Sept., 1905 | 
In Memoriam: Walter E. Bryant" 
Born 1 4th fanuary , rS6i . — Died 2rst May , / goj 
129 
BY WALTER K. FISHER 
WITH PORTRAIT 
N OT since the lamented Chester Barlow passed away, nearly three years 
ago, has this Society suffered so severe a loss as from the recent death of 
our esteemed honorary member, Walter E. Bryant. And in this case, too, 
the final dissolution was wholly unexpected, because none of his friends were 
aware of his illness until a few days before the sad event. In June 1904 Mr 
Bryant was sent to San Bias, Mexico, to investigate the tangled affairs of a large 
fruit concern. W ith his usual conscientious care he did his work with great com- 
pleteness and unearthed a system of graft which had all but rendered the com- 
pany bankrupt. He had never been of robust health, and from overwork and 
worry in an abominable climate, with worse food, he became seriously ill. He 
remained at his post, however, until his successor arrived, and then left only after 
repeated urgings from a friend who happened to be stopping temporarily at San 
Bias. Mr. Bryant did not fully realize his precarious condition. After his arrival 
in San Francisco he was sent to a sanatorium, but failed to rally, and passed away 
on May 21st, at the age of forty-four years. 
Although he was still a young man, Bryant may be considered a pioneer in 
his chosen field because his work was mostly done in, until then, practically un- 
explored regions or regions which had been only touched. His name, therefore, 
occupies an important place in West Coast ornithology by reason of his important 
explorations and his substantial and accurate contributions to the literature of the 
subject. He collected also mammals, plants, and insects, and published several 
important papers on mammalogical subjects. Although his first article on natural 
history appeared as early as 1878 in Science News , 1, No. 7, it was not till after his 
appointment as curator in the California Academy of Sciences, in 1886, that he 
began to write extensively. As Mr. Grinnell has summarized on another page, 
“the majority of his published writings appeared from 1887 to 1889 in the ‘Bulle- 
tin’ and ‘Proceedings’ of the California Academy of Sciences, and from 1890 to 1893 
in ‘Zoe’; a periodical published for four years at San Francisco.” During this 
time which spans his period of activity in ornithological lines, Mr. Bryant pub- 
lished about forty titles, including reviews. A complete list of his ornithological 
papers has been compiled by Mr. Grinnell and is appended at the end of this sketch. 
Probably the West has never produced a better field ornithologist than Mr. 
Bryant. He was a most intelligent and painstaking observer, and as a preparator 
of specimens he certainly stood without a peer. In the Academy of Sciences are 
many examples of his work, accomplished under great difficulties, and without ex- 
ception the skins are good. When he had leisure and proper facilities his speci- 
mens were works of art. He was also expert in mounting birds, and mounted 
hummingbirds in the field. In addition to being a skilled preparator, Mr. Bryant 
was an intrepid explorer. His visit to Guadalupe Island, as an instance, was 
accomplished in the face of serious physical difficulties, and he nearly starved to 
death, being obliged to stay about three times as long as he had originally intended. 
Walter F. Bryant was born January 14, 1861, at Sonoma, Sonoma Co., Cali- 
fornia, and was the son of Daniel Sharp, and Susan H. Bryant, who survive him. 
a Read at the September meeting of the Cooper Ornithological Club. 
