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 Jan., 1916 PHILADELPHIA TO THE COAST IN EAILY DAYS 13 friend Hutton is one of the severest things. I don't want to do it-- when he gets better known I will call something after him. This kind of thing is bad enough at the best, but to name a bird after a person utterly un- known is worse than that. I do not doubt his entire capability but I don't like to thrust honors upon him." Baird, however, stood firm and a little later Cassin writes: "Please give me the name in full of Mr. Hutton, his name, style, address, business, locality, age whether young or adult, present pursuits, occupations and whereabouts to the best of your knowledge and belief and I must have it early as the paper goes to the printer about Wednesday or Thursday next." It seems also that Henry's Nighthawk came near having .another name, but in this case Baird gave in to Cassin's wishes. Cassin writes: "By the way, cannot Chordegles Gunnson be called C. Henry,--name some other bird after Lt. Gunnison Henry ought to have one named after him and I do not like the idea exactly of giving him one of the Butcos--too many already named in that style--just give in, Professor, for once. I think a bird can be found to call Gunnisoni--I think moreover that Henry;s claim is the superior]" But to return to Bell. Cassin in naming the sparrow after him says he is "a gentleman possessed of a very extensive knowledge of natural history and whose attachment to the pursuit of which, induced him to make the visit to California which resulted in the discovery of this and other interesting birds." One other name .deserves to be mentioned among these early transconti- nental travellers. This is A. L. Heermann, another member of the Philadel- phia Academy. As a young man of thirty, Heermann went to California in 849 and spent nearly three years "in making," to quote Cassin, "researches and collections with excellent judgment and great enterprise and has suc- ceeded in bringing safely home the most extensive collections ever made in that country." In a letter to Baird dated August 28, 1852, Cassin wrote with much enthu- siasm: "Heermann has arrived from California with a collection of about 1200 bird skins. I have not seen them all but expect to tomorrow. I have a portion of them brought in his trunk among which are--a Hummingbird, T. alexandri which is new to our fauna, a Wren T. mex.icanus and an undescribed finch [Am. rostratus]; also a Squirrel which LeConte says is new and the greatest kind of a lot of nests and eggs." H.eermann's Gull was another nov- elty which he obtained. Later Heermann was naturalist on Lt. Williamsoh's party which surveyed the 32nd and 35th parallels in southern California on one of the Pacific Railroad Surveys. Heermann's paper dealing with his experiences with 125 land birds of California is the second great California ornithological contribution. With the rush of settlers that followed 1849 and the military occupancy of the Pacific coast posts, numerous ornithologists found their way to Cali- fornia and knowledge of its birds increased apace. The great Pacific Rail- road Surveys and the resultant report by Baird, Cassin and Lawrence, brought all the scattered contributions together in systematic form. But these opera- tions belong to another period in the history of western ornithological devel- opment and are clearly beyond my theme. I feel that I owe you an apology as it is, for occupying so much time in presenting matter that is not new. Sometimes, however, well worn facts may be assembled in new combinations so that the resultant structure has some elements of novelty and that, together