Ornithology Manuscript Collections in the
Division of Rare & Manuscript Collections

Faculty Members' Papers

The papers of faculty members at Cornell have always represented a major component of the collecting program. One of the most extensive collections in the division is the Arthur A. Allen Papers, donated to the archives by his children in 1969. Allen was one of the first professors of ornithology in the U.S. and a foremost authority on ornithological photography. He was instrumental in the development of a graduate program in ornithology at Cornell in 1915, and remained active in the programs of the Lab of Ornithology until his death.

The Allen Papers document bird identification, birdbanding, his 15-year study of the raising of the ruffled grouse in captivity, his study of the ivory-billed woodpecker, the Lab of Ornithology at Cornell, expeditions, wildlife conservation and game management, his friendship and collaboration with other leading ornithologists and naturalists, advice to prospective and former graduate students, professional meetings of organizations, lecture engagements and tours, and slide and record sales. The collection also includes personal papers, including correspondence with his wife, Elsa Guerdrum Allen, whose papers are also represented. An unpublished guide and index to the contents of the Allen Papers is available in the division.

Peter Paul Kellogg, was a colleague of Allen's and one of the major catalysts for the development of Cornell Archives' ornithology collections. A professor of ornithology and biological acoustics at Cornell, Kellogg's primary field of research was bird sounds and the vocal apparatus of birds. He pioneered the recording and study of wild bird songs.

Kellogg's papers relate to his career in the Lab of Ornithology, the history of the Lab, the Albert R. Brand Bird Song Foundation, bird clubs, and ornithological expeditions to Central Africa, Manitoba, and elsewhere. Most of the correspondence is with other ornithologists, education and conservation groups, record companies, film producers, and manufacturers of recording equipment concerning the procedures and problems of taping bird calls. The collection also includes 245 phonograph records of bird songs, some with handbooks, and handwritten notes made by Kellogg's wife, Burl Jorgenson Kellogg, listing references to tropical bird songs made by Louis Agassiz Fuertes in six papers published in 1913 and 1914 in Bird-lore.

Online guide developed from:

Webpage last revised: 6/10/99 by jfc & clsb.