260 proceedings: biological societi' 



cate to them this expression of our regret for the loss sustained by 



them and by the scientific world. 



Wm. H. Ball, ] 



L. O. Howard, [ Committee. 



L. Stejneger, j 



The program was then taken up. Under the heading Brief Notes, 

 Book Reviews, etc., L. 0. Howard referred to the report that ar- 

 senical spraying in connection with the destruction of gipsy moths in 

 New England had destroyed many birds, and stated that investiga- 

 tions had failed entirely to show that any birds were killed. Dr. 

 Peters had suggested to him that the absence of birds in the region of 

 spraying operations was probably due to the fact that the absence 

 of insect food had led them to leave the district. Paul Bartsch 

 reported that English sparrows were seen feeding freely on the army 

 worm in the Smithsonian grounds during the recent invasion of that 

 insect. 



The regular program consisted of three communications: 



A mouse which lived in tree-tops, Vernon Bailey. The speaker gave 

 an account of the history and habits of Phenacomys longicauda, a little 

 known arboreal mouse which inhabits the deep Douglas spruce forests 

 of the Cascade region of the northwest. Personal experiences in hunt- 

 ing the nests of the species and climbing to them were related, and 

 a perfect specimen obtained last summer at Eugene, Oregon, was 

 exhibited. The communication was discussed by W. H. Osgood, 



Botanical collecting in the Northwest, A. S. Hitchcock. The speaker 

 gave a general account of his summer's collecting trip to the north- 

 western part of the United States and British Columbia. His itinerary 

 included Nebraska, the Black Hills, Glacier Park, Banff, Mt. Baker, 

 Mt. Ranier, and Mt. Hood, in all of which places interesting species 

 of grasses were obtained. 



The present state of fox-farming, Ned Dearborn. Last spring the 

 speaker was sent by the Biological Survey to investigate the methods 

 and progress of this industry in Prince Edward Island and elsewhere. 

 He gave a history of fox-farming and its development to the present 

 time, together with personal observations among the fox ranches. 

 The financial inflation of the business and the methods of some of the 

 promoters of fox companies were not commended, but it is his opinion 

 that the industry can be developed into commercial importance. The 

 communication was discussed by T. S. Palmer and by J. Walter 

 Jones, of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. 



The 529th meeting was held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos 

 Club, Saturday, October 31, 1914, with President Bartsch in the 

 chair. One hundred and ten persons were present. Five persons were 

 elected to active membership. 



The secretary read a letter from Herbert A. Gill acknowledging 

 receipt of resolutions of the Society relating to the death of his brother, 

 Dr. Theodore N. Gill. 



