¾ol.1927 J Notesand News. 473

NOTES AND NEWS

ALLANOCTAVIAN HUME, an Honorary Fellow of the AmericanOrnith- ologists'Union electedat the first meetingin 1883,died at his home,The Chalet, Upper Norwood,England, July 31, 1912, at the age of 83. No notice of his work having beenpublished in 'The Auk' at the time of his death, it is desirablethat somerecord of it shouldappear in this journal. Mr. Hume was born in England June 6, 1829, and was the youngestson of JosephHume, a former well-knownMember of Parliament. At the age of 20 he graduatedfrom the East India Collegeat Halleybury and enteringthe Indian Civil Servicewas detailedto the NorthwestProvinces. When the Indian Mutiny broke out he was actingas Collectorat Etawah betweenAgra and Cawnpore,and on accountof meritoriousservice on this occasionreceived the award of C. B. in 1862. In followingyears he filled varioushigh positionsin the Home, Revenueand AgriculturalDepartments of the Indian Serviceat Simla and as Secretaryto the Governmentof India. In 1870 he returned to the Northwest Provinces as a member of the Board of Revenue and in 1882 retired from the Indian Service but did not return to England until someyears later. During his years of residencein India, but chiefly between1862 and 1885,Hume devotedhis sparetime assiduouslyto ornithologyand with the aid of variouscollectors, especially William RuxtonDavison, brought togetherone of the largestcollections of birds ever amassedby any private individual. Thesehe preservedat his homein Simla in a room specially designedfor the purpose. He had outlineda completework on the birds of India, but by accidenthis nearly completedmanuscript was destroyed in 1885. He thereuponabandoned his work on Indian birds •vhichwould necessarilyhave to be largely rewritten and offeredhis entire collection to the British Museum of Natural History. After two years of negotiation Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, then at the head of the bird department, went to India to pack and ship the specimens,and in 'The Ibis' for 1885 (p. 456) gave an interestingaccount of his trip to Simla and his return with the Hume collection. This collectioncontained 62,000 bird skins,including 258 types, and about 19,000eggs. In the words of Dr. Sharpeit was "one of the most splendiddonations ever made to the Nation, and added to the Museum the most completecollection of birds and eggsfrom the British Indian Empire the world has ever seen." Hume's contributionsto Indian ornithologywere numerousand im- portant. In addition to short notes and brief articles he publisheda numberof separateworks, among which may be mentionedthe following: 'My Scrap Book, or Rough Notes on Indian 051ogyand Ornithology' (1869-70); 'Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds' (1873-75); 'The Indian OrnithologicalCollector's Vade Mecum' (1874); 'List of the Birds of India' (1879); with William Davison, 'List of the Birds of Tenasserim' 474 Notesand News. [July[Auk

(1878); and with C. H. T. Marshall 'The Game Birds of India, Burmah, and Ceylon' (1879-80). He was also editor and publisher of an ornithologicaljournal known as 'Stray Feathers,'of which 11 volumesappeared at Calcuttabetween 1873and 1888. A 12th volumecontaining a generalindex of the whole serieswas publishedby CharlesChubb in 1899.--T. S. P. I? may interest readers of 'The Auk' that the great collectionof birds made by Rock in westernKansy, China, is probably all safe and sound. Thirteen large boxeshave already been receivedat the Museum of Com- parative Zoology,containing several thousand skins from the Nanchan and Richthofen ranges and from various localities in Choni, Labrang and Tebby country. Much of this region was entirely unknown ornithol- ogically. The balanceof the collectionis reportedto havereached Shanghai safely and to have been shippedto Boston. The Museum 'of Comparative Zoology has also acquired Mr. Arthur Loveridge'scollection of African birds. This seriescontains several genera and many speciesnew to the collectionand, although the seriesof in- dividuMs of any one speciesis small, the number of forms representedis about 760. Since this collection is very largely from Tanganyika Terri- tory and especiallyfrom the higher mountain rangesit will