Ornithologist, painter of nature and architect, he was one of the seven founders of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. Active in the Academy, he was a member of the Council, Curator, and Vice-director of the Ornithological Section. Many papers were read before the Club, but very few of them were published. The Morris manuscripts deal with personal observations in various parts of the country where he lived or visited, namely, Manatee River and Tampa Bay, Florida, the Virginia coast, Cascade Mountains and Tacoma neighborhood in Washington.