14 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA 



the State. Dr. Avery did not collect personally outside 

 his native state and almost all the specimens listed here- 

 in were taken by himself. It has been the writer's aim 

 to make of this bulletin at once a complete resume of Doc- 

 tor Avery's ornithological labors, and to bring together 

 any interesting facts connected with the acquirement of 

 his store of bird-lore. 



Because of the exigencies of the writer's service with 

 the U. S. Biological Survey, the work of searching 

 through the Doctor's old records and compiling his pub- 

 lished papers had to be done at odd moments between 

 field trips. The war caused a further delay and the 

 actual writing of the manuscript was accomplished in a 

 military camp after the signing of the armistice. Thus 

 several years have elapsed since the collection was worked 

 over but the results have not been affected by the delay 

 in publication. 



It is worthy of note that Dr. Avery did not take a 

 scientific interest in birds until comparatively late in 

 life; this interest continued, however, until almost the 

 hour of his death — 7:30 o'clock on Sunday morning, 

 March 11, 1894. His last specimen catalogued was a mock- 

 ingbird taken on March 5th, 1894. The earliest note 

 found is dated June 21, 1875, the fortieth anniversary 

 of his birth, and is written in French on a page cut 

 from an old journel (see under Piranga r. rubra, No. 

 151). A catalogue of fifty-five numbers and an "Oologi- 

 cal Register" of seven numbers, running from May 23, 

 1876, to August 23, 1881, is contained on a few other 

 pages from the same old account book, but few of these 

 specimens are now in the collection. His really serious 

 work was begun apparently in 1886, when he started a 

 catalogue on July 6th. This latter catalogue is an orderly 

 affair entered in five books through which are dispersed 

 fragmentary journal records, notes on bird habits, song, 

 nesting, and other items of interest. 



Though Dr. Avery's published writings are not in them- 

 selves of great importance, his ornithological work bore 

 abundant fruit through others. He contributed quite a 

 number of stomachs of raptorial birds to the U S Bio- 



