Research Papers on Kootenay Ornithologists / collected by Bill Merilees, 1892-2015.
2.1 Reference Code: QL 26 M47
2.2 Name and Location of Repository:
Selkirk College Library Archives. 301 Frank Beinder Way, Castlegar, BC, V1N 4L3. (250) 3651229.
2.3 Title: Research papers on Kootenay ornithologists.
2.4 Dates: 1892 - 2015
2.5 Extent: 2 boxes containing a total of 28 files.
2.6 Name of Creator: Merilees, Bill (lcsh)
2.7 Biographical History:
Born and raised in nature-filled British Columbia, William J. (Bill) Merilees realized his
great love of wildlife through a junior membership in the Vancouver Natural History Society. His
involvement in scouting and encouragement from his parents, coupled with his own desire to
explore nature, bloomed into a lifelong career.
After obtaining a Canadian Wildlife Service bird banding license, Bill received his
Bachelors of Science with a special interest in zoology and biology from the University of British
Columbia. He went on to complete his Masters of Science through a Rotary scholarship to
Colorado State University.
From teaching at Selkirk Regional College to working as a visitor services officer for BC
Parks, Bill was constantly in touch with nature. Now retired, he continues to work on
documenting and writing about the wildlife of Vancouver Island and other areas of the
province.
3.1 Scope and Content:
Photocopies, hand written notes, and correspondence collected by Bill Merilees during
his research into the ornithologists who contributed historically to our understanding of the
myriad bird species located in the Kootenays.
Mr. Merilees used this research collection to publish five articles on John Macoun,
William Spreadborough, J.E.H. Kelso, W.B. Johnstone, and H.H. Currie.
3.2 System of Arrangement:
Research papers organized into files created by donor and labeled with ornithologists’
name. Original order as received from Mr. Merilees has been preserved.
4.1 Conditions Governing Access: Unrestricted access to archive visitors.

4.6 Finding Aid: List of files and their contents:
*File numbers and titles in capital letters devised by Mr. Merilees*
1. Poem: “Living Graves” by George Bernard Shaw.
2. Correspondence - from: Bill Merilees to Bronwyn Krause dated June 28, 2015
includes 5 articles written from the research collection.
3. File: “ALLAN BROOKS”
•

Photocopy of field notes dated 1919

•

Photocopy of title page of book: Laing, H. M. (1979). Allan Brooks, artistnaturalist. British Columbia Provincial Museum.

4. File: #113 “NOTES ON THE LIMCOLAE OF SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA BY A.
BROOKS”
•

Photocopy of article: Brooks, A. (1920). Notes on the Limicolae of
southern British Columbia. The Condor, 22(1), 26-32.

5. File: #166 “BIRDS OF THE CHILLIWACK DISTRICT, BC BY A. BROOKS”
•

Photocopy of article: Brooks, A. (1917). Birds of the Chilliwack district, BC.
The Auk, 34(1), 28-50.

6. File: #075 “H.M. LAING - COLLECTING NOTES 1929 - KOOTENAYS - SEE ALSO
#059”
•

Photocopy of title page of book: Mackie, R. (1985). Hamilton Mack Laing.
Victoria, B.C.: Sono Nis Press.

•

Duotang: “Collecting Notes of H.M. Laing - 1929: Mammals and Birds”

7. File: #059 “H.M. LAING - 1929 COLLECTING STATIONS & FIELD NOTES - SEE ALSO
#075
•

Duotang: “Collecting Stations and Field Notes by Hamilton M. Laing 1929”

8. File: “WALTER JOHNSTONE FIELD NOTES - SUMMATIONS & PUBLICATIONS”
•

Photocopy of title page of Journal: Johnstone, W.B. (1949). An annotated
list of the birds of the East Kootenay, British Columbia. Occasional papers
of the British Columbia Provincial Museum, (7).

•

Photocopy of obituary dated January 15, 1970 with handwritten notes.

•

Handwritten notes “Observations by Johnstone in Monrow and Cowan.
Arrow Lakes” February 21, 1915 - November 2, 1919.

•

Photocopy of a table of contents with handwritten address for
Johnstone.

•

Typed list “Edgewood Specimens - RBCM” with handwritten notes.

•

Photocopy of article: Johnstone, W.B. (1921). Further Notes on the
Harlequin Duck’s Food Habits. The Condor, 23(3), 98-99.

9. File: #153 “A NATURALIST MEDITATES - ESSAYS BY W.B. JOHNSTONE”
•

Photocopy of manuscript: “The time the Lardeau was marooned.”

•

Duotang containing 19 essays

10. File: #060 “1902 FIELD NOTES OF WILLIAM SPREADBOROUGH”
•

Photocopy of article: Waiser, B. (2002). Encounter: Naturalist William
Spreadborough. Beaver, 82(4), 51.

•

Printed record from Library and Archives Canada of a photograph
depicting William Spreadborough.

11. File: “GEORGE MERCER DAWSON”
•

Post-it note with names

•

Photocopy of article:

•

Handwritten notes on biography and field notes from 1889.

12. File: “J. ALDEN LORING DATA 1894”
•

Photocopy of filed notes July 18, 1894 - August 1, 1894

•

Photocopy of filed notes August 10, 1894 - August 17, 1894

•

Correspondence from M. Ralph Browning (Museum of Natural History) to
Bill Merilees dated January 26, 1977, re: specimens collected by J.A.
Loring.

