The Maine Ornithological Society. 



CIRCULAR No 1. 



}FM. L. POWERS, Gardiner, President. 



CAPT. H. L. SPINNEY, Seguin, Vice-President. 

 A. H. NORTON, Westbrook, Sec'y-Treas. 



J. ME m ON SWAIN, WaterviLle, Editor. 



PROF. A. L.LANE. Waterville, Councilor. 

 ORA W. KNIGHT, Bangor, Councilor. 



The Maine Ornithological Society was organized January 1, 1895. under 

 the name of "The United Ornithologists of Maine, and was the natural 

 outgrowth of the correspondence carried on previously by a few bird lovers 

 in our State who were endeavoring to make a list of the birds of Maine. In 

 view of the fact that "Nature Study" was just beginning to receive in our 

 schools the attention it deserved, this was a timely act. Men who had been 

 working in isolated localities now received the uplift of a broader view, 

 and were placed in position not only to profit by the communion of ideas but 

 also to extend to others the advantages of organized effort. With commend- 

 able zeal the society at once assumed the more important phases or activiry 

 with which the members individually had been engaged. Notable among 

 these were bird migration, bird protection and a check list of Maine birds. 



The last of these was most successfully conducted by Ora W. Knight of 

 Bangor, whose compilation was published in 1897 under the title of "Birds 

 of Maine". By an act of Legislature in 1901, for which our Society was 

 directly responsible, protection has been extenaed to many birds not 

 previously specified. Bird migration is still occupying the attention of the 

 Society and articles on this subject will appear from time to time in our 

 Journal. 



As a means of communication among the members the Maine Sportsman, 

 a monthly magazine printed in Bangor, was accepted as our official organ, 

 and in the March number of 1896 our first articles appeared. These con- 

 tinued until January 1899, when the society adopted its present name, and 

 began the publication of its proceedings and papers in a quarterly Journal 

 of ius own entitled "Journal of the Maine Ornithological Society." 



This Journal, now in its fourth volume, has improved from year to year 

 in size and appearance until now it enjoys a well deserved popularity among 

 the Ornithologists of North America. 



The matter published is of permanent value to all interested in the sub- 

 ject, but to the student of Maine birds it is an invaluable source of the rec- 

 oi'us or rare occurrences, new observations, and reviews of species. It should 

 be in the library of every Teacher, Taxidermist and Bird lover in our State. 



New phases of activity have been adopted from time to time. In 19(i0 

 Prof. L. A. Lee of Brunswick began the formation of a collection of lantern 

 slides illustrating the life histories of Maine birds, made from pictures and 

 negatives of the living birds by members and their friends. This labor of 



