BIRDS 



Illustrated by COLOR PHOTOGRflPHY. 



Vol. II. 



DECEMBER, 1897. 



No. 6. 



THE ORNITHOLOGICAL CONGRESS. 



E had the pleasure of 

 attending the Fifeeenth 

 Congress of the American 

 Ornithologists' Union, 

 which met and held its three days 

 annual session in the American 

 Museum of Natural History, New- 

 York City, November 9-1 1, 1897. 

 Dr. C. Hart Merriam, of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, Washington, 

 D. C, presided, and there were present 

 about one hundred and fifty of the 

 members, resident in nearly all the 

 states of the Union. 



The first paper read was one pre- 

 pared by J. C. Merrill, entitled " In 

 Memoriam : Charles Emil Bendire." 

 The character, accomplishments, and 

 achievements of the deceased, whose 

 valuable work in biographizing Amer- 

 ican birds is so well known to those 

 interested in ornithology, were referred 

 to in so appropriate a manner that the 

 paper, though not elaborate as it is to 

 be hoped it may ultimately be made, 

 will no doubt be published for general 

 circulation. Major Bendire's services 

 to American ornithology are of indis- 

 putable value, and his untimely death 

 eclipsed to some extent, possibly 

 wholly, the conclusion of a series of 

 bird biographies which, so far as they 

 had appeared, were deemed to be 

 adequate, if not perfect. 



Mr. Frank M. Chapman, the well 

 known authority on birds, and whose 

 recent books are valuable additions to 

 our literature, had, it may be presumed, 

 a paper to read on the "Experiences 

 of an Ornithologist in Mexico," though 



he did not read it. He made, on the 

 contrary, what seemed to be an 

 extemporaneous talk, exceedingly 

 entertaining and sufficiently instruc- 

 tive to warrant a permanent place for 

 it in the Auk^ of which he is associate 

 editor. We had the pleasure of exam- 

 ining the advance sheets of a new book 

 from his pen, elaborately illustrated in 

 color, and shortly to be published. 

 Mr. Chapman is a comparatively 

 young man, an enthusiastic student and 

 observer, and destined to be recognized 

 as one of our most scientific thinkers, 

 as many of his published pamphlets 

 already indicate. Our limited space 

 precludes even a reference to them now. 

 His remarks were made the more attrac- 

 tive by the beautiful stuffed specimens 

 with which he illustrated them. 



Prof. Elliott Coues, in an address, 

 "Auduboniana, and Other Matters of 

 Present Interest," engaged the de- 

 lighted attention of the Congress on 

 the morning of the second day's session. 

 His audience was large. In a bio- 

 graphical sketch of Audubon the Man, 

 interspersed with anecdote, he said so 

 many interesting things that we regret 

 we omitted to make any notes that 

 would enable us to indicate at least 

 something of his characterization. No 

 doubt just what he said will appear in 

 an appropriate place. Audubon's port- 

 folio, in which his precious manu- 

 scripts and drawings were so long 

 religiously kept, which he had carried 

 with him to London to exhibit to possi- 

 ble publishers, a book so large that 

 two men were required to carry it, 



