iS9i-] Notes (i;i(/ Nc-vs. J.01 



of both Active ami Associate Members shown at previous meetings will be 

 sustained at the present reunion. The time devoted to routine business will 

 be reduced to the minimum, and the presentation and discussion of scien- 

 tific papers be made the object of the meeting. It is requested that all mem- 

 bers having papers to present send the titles of the same to the Secretary, 

 Mr. John II. Sage, Portland, Conn., at least one week prior to the date on 

 which the Congress convenes. This will permit of the proper arrangement 

 of subjects and preparation of a programme, a plan which has proved to 

 be of great utility and convenience. 



Special features of the meeting will be an exhibition of the original 

 drawings made by Wolf to illustrate Mr. Elliot's »iumptuous ornithological 

 works, and a stereopticon exhibition of lantern slides portraying living 

 birds. The co-operation of members in adding to the success of this last- 

 named exhibit is earnestly requested. Should any member having such 

 slides be unable to attend the meeting, he will confer a favor by forward- 

 ing them, with an explanation of their character, or the manner in which 

 the pictures were taken, to the President, Mr. D. G. Elliot, American Mus- 

 eum of Natural History, New York Cit}-. They will be promptly returned 

 at the close of the session. 



The Second International Ornithological Congress, held at Budapest, 

 May 17-27, 1S91, was attended by about two hundred ornithologists, 

 mostly from Germany, Austria, and Hungary. England had two repre- 

 sentatives and America two, the latter being Dr. Arthur P. Chadbourne 

 and Dr. Louis B. Bishop, Dr. Chadbourne being the accredited delegate 

 of the A. O. \J . to the Congress. 



The work of the Congress was divided into four sections: (i) Syste- 

 matic Ornithology and Avian Anatomy; {^2) Avi-Geography and Migra- 

 tion : (3) Biology and Oology ; (4) Economic Ornithology. The special 

 reports and communications to the different sections will soon be pub- 

 lished, a number of them having already appeared. 



A Code of Rules for Zoological Nomenclature, essentially based on the 

 A. O. U. Code of 18S6, caused considerable discussion, but was finally 

 adopted, and henceforth "a local race which difl:ers so much in color, 

 form, or proportions, that it cannot be surely identified without material 

 for comparison or a knowledge of the locality where the specimen was 

 found, will not be described as a species under a binomial name, but as a 

 subspecies, by the addition of a third name to that of the species from 

 which it was derived." The abbreviation ^var.' is only to be used for 

 'freaks,' while 'tnonstr.' (monstrosity) will be used to indicate malforma- 

 tion in structure. 



After adjournment the Hungarian Comiiiittee arranged several ex- 

 tended excursions to enable those who couki do so to see the most char- 

 acteristic and interesting local fauna'. 



Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, are about to publish a popular 

 handbook of the ornithology of the United States and Canada, by Mr. 

 Montague Chamberlain, based on Nuttall's well-known 'Manual.' It will 



