been accomplished. For this survey in 
the Ornithological field, talents of no or- 
dinary character are required, but such 
talents we venture to think Dr. Coues 
possesses in no ordinary degree. Criti- 
cism may lay hold of some detail of his 
work, but must be silent when it is con- 
sidered as a whole. To the Ornithologist, 
Dr. Coues' "Key" will be a dictiofiary 
with much of the usefulness of an 
encyclopaedia. O. <S5 CXlX-Jun. 1884. p/7-?j2 
The Death of Edgar A. Small 
Took place at Hagerstown, Mar^^/and, 
April 28, 1884, in the twentieth year of his 
age. He was the son of Albert Small, a 
prominent Maryland lawyer. He early 
formed a great love for Natural Science, 
which intensified through the few years of 
his life. About eight years ago a spinal 
disease, resulting from a slight injury, 
fastened upon him. He bore frequent 
operations with characteristic patience, but 
its course resisted all the efforts of medi- 
cal skill and finally resulted in his too ear- 
ly death. 
Edgar Small, though but a boy in body, 
was a man in mind. He was a thorough 
student of Nature,, and his progress was 
wonderful, in spite of the obstacles result- 
ing from his illness. In his maturer 
years it was seldom that he got into his 
favorite woods and fields excej)t by car- 
riage, but his thirst for knowledge was so 
intense that such brief excursions showed 
him more than could be seen by ordinary 
people. When unable to do even this, he 
would lie on his back and paint the ob- 
jects he was unable to visit in their native 
groves. We have in our possession a fine 
oil painting of a Sparrow Hawk made in 
this way. He had mounted the bird on a 
piece of New England white birch previ- 
ous to painting. This and other matters 
in our possession showed a genius promis- 
ing a valuable life we can ill spare from 
among us. We found him a reserved, 
cautious boy, a careful student of Nature's 
ways, with an intuitive knowledge which 
enabled him to see with the mind what 
others failed to see with the eye. His 
statements were made in a plain, unas- 
suming manner, and errors wei-e promptly 
and cheerfully acknowledged. His early 
death; if a loss to the science he loved, is 
to him a blessed relief from a life that 
must have been one of continuous 
suffering. 
To his parents, bereaved of the object 
of their love and solicitude, we tender the 
sincere sympathy of the Ornithologists of 
the United States, many of whom had 
learned to appreciate his worth and the 
value of the labors promised, had his 
life been lengthened. 
Birds of Silver City, New Mexico. 
The latter part of November found me 
located in Silver City, a thriving mining 
town, situated among the foot-hills of the 
Kocky Mountains, iti the southwestern 
portion of New Mexico, some sixty miles 
from the Mexican boundary. The coun 
try in the immediate vicinity is broken 
and rolling ; to the north and west foot- 
hills and mountain peaks, and to the west 
and south the prairie. Pine, Pinon, Cedar, 
Scrub Oak, short Gram grass and a variety 
of Cacti are the principal forms of vegeta- 
tion, while of water there is- none, except 
a few scanty streams far back among the 
mountains. Other matters interfered with 
my observations of the bird lif^ until Jan- 
uary, and doubtless many additions could 
have been made to the subjoined list the 
greater portion of which were tak^ with- 
in a few miles of the town : 
NOVEMBER, 1883 
1 Californian Bluebird, {Sialia mexicana,) 22, 23, 29. 
2 Rbcky Mountain Bluebird, {Sialia arctica,) 23, 59. 
3 Jownsend's Solitaire, {Myiadestes townsendi,) 29. 
4 AVollweber's Titrtiouse, {Lophophanes woUweberi,) 2% 
5; Lead-colored Titmouse, {PsaUriparus plumheus,) 29. \ 
i White-rumped Shrike, {Lanius ludoiicianus excubito- 
^ jides,) 22. 
T House Finch, {Carpodacus frontalis,) 23, 29. 
8 Oregon Snowbird, (Junco oregonus,) 22, 23, 29. 
9 Pink-sided Snowbird, (Junco annectens,) 2, 3, 29. 
10 Gray-headed Snowbird, {Junco caniceps,) 13, 29. 
11 Canon Towhee, {Pipilo fuscus mesoleucns,) 22, 23, 29. 
