1916 J Notes and News. 235 



At the Annual Meeting of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club held 

 at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, January 6, 1916, 

 Henry W. Fowler was elected president for the ensuing year; George H. 

 Stuart 3rd, Vice President; J. Fletcher Street, Secretary and Dr. Samuel C. 

 Palmer, Treasurer. Communications were made during the past year by 

 Dr. Wm. E. Hughes, on 'Bird-life in Italy'; Samuel N. Rhoads, 'A Trip 

 to Guatemala'; David E. Harrower, 'Birds Observed in Costa Rica'; Dr. 

 Witmer Stone, ' Our Western Birds and their Haunts ' and J. Fletcher Street, 

 'Rare Birds of the Pocono Mt.' 



Mr. W. Leon Dawson of Santa Barbara, Cal., has made over his valuable 

 collection of birds' eggs and nest's to a board of trustees who are incorporat- 

 ing an institution to be known as the Museum of Comparative Oology, in 

 which it is hoped to accumulate a representative collection of the nests and 

 eggs ot the birds of the world. Mr. Dawson is to have responsible control 

 of the collection during his life in order to insure its proper care during the 

 early years of the enterprise. At the expiration of three years during 

 which he will be engaged in field work in connection with the forthcoming 

 'Birds of California,' a campaign will be inaugurated for an endowment and 

 a group of buildings suitable for housing the collection. A number of 

 prominent oologists and ornithologists have been invited to form a Board 

 of Visitors to cooperate with the museum management. 



' Blue-Bikd,' formerly edited by Dr. Eugene Swope, has now passed into 

 the hands of Elizabeth C. T. Miller of Cleveland, Ohio, who as owner and 

 editor is conducting it as a monthly. Volume VIII began with the Decem- 

 ber number and presents a very creditable appearance. 



The next stated meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union will be 

 held at the Academy of Natural Sciences, at Philadelphia, November 14-16, 

 with a business session on the 13th. It has been the general consensus 

 of opinion that a return to the former time of meeting, the second Tuesday 

 of November is desirable as it is convenient to the largest number of 

 members. In accordance with the recent amendments to the By-Laws, 

 proposed for the purpose of broadening the organization of the Union, the 

 class of Members will this year, for the first time, take part in the business 

 sessions and participate in the election of Members, Associates and Officers. 

 This innovation will doubtless bring together a much larger number of 

 Members and Fellows than usual. Furthermore owing to the fact that 

 last year's meeting was held in San Francisco, where most of the eastern 

 member?; were unable to attend, there will be an unusually full attendance 

 of all classes from the east at the Philadelphia meeting, while not a few 

 from 'the coast' stimulated by last year's meeting have signified their 

 intention of being present. All in all this meeting promises to be one of 

 the largest that the Union has held and it is none too soon for members to 



