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Mar., 1918 IN MEMORIAM: LYMAN BELDING 57 most of the birds, but my first bird book astonished me with many I did not know and had never heard of. I had never met an ornithologist or oologist and did not know there was any in this State.' I was successful in identifying my specimens., My success was due partly to my knowing many of the speciesf partly to the excellence of Baird's descriptions in 'California Ornithology' and in vol. ?x of the Pacific Railroad Reports [Baird, Cassin, and Lawrence], and partly because many subspecies had not been recognized. I was sometimes ma- terially assisted by Wilson's simple descriptions. The first eggs I collected were about on a par with my first bird skins. I picked a hole in each end with a pin, never having seen nor heard of egg-drills and blow-pipes. Eggs of Town- scnd's Solitaire and others quite as choice were thus punctured and sent to the Smithsonian Institution." In the spring of 1881, Mr. Belding visited Cerros Island, off the west coast of Lower. California. His original intention had been to explore Ouadalupe Island, but conditions being unfavorable there, the project was abandoned.. Twenty species of birds were either collected or recorded from Cerros, one be- ing Phalacrocorax dilophus albociliatus. In addition he secured a new lizard, Verticaria beldingi Stejneger. * Ten days were spent at San Quintin Bay, where Passerculus beldingi Ridgway was taken, as well as seventeen species record- ed. Seven species were.noted at Santa Rosalia Bay, and three at Los Corona- dos lslands. "During the winters of 1881-2 and 1882-3 I collected in the Cape region, from La Paz to Cape San Lucas, excepting the time that I was at Guaymas, which was nearly all of December, 1882, and a part of April, 1883. * * * My 'collecting in the Cape region was satisfactory, notwithstanding SO'he hard- ships I endured. The region is mostly a semi-desert, water is scarce and I sev- eral times suffered for the want of it. "I found San Jos? del Cabo the best field of the low country and the 'Vic- toria Mountains the best of the moun(ainous parts. I have often wondered why the sharp-eyed, indefatigable Xantus did not see Geothlypis beldingi on the San Jos? river, where he spent a great deal of time, and also if it had rapid- ly changed since he was there some thirty years before. I do not think he was ever in the Victoria Mountains or he would have found the very common Junco bairdi and other common birds of these mountains. which are known to the California Academy scientists as Laguna--a decided misnomer, as the lit- tle lagoon that once existed at the lower end of a little valley, went down the mountain during a violent rainstorm which cut away a natural dam that held it. Hn THE CONDOR, vol. II, 1900, p, 1, Mr. Belding says: "I had met several persons who could mount birds and I had mummified and mounted some, but I soon found that a mummy was not a Joy forever if it was a thing of beauty when first mounted. I had no difficulty in identifying my specimens, but in order to be sure my identifications were correct. I sent specimens to Washington for Mr. Ridgway's opinion. "lie and Prof. Baird gave me kind encouragement and Mr. Ridaway was very pa- tient and prompt in writing long, interesting letters concerning the specimens I had sent. I was given many valuable books from the National Library, after which Prof. Baird sent me a catalogue of the publications it contained and told me to ask for anything I wanted. I was very grateful for these kind attentions and my zeal for the work was wreatly stimulated. I do not think this kind encouragement was exceptional, for I think Profs. Baird and Ridaway were always glad to assist the student of natural his- tory." ?Little mention is made in the autobiographical notes of herpetological collecting. Doctor SteJneger's dedication of the species throws light upon this matter. "I take great pleasure in naming this new species after Mr. L. Belding whose extensive and excellent herpetological collecting in Lower Caligornia as well as in Upper California has never been adequately recognized."