July, 1901 1 
THK CONDOR 
107 
GENERAL NEWS NOTES. 
C. W. Randall, Jr., of Oakland, is spending the summer months at Cisco. Cal. 
Walter B. .Sampson of Stockton, Cal., reports a set of Fulvous Tree Duck 1-24, taken in 
Merced Co., in June. 
Lyman Belding spent several days in June at Summit, one of his favorite old-time observa- 
tion grounds in the Sierras. 
Walter K. Fisher has been engaged in collecting for the Biological Survey near Baird, 
Shasta Co., Cal., for several weeks past. 
Cooper Club members were represented at the commencement exercises at Stanford Lhiiver- 
sit}’ in June as follows: The degree of A. M. was conferred upon Joseph Grinnell and J. F. 
Illingworth and that of A. B. upon Walter K. Fisher, Edmund Heller and Robert E. Snodgrass. 
Loren E. T.aylor of F'yffe, El Dorado Co., Cal. has received an appointment as forest 
ranger on the Lake Tahoe Forest Reservation, Mr. Taylor’s intimate knowledge of forestry 
and natural history will render his ranger work the more effective, while the opportunity 
afforded him of studying the fauna of the higher Sierras will doubtless be improved. 
Prof. F'. E. L. Be.al of the Biological Survey has been in California since early in June, visit- 
ing the principal orchard districts for the purpose of collecting stomachs of various birds, 
which will be analyzed and which will furnish the basis for further reports on the food habits of 
our birds. W. Otto Emerson of Haywards accompanied Prof. Beal through the region about 
San Francisco Bay. 
Prof. J. O. Snyder of Stanford Cniversity, one of the Cooper Club’s popular members, was 
married on June 2nd to Miss Francis Hamilton, the couple departing at once on an eastern tour 
to include the Buffalo Flxposition and Prof. Snyder’s home in Indiana. Prof. Snyder has been 
connected with the I'niversit}" facuhy for eight years and has been closely associated with Dr. 
Jordan in his work of classifying fishes. Cooper Club members unite in extending cordial well 
w'ishes to Mr. Snyder and his bride. 
(Jn June 20th the Beck Expedition returned from a seven-months’ cruise in the Galapagos 
Archipelago with a considerable cargo of scientific specimens. R. H. Beck and Ernest Adams 
were the naturalists in charge and about 1,000 birds’ skins and a representative collection of 
exotic birds’ eggs were taken, the latter embracing many species not heretofore discovered. 
Stops were made at Clarion and Guadalupe Islands and an extensive collection of photographs 
was secured. A number of giant tortoises were taken and are at present being kept at Mr. Beck’s 
home at Berryessa. The expedition reports many interesting sights, including the eruption of 
several volcanoes. 
Through press dispatches the ornithological world became aware of the extremelv sad and 
violent death which came to Francis J. Birtwell at Albuquerque, N. M., on June 29th. A dis- 
patch conveys ihe particulars of Mr. Birtwell’s demise as follows : “ The couple were married in 
the Highlands only five weeks ago, and from here they journeyed to the Pecos country on their 
wedding tour. Last Friday morning Mr. Birtwell ascended a lofty pine tree to procure a bird’s 
nest and while at a distance of seventy-iive feet from the ground a heavy wind began swa3’ing 
the tree. He called to his wife for aid and soon after ropes were thrown to him. He placed a 
loop beneath his armpits and the men at the other end of the rope began lowering the human 
weight. When Birtwell was within thirty feet of the ground the knotted rope lodged in the 
forks of the tree and in some unaccountable manner the rope slipped from under one arm and the 
hemp fastened about the throat of the unfortunate man. Mr. Birtwell struggled for several 
minrrtes to free himself from his precarious position and the men on the ground put forth every 
effort to release him, but all in vain. Finally, the struggling ceased and then it was first discov- 
ered that the man was dead. An hour after the body was lowered to the ground and an inquest 
was held.” 
Mr. Birtwell was well and favorabl}' known to ornithologists as a writer on the birds of New 
Mexico and had in view at the time of his death an elaborate work to be entitled ‘‘The Ornithol- 
ogy of New Mexico.” His writings in The Osprey during Mr. Coues regime, on Aptosochromat- 
ism received considerable attention at the hands of ornithologists, many dissenting from the 
theory in favor of molt, while Dr. Coues expressed to a greater or less degree his belief in apto- 
sochromatism. Mr. Birtwell was a brilliant and promising ornithologist and general regret is 
felt that such a career should have been so abrupt^ closed. 
