PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS. 



I'KKsiDENT's ADDRESS— ORNITHOLOGY IN NEBRASKA. 



PKOF. I,A\VKENCE BKUNEK. 



You all know that Nebraska is comparatively young" and is, therefore, 

 behind some of the other states in a great many ways. Whether or not our 

 state is behind as reg'ards ornithology remains to be seen. In the presen- 

 tation of this subject today I have no written paper, but shall take up the 

 points I wish to bring before you as they come to me. 



In the first place it must be confessed that ornithology in Nebraska is 

 n(-)t very old. We have, it is true, some writing-s on this subject that have 

 appeared from time to time, indicating in a way just what birds have been 

 observed, what their distribution is, something concerning" their food hab- 

 its, a trifle regarding the possibility for the future, etc., but aside from 

 this we are behind a great many other states in a number of ways. We 

 have perhaps fewer workers who are interested in birds in this state than 

 are to be found in some of the neighboring states. Althoug^h these work- 

 ers may be fewer in number, I think there is no doubt that they are more 

 earnest in the work they are doing. Four years ago it was suggested by 

 some one at one of the meeting's of the State Historical Society that we as 

 citizens should know a little more about our birds. "If the birds are of an)' 

 use to us we ought to know it", are the words that were used by the speak- 

 er at that time. According-ly as Entomologist and Ornitholog-ist, and a 

 few other "gists" to the Horticultural Society, I was asked to get together 

 some notes on Nebraska birds that might be of value to the members of the 

 Horticultural Society and others. I myself had been studying birds in a 

 kind of dilatory way for twenty-five years prior to the meeting here referred 

 to, and had accumulated some notes on the species belonging to portions 

 of Nebraska where I happened to be at different times. Letters were also 

 written to the various persons residing" in the state who were known to be 

 more or less interested in the study of birds. A list of the names of fifty- 

 six different persons was g-otten together and from these persons were ob- 

 tained the notes that they had made concerning the birds of Nebraska. A 

 compilation of these notes resulted in bringing together a larger list of 

 birds for Nebraska than has been obtained in any other state in the Union. 

 Four hundred and sixteen different species and subspecies, according to 

 this list, had been taken or seen within the present limits of the state. 

 These notes were arranged practicalU- in the form you see them in this 

 pamphlet I hold in my hands. Each person who furnished such notes is 

 g"iven full credit for what he did. The compiler of the notes onlj' holds 

 himself responsible for the references to which his name is attached. 



It was further found that, of the 416 different species and subspecies 

 that had been taken in Nebraska, 227 at that time had been found breeding 

 within our boundaries, indicating that at least this number among these 

 are at home in Nebraska, for wherever a bird rears its young there is its 



