222 The Ainerica7i Ornithologists' Ufiio7i. [October 



This call was sent to a little less than fifty of the more promi- 

 nent ornithologists of the United States and Canada, selected 

 mainly in reference to their scientific standing, but somewhat with 

 regard to geographical i-epresentation, it being desirable to make 

 the gathering as catholic and non-sectional as possible. Of the 

 forty-eight persons invited all but fourteen responded, in each case 

 warmly favoring the project; there is i"eason to believe that in 

 a large part of the remaining instances the persons invited failed, 

 through absence from home or other cause, to receive the call. 

 Twenty-five of those heard from expressed their intention to 

 attend the convention, and twenty-one were actually present. 

 Following is a list of those in attendance, with the states whence 

 they came : Hon. Chas. Aldrich, Iowa ; H. B. Bailey, E. P. Bick- 

 nell, D. G. Elliot, Dr. A. K. Fisher, Dr. J. B. Holder, Dr. E. 

 A. Mearns, and Dr. C. H. Merriam, New York ; C. F. Batchel- 

 der, W. Brewster, C. B. Cory, and H. A. Purdie, Massachu- 

 setts ; Capt. C. E. Bendii^e, U. S. A., Oregon; N. C. Brown, 

 Maine ; M. Chamberlain. New Brunswick ; Dr. E. Coues, Dr. 

 D. W. Prentiss, and R. Ridgway, District of Columbia ; T. 

 Mcllwraith, Canada ; Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, U. S. A., Louisiana ; 

 Dr. J. M. Wheaton, Ohio. 



The meeting was called to order by Mr. Brewster, and Dr. 

 Coues and Mr. Bicknell were respectively elected temporary 

 Chairman and Secretary. The original call for the Convention 

 was then read, and also the list of persons to whom invita- 

 tions had been sent, twenty-one of whom were present and 

 responded. On motion of Dr. Merriam a resolution was 

 adopted to the efiect : That those who attended the convention 

 be declared Founders of the American Ornithologists' Union, and 

 that this Union be declared to be hereby founded. A commu- 

 nication was then read by the Chair from Professor Baird, expres- 

 sing his hearty concurrence in the objects of the Convention, and 

 his regret at being unable to be present. The Chair then referred 

 to the eminent standing as naturalists of both Prof. Baird and 

 Mr. Allen, and vn-ged, notwithstanding their enforced absence — 

 the one by pressing official duties, the^other by physical disability 

 — that these gentlemen, in view of their connection with the 

 initial steps of organization, be enrolled among the Founders, 

 raising the number of Founders to twenty-three. A motion to 

 this effect was unanimously carried. 



