OO Fourth Meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union. [January 



and the English Sparrow, and in less detail to the investigations 

 of the food habits of our birds in general. He gave a very inter- 

 esting and detailed account of his observations in the rice fields 

 of South Carolina and Georgia, and Dr. Fisher related his obser- 

 vations in the rice fields of Louisiana. 



The work of collecting data respecting bird migration is still 

 continued, the number of observers to whom schedules have 

 been sent during the last year being fully up to the average of 

 past years. 



As yet none of the reports prepared by the division super- 

 intendents have been published but several are nearly ready for 

 the press, as is also a special report on the English Sparrow ; the 

 publication of some these reports has been unexpectedly and 

 unavoidably delayed, but their early appearance may now be 

 anticipated. 



The reports of the two committees elicited interesting remarks 

 bearing mainly on the subject of the economic relations of birds 

 to man, and on their protection, the work of the two committees 

 being more or less inter-related at many points. 



The reading of scientific papers occupied the third day's 

 session. Col. N. S. Goss, of Kansas, presented a paper entitled 

 'Additions to the Catalogue of the Birds of Kansas' (published 

 in this number of 'The Auk,' pp. 7- 1 1 ) , and another on 'The 

 Number of Eggs constituting a Normal Set.' 



Mr. George B. Sennett gave a paper on 'The Snowy Plover of 

 Texas,' with an exhibition of specimens. 



A paper from Dr. Ira Sayles was read on the 'Sense of Smell 

 in the Turkey Buzzard' (see this number of 'The Auk,' p. 5). 



Mr. Frederick A. Lucas presented interesting notes of his ex- 

 perience in capturing sea birds(Procellariida3) (see attt&a, pp. 1-7). 



Dr. L. Stejneger gave a short resume of the methods of the 

 celebrated German ornithologist, Chr. L. Brehm, illustrated by 

 a good series of a South European Ring Thrush ( Ttirdus alpes- 

 tris BrehmJ, which prejudice and want of material have pre- 

 vented the European ornithologists from recognizing as distinct 

 from the northern typical Ttirdus torquattis. Dr. Stejneger in 

 rediscovering this interesting and stronglv marked species was 

 able to substantiate the observations made by Brehm, and he pre- 

 dicted that if European ornithology be studied on a plan similar, 

 and with similar means, to that applied here in America, still 



