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 !02 THE CONDOR Vol. XVI mission to hold separate meetings in their locality. For a time the southern organization was known as the "Annex", but has latterly been known as the Southern Division. One need only point to the harmony that has always ex- isted between these two really separate organizations to show the character of the membership of the Cooper Ornithological Club. The jealousy and attendant ill feeling that so often exists under similar circumstances has been almost wholly absent. The worth of a thing is often proved by testing it. The loyalty of Cooper Club members was put to the test in the early days. It was some of the younger members, who, against the protest of the more conservative, dared to start the publication of a bulletin. It was the same young contingent which through the years of 1899-1901 helped to make up the cash deficit resulting from the small membership roll in those initial years. Such then were the beginnings. Now as to our present status: W.e have a membership at the present time of 439. Nor is our membership limited to California, for we have representatives living in. all the principal countries of the world. The centralization of activities is shared by two divisions, one in southern California with meetings held each month in Los Angeles, at the Museum of History, Science and Art, and the other in the San Francisco Bay region, with monthly meetings held at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology in Berkeley. A hi-monthly periodical, Trm Co,Dolt, is published, which last year totaled 246 pages for the volume and which we are told by naturalists abroad, is not excelled in general worth by any other ornithological paper of its class. The purposes of the Cooper Ornithological Club as stated on its official letter-heads are as follows: For the Observation and co-operative study of Birds, because of the resulting pleasure; For the spread of interest in Bird Study, so that this pleasure may be shared by others; For the conservation of Birds and Wild-life in general, for the sake of the future; For the publication of Ornithological Knowledge, as being a contribution to Science. These then are our ideals. Every member should be acquainted with these ideals and do his best to further them, or else the Club fails of its objects. I an sorry that I cannot discuss each one of the four. This being impossible, I have done the next best thing and attempted to treat in detail of one phase of the work of the Club. It deals perhaps more closely with the last named object--the publication of ornithological knowledge as being a contribution to science, but it has ramifications which necessarily include the other objects above mentioned. It is on the Cooper Club member in relation to scientific work that I wish to speak. If we follow the general trend of the research work carried on by mem- bers here in California we find that it can be classified as follows: 1. Collecting of bird skins, nests, and eggs. 2. Preparation of local lists. 3. Recording of field observations, such as migration-and nesting dates, and habits. 4. Systematic descriptions of new sDecies and races and systematic position of 'groups. 5. PhotograDhy. 6. Faunistics, or the study of distribution. 7. Economic investigations. 8. Conservation of wild-life,