52 Sixteenth Congress of the A. O. U. [^ a u n k 



Corresponding Member, who died in Gratz, Austria, August 27, 

 1897, aged 48. Also the following Associates : J. Maurice Hatch, 

 who died May 1, 1898, at Colton, Calif., aged 19 years; Dr. 

 George Baur, 1 who died in Munich, Germany, June 24, 1898 ; 

 and Joseph Carleton Ingersoll, who died October 2, 1898. 



The report of the Treasurer showed the finances of the Union 

 to be in good condition. 



The officers elected were: Robert Ridgway, President; Dr. C. 

 Hart Merriam and Charles B. Cory, Vice-Presidents; John H. 

 Sage, Secretary; William Dutcher, Treasurer. The vacancy in 

 the Council, occasioned by the election of Mr. Cory as one of the 

 Vice-Presidents, was filled by the selection of Witmer Stone. 

 Mr. William Palmer, of the U. S. National Museum, .was elected 

 an Active Member, and the Hon. Walter Rothschild, of the Tring 

 Museum, England, a Corresponding Member. One hundred and 

 one Associate Members were elected, the largest number in any 

 one year, with one exception, since the foundation of the Union. 

 As in the previous year many of the new Associates were women, 

 a result of the Audubon Society movement, and of the present 

 interest taken in the study of birds by teachers in the public and 

 private schools of the country. The usual reports of Standing 

 Committees were received. 



Public Session. First Day. — The meeting was called to 

 order by Vice-President Merriam. After the transaction of the 

 usual routine business, President-elect Robert Ridgway took the 

 Chair. 



The reading of scientific papers began with a paper by Mr. 

 Harry C. Oberhoiser. entitled 'Among the Birds in Nevada.' 



Next came ' The Moult of Passerine Species in the vicinity of 

 New York City,' by Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr. Remarks followed 

 by Dr. Coues, Messrs. H. C. Oberhoiser and William Palmer, 

 and the author. 



The graphophone demonstration of a Brown Thrasher's song, 

 given by Dr. Sylvester D. Judd, at the opening of the afternoon 

 session, was a new and unique feature of the Congress. Dr. 

 Judd's experiments were made with a cage bird, but the results 



1 For an obituary notice, see Auk, XV, p. 287. 