•

Copy of correspondence from Bill Merilees to the Curator of Birds at the
US National Museum dated January 15, 1977 re: list of specimens
collected by J.A. Loring.

13. File: #086 “THE BIRDS OBSERVED IN BC & WASHINGTON DURING THE SPRING
AND SUMMER - 1892 BY S.N. RHOADES.”
•

Photocopy of article: Rhoads, S. N. (1893). Notes on certain Washington
and British Columbia birds. The Auk, 10(1), 16-24.

•

Duotang: Rhoads, S. N. (1893). The birds observed in British Columbia and
Washington during spring and summer, 1892. Proceedings of the
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 21-65.

14. Loose papers
•

Obituary and memorials for Herbert Harding Currie from the Nelson Daily
News Dated December 1950.

•

Handwritten notes: “Grand tally from 1940 - 1944”

•

Photocopies of correspondence between H.H. Currie and J.A. Munro date
between 1943 and 1946

•

Handwritten graph of “H.H. Currie’s periods of observation 1940-1944”

•

Handwritten copy of “Field notes of H.H. Currie from Nelson, BC 19401944”

•

Handwritten notes: “H.H. Currie Observation Summary.”

•

Photocopy of correspondence from J.A. Munro to H.H. Currie dated re:
asking for assistance reporting on waterfowl conditions

•

Photocopy of correspondence between F.G. Hamblin and H.H. Currie
dated May 1944 re: Tree nesting ducks.

•

Photocopy of correspondence from J.A. Munro to H.H. Currie dated re:
Currie’s letter of October 1943.

15. File: “H.H. CURRIE - ARTICLES NELSON DAILY NEWS”
•

Original clipping of 17 numbered articles written by Currie and published
in the Nelson Daily News from April - September 1944.

16. Loose folios from: Kelso, J. E. H. (1926). XXXI.–Birds of the Arrow Lakes, West
Kootenay District, British Columbia. Ibis, 68(4), 689-723. *noted to be the
personal copy of Kelso.

17. Duotang: “KELSO PAPERS”
•

Photocopy of article: Kelso, J. E. H. (1922). Birds using their wings as a
means of propulsion under water. The Auk, 426-428.

•

Photocopy of article: Kelso, J. E. H. (1926). Diving and swimming activities
displayed by the Limicolae. The Auk, 43(1), 92-93.

•

Photocopy of the article: Kelso, J. E. H. (1926). American Avocet
(Recurvirostra americana) on the Arrow Lakes, British Columbia. The Auk,
43(1), 93-93.

18. File: “J.E.H. KELSO - OBITUARY AND DEATH CERTIFICATE ARROW LAKES NEWS”
19. File: “KELSO - BIRD SPECIMEN LIST @ ROM”
•

Photocopy of handwritten list of Dr. J.E.H. Kelso collection”

20. File: “KELSO - MOUNTED SPECIMENS - JORDAN RANCH”
•

Photocopy of title page and references to Dr. Kelso from the book:
Johnson, K. (1964). Pioneer days of Nakusp and the Arrow Lakes. Mrs. K.
Johnson.

21. Loose papers:
•

Typed list of Dr. Kelso’s publications 1922-1926

•

Correspondence from R.D. James (a curator at ROM) to Bill Merilees
dated re: Kelso specimens at the Royal Ontario Museum.

22. Binder: “KELSO MS WEST KOOTENAY”
•

290 pages of a photocopy of a typed manuscript. *removed from plastic
binder for preservation purposes

23. File: “JOHN MACOUN”
•

Photocopy of title page and contents of the book: Macoun, J. (1979).
Autobiography of John Macoun: Canadian explorer and naturalist, 18311920. Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club.

•

Photocopy of pages from the 1922 edition of the above cited text
including references to West Kootenay locations.

24. File: #004 “MACOUN RED HEADED WOODPECKER DATA”

•

Duotang: “MACOUN - CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS: PREFACES AND
NOTES ON RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS ONLY.” 1900, 1909 and 2001
editions of the title.

25. File: #003 “JOHN MACOUN FIELD NOTES REVELSTOKE TO PASS CREEK”
•

Duotang: photocopies of handwritten notes dated 1890.

26. File: #274 “FIRST OF CANADIAN NATURALIST”
•

Photocopy of the article: Parker, E. (1923). First of Canadian naturalists.
Canadian Alpine Journal, 13, 261-263.

27. File: #012 “NOTES ON BRITISH COLUMBIA BIRDS 1890 JOHN MACOUN”
•

Duotang: Photocopy of handwritten notes dated 1890 with a post-it note
indicating that this is a summation.

28. Loose papers:
•

Photocopy of the title page of: Munro, J. A., & Cowan, I. McT. 1947. A review
of the bird fauna of British Columbia. BC Prov. Mus. Spec. Publ, 2, 1-285.

•

Photocopy of the title page of: Brooks, A. and H.S. Swarth. (1925). A
distributional list of the birds of British Columbia. Pacific Coast Avifauna
No.17. Cooper Ornithological Club.

•

Post-it note “Important technical refs”