102 
THK CONDOR 
I Vol. IV 
Of the former there are forty-three sep- 
arate papers and of the latter twenty- 
six. His most important work was 
“Land Birds” in the Geological Survey 
of California, and usually known as 
“Ornithology of California.” This book 
was edited by Prof. Baird and includes 
most of the land birds west of the Rocky 
Mts. 
His was a quiet unassuming life, 
passed amid the simple surroundings of 
his home. He was a tall, spare man of 
forests, and could never bear to see a 
tree cut down, or even have it used for 
fuel in his hoaie. There stands beside 
his home today a tall California laurel, 
which was transplanted from a near ra- 
vine as a little sapling, and which now 
overtops his home. It was early in life 
that the naturalisis’ traits manifested 
themselves, as he says in his autobio- 
graphical summar}'. “I was noted for 
planting tootlipicks to raise geese, and 
for huggi ng goslings to death, a bud- 
PHOTO BY W. O. EMERSON 
HOME OF THE LATE DR. J. G. COOPER. 
soldiery bearing, with a dark beard well 
(Silvered, clear blue eyes, delicate hands, 
a voice slow and not given to a ready 
flow of language. But when touclied 
on his favorite topic, the man was for- 
gotten, and he impressed you as one of 
tlie true wt)rshippers at Nature’s shrine 
— a noble man of lasting worth. At 
times he was humorous, when stirred 
by the reminder of some early days of 
exploring among the mountains and 
fields. Dr. Cooper was a great lover of 
ding of ornithological tastes. This oc 
curred in 1837 continued, say, to 
1840. I went to a country school in 
summer, walked a mile over hills and 
bad roads, taking side paths thru tiie 
fields to hunt bird nests, shells and rep- 
tiles, which I preserved till some natur 
alist captured the specimens for little or 
nothing. The most noteti of these cap- 
tures was a living copper-head uiake 
which my sister Mary anti I found 
while crossing a newly cleared field, and 
