° '1915 J Correspondence. lo5 



inducement offered me to continue in the Association after this year, 

 should the by-laws not be changed. I have no quarrel with any officer, or 

 class of member of the A. O. U., my quarrel is with the by-laws. We all 

 know that the A. O. U. was only a continuation of the "Nuttall Club," 

 and when re-organized and incorporated in 1888, nearly all active members 

 at that time could be, and were, embraced in the class of "Fellows" and 

 "Members." Active members since that time have increased, so much so 

 that now many of the most active workers are jn the Associate class. The 

 by-laws have remained the same, not keeping pace with the changed condi- 

 tions. How many of the different class of members of the A. O. U. have 

 ever seen a copy of the by-laws? The copy that I now have before me, I 

 secured in March, 1914, through the courtesy of the Treasurer. In reply 

 to my query as to who was entitled to a copy of the by-laws, the Secretary 

 informed me on 10/28/1914, "That every member and associate of the 

 A. O. U. is entitled to a copy of the by-laws, but it is not customary to 

 send a copy unless requested to do so." I believe if every new member 

 could see the by-laws before joining, that he would think them so narrow, 

 and the inducements offered therein so small, that he would refrain from 

 joining the Union. I trust every class of members will at once send to the 

 Secretary, and secure a copy of the by-laws, and see for themselves if the 

 following assertions are correct or not. 



About eight per cent of the membership are "Members," paying four 

 dollars yearly dues. They have no vote or voice in the business matters 

 of the Union. 



About ninety per cent are "Associate" members, paying three dollars 

 yearly dues. They have no vote or voice in the business affairs of the 

 Union. 



The business meetings are of the "Star Chamber" kind, and are not open 

 to the main supporters of the Association. 



There is no given method for the advancement of members from one 

 grade to that of a higher grade, nor is there any given standard for a member 

 to measure up to; before he can be advanced to a higher grade. This is 

 one of the weakest points in the by-laws. Judging from the membership 

 list in the April, 1914 'Auk,' we gather the following has nothing to do 

 with one's chances for advancement. 



Length of time as a member. 



Field work in any of the active lines. 



Attending annual meetings of the A. O. U. 



Published articles in 'The Auk.' 



Amassing a collection of scientific specimens, and a library on ornithol- 

 ogy, either through purchase or by personal work. | 



What qualifications then must a person have, to attain a higher grade in 

 the Union? Are the majority of the "Fellows" in a position to know just 

 who is doing active work, or eligible to advancement? What member 

 wishes to make out his own application for nomination to a higher class, 

 and have it signed by three "Fellows" as required by Section 4, Article 4, 



