° i9i5 j Notes and News. lo9 



the Union. It was however mailed so late that it was not received until 

 after the meeting had adjourned. Mr. Bailey was of course, so informed; 

 but has received no "official" report of action for the simple reason that 

 his communication cannot be even presented to the Union for considera- 

 tion, until the 1915 meeting. It is needless to say that any properly pre- 

 pared proposal to amend the By-Laws, received prior to any meeting of the 

 Union, will be given, as it always has been given, careful and courteous 

 consideration. 



Mr. Bailey says of the Associates "a large percentage have been taken 

 into the Union merely for the payment of their $3. dues and not with any 

 idea of strengthening the Club scientifically." He would we think have a 

 different conception of the Associate membership if he glanced at the early 

 history of the Union. The society was of course started with but one grade 

 and could readily have limited its membership strictly to ornithologists of 

 high scientific attainments as has been done by many similar organizations, 

 leaving the rank and file of the subscribers to its publications entirely out- 

 side of the society. It was thought better however to take in these sub- 

 scribers as "Associates " without any additional fee, and to open to them all 

 the social and scientific privileges of membership. The Union has thus 

 helped to develop many an ornithologist who would not otherwise have 

 taken up the study seriously, and we have reason to think that the vast 

 majority of Associates are in entire agreement with the plan. 



In conclusion we must take exception to Mr. Bailey's statement that 

 dissatisfaction with the A. O. U. By-Laws when expressed in 'The Auk' 

 has been "sidetracked" and dropped with but small notice and courtesy. 

 We think he made this statement without due consideration since the only 

 expression of the kind that we have found (Auk, 1908, p. 494) was consid- 

 ered and answered with the greatest courtesy by the Editors. — Witmer 

 Stone. 1 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



Dr. Theodore Nicholas Gill, a retired fellow of the American Orni- 

 thologists' Union, died in Washington, D. C, on September 25, 1914. 

 Dr. Gill was born in New York City on March 21, 1837, and after complet- 

 ing his education came to Washington in 1860 to fill a position in the 

 Columbian (now George Washington) University, with which institution 

 he was connected for fifty years as professor, successively, of physics, natural 

 history, and zoology. He was also assistant librarian of the Congressional 

 Library, 1867 to 1875, and one of the past presidents of the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science. 



It was however, in connection with the Smithsonian Institution that Dr. 

 Gill is best known and here he conducted the studies and investigations 

 that made his name familiar in scientific circles throughout the world. 



