38 



Smith, will be hereafter called the " Greene Smith Collection of 

 North American Birds." Taken as a whole, it forms an attractive 

 and very satisfactory representation of the North American bird 

 fauna. Of course there are still gaps to be filled, but most of these 

 concern birds which can be obtained without much difficulty. A 

 pair of Bachman's Warblers, a Snowy Heron, Night Heron, Mal- 

 lard, Wood Duck, Harlequin Duck, Goosander, and Hooded Mer- 

 ganser have been already bought for this purpose. 



The Greene Smith Humming-birds, numbering about three 

 hundred specimens, have been placed on exhibition in the South 

 American room, where an entire case has been devoted to them. 

 This disposition is perhaps open to some criticism on the ground 

 that certain of the species are peculiar to the West Indies, while 

 others breed only in North America. But as by far the greater 

 number are exclusively South or Central American, and as the 

 family is of undoubted Neotropical origin, it seemed best to waive 

 this objection. The only alternative was a place in the Systematic 

 Room or in one of the halls, where the light would have been more 

 or less unsatisfactory. The case in the South American room 

 has a clear, direct light, admirably adapted for bringing out the 

 metallic or iridescent tints which form the chief glory of these 

 exquisite little creatures. Mr. Clark has displayed the specimens 

 to unusual advantage by mounting them on invisible wires fas- 

 tened to horizontal wooden strips, which extend quite across the 

 case and rise in tiers, each above and a little behind the next, like 

 the seats in a theatre. The flexibility of the wires made it easy 

 to adjust each specimen at precisely the right angle with the rays 

 of light, and the birds, being placed close together and freed from 

 the usual detracting adjuncts of shelves and stands, present an 

 appearance nearly as brilliant and striking as that of a bank of 

 flowers. If the approval of the visiting public may be taken as a 

 criterion, the success of this unconventional treatment can be open 

 to no doubt, for the case of Humming-birds has attracted general 

 and marked attention ever since it was first placed on exhibition. 

 It is perhaps necessary to add that aesthetic considerations were 

 not allowed to interfere with a strict scientific classification, and 

 that small labels bearing the usual inscriptions are pasted on the 

 horizontal strips below the specimens to which they relate. 



Five birds sent to the American Museum a year or more ago 

 have been returned by Mr. Allen. 



