The Oologist. 



VOL. XV. NO. 2. 



ALBION, N. Y., FEBRUARY, 1898. 



Whole No. 141 



* Report on the Fifteenth Annual Con- 

 gress of the A. 0. U. 



Arthur C. Parker, White PJains,N.Y. 



The fifteenth annual Congress of the 

 American Ornithological Union, was 

 held in the library of the American 

 Museum of Natural History in Central 

 Park, New York City, on the 9th, 10th 

 and 11th of November. 



The sessions, with the exception of 

 the business meeting on the afternoon 

 of the 8th were open to the public. 

 Owing to various reasons the writer 

 was unable to attend the convention 

 Tuesday morning and Thursday, hence 

 the report will not be exactly complete, 

 but information has been obtained from 

 different sources though not as much in 

 detail as is desired. 



An excellent paper was read Tues- 

 day morning by Mr. Sylvester D. Judd, 

 on the Protective Adaptations of Insects 

 from an Ornithological point of view. 



On Tuesday afternoon Mr. Chapman 

 in an interesting address, told of his 

 collecting tour in Mexico. At the first 

 spot in which he camped, he collected 

 but fifteen specimens dui'ing his three 

 weeks stay, because of the intense heat 

 which registered 96 to 98 degrees each 

 day, whereas even on the Amazon dur- 

 ing the collecting season it registered 

 but 94. He exhibited numerous speci- 

 mens which he had collected at his 

 second stopping place near Mexico 

 City. Among the interesting facts 

 which he brought to notice was the dif- 

 ference between the same species of the 

 table-lands and those of the lower 

 plains. He also exhibited an interest- 

 ing species of black oriole which had 



* This Report was sent in for December 

 Oologist, but through over sight was omited. 

 —Ed. 



many characteristics of a woodpecker, 

 although its bill was not of woodpecker 

 shape. Ur. Coues examined this skin 

 with evident interest. The Mexican 

 thrushes were particulai'ly interesting, 

 many having beautiful plumage and ex- 

 quisite song, indeed Mr. Chapman said 

 that the out- bursts of song from the 

 myriads of bird throats sometimes 

 nearly overwhelmed him. The skin of 

 an American Robin, (Western type) 

 was shown, and to prove that it bred in 

 south central Mexico, he produced its 

 nest and skins of its young. Several 

 types of wiens and some interesting 

 vireos were displayed, among which 

 was the connecting link of the Warbl- 

 ing and the South American vireo. 

 Hawks in Mexico are so numerous that 

 a flock at a distance was compared 

 with a swarm of gnats. A remerkable 

 fact which he brought to light, was that 

 many song and wild-birds lived in the 

 cities, making the air merry with their 

 tuneful notes. At the close of this en- 

 tertaining talk, Daniel G. Elliot, F.R.S. 

 E., in his pleasing manner, remarked 

 upon his discovery of a new species. 

 Incidentally he said that he was like a 

 certain Colonel placed at the head of a 

 regiment, a well meaning man, but 

 very nei'vous. This officer was placed 

 in a very exposed position, and told not 

 to move until so ordered. Soon balls 

 began to whistle through his ranks and 

 men on every side fell wounded or 

 dead. It was not long before his legs 

 began to tremble, and then to shake, 

 being conscious of this he bent down 

 and surveying his tottering legs ad- 

 dressed them thus: "Oh you poor mis- 

 erable legs, if you knew where I am 

 going to take you in a few minutes, you 

 would collapse altogether. He went. 



