304 proceedings: biological society 



Under the head of discussion of Society poHcies and recommenda- 

 tions to General Committee, there was considerable discussion involving 

 criticism of the method now used to nominate officers. It was moved 

 by E. F. Mueller that the General Committee be requested to consider 

 the matter and report its findings to the Society. Motion carried. 



Rough minutes of the meeting were read and approved. 



At 9.45 the Society adjourned. 



E. C. Crittenden, Corresponding Secretary. 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



604TH MEETING 



The 604th regular meeting of the Biological Society of Washington 

 was held in the lecture hall of the Cosmos Club, January 10, 1920. 

 Dr. A. D. Hopkins, President, called the meeting to order at 8.05 p.m., 

 with 45 persons present. Mr. Jacob Kotinsky, of the Bureau of 

 Entomology, was elected to membership. 



The President announced the appointment of the standing com- 

 mittees as follows: Publication Committee, Chas. W. Richmond, J. H. 

 Riley, Ned Dearborn, Alexander Wetmore. Conmittee on Com- 

 munications, S. A. RoHWER, Chas. E. Chambliss, R. E. Coker, 

 Francis Harper. 



Under the heading of Brief notes and exhibition of specimens. Dr. 

 Walter P. Taylor stated that in making observations on Mt. Rainier 

 for the Biological Survey during the summer of 19 19, he received 

 reports of mammals existing far above timber line and even upon the 

 summit. These reports were verified between August 6 and September 

 26, in most cases by specimens trapped, as to the Whitefooted Mouse, 

 Peromysciis manicidatus areas; a Chipmunk, Etitamias amoenus subsp.; 

 Douglas Squirrel, Scuirus douglasii; the Western Bushy-tailed Wood Rat, 

 Neotoma cinerea occidentalis ; and the Large-footed Field Mouse, Mi- 

 crotits richardsoni arvicoloides. These animals seemed to subsist chiefly 

 upon lichens among boulders and snow. All were observed at altitudes 

 of 10,000 feet, and some at the summit, over 14,000 feet in altitude. 

 The altitudes attained by these mammals are not so remarkable in them- 

 selves, but the chief interest is in the fact that the trees of Mt. Rainier 

 stop at about 6,500 feet, and that the mammals here mentioned as 

 seen upon Rainier were observed from 3500 to nearly 8000 feet above 

 timber line. More complete notes are given in the Journal of Mam- 

 malogy. 



Dr. T. S. Palmer remarked that 1920 marked the 50th anniversary 

 of the description of fossil birds from America. In 1870 Dr. O. C. 

 Marsh described 7 species, 5 from the Cretaceous of New Jersey. 

 Two years later the toothed birds of Kansas were discovered. It was 

 emphasized that by far the larger number of the birds from the older 

 deposits were described in the early part of this 50-year period. About 

 125 fossil birds have been discovered since, but most of them from 

 later deposits. 



