JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



to encourage a love and respect for 

 our feathered friends; but. until our 

 membership is numbered by hundreds, 

 it seems hardly reasonable to expect 

 that we shall be able to branch out 

 along such lines as shall enable us to 

 best subserve the aims of our society. 

 The publishing of our proceedings in 

 a quarterly magazine which from its 

 nature is limited in circulation has, it 

 seems to me, narrowed our horizon 

 very perceptibly. The argument that 

 there is seeming unfitness in publish- 

 ing our papers beside those recording 

 captures of fish and game is to me a 

 lame one, for since the days when 

 "Isaac loved Esau, because he did 

 eat of his venison," it has been hon- 

 orable to hunt and fish. And as long 

 as men and lower animals exist upon 

 this earth, so long will our laws up- 

 hold those noble sports. Therefore it 

 seems peculiarly fitting to print our 

 articles where like th? "still small 

 . voice" they may, in the solitude of 

 nature, appeal to those who hunt. 



It has been my desire, since our or- 

 ganization was effected, to enlist the 

 sympathies of the already overworked 

 teachers in our cause. To be sure the 

 statutes already assert that the Princi- 

 ples of Agriculture and Temperance 

 shall be instilled early into the minds 

 of our children, and it would seem 

 cruel to encumber the teacher further. 

 But an experience of two years as 

 teacher of Nature Studies in our Sum- 

 mer Schools has convinced me that 

 here we might find our strongest sup- 

 porters. With this end in view, I ar- 

 ranged with the Maine Pedagogical So- 

 ciety to assume part of the expense of 

 securing Frank M. Chapman, assistant 

 curator of Mammalogy and Ornith- 

 ology in the American Museum of 

 Natural History, New York City, — to 

 come to Lewiston, Dec. 28, and lecture 

 to both societies at the same time and 

 place. But I am obliged to report that 

 the expense precluded any possibility 



of engaging him. It was for this rea- 

 son solely that I desired to hold our 

 meeting one week later. 



The one crowning work to which 

 every member of our organization 

 points with piide, however humble the 

 part he played in the completion, is 

 the publication of "Birds of Maine," 

 under the efficient editorship of Ex- 

 President Ora W. Knight of Bangor. 

 And should we disband tonight, we 

 should separate with a triumphal satis- 

 faction that we had not lived in vain. 

 For, though other observers had tabu- 

 lated and published the results of their 

 labors in special localities. Mr. 

 Knight's bcok was the first to give a 

 perspective view of the avifauna of 

 our entire State. And so carefully and 

 critically was the work done that not 

 a record stands today in doubt or dis- 

 pute, and every prediction made three 

 years ago has since been verified. 



In other respects our work thus far 

 has been internal. We have become 

 acquainted with each other and the 

 work in general, until we seem pre- 

 pared to accomplish something of still 

 gr^'ater importance. I, for one. have 

 learned much of the subject of Orni- 

 thology, and I am sure that other 

 members will acknowledge their in- 

 debtedness to those leaders who have 

 started us aright. 



We have much to accomplish in our 

 business meeting tomorrow morning, 

 and I hope each member will come pre- 

 pared to speak boldly on each question 

 that conies up for discussion. The 

 matter of influencing legislation in be- 

 half of our birds, if not^'the most im- 

 portant one, should claim our earnest 

 attention. This year two of our mem- 

 bers, Mr. Carleton and Mr. Mead, 

 will occupy seats on the floor of the 

 House, and can do much to foi-ward 

 this important cause. 



The question of the publication of 

 our proceedings should be settled at 

 once and for all. If we are to con- 



