104 
Thomas Mayo Brewer. 
scope and character ; but, in addition to the topics thus indicated, 
the work gives a pretty full exposition of the breeding habits of 
the species treated, so far as then known, and also full tables of 
synonymy. Owing to the great cost of the illustrations, the work 
was not continued beyond the first part, which treats of the Birds 
of Prey, the Swifts, Swallows, Goatsuckers, and Kingfishers. This 
work, until within the last year, was the only special treatise extant 
on the subject to which it relates, and will ever hold the place of a 
standard work. It is, moreover, a work which brought to its author 
great credit, and through which he became widely known as an 
ornithologist. . 
In 1874 appeared “A History of North American Birds,” under 
the joint authorship of S. F. Baird, T. M. Brewer, and R. Ridgway, 
in three quarto volumes, devoted to the “ Land Birds.” To this 
work the whole of the biographical part, forming probably two thirds 
of the letter-press, was contributed by Dr. Brewer, and throughout 
evinces the hand of the expert in all that relates to his special 
department of a work which marks an era in the history of North 
American ornithology. He has left the manuscript for the comple- 
tion of his share of this great work, the final revision of which he 
had but just completed at the time of his death. He had also 
accumulated a large amount of material for the contemplated con- 
tinuation of his “North American Oology.” His collection of eggs, 
carefully selected during a long series of years, is doubtless one of 
the best private oological collections extant. By a provision of his 
will this collection is left to the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 
Socially Dr. Brewer was greatly esteemed ; his warm sympathy, 
his loyalty to friends and to his convictions of truth and duty, were 
marked traits in his character. Removed suddenly, and when there 
were apparently years of activity and leisure before him for research, 
his loss to science is not easily replaced. 
He was married in 1849 to Miss Sally R. Coffin, daughter of Mr. 
Stephen Coffin, of Damariscotta, Me. ; she and one daughter survive 
him. The loss of a son, who died at an early age, cast over his 
domestic life a shadow which never entirely passed away. — Eds. 
