^°^'l910^"] ^'«'^s and News. 365 



25 years, Doctor Merriam will still retain an official connection with the 

 Survey under the title of Consulting Biologist. 



^^'e have the assurance that under the new regime the work of the Biologi- 

 cal Survey will be conducted along practically the same lines as in the past. 



Mr. Willi.^m Dutcher. President of the National Association of Audu- 

 bon Societies, sailed on May 17 for Europe, to attend the Fifth Interna- 

 tional Ornithological Congress held in Berlin May 30 to June 4. It was 

 his purpose to present to the Bird Protection section of the Congress a 

 plan for an international organization for the conservation of wild bird 

 and animal life. Mr. Dutcher was also the accredited representative 

 of the United States Government, the Smithsonian Institution, the U. S. 

 National Museum, and the American Ornithologists' Union to the Con- 

 gress, and empowered by the latter to extend a cordial invitation to the 

 Congress to hold its next session (in 1915) in Washington. It was decided, 

 however, we are informed, to hold it at Serajevo, in Bosnia. 



In our reference to the Smithsonian Expedition to East Africa in a 

 former issue of tins journal (April. 1909, p. 220), it was said that under 

 such a leader as Colonel Roosevelt, and with the support of such an able 

 staff as Dr. Mearns, and Messrs. Heller and Loring, and barring accident 

 and illness, "the results of the year's work in British East Africa. . . .should 

 be of the greatest scientific importance and bring to this country a greatly 

 needed collection of the leading forms of the vertebrate life of a region at 

 present poorly represented in American Museums." In recording the safe 

 return of all the members of the party, it is gratifying to know that the 

 most optimistic anticipations of success have been more than realized, as 

 shown by Mr. Roosevelt's summary of results communicated to the Secre- 

 tary of the Smithsonian Institution and published in the 'National Geo- 

 graphic Magazine' for April, 1910 (pp. 364, 369, 370). The expedition 

 landed at Mombasa on April 21, 1909. and reached Khartoum on March 

 14, 1910, none of the party having experienced serious illness during their 

 long period of tropical field work. Eight months were spent in British 

 East Africa, the collections having been made principally on the Athi and 

 Kapiti plains, in the Sotik, and around Lake Naivasha. Also, to quote 

 from the report: "Messrs. Mearns and Loring made a thorough biological 

 survey of Mount Kenia, while the rest of the party skirted its western base, 

 went to and up the Guaso Nyero. and later visited the Uasin Geisha region 

 and both sides of the Rift Valley. Messrs. Kermit Roosevelt and Tarlton 

 went to the Lailsipia and Lake Harrington, and Dr. Mearns and Mr. Kermit 

 Roosevelt made separate trips to the coast region near Mombasa." On the 

 way down the White Nile over three weeks were spent in the Lado, and 

 collections were also made on the Bahr el Ghazal and Bar el Zeraf. Im- 

 portant aid was courteously extended throughout the journey by the 

 British and Belgian officers of the countries traversed. 



