A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE 

 DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS 



Official Organ of the Audubon Societies 



Vol. 1 



October, 1899 



No. 5 



The American Ornithologists' Union 



D 



BY J. A. ALLEN 

 (First President of the Union) 



URING the sixteen years that have passed since 

 the founding of the American Ornithologists' 

 ^jt— 3^^^-e^ Union, in August, 1883, the study of North 

 American birds has advanced with constantly 

 accelerated strides. That this progress has been due largely 

 to the founding of the Union is beyond denial, as will 

 become evident from the following brief history of its work and 

 the causes that led to its formation. 



In all lines of human endeavor, the union of kindred interests and 

 individual effort toward a common end is the key to success. Before 

 the founding of the American Ornithologists' Union, its nucleus ex- 

 isted in a local organization of bird students in Cambridge, known as 

 the Nuttall Ornithological Club. At first its meetings were informal, 

 and its membership was limited to a few individuals living in the 

 immediate vicinity of Cambridge. Later it became regularly organized 

 as a club, with both resident and corresponding members, the latter 

 embracing most of the leading ornithologists of this country. The 

 papers presented at its meetings were often of permanent value, and 

 were later published in scientific journals. In 1876 these had 

 become sufficiently numerous and important to warrant the club in 

 establishing its own medium of publication, the first number bearing 

 date April, 1876, with the title 'Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithologi- 

 cal Club.' As years passed it served not only as the official organ 

 of the club, but as a medium of communication between American 

 ornithologists at large. 



This led to the consideration of the desirability of organizing a 

 national society of ornithologists as a means of bringing the workers 



