COUES, ELLIOTT (1842-1899), American naturalist, was born in Portsmouth, N.H., Sept. 9, 1842. He was graduated in 1861 from Columbian (now George Washington) University, Washington, D.C., and from the Medical School of that institution in 1863. In 1864 he was appointed assistant surgeon in the U.S. Army. At the age of 3o, he published his Key to North Ameri can Birds, which, with its revisions (1884 and 1901), and his revision of New England Bird Life (Stearns), has done much to promote the systematic study of ornithology in America. This was one of the first works to introduce the "key" method of botanical manuals into zoology and it is beyond criticism for its accuracy and completeness of citation and the convenience of its concise descriptions. In 1873-76 Coues was attached to the United States Northern Boundary commission, and in 1876-8o to the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of Ter ritories, the publications of which he edited. His journeys enabled him to publish admirably annotated editions of the Lewis and Clark expedition (18o4—o6), and of Zebulon Pike's exploration of the upper Mississippi and Rocky Mountain regions (18o5—o7 ). He was a lecturer on anatomy in the Medical School of the Columbian University in 1877-82, and professor of anatomy there in 1882-87. He resigned from the Army in 188 i to devote himself entirely to scientific research. He was a founder of the American Ornithol ogists' Union and edited its organ, The Auk, and several other ornithological periodicals.
In addition to ornithology he did valuable work in mammalogy; his book, Fur-Bearing Animals (1877) being distinguished by the accuracy and completeness of its description of species. He attained eminence in several literary fields. He worked on the Century Dictionary for several years, was associate editor of the magazine of ornithology, The Osprey, and edited journals of exploration. It has been said that his beneficent influence on North American ornithology has never been excelled. He died in Baltimore, Md., Dec. 25, 1899.
A complete bibliography of his writings, which include more than Soo titles, dealing almost exclusively with the birds of North America, will be found in the Biographical Memoirs of the Na tional Academy of Science, pp. See J. A. Allen, Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Science, vol. 6, pp.