66 BULLETIN OF THE COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. PASSING 01: AII:0NS[ I:0RR[R. A LFONSE FORRER died at his home in Santa Cruz, Cal., on March ?5, ?899. His life was one of activity, constantly associated with nature. Few have left behind them so much to perpetuate their memory as has the subject of this sketch. It has in years gone by given me much pleas- ure to listen to the many interesting narratives which came into Mr. Forrer's life as a naturalist, I having lived a number of years in the same city which Mr. Forrer had chosen for his home, and where he died. Alfonse Forrer was born in London in ?836. His early educa- tion ?vas secured .' in England, after xvhich he went to Zurich, then a great center of learning. He spoke fluently, as well as read and wrote German, French and Span- ish, and also Eng- lish, in which he was possessed of more than ordin- ary learning. At an early age he emigrated to the United States, and at the out- break of hostilities in i86t he enlist- ed with the Ist Louisiana Cavalry, serving as First Lieutenant in the cause of the North. At the close of the war Mr. Forrer ac- cepted a commission to collect zoolog- ical material along the west coast o Mexico and the United States for the British Museum. He made extensive collections of mammals, birds, birds' nests and eggs, shells, reptiles and in- sects in the state of Sinaloa and Duran- go and the Tres Marias Islands, Mexico. Later several months were spent at La Paz, I,oxver California, thence to San Diego and up the coast. Some time was spent in search of natural history subjects in the high Sierras from Lake Tahoe northward through Sierra, Plu- mas, Lassen and Modoc counties. Much valuable material was collected in the vicinity of Klamath Lake, Ore- gon, Fort Lapwai. Idaho and on Van- couver Island. After having supplied the British Mus- ? -- eum with large se- ries of everything taken, other mu- seums were sup- plied, in which ? connection Mr. Forrer made four trips to Europe. The discoveries which perpetuate the name of For- rer are a goldfinch, Ch r rsom istris for- reri, collected near Mazatlan, M e x i co. and named in his hon- or by Sclater and Godman. Other forms are a vireo, 1.7reo flaz,oviridis ? dGrreri and a par- rot, Chrysotis
reri. Besides
these we have a frog, a snail, a star fish and several plants that bear , his name. In ten years of field work it is naturally expected that Mr. For- rer met with many obstacles that im- peded his work and many instances of pleasure, as well as some that were an- noying and embarassing. An instance of this kind happened while he was collecting in a "backwoods" region in eastern Oregon. Mr. Forrer was desir- ous of getting a few sets of eggs of the Sage Grouse. His own efforts proving repeated failures, he at last resorted to
