14 



THE OSPREY. 



Notes. 



Biographies of American Birds.— In this 

 number we commence the publication of a series 

 of systematic biographies of North American 

 Birds in conformity with the system suggested 

 in the Osprey for February, 1899. Naturally 

 we begin with the biography of the bird after 

 which the magazine is named— the Osprey— 

 under the respective heads all that is definitely 

 known of importance is recorded respecting the 

 habits and characteristic of the bird. 



The Auk hereafter "will be issued from Cam- 

 brige, Mass., instead of New York, its distribu- 

 tion having been put in the hands of Mr. E. W. 

 Wheeler, who for many years past has been the 

 ' .Ink' printer. The editor will remain as here- 

 tofore with headquarters at the American Mu- 

 seum of Natural History, New York. 



The Selection of John James Audubon 

 For the Hall of Famk of New York has been 

 announced. 



The Eighteenth Congress of the Ameri- 

 can Ornithologists' Union will be held in 



Cambridge, Mass.. from Monday, November 

 12th to Wednesday, November 14th. 



A Royal Medal for Contributions To < >rni- 

 Thology has been awarded by the Royal Society 

 to Professor Albert Newton. Those contribu- 

 tions have been very numerous and extend over 

 a period of about half a century (1852-1900.) 



A Special Course of Lectures on Birds has 

 been provided for in the American Museum of 

 Natural History. Six have been announced for 

 Saturday afternoons at 3 o'clock, beginning 

 November loth. Mr. Frank M. Chapman will 

 be the lecturer. 



The Appointment of Mr. Outram Bangs 



as an assistant in mammalogy in the Museum 

 of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, Mass.. 

 has been made. Mr. Bangs is well known as tin- 

 owner of a line collection of birds as well as of 

 mammals, and the describer of a number of pre- 

 viously unknown species. 



The Catalogue of the Library of the 

 British Museum with titles under names of 

 authors has been completed. This has extended 

 to "four hundred large volumes and numerous 

 supplements", has been in course of printing 

 twenty years, and has cost about two hundred 

 thousand dollars. A subject catalogue will be 

 printed later. 



The Appointment of Dr. Emile Oustalet 

 to the Professorship of Zoology (Mammals 

 and Birds) in the Museum of Naturai 

 History at Paris is announced. Dr. Oustalet 

 is well known for his contributions to ornitho- 

 logy, and has been elected to succeed the eminent 



Professor A. Milne Edwards whose death was 

 announced in the Osprey' for May, 1900. M. 

 De Pousargues. whose investigation had been 

 mainly in the line of Mammalogy, was a rival 

 competitor. The appointment rested with the 

 minister of Public Instruction of France. 



Birds as Indicators of Rank are made use 

 of in China. Mandarins may be distinguished 

 by the birds which decorate their uniforms, as 

 well as by their buttons. Mandarins of the first 

 rank have a bird known as the Fung" embroid- 

 ered on their clothes. Mandarins of the second 

 rank have their robes adorned by the figure of a 

 Cock. Mandarins of the third rank have a Pea- 

 cock. Mandarins of the fourth rank are adorn- 

 ed with a Pelican. Those of the fifth rank are 

 easily distinguished by the Silver Pheasant. 

 Those of the sixth rank are favored by a Stork. 

 Mandarins of the seventh rank have a Partridge. 

 Mandarins of the eighth rank a Quail, and man- 

 darins of the ninth rank, the humble Sparrow. — 

 Exchange. 



Wild Turkeys abundant is the general re- 

 mark this season, at least in Western Maryland 

 and Virginia. According to newspaper reports, 

 no less than seven Wild Turkeys were killed at 

 a single shot near Burlington. West Virginia, 

 by a man named Richard Stemmel. "He had 

 the turkeys baited and went out to watch for 

 them, and in about twenty minutes after he went 

 to his blind the turkeys came, and he fired into 

 the bunch while they were taking- the bait and 

 killed .seven". The largest Wild Turkey killed 

 which has come under our notice was obtained 

 near Bowman's Station, Somerset County, Pa., 

 and weighed twenty-two pounds. Wild Turkeys 

 naturally command a higher price in the markets 

 than the domesticated ones, the quotation about 

 Thanksgiving Day being- about 20 cents a 

 pound. 



Protection of Birds has been exemplified 

 in a very practical manner in Maine. On the 

 .stji of October in Bangor, the first seizure of 

 illegally shipped game for the season and the 

 first in the country under the new Lacey law 

 was made. One barrel and two large boxes con- 

 taining the breasts and wings of Tern were in- 

 tercepted on the arrival of the Washington 

 county train. 



The skins were from Perry and were con- 

 signed to New York dealers. There were skins 

 amounting to $500 in value in the cases. The 

 Maine law forbids the killing of Tern or the pos- 

 session of the same except alive, and the penalty 

 provided is 610 for each bird. 



The significance of this measure will be seen 

 when it is explained that the Lacey law passed 

 by the last Congress also prohibits the killing 

 of other insectivorous birds. According to this 

 law the shippers and consignees have made 

 themselves liable to trouble, not only with the 

 Maine authorities, but also with the United 

 States Government. — Co ml tits til from the Sun, 



A. y. 



