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ClubAnnouncements 148 Bull. B.O.C.2008 128(3) In 1857 a group of ornithologists who had been meeting for some years resolved 'to establish a Magazinedevoted entirelytoOrnithology'. ThustheBOUwasfoundedin 1858. InthatyearPhilipSclater, the first editor of Ibis, had a paper on 'The Geographical Distribution of Birds' published by the Linnean Society.OnreadingitWallacewrotetoSclaterwhohadbeenappointedthefirsteditorofIbis.Theletter(Ibis 1: 449-454^ 1859) mostly dealt with the separation of the Indian (Oriental) and AustraUan regions. He suggestedthedivide,knownastheWallaceLine,bedrawnthroughthe25km-wideMakassarStraitbetween BaliandLombok,betweenCelebesandBorneo,andbetweentheMoluccasandthePhilippines.Ashestated 'Barbets reach Bali but not Lombok; Cacatua and Tropidorhynchus reach Lombok but not Bali. Cacatua, TrichoglossusandScythropsinCelebesbutnotinBorneo.'Hismonumentalwork,whichconfirmedhimasthe fatherofzoogeography. Thegeographicaldistributionofanimals,waspublishedin1875. ItwasSclater,theClub'sfirstchairman,whometWallaceatWaterlooStationonhisarrivalfromNew Guineaon1 April1862.WallacehadbroughtwithhimtwoLesserBirds-of-ParadiseParadisaeaminorwhich, muchtoSclater'ssurprise'hadactuallyreachedLondonalive' (Bull Brit. Orn. CI.23: 3). Wallace died on 7 November 1913. Obituaries inIbis and the Bulletin were among the many tributes paid to him. Buried at Broadstone (Dorset), he is commemorated by a memorial plaque on the floor of WestminsterAbbey. AttheserviceofdedicationtheDeanofWestminstersaid 'asis sooftenobservablein true greatness, there was in h—im an entire absence of that vanity and self-advertisement which are not infrequentwithsmallerminds itisgreatmenwhoworkforthework'ssakewithoutregardtorecognition andwhoachievegreatnessinspiteofthemselves'. InpursuitofhisstudiesWallacehadtravelledinexcessof20,000miles. Hispublicationscomprised22 books,508scientificpapers,and239otherarticlesandreviews.IntheMalayarchipelagoalonehediscovered over1,000animalspeciesnewtoscience.Someofthese,includingthespectacularWallace'sorStandardwing Bird-of-ParadiseSemiopterawallaciiand 11 otherbirdspecies,arenamedafterhim. Wallacewaswidelyhonouredinhislifetime.HewaselectedanHonoraryMemberoftheBOUin1860, aFellowoftheRoyalSocietyin1893,andin1908waspresentedwiththefirstDarwin-WallaceMedalonthe 50th anniversary of the Linnean Society meeting of 1 July 1858. He also received Honorary Degrees from DublinandOxforduniversitiesandtheOrderofMeritin1908. After the talk, those present moved into the NHM bird collection, where Tom Gladwin illustrated pointshehadmadebyreferencetospecimenscollectedbyand / ornamedafterWallace.Thereafter,Robert Prys-JonesusedaselectionofspecimensthatWallacecollectedinSarawakbetweenlate1854andearly1856 toillustrateresearch,basedoncomparativeanalysisofWallace'sfieldnotebooksandspecimenlabels,which heandLordCranbrookareundertakingintothedevelopmentofWallace'sornithologicalknowledge. During the meeting the Club, recognising its great contribution to ornithology, resolved to send its greetingsandcongratulationstotheBOUasitcelebratedits 150thyear. - 1^0 \ DerekGoodwin1920-2008 ManyBOCmemberswillhavebeensaddenedtolearnofthedeathofDerekGoodwinon14May,attheage of88. Following army service in North Africa, Derek applied his life-long passion forbirdsbyjoining the 'Bird Room' staff in October 1946, and he worked his way up to Experimental Officer (1954) and latterly PrincipalScientificOfficer.Hebecameafamiliarfaceandfriendtoallwhovisitedthebirdcollections. Derek'swritingsandcontributionstoornithologyhavealreadybeencoveredinthenationalpress,and