OF THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 35 



exposition 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 DrfCoues, then a surgeon in the U. S. xA.rmy, pub- 

 lished 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. Ridge way, 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, \'\hich was 

 called by circular, was composed of a few of the leading amateur 

 and professional 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, and 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. Professor I. 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 next meeting : — 

 Nomenclature and Classification, Migration, Osteology, on the 

 desirability or otherwise of encouraging the English Sparrow, and 

 Distribution of Species. At the close it was decided, in consider- 



