal. With a few exceptions, the Chiriqui pottery was 

 purchased after his death by the late Caleb Lyon, of Lyonsdale, 

 N. Y. One piece was given by me to the National Museum and 

 a second is still in my possession and cherished as a souvenir. 



R. E. C. Stearyis. 



A FEW WORDS TO THE YOUNG ORNITHOLO- 

 GISTS OF CALIFORNIA, 



Having had fair success in collecting wherever I have followed 

 this very pleasant vocation, I will say that whatever success I have 

 had was partly due to skill with a gun, experience in the field, 

 good eyes, but 7nore than all, to the patient use of field glasses, 

 with which I selected my birds, usually identifying a bird before 

 I shot it. instead of shooting, as many collectors do, everything 

 that comes within range, and identifying the victims afterward. 



The collector should know what to look for and when and 

 where to look for it- The experience of preceding collectors 

 should be studied and also descriptions of unknown birds which 

 are likely to be met with. This adds greatly to the pleasure of 

 collecting. 



I have never killed many birds of any one species, almost 

 invariably taking only such as I thought necessary for studying 

 different forms. 