fill many gaps in the Museum collection. Mr. Loveridge has also just returned from the Uluguru and lJsambara ranges where he has been collecting for some monthsand this collectionhas alsobeen safely received in Cambridge. The secondshipment of the La Touche collectionhas also come safely to hand. His birds were largely from eastern China and supplement the Rock material in a most usefulway. TH• Baird Ornithological Club of Washington, D.C., held its Fifth Annual Meeting on March 23, 1927, when officersfor the ensuingyear were elected as follows: President, Bradshaw H. Swales;Vive President, Alexander Wetmore; Secretary, Frederick C. Lincoln; Members of the Council, Charles W. Richmond and TheodoreS. Palmer. Paul Bartsch was elected to Active Membership. During the year papers were presented by Doctors Fisher, Bell, and Palmer and Messrs. Goldman, Howell and Lincoln. Guests entertained by the Club during this period, include, Dr. B. W. Evermann, of San Francisco,Calif., Dr. John C. Phillips of Wenham, Mass., Dr. CharlesW. Townsend of Ipswich, Mass., R. Bruce Horsfall, of Washington, D.C., Donald R. Dickey, of Pasadena,Calif., and Ernest P. Walker of Juneau, Alaska. The 75th birthday of Dr. LeonhardStejneger was celebratedon October 27, 1926 with appropriate ceremonies.--F. C. L•Nco*,N,Secretary. TH• New England Sportsmen's Show held in Boston January 28- February 5, was an unqualifiedsuccess. Made possibleby a guarantee fund raised by the MassachusettsFish and Game Protective Association Vol.1927XLIV] J Notisand News. 475

and sponsoredand put through by that Association,it differed markedly from any previousshows of that nature. As we look back thirty odd years to the first of the BostonSportsmen's Shows,and they were creditable Expositionstoo, we realize what great advanceshave taken place in the public's interest in all sorts of outdoor activities. But perhapseven more remarkable is the changingattitude of the shooterand fishermantowards the wild life which he is dependenton for his recreation. I am sure that had they tried in the older Showsto stressthe importanceof conservation,fire protection, sanctuaries,and even wildflowerpreservation, they would have been laughedout of court. But all thesethings are now taken as a matter of course,be they purely sentimental or not. The popularityof this Showwas evidenced by the enormousattendance, (over forty-five thousandin the last two days alone). Eastern Canadawas well represented,so were the CanadianNational Parks and largerRailroads and all of them sent competentmen who were suppliedwith attractive and instructive leafletsand booklets. Our own AmericanNational Parks, our Biological Survey, our Forest Service and Bureau of Fisheries set up splendidexhibits and these educationalfeatures were given the most prominent sites. The Fish and Game Commissionsof all the New England States were well represented;--in one case even the State Forestry Department, so that visitorsfrom out of the way parts of New England could find a State booth wherethey couldmeet friendsand talk over local affairs. In conservation,travel, or natural history, the following Societiesfitted out more or lesselaborate display booths: Federation of the Bird Clubs of New England, MassachusettsAudubon Society, National Associationof Audubon SocietiesHarvard Travellers Club, Boston Society of Natural History, MassachusettsForestry Association,Izaak Walton League of America, New England Wild Flower PreservationSociety and our own Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective Association. So encouragingwas the responseto our efforts that we hope to stage anotherSportsman's Show in two or three yearstime.