Qo Fifth Meeting of the American Ornithologists Union. [January 



Under the call for reports of Committees, the chairman of the 

 Committee on the Distribution and Migration of Noith Amer- 

 can Birds (Dr. C. Hart Merriam) made a verbal report, detail- 

 ing the progress of the work, which is now, as is well known, 

 carried on under the auspices of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture, and largely by means of appropriations made by 

 Congress. The work of gathering data was continued much as 

 heretofore, through means of circulars and schedules, resulting in 

 voluminous returns, which were being elaborated as rapidly as 

 the extent and nature of the work permitted. Economic ques- 

 tions necessarily required much attention, and the gathering of 

 food statistics entered largely into the work. Two large 'Bulle- 

 tins' were passing through the press, one being a very elaborate 

 report on the English Sparrow, and the other Messrs. Cooke and 

 Widmann's report on the migration and distribution of birds in 

 the Mississippi Vallev. The report of the Committee was re- 

 ceived as a report of progress, and the Committee was continued. 



The Chairman of the Committee on Bird Piotection (Mr. 

 George B. Sennett) reported that the Committee was doing all 

 in its power to disseminate information in relation to the subject, 

 the chief obstacle to its work being the ignorance of the public 

 on all matters relating to the utility of biicls and the measures 

 necessary for their protection. This ignorance was especially 

 dense among farmers, who were intensely prejudiced against 

 Hawks and Owls, and inditierent to tlie services rendered by 

 these and many other useful species they were accustomed to re- 

 gard as enemies and pests. The information the Committee had 

 gathered respecting the food of Birds of Pre}- showed conclu- 

 sively that, with two or three exceptions, these species weie far 

 more beneficial than harmful, many of them subsisting chiefly 

 upon field mice and other farm pests. In this connection quite 

 an extended account was given of the very excellent work of the 

 Audubon Society. The report was accepted as a report of pro- 

 gress and the Committee continued. 



The Committee on Avian Anatomy reported through its 

 Chairman, Dr. Elliott Coues. The report was mainly eulogis- 

 tic of the labors of his indefatigable colleague, Di". Shufeldt, 

 and an appeal to the Union for its aid in belialf of securing Dr. 

 Sliufeldt's transfer from a tVoiitier post l(^ one of the larger 

 cities near the Atlantic seat)()ard, within icach ofihe libraries 

 and museums so indispensable to him in his work. 



