Editorials 



167 



birds in nature, and familiarity, at least, 

 with the local fauna. ( 2 ) A o;ood rteid- 

 or opera-glass. ( 3 ) Opportunity to ob- 

 serve the bird closely and repeatedly with 

 the light at one's back. ( 4 ) A detailed 

 description of the plumage, appearance, ac- 

 tions and notes (if any) of the bird, writ- 

 ten while it is under obserxation. ( 5 ) Ex- 

 amination of a specimen of the supposed 

 species to confirm one's identification. Even 

 with these conditions fulfilled, our belief in 

 the correctness of an observer's identification 

 would depend upon the possibility of the 

 occurrence of the species said to have been 

 seen. For example, the presence of an 

 indiviJual bird at a given locality, either 

 as an escape or estray, is always possible, 

 provided the bird has sufficient power of 

 flight to enable it to make long journeys, 

 or could endure caged life. But when we 

 receive news of the observation, in large 

 numbers and frequently, of some species 

 which has never been seen within two or 

 three thousand miles of the place whence 

 our correspondent reports it, we feel 

 assured that an error has been made in 

 identification. 



After all, the discovery of one new fact 

 in the life history of the most common spe- 

 cies is of greater importance than the cap- 

 ture, with gun or glass, of a bird which, 

 like thousands of birds before it, has lost 

 its way and wandered to parts uninhabited 

 by its species. 



A Debt of Bird Students 



No science in this country lias been more 

 benefitted by organization than that of 

 ornithology, through the formation, in 1883, 

 of the American ()rnitholoi,'ists' Union. 

 Wholly apart from the Union's work in 

 inaugurating systematic observations on the 

 migration of birds, in supporting a journal 

 of ornithology, and in establishing and 

 maintaining a committee i>n bird protection 

 which for the past eiglileeii vears has been 

 actively engaged in the work of bird preser- 

 vation, the (hiion brought order out of 

 chaos in formulating a code of nomenclature 

 for zo(')logists and in publishing an author- 

 itative 'Chcck-I.ist' of North .American birds. 



wherein, as a result of the labors of the 

 Union's Committee on Classification and 

 Nomenclature, the views of various orni- 

 thologists were harmonized and for the first 

 time in many years we had one standard 

 system of nomenclature and classification. 

 Nor did the labors of this committee end 

 with the puiilication of the 'Check-List,' 

 annual meetings now being held to pass 

 upon the systematic work of the preceding 

 year, so far as it aflFects American birds, so 

 that the layman is kept thoroughly abreast 

 of the times by a committee of experts, in 

 whose judgment he may have complete 

 confidence. 



Amateur ornithologists in America are, 

 therefore, far more deeply indebted to the 

 good offices of the Union than they realize, 

 and they should acknowledge the assistance 

 which, directlv or indirectly, they have re- 

 ceived from it by showing sufficient interest 

 in the welfare of the Union to lend it their 

 personal support. Every student of birds 

 in America shouUl be a member of the 

 American Ornithologists' Union, and there 

 are probably none who are not eligible as 

 candidates for election to its recently formed 

 class of Associates, which is composed 

 wholly of amateurs. The annual dues are 

 three dollars, in return for which the mem- 

 ber receives a copy of the Union's official 

 magazine, 'The Auk,' a quarter!)', each 

 volume of which contains about 400 pages, 

 and, what is even more important, he has 

 the satisfaction of knowing that he is 

 identified with an organization of kindred 

 spirits, to whicii is largely due the present 

 widespreail interest in liird-studv in this 

 country. 



The Union meets annually, and the 

 Congress for tiie present year will be held 

 in the United States National Museum, 

 at Washington, I). C, November 18-20. 

 We liope all the readers of BtRD-LoRE 

 who can attend thi> iweiitietli Congress 

 of the Union \\ill do >o, liut, in any 

 e\ent, whether or not it is possilile for 

 ihem to l>e present, we trust they will not 

 fail to apply for Associate Membership 

 in liie Union to its treasurer, William 

 Dutcher, at 1^25 Manhattan avenue. New 



