1891.J Editorial. 



315 



Vine split at the lower portion of the tube; the slit usually extending 

 through the upper two-thirds of the calyx, the lower portion of the 

 corolla-tube and down to the nectary. All this time I have been on 

 the lookout for the author of these depredations, and only during the 

 past month have I been successful in detecting him at his work. 



For several years my suspicion has been resting on Icterus Baltimore, 

 for I have on a number of occasions seen him fly from a clump of 

 these flowers in such a manner as to make me believe he had been at 

 work on them; but I did not wish to whisper such a report about a 

 bird of such an unusual beauty, unless I knew it to be true. But several 

 weeks since, while sitting concealed by a window, which is within a few 

 feet of a thrifty Trumpet Vine, then in full bloom, I detected a pair 

 of Baltimore Orioles~in the act of slitting the flowers as above de- 

 scribed and taking the nectar; since then this observation has been re- 

 peated several times.— Jacob Schneck, Mt. Carmel,IU. 



EDITORIAL. 



At the Washington meeting of the American Association notice 

 was given of an amendment to divide the Section of Biology. Of 

 course this means to separate the zoologists and botanists; and as the 

 matter will be up for discussion and decision at the next meeting, it is 

 just as well for botanists to begin considering its advisability. The 

 notice of amendment was prompted by two considerations: (1) I he 



extremely crowded program, which compelled the cutting down and 

 mutilation of some of the most important zoological and botanical 

 papers, and also entirely prevented in many cases the presentation of 

 papers by some of our most distinguished biologists. (2) The numer- 

 ous technical papers in each biological division which were unintelli- 

 gible to the other. The first consideration may possibly be weakened 

 by the fact that there was, at Washington, a conjunction of an unusu- 

 ally large attendance of biologists and an unusually short allowance of 

 time for reading papers. But three days were allowed, four being the 

 usual number. However, the attendance will be more likely to increase 

 than to diminish, and the working days of the association will probably 

 remain those of the Washington meeting. The second consideration 

 is also an important one, for>ith the reading of every paper it becomes 

 very apparent that " one-half the world doesn't care how the other 

 half live<." Upon the whole, the Gazette is now inclined to favor 

 the amendment, providing such a division will not diminish the in- 



