122 Recent Literature. [January 



In accordance with a recently adopted amendment to the Con- 

 stitution, respecting the offices of Secretary and Treasurer, it be- 

 came necessary to elect a new Treasurer. The election for 

 officers resulted in the choice of Mr. Charles B. Cory, for Treas- 

 urer, and the re-election of the previous incumbents. 



After a very satisfactory two da\s' session, the Union ad- 

 journed to meet in Washington, the third Tuesday in November, 

 1886. The only regret seemed to be that the session was not 

 allowed to occupy another day, a regret especiallv shared by 

 members who had made a long journey to attend the meeting. 

 A pleasant feature of the occasion was the presence of a number 

 of Associate Members, and their active participation in the pro- 

 ceedings of the Congress. As less time will be necessary in 

 future than heretofore for routine business and reports of Commit- 

 tees, future meetings will doubtless be devoted more largely to 

 scientific papers, the presentation and discussion of which, it 

 is already evident, will form an attractive feature of these 

 annual gatherings of the American Ornitholo<rists' Union. 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



Murdoch on the Birds of Point Barrow. Alaska. — Of the 'Report of the 

 International Polar Expedition to Point Barrow, Alaska,'* recently published 

 b}' order of Congress, the report on the 'Natural History,' by Mr. John Mur- 

 doch, occupies upwards of one hundred pages, of which twenty-three (pp. 

 105-12S) are devoted to birds. Of the 54 species noted, 42 are water birds. 

 With few exceptions, all were collected ••within a circle of fifteen miles 

 from the station at Point Barrow." There is, however, a supplemental list 

 (p. 200) of iS species "noticed at Plover Bay, Eastern Siberia, August 21 

 to 25, iSSi." The period of observation at Point Barrow covered very 

 nearly two full years. Considering that the locality is at the northern 

 extremity of this continent, in latitude 71° 16' north, and far remote from 

 any other where continuous observations have been made for any consid- 



* Report of the International Polar Expedition to Point Barrow, Alaska, in response 

 to the Resolution of the House of Representatives of December 11, 1884. Washington ■ 

 Government Printing Office, 1885. 4to, pp. 695, map, and nnmeroas plates, mostly 

 unnumbered. Part IV, Natural History. By John .Murdoch, A. M., Sergeant Signal 

 Corps, U. S. Army. Pp. 89-200. 