--JoHN C. PHILLIrS, MassachusettsFish and GameProtective Association 3 Joy St., Boston. Mrs. Grace Rainey Rogershas given $156,000to the National Association of Audubon Societies. The sum is to be held as an Endowment Fund for the maintenanceof the Paul J. Rainey Wild Life Sanctuaryin Louisiana. This territory, ownedby the late Mr. Rainey and usedby him and his friendsas a shootingpreserve, was presentedto the AudubonAssociation by his•ister, Mrs. Rogers in 1924. Theendowment is given in lieuof the annualcontributions which she has hitherto provided for its upkeep. "This Louisiana Sanctuary is the largest of our bird reservations. For •hree years," said Dr. Pearson,"we have been guardingthese 42 square milesof marsh. We do a gooddeal in the way of planting of duck foods and by other meansseek to render the Sanctuary attractive to the vast 476 Notesand News. [JulyAuk swarms of Wild Fowl that resort to the region in Winter. More than 50,000 Wild Geesewere on the Sanctuary at one time the past season. One of the great needstoday is for morewild hfe sanctuaries,"he added. "Large areaswhere no shootingcan ever be permitted are neededin order to securethe future supply of Wild Fowl. There shouldbe a seriesof these along the hnes of migratory flight down the Arianfie and Pacific seaboards,as well as throughoutthe length of the MississippiValley." PRESSDEN?COOLIDGE, by a recent Executive Order, has set aside a tract of about2,350 acres in JasperCounty, S.C., as a preserveand breeding ground for native birds. The area embracescertain abandonedrice lands belongingto the United States abutting on the Savannah River, near Savannah,Ga., and is to be knownas the SavannahRiver Bird Refuge. The new reservationhas been placed under the administrationof the BiologicalSurvey of the United States Department of Agriculture. It will be unlawfulfor any personto hunt, trap, capture,disturb, or kill any bird or wild animal of any kind whatever, or take or destroy the eggsof any suchbird, or to injure, molest,or destroyany propertyof the United Stateswithin the limits of the reserve,except under suchrules and regula- tions as may be prescribedby the Secretaryof Agriculture. T•E Legislatureof Indiana has just passedand the Governorhas signed a law giving protection throughout the year to the American or Bald Eagle. It is a fineable offense to kill or shoot the bird and to molest its nest or eggs. This law will becomeeffective during April, 1927. It was largely through the effortsof the Indiana AudubonSociety and the Isaac Walton Leaguethat this measurewas passed. Numerousarticles were written and printed in the daily papers at intervals during the legislative session.-- S. E. PERKINS III.

Muc• interest was shownon May 27 by lovers of. birds and friendsof the late TheodoreRoosevelt in the unveihngof a memorialbronze group of unusualattractiveness. The ceremonytook place at Oyster Bay on the groundsof the Bird Sanctuary owned and maintainedby the National Associationof AudubonSocieties. Adjoiningit is the httle cemeterywhere President Roosevelt hes buried. Dr. T. Gilbert Pearson, President of the Audubon Associationsaid, "We are here today for the unique purposeof unveiling a memorial to a former President of the United States because he was a lover of wild birds. While occupyingthe position of President, at the suggestionby the Audubon Society, he created by executive order various Federal bird reservationswhere the wild denizensof seaor land might for all time find sanctuary. "The gifts of more than two thousandof our membeisand friendsmade possiblethe erectionof this fountain, the conceptionof the form and the executionof which, was wrought by the mind and the hands of one of America's most beloved sculptors,Bessie Potter Vonnoh. Vol.1927 XLI¾] J Notesand News. 477

In its compositionthe fountain is designedto representthe relation of childrento the living birds in both of which TheodoreRoosevelt ever held such a deep and abiding interest. In the figure the girl is seenproviding water for the birds in summerwhile the little boy at her feet holdsa tray with which to furnish birds with food in winter." Dr. Frank M. Chapman, said "Theodore Roosevelt was born with a bird in his heart and it sang to him throughout his life. As a boy its voiceappealed to him sostrongly that at onetime he determinedto become an ornithologist. At the age of fourteen a 'RooseveltMuseum of Natural History' was established. Numerous specimenswere collected,some of which,now in the AmericanMuseum, bear witnessto the care with which they wereprepared. Observationson the relationbetween color, habit and environmentin certain Egyptian birds made at this time show that the youngnaturalist was not merelya collector,but alsoa studentof bird-life. Dr. EugeneSwope and Mr. GeorgeK. Cherrie alsospoke. Tur Ceylon Governmentproposes to publish48 finelyexecuted coloured platesof Ceylon Birds. The platesare the work of Mr. G. M. Henry and a short descriptionof eachbird hasbeen prepared by Mr. W. E. Wait, M. B. O. U., C. F. A. O. U. PART I. (Sixteen plates) will be ready on July 1, 1927, and the re- mainingparts will be issuedat yearly intervals. Price for each part of 16 plates--/;. 