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Vol. XVII 
1900 
Seventeenth Congress of the A. O. U. 59 
1899, while returning home from Cuba, aged 53 years; and W. W. 
Colburn, of Springfield, Mass., aged 60 years, Associates. 
The report of the Treasurer showed the finances of the Union 
to be in a satisfactory condition. 
Robert Ridgway was reélected President; Dr. C. Hart Mer- 
riam and Charles B. Cory, Vice-Presidents; John H. Sage, Sec- 
retary; William Dutcher, Treasurer. Charles F. Batchelder, 
Frank M. Chapman, Ruthven Deane, Witmer Stone, Drs. A. K. 
Fisher, Jonathan Dwight, Jr.. and Thomas S. Roberts, were 
elected members of the Council. Messrs. W. R. Ogilvie Grant, 
and Arthur Humble Evans, of England, were elected to Corre- 
sponding Membership, and eighty-five new members were added 
to the list of Associates. As in previous years many of the new 
Associates were women. The usual reports of Standing Com- 
mittees were received. Btls 
Pusiic Session. /irst Day.— The meeting was called to 
order by Vice-President Merriam. A letter was read from Miss 
Juliette A. Owen, of St. Joseph, Mo., an Associate Member, donat- 
ing $100 to the Union, to be devoted to any ornithological pur- 
pose that might seem fitting to the Council. Miss Owen wrote 
that the amount sent was about the cost of the journey she 
expected to take in order to attend the Congress, but was 
prevented from going. The sum received will be the nucleus of 
a fund which it is hoped may be secured, the income to be used 
for the advancement of the science of ornithology. 
Mr. Witmer Stone, Chairman of the ‘ Committee on Protection 
of North American Birds,’ then read the report of his committee 
for the previous year. The report is published in this number of 
‘The Auk,’ and will be issued as a pamphlet to be sold at a very 
low price for general distribution. 
The reading of scientific papers began by the presentation by 
Mr. Frank M. Chapman of a paper ‘On the plumages of certain 
Boreal Birds,’ followed by ‘The Summer Molting Plumages of 
Eider Ducks,’ by Witmer Stone. Remarks followed by Mr. Cory, 
Drs. Merriam and Dwight, Messrs, Chapman, Rhoads, Palmer, 
Dutcher, and the author. 
The opening paper of the afternoon session was by Dr. Jonathan 
Dwight, Jr., entitled ‘The Sequence of Plumages and Molts in 
certain Families of North American birds.’ 
