Official €)r5an oi the Australasian ^xniihoioqxQiQ Union. 
" Bir^s of 21 fezithcr." 
Vol. I.] OCTOBER, 1901. [Part i. 
The Australasian Ornithologists^ Union* 
ITS ORIGIN. 
In after years reminiscences of the beginnings of successful 
societies possess a special interest. But too often, when the 
history of what time proves to be an important event comes to 
be written, material is either unavailable or only procured with 
difficulty. Hence it may not be unwise to reverse the usual 
order of things, and even before the first general gathering of 
the Aust. O.U. in Adelaide, to " take time by the forelock," in 
this first issue of T/ie Emu, by giving an outline of the incep- 
tion of the Union and the steps which led to the formation of 
so necessary an institution. 
The initial stages took the form of a series of ornithological 
and oological dinners or reunions, delightful socials at which 
nothing stronger than tea and coffee was drunk. The first was 
held on 15th August, 1896, and the only record is the following 
account given by a newspaper : — 
REUNION OF NATURALISTS. 
At the invitation of Mr. A. J. Campbell, about 20 naturalists * met at a 
reunion at Britannia House, South Yarra, on Saturday evening. There 
were present : — Mr. D. M'Alpine, Government Pathologist (in the chair), 
Dr. Charles Ryan, Mr. Dudley Le Souef, and several members of the Field 
Naturalists' Club and others who take interest principally in the oology or 
nidification of Australian birds. The floral decorations of the table were 
in strict keeping with the occasion, consisting of golden blooms of acacias, 
native heaths, pink and white. A large and beautiful moss-made nest of 
the Mountain or Ground Thrush, with eggs, fresh from the scrub, adorned 
the centre of the table. Mr. M'Alpine said that Mr. Campbell had been 
naturalizing for 25 years. His egg collection had reached 500 species— the 
largest purely Australian collection of eggs extant. Mr. M'Alpine referred 
to the instructive articles by Mr. Campbell appearing in The Australasian, 
and said he hoped that when Mr. Campbell published his permanent work 
(now in course of preparation) he would receive national assistance. In 
lieu of the usual toasts, Mr. Campbell read a paper touching on ornith- 
ological topics, describing some of his experiences as a field naturalist, and 
* Those actually present were :— H. P. C. Ashworth, T. A, Brittlebank, F. G. A. 
Barnard, A. J. Campbell, W. R. G. Campbell, T. G. Campbell, A. G. Campbell, 
Ed. Degen, C. French, jun., J. Gabriel, J. T. Gillespie, Robt. Hall, D. Le Souef, 
D. M'Alpine, Chas. Ryan, G. E. Shepherd, and J. Sommers. 
