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 Bird Clubs in America

(I. THE DELAWARE VALLEY CLUB

BY SAMUEL N. RHOADS

T has been an evervincreasing desire of the founders of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club to encourage bird study, not only in a scientiﬁc. but in a popular sense, both for young and old. It is

therefore most gratifying that the editor of BIRD-LORE offers us this opportunity to preach the gospel of song and feathers to so large an audience. Our sermon may well begin with the historic phase of the HD. V. O. C.,” as we familiarly name ourselves.

One day in December, [889, a chance remark about birds in a Phila- delphia architect‘s ofﬁce caught the ear of a fellow-worker of kindred spirit sketching in the same room. This touch of nature was an all- suﬂicient introduction and the strangers soon were friends. This was the spark that, kindled in a kindly environment, and glowing into ﬂame, has given zest and enthusiasm to the lives of so many during the past decade. So far as the world of bird lovers was concerned this incident might have resulted, as do most, in nothing more momentous than a bird’s—nesting jaunt or a few collecting trips; the result, shells and skins, destined to moth and rust and house-cleaning wrath in the attic den. But between J. Harris Reed* and William L. Baily such an avian fire was burning as called for more fuel, and others soon yielded themselves to the sacred ﬂame. A few checkered postal cards with blank spaces and bird‘s names did the rest, and order began to resolve out of the ornithic chaos which had enveloped Philadelphia since the death of John Cassin.

On the evening of January 22, [890, William L. Baily, George S. Morris, J. Harris Reed, Samuel N. Rhoads and Spencer Trotter met at the home of l\/Ir. Baily and decided to organize; this was done and a constitution adopted February 3, of that year. Incidentally NIL Reed provided cake for the preliminary meeting, but it is signiﬁcant of the virility of the movement to note that the refreshment feature never after appeared in the regular club meetings and even smoking was prohibited for a few years. At the close of the February meeting the organization had seven members; Witmer Stone and Charles Voelker having meanwhile joined the movement. Baily was chosen president and Rhoads secretary-treasurer. All the founders except Voelker and Stone were members of the Society of Friends.

Baily (architect) was a nephew and namesake of the author of one of the ﬁrst books intended to popularize the study of HOur Own Birds of the United States." Nlorris (architect) had ornithological kinship with such


 * Recd ﬁrsl vronoscd nrzanization.

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