Bulletin of the Michigan Oknithological Club. 



grateful for his library of scientific works, 

 which was kindly donated to the Club by 

 his mother, Mrs. W. S. Gunn of Grand 

 Rapids. He died at the very early age of 

 28 years, on Jan. 15, 1886. 



Mr. Adolphe B. Covert Avas contempor- 

 ary with Mr. Gunn in being in part 

 responsible for the rapid strides made in 

 Michigan ornithology at this time. He 

 published in Forest and Stream (Vols. XI 

 and XII), beginning in 1876, an annotated 

 list — "'Birds of Lower Michigan," embrac- 

 ing 244 species. In 1881 he published an 

 additional list, this time of 252 species. 

 This indefatigable and veteran worker 

 among the birds of Michigan not only 

 wrote many valuable articles during this 

 period upon the habits of birds, but he 

 has credited Michigan with two of the 

 few specimens ever taken of Rutland's 

 Warbler. These specimens he took in the 

 town of Scio, Washtenaw County, in May 

 of the years 1875 and 1879, respectively. 



Another man whom we will ever hold 

 in remembrance as one whose life was 

 that of an ideal ornithologist is Dr. H. A. 

 Atkins. For over forty years he studied 

 the birds about his home at Locke, in 

 Ingham County. Dr. Atkins was a most 

 diligent worker, and he made some very 

 interesting records during his field work. 

 In 1879 it is recorded that he took the 

 first Connecticut Warbler in the state ; and 

 in 1883 he published records regarding the 

 Carolina Chickadee and Western Meadow 

 Lark in Michigan. In 1884 he wrote in 

 the Ornithologist and Oologist an article 

 entitled "Five Additions to the avi-fauna 

 of Michigan. ' Here he introduces in our 

 fauna, the Brown-headed Nuthatch, the 

 Long-tailed Chickadee, the Gray-headed 

 Snowbird, the Western Nonpareil and the 

 Ground Dove. He wrote extensively for 

 the local and ornithological papers between 

 the years 1878 and 1885. 



Dr. Atkins came to Michigan from his 

 native state, New York, in 1842. This 

 was early in the history of our state, Avhen 

 the country was yet new. Here in the 

 virgin forest Atkins began his studies of 

 nature in her pure form. For twenty-nine 

 years he kept accurate notes of all he saw. 

 He lived to the age of 64 years. In the 

 latter part of his life he had contemplated 

 publishing his notes in book form, but 

 death overtook him, and on May 19, 1885, 



he passed away, after living a life most 

 pleasant and useful. 



These six ornithologists, Gibbs, Covert, 

 Boies, Collins, Gunn and Atkins, were the 

 pioneers of the science of ornithology in 

 Michigan. To them we should give all 

 credit for establishing this study in Mich- 

 igan, and for clearing the way for future 

 students. 



Shortly after these men began to write, 

 a number of others commenced to take 

 great interest in our birds. Prominent 

 among these were Messrs. N. A. Eddy of 

 Bay City, W. A. Oldfield of Port Sanilac, 

 J. B. Purely of Plymouth, B. H. Swales 

 of Detroit, Jerome Trombley of Peters- 

 burg, J. B. Steere of Ann Arbor, Ed. Van 

 Winkle of Vans Harbor and S. E. White, 

 E ; L. Moseley, E. W. Durfee, and R. H. 

 Wolcott of Grand Rapids. These men, 

 for the most part, wrote after the year 

 1880. As they were all good students and 

 as they studied in various parts of the 

 state, their notes were of great value. A 

 better knowledge of the distribution of the 

 birds in the state, was thus obtained. 

 This spreading of interest was one of the 

 chief characteristics of this epoch in the 

 history of Michigan ornithology. 



Cook's Birds of Michigan and work 

 up to the present time. 



We see in this last period that the 

 ornithology of Michigan grew from a 

 rudimendary condition up to a wide- 

 spread and progressive science with many 

 students eager to solve its mysteries, and 

 to delight in its recreations. Much infor- 

 mation about our birds was published, but 

 a good deal of this was unavailable, as it 

 was scattered in -newspapers, in scientific 

 periodicals, and in other places where it 

 could not be of general value. At last, 

 Prof. A. J. Cook began to collect these 

 notes. Information regarding the birds of 

 Michigan was obtained from every source 

 — from nearly every student in the state, 

 including such able observers as Gibbs, 

 Boies, Trombley, Eddy, and others, 

 and from the excellent manuscripts 

 of Dr. H. A. Atkins; some notes 

 were obtained from Butler's Birds of 

 Indiana; assistance was given by a few 

 of the greatest ornithologists in .the 

 country, such men as Dr. J. A. Allen, 

 Dr. Elliot Coues, C. Hart Merriam, Dr. 



