THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



127 



American Ornithologists' Union. 



(bibd migration.) 

 At the First Congress of the American 

 Ornithologists' Union, held in New York 

 city, September 26-28, 1883, a committee 

 on the Migration of Birds was appointed . 

 It is the purpose of this committee to inves- 

 tigate in all its bearings, and to the fullest 

 extent possible, the subject of the migra- 

 tion of birds in the United States and Brit- 

 ish North America. The work will not be 

 limited to the accumulation of records of 

 the times of the arrival and departure of 

 the different species, but will embrace the 

 collection of all data that may aid in deter- 

 mining the causes which influence tlie pro- 

 gress of migration from season to season. 

 For example, severe storms, gales of wind, 

 protracted periods of unusually high or 

 low temperature (for the locality and time 

 of year) are among the atmospheric condi- 

 tions that are known to exert marked ef- 

 fects upon the movements of birds. The 

 opening of the leaves and the flowering of 

 certain plants, with the correlative appear- 

 ance of a multitude of insects, are also 

 among the factors that have to do with the 

 abundance of many species. Hence the 

 careful registration of certain metorological 

 phenomena, and of the state of advancing 

 . vegetation from day to day, will constitute 

 prominent items in the record books of the 

 observer. 



For the purpose of rendering the result 

 of the season's work as full and valuable 

 as possible, the committee earnestly solicits 

 the co-operation of every ornithologist, 

 field-collector, sportsman and observer of 

 nature in North America. Indeed, a large 

 corps of observers is absolutely essential to 

 the success of the undertaking, and the 

 undertaking, and the committee hopes to 

 receive substantial aid from many who pro- 

 fess no knowledge of ornithology. Effi- 

 cient service can be rendered by those 

 familiar with only our commonest birds, 

 and the committee will gladly accept data 

 concerning any of the following well- 

 known species: 



Kobin. 



Mocking-bird. 



Catbird (Eastern). 



Brown Thrasher. 



Bluebird (Eastern). 



House Wren. 



Yellow-rumped Warbler: ]\Iyrllebird. 



Yellow-breasted Chat. 



Redstart. 



Maryland Yellow-throat. 



Cedarbird; Waxwing. 



Purple Martin. , 



Barn Swallow (fork-tailed). 



Cowbird. 



Yellow-headed Blackbird. 



Red-shouldered Blackbird (Eastern). 



Meadow Lark. 



Oriole; Hanging-bird. 



Crow Blackbird. 



Horned Lark; Shore Lark. 



Kingbird; Bee Martin (Eastern). 



Violet-Green Swallow (Western). 



Scarlet Tanager. 



Pine Grosbeak; Bullfinch. 



Purple Finch. 



Red- poll Linnet. 



Snow Bunting. 



Yellowbird; Thistlebird (Eastern). 



Chewink; Towhee (Eastern). 



Junco; Slate-colored Snowbird. 



Cardinal Redbird. 



Rose-breasted Grosbeak . 



Indigo-bird. 



Bobolink; Ricebird. 



Pewee; Phcebe. 



Hummingbird (Eastern). 



Chimney Swift (Eastern). 



Whippoorwill. 



Nighthawli. 



King-fisher. 



Fish Hawk. 



Wild Pigeon. 



Also, any of the Waders, "Shore-birds," 

 and Ducks. 



PLAN OP THE WORK. 



For convenience in collecting and ar- 

 ranging the enormous mass of material 

 which will be accumulated by the joint 

 labors of this army of field workers, it has 

 been deemed advisable to divide the vast 

 expanse of territory embraced in the United 

 States and British North America into 

 thirteen districts, each of which has been 

 placed under the immediate direction of a 

 competent superintendent. The districts, 

 with their respective superintendents, are : 



Alaska — Supt. , John Murdoch, Smith- 

 sonian Institute, Washington, D. C. 



Northwest Territories — Supt., Ernest E. 