other publications, but a few personal memories of this very remarkable and much-loved man are appropriatehere.Derekwasn'tamemberoftheBOC:EffieWarrsuggestshedidn'tcareforjoiningclubs,or attendingmeetings.Hepreferredtoleaveworkonthedotandgohometohislivingbirds,whichhekeptin asmallupstairsroom,withanobservationholecutintoit. IcametoknowDerekpersonally,ashewasmymentoratRNCollege,Greenwich,in1953,whereIhad to undertake a study of a non-naval subject, and I chose 'ornithological evolution and speciation'. This Involved me travelling to the Bird Room, at South Kensington, where Derek took me in hand, and also introduced me to many distinguished visitors; I vividly recall the imposing figure ofCol. Meinertzhagen. Dereksubsequentlyproposed mymembershiptotheBOU,andwekeptintouchspasmodicallyovermany years. He was a lovely man and a special friend to all who came to know him, both professionals and enthusiasticamateurslikeme. Michael Walters worked closely with him during the transfer of the collections to Tring: 'Derek Goodwinwasprobablyoneofthemostunderratedornithologistsofthe20thcentury,largelybecausehewas soself-effacingthatfewwhocameintocontactwithhimwereawareofhisfullvalue. Iworkedcloselywith himfrom1970onwardsduringthepackingandtransportationofthebirdcollectionsfromSouthKensingtor totheirnewlocationatTring. ThefirsttwoyearsofmyworkintheBirdRoominvolvedthepackingofthe collections, aprocessnotwithouttrauma toallofus. IrecallthatIonce said toDerek, "doyoueverdream thatonedayyou'llcomeinandfindthatallthistransportationisadreadfulnightmareandthateverything isasitwasbefore?".Heagreedthatsuchaneventwouldbearevelation.Duringtheearlyyearsaftermoving toTring,heandIwouldarriveat08.15 atTringstation(weweretheonlystaffmembers tocommutefrorr ClubAnnouncements 149 Bull.B.O.C.2008 128(3) south London) and walk to the museum, rain, hail or shine. None of the other, then current, staff ever understoodthecamaraderiethatdevelopedbetweenusduringthoseyears.' 'Derek's knowledge ofbirds was incredible. He handled and came to have a detailed knowledge of practical—ly every specimen in the colle—ction, and had expertise in all groups ofbirds, not merely the three families crows,pigeonsandwaxbills onwhichhepublishedmonographs.Themanypapershepublished givenoindicationofthebreadthofhisknowledge,muchofwhichhasperishedwithhim. Onefunctionof thebird sectionwastoidentifyfeathers sentinbymembers ofthepublic, and Derekwas anexpertinthis field. On one occasion several staffspent a whole morningchecking unsuccessfullyeverything they could thinkof. Finally,indespair, theyaskedDerek,whotookonelookatthefeathersand said: "Haveyoutried undertail-covertsofGoldenEagle?". Itprovedtobecorrect.' 'Derekwasmodesttoafault.Beforeretiringhedestroyedmostofhispersonalcorrespondencebecause itneveroccurredtohimthatitcouldpossiblybeofanyinterest.Hehandedoverafewselectedletterswith 'great' ornithologists, never thinking that he mightbe held in equal regard. He attended his own leaving partywiththegreatestreluctance;itwas,Ithink,anordealhewouldrathernothaveendured.' Effie also recalls 'Derektransferred to Tringin 1971 butdecided to continue travellingfromhishome inHerneHill. HetookpartinthethirdHaroldHallexpeditiontoAustraliacollectingbirdsforthemuseum butI suspecthe didn'tenjoyth—ecollectingpartverymuch. We wentseveral times to his Herne Hill home wherehecookedsupperforus alwayschickenandMalagawineIremember.HeworkedatTringuntilhis retirementin 1982,andsubsequentlymovedtoPettsWood.' Derek'slegacytotheornithologicalcommunityisanimpressivelistofscientificpapersandbooks,and awidecircleoffriendswhowillmisshimgreatly. MichaelCasement