William W. Arnold (ornithologist)

He became an Associate Member of the American Ornithologists' Union in 1910 and a member of the Cooper Ornithological Club in 1911 and spent much of his later years advocating for bird protection.^[2] He frequently gave talks about birds to schoolchildren in Colorado^[3][10] and Indiana.^[11] A child from Colorado Springs brought a wounded bird to Arnold, who took care of it.^[2] More birds needing help were brought to him.^[12]

While still operating his medical practice, he and his wife operated a bird hospital for wild and domestic birds beginning around 1913.^[10][12] He treated wounded birds, set broken bones, and administered medicine; when they were healed, he released them.^[10] For instance, a hundred robins, as well as several other birds, were brought to Arnold after a severe hail storm. Some of the birds were blinded, some had broken wings, and some had feathers stripped off of their heads.^[2] He provided a home to crippled birds that were unable to care for themselves.^[2] Children helped care for the birds.^[10] Visitors spread the word about his work around the country.^[12]

He wrote the story "Stubby, The Bird Evangelist" about the life of a black-headed grosbeak that was published in the Colorado Springs Gazette in 1914.^[3] In it, Stubby was injured and taken to a bird hospital, where he was cared for until it was safe for him to fly again.^[13] In another article for the paper, Arnold explained what happened at the bird hospital, relating injuries to wings and a bird that was crippled when a car rode over it. He explained that over time he developed a routine for feeding with slim forceps and varying the birds' diet of berries, fruits, worms, and hamburger meat as they healed.^[13]

He created a bird section, was an associate editor for Colorado Sky and wrote articles for other publications. He regularly encouraged people to feed birds and to protect wildlife.^[1] He was a member of the Colorado Audubon Society.^[2]

He married Mary Evelina (Eva) Shaw on July 14, 1863, in Hopewell, Indiana.^[2][14][15] They had a son, Clarence, born about 1869,^[16] who became a surgeon,^[13] and a son John born about 1872^[17] and died by 1923.^[13] His granddaughter was Berthe Arnold.^[15]

In July 1886, the Arnolds visited Colorado and decided to move there. According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, they were prominent members of the community.^[15]

Arnold was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution of Colorado.^[18] He died of influenza^[9] on March 30, 1923, in Colorado Springs.^[2] His wife Eva died on September 23, 1932^[19] and both are buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.^[14]

After her husband's death, Eva continued to operate the bird hospital with Augustus P. Brigham, who also established the Arnold Nature Club for children.^[12] The club taught 4th through 6th grade children about trees, flowers and birds. Prizes were given to children based on the number of flower and bird species that they identified.^[10]