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ition of all that was known up to that time of the birds of America, 

 north of Mexico, and bringing up the list of described species to 744. 



In 1874 Dr, Coues, then a surgeon in the U. S. Army, published 

 a check list, which included such additional species as had been 

 added since the former date, bringing up the number to 778. 



In 1880 Mr. Ridgeway, in making out a catalogue of the 

 specimens in the Smithsonian Institute, labelled as North American, 

 found that they numbered 924, but it is thought that many were 

 thus included which were collected beyond the limits. 



In 1882 Dr. Coues published a second edition of his check list, 

 in which the number is increased to 888, and in his new key 

 published in 1884, the number is reduced to 878. So the numbers 

 stand at present, and as we do not now expect to have many new 

 species added, any change which takes place will probably be a 

 reduction, caused by condensing the groups, which many think are 

 at present too much divided. 



Nothing of late years has happened, so well calculated to advance 

 the interest of this subject, as the result of a meeting which was 

 held in the Museum of Natural History, in the Central Park, New 

 York, in September, 1883. The meeting, which was called by 

 circular, was composed of a few of the leading amateur and profes- 

 sional Ornithologists of North America, There were present one 

 from Ontario, one from New Brunswick, and about twenty from 

 different States in the Union. The meeting was a most enjoyable 

 one, as it brought together many who were known to each other by 

 correspondence, ?>nd yet had never personally met. It remained in 

 session for three days, with Dr. Coues as Chairman, and Mr. E. P. 

 Bicknell as Secretary. The proceedings resulted in the formation 

 of an American Ornithologist's Union, now familiarly known as the 

 A. O. U., with a constitution and by-laws similar to those of the 

 British Association of similar name. J. A. Allen, of Cambridge, 

 Mass., was elected President, and Dr. C. H. Merriam, of Locust 

 Grove, N. Y., Secretary. Committees were formed to report on the 

 following subjects at the next meeting : — Nomenclature and Classi- 

 fication, Migration, Osteology, on the desirability or otherwise of 

 encouraging the English Sparrow, and Distribution of Species. At 

 the close it was decided, in consideration of the importance of the 



