34 BRITISH BIRDS. 



this country, and there is no one who can exactly take his 

 place. 



The foundation of the British Ornithologists' Union 

 was one of the most important events in the history of 

 ornithology, and with the publication of its quarterly 

 journal, the "Ibis," in 1859, commenced that long series 

 of memoirs which have added so much to our knowledge 

 of the Class Aves. 



It must be remembered that the promoters of the 

 " Ibis " were few in number, for the list of original 

 members contained only twenty names, but among them 

 were those of T. C. Eyton, F. DuCane Godman and 

 his brother Percy Godman, John Henry Gurney, Alfred 

 Newton and Edward Newton, Lord Lilford (then the 

 Hon. Thomas Lyttleton Powys), Osbert Salvin, Philip 

 Lutley Sclater, Wilfred Hudleston Simpson (now W. H. 

 Hudleston), Edward Cavendish Taylor, Canon Tristram, 

 and John Wolley. 



It is well to recall the circumstances of the founding of 

 the Union, as the writer has unwittingly been the means 

 of publishing an inaccurate account of its foundation 

 in his Presidential Address to the Fourth International 

 Ornithological Congress in 1905. The information was 

 given to him in all good faith by an original member of 

 the Union, whose memory was evidently not quite accurate, 

 and it was not the case that the inception of the Union 

 and the idea of publishing a journal specially devoted to 

 ornithology was conceived at a gathering of bird-lovers in 

 Canon Tristram's study at Castle Eden, as stated by me. 

 Only a few weeks ago Professor Newton challenged the 

 correctness of my statement, and in the April number of 

 the "Ibis " there is (p. 372) a refutation of it, which refers 

 to the preface of the first volume of the " Ibis " for the 

 true story of the foundation of the British Ornithologists' 

 Union. I can only say that the account published by me 

 was told to me on several occasions by my old friend, and 

 I am quite certain that he considered that the idea of 

 founding the Union was discussed originally at Canon 



