1891.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 55 



latitudes, while occurring in the Bahamas in large numbers 

 during certain seasons of the year, have not assisted in forming 

 the resident avefauna. 



4. The avefauna is of comparatively recent origin. 



5. Forms of a common ancestor may be differentiated from 

 this ancestor in much the same manner, and thus, though hav- 

 ing widely separated habitats, more closely resemble each other 

 than they do the parent species. 



6. In several instances certain Bahaman forms inhabiting con- 

 tiguous islands have become differentiated from each other with- 

 out, so far as we can observe, being subjected to changed climatic 

 or physiographic conditions. 



7. We may perhaps assume from this that these birds origi- 

 nally owe their characters to individual variations which, among 

 a limited number of individuals, have become permanent and 

 specific. 



February 2d, 1891. 



Regular Business Meeting, 



Vice-President Dr. Hubbard in the chair. 



About thirty persons present. 



The minutes of January 5th were read and approved. 



The following recommendations of the Council (January 

 39th) were approved and the persons mentioned elected: 



I. Payment of sundry bills amounting to $64.81. 



II. The election of Dr. H. T. Vulte, of Columbia College, as 

 a Fellow of the Academy, and Baron de Kroustchoff, Ph.D., 

 M.D., of St. Petersburg, Russia, as Corresponding Member. 



III. Accepting the resignation of Calvert Vaux. 



IV. The nomination of Messrs. L. H. Jacoby, Emory 

 McClintock, and John Tatlock, Jr., as Fellows of the Aca- 

 demy. 



The proposed amendments of the By-Laws which were intro- 

 duced January 5th were then taken up and discussed by chap- 

 ter and section; with some further slight amendments they were 

 unanimously adopted. 



