THE OOLOGIST 



AN APPRECIATION OF WILLIAM H. WERNER 

 By H. Servern Reger of Norristown, Pa. 



It is a rather unusual thing for any- 

 one of decided genius and ability in a 

 given line of endeavor to pass to the 

 srrat beyond with but trivial notice, 

 f.nd yet this was the lot of William H. 

 Werner, a Pennsylvania naturalist. 

 This man who lived without doubt 

 many years ahead of his time, and who 

 produced during his life a work which 

 today stamps him as a pioneer in thij 

 country in the art of ornamental 

 trxiderr y, was so modest and un- 

 assuming that we have lost whai 

 v.ould have been one of the most won- 

 derful contributions to our knowledge 

 c" bird life 



I have been prompted to undertake 

 this work from a sense of duty and 

 :'ustice, for I think I can prave 

 Ihat William H. Werner was such an 

 unusual man that his history should 

 1)0 preserved as a debt of gratitude on 

 rur part for the work he has done. In 

 To preparation of these notes I am 

 r;eatly indebted to Dr. G. Clyde Fisher 

 L the American Museum of Natural 

 History, New York City, Dr. Witmer 

 Etone of the Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ences, Philadelphia, Miss Clara A. 

 Beck of Norristown, Pa., Miss Bella 

 Kunstman of Nazareth, Pa., members 

 cf Mr. Werner's family, and Mrs. Wil- 

 Kam H. Werner. I can assure, 

 however, that the task has not been 

 an easy one as available records were 

 few and far between. 



William H. Werner was born on a 

 farm near Alluta, a small country vil- 

 lage lying two miles above Nazareth, 

 Pa., on January 18th, 1842. 



He was of German parentage, his 

 grandfather, Heinrich Werner, having 

 emigrated from Preisen Weinricli in 

 colonial days. The latter is said to 

 have been a man of sterling qualities, 

 modest tastes and religious tendencies. 



and having through thrift and good 

 management acquired considerable 

 worldly goods He and his son Fred- 

 erick Werner, (father of William H. 

 Werner), being strong adherents of 

 the Evangelical faith, and having th'> 

 spiritual welfare of the community at 

 heart, built at their own expense the 

 first church building of that denom - 

 nation in that pari: of Northampton 

 County. 



Mr. Werner received no education 

 beyond that acquired in the rural dic- 

 trict in which he lived; living on a 

 farm, however, he had all the advant- 

 ages of being in Nature's school, and 

 with the Blue Mountains in sight and 

 the beautiful forests all around, it i^. 

 easy to conceive how, having been a 

 close observer, and given a spirit 

 vv'hich reached out for the beautiful 

 and artistic, he became not only an en- 

 thusiastic student of nature, but a tru? 

 interpreter of her various moods and 

 fancies as well. 



When, as was the German custom, 

 he reached a certain a£:e, he was sent 

 from home to learn some useful trade, 

 and he chose that of harness maktr. 

 His artistic tendencies so soon re- 

 vealed themselves that his master as- 

 signed to him all the fancy stitching 

 and designing such as decorated the 

 riding saddles of that day. 



On December 6th, 1863 Mr. Werner, 

 who was then not quite of age, was 

 married to Miss Lucetta Kunstman, 

 daughter of William and Sabina Beck 

 Kunstman of Nazareth, Northampton 

 County, Pa. Mr. Werner's father-in- 

 law, William Kunstman, was a pho- 

 tographer, a genius in his way and a 

 man who lived years ahead of his 

 time. These men were most congenial, 

 both being inclined to study, invention 

 and art. Mr. Werner now gave up his 