1. 10s. from Dulau & Co., 32 Old Bond St., London, W. I or The Colombo Museum Colombo, Ceylon. T•r Secretaryof Agriculture,with the approvalof the Presidentof the United States,has reducedthe bag-limit on Woodcockto four insteadof six. Yellow-legs,which were found to be not increasing,have beengiven a closedseason for two years,so that during 1927and 1928the only"shore- birds" that may be shot are Wilson's Snipe and Woodcock. Attention has been especiallycalled to the illegal killing of Upland Plover in Texas, owing to an impressionthat the shooting of this bird was permissible. The Reedbird or Bobolink is now protected at all times throughout the United Statesexcept that personsowning or leasinglands in the Carolinas, Georgia or Florida, may shoot them from August 16 to November 15 when seriouslyinjuring their rice fields, under specialpermit from the Secretary of Agriculture. T•r Heath Hen situation on Marthas Vineyard does not seem to im- prove, as only thirteen birds could be found at the annual censusfor 1927. Previousestimates however may have been a little too large although it seemscertain that the total number now living is under twenty. The possibility of the young having died from 'blackhead' disease introducedby poultry, which have been permitted to roam on part of the reservationused by the Heath Hens,has caused the banishmentof the poultry; while shootingrabbits in the adjoining woodlandhas been pro- 478 Notesand News. [July[Auk hibited and planting of gardenpatches of vegetablesrehshed by the birds has been continued. An additional warden has been suppliedand every- thing possibleis being done in a last effort to save the species. THr report of Dr. ThomasBarbour, President of the executivecommittee of the Institute for Tropical Researchin America, on the Barro Colorado Island BiologicalStation, is most interesting,presenting the possibilities offeredto students,details of transportationand expenseetc. Dr. Frank M. Chapman spent part of the winter mudspring (December 22 to April 1) at the laboratory studying the habits of Zarhynchusone of the Hang-nestsand photographingwild life. He also presentedthe station with the cottagewhich he had erectedfor his useand which is now available for others. An endowmentof $250,000is neededto placethis uniqueand invaluable station on a permanentbasis and it is earnestlyhoped that this may, in some way, be realized. Dr. Barbour's interest and generosity in planning and helping to maintain Barro Coloradois worthy of all the support that can be given. WHARTO• HUSrR of the Academy of Natural Sciencesof Philadelphia is at Bear River Marshes, Utah, obtaining additional material for the study seriesof Ducks being assembledat the Museum. The expedition is made possiblethrough the support of Philadelphiasportsmen. Ws learn of the return of the Abyssinianexpedition of the Field Museum of Natural History with a valuable collection of birds and mammals. MR. WA•.•.acr Havr•.ocI( Ross hasgiven to the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoologyhis collectionof paintingsof CanadianBirds by Major Allan Brooks, the formal presentationto take place in October. Meanwhile a plan is underway to publishreproductions of thesepaintings in colors, the first of whichby BrigdensLtd. of Torontorepresents the Rose-breasted Grosbeakand is an exceptionallyfine piece of color work. Tur Audubon Society of the District of Columbia has cooperated with the Public Library in compilingand publishinga small pamphlet of 'Bird Books' recommendedby the Society. The titles are arranged under severalheadings: Books for Identification and Reference; Books for Popular Use; Books for Young People and Periodicals. The shelf or cataloguenumber of each book is given. DR. A•.rxa•nrR WS?MORrhas just returned from an expeditionto San Domingo and has brought back a valuable collectionof birds including one speciesnew to science.