HAMILTON: MAMMALOGY IN NORTH AMERICA 683 



present century, but there was yet no organization devoted solely to the study of 

 mammals. 



The American Society of Mammalogists was founded at Washington, D. C, on 

 April 3, 1919. When a call was issued for a meeting at the U. S. National Museum 

 on that date, sixty persons from many parts of the United States and Canada 

 were present for the initial session. Plans for the society were perfected, officers 

 elected, committees formed, and by-laws and rules were adopted. The objects 

 of the infant society were declared to be "the promotion of the interests of mam- 

 malogy by holding meetings, issuing a serial or other publications, aiding research, 

 and engaging in such other activities as may be deemed expedient." Systematic 

 work, life history and habits of mammals, evolution, paleontology, anatomy, and 

 every phase of popular and technical mammalogy were to be within the scope of 

 the society and its publication. One of the declared objects of the society was to 

 be the publication of the Journal of Mammalogy. This publication was planned 

 to be indispensable to all workers in every branch of mammalogy and of value 

 to every person interested in mammals, be he systematist, paleontologist, anat- 

 omist, museum or zoological garden man, sportsman, big game hunter, or just 

 plain naturalist. 



How well the aim has been fulfilled is attested by the breadth and wide scope 

 of articles that have appeared in the thirty-three volumes of this quarterly. The 

 first officers and directors are a virtual roster of the great names in American 

 mammalogy thirty years ago. Merriam was honored with the presidency, a fitting 

 tribute to his lifetime contributions in the field. E. W. Nelson and Wilfred H. 

 Osgood were vice-presidents. Hartley H. T. Jackson the corresponding secretary, 

 Walter P. Taylor, treasurer, and Ned Hollister the editor. Members of the coun- 

 cil (now known as directors) included Glover M. Allen, Eudolph M. Anderson, 

 Joseph Grinnell, Marcus W. Lyon, Jr., W. D. Matthew, John C. Merriam, T. S. 

 Palmer, Edward A. Preble, and Witmer Stone. Of this group, Nelson, Osgood, 

 Matthew, Allen, Stone, Lyon, Grinnell, Jackson, and Taylor all were elected to 

 the presidency of the society in recognition of their contributions to mammalogy. 

 The society has published several monographs, including the Anatomy of the 

 Wood Rat by A. B. Howell, The Beaver: Its Work and Ways by E. R. Warren, 

 and Animal Life of the Carlshad Caverns by Vernon Bailey. 



The Society has a current membership of more than 1,350 individuals. 



The Pacific Northwest Bird and Mammal Society was founded January 7, 

 1920. One of the objects of the society was to promote interest in the scientific 

 study of birds and mammals within the region mentioned. The Murrelet, official 

 publication of the society, is published triannually. Except the American Society 

 of Mammalogists, this is the only organization in the United States which ex- 

 pressly designates the professional field of mammalogy as one of its primary aims. 



In Germany, the Deutschen Gelleschaft fiir Saugetierkunde, organized in 

 1926, publishes the Zeitschrift fiir Saugetierkunde. The French journal Mammalia 

 has gone through sixteen volumes. In content, these two important journals follow 

 the leadership of the Journal of Mammalogy. 



We would be remiss, indeed, if no mention were made of the many other 

 societies that have not only professed an interest in mammals, but, by militant 

 effort, have helped further interest in our native species. The National Audubon 

 Society, aware of the plight of many of our rarer mammals, has been increasingly 



