82 Fourteenth Congress of the A. O. U. fet 
which he advocates be deemed advisable, we should regard the 
Southern Downy Woodpecker as the true Dyryobates pubescens 
(Linn.), calling the bird of the middle region Dryobates pubescens 
medianus (Sw.) and that of northern British America Dryodbates 
pubescens nelsoni Oberholser. The alternative would be to adopt 
Swainson’s arrangement /z /ofo, for if not applicable to the 
southern form the name fudescens is subspecifically indetermin- 
able and Swainson was within his rights in restricting it to 
the Downy Woodpecker of the far north and in bestowing new 
names on the other two birds. 
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE AMERICAN ORNI- 
THOLOGISTS’ UNION. 
THe FourtTeENTH Concress of the American Ornithologists’ 
Union convened in Cambridge, Mass., Monday evening, Novem- 
ber 9, 1896. The business meeting was held at the residence of 
Mr. Charles F. Batchelder. The public sessions, lasting three days, 
were held in the Nash Lecture-room of the University Museum, 
commencing Tuesday, November ro. 
Business SEss1on.— The meeting was called to order by the 
President, Mr. William Brewster. Thirteen Active Members were 
present. The Secretary’s report gave the membership of the 
Union at the opening of the present Congress as 673, constituted 
as follows: Active, 47; Honorary, 19; Corresponding, 67 ; Asso- 
ciate 5 40. 
During the year the Union lost seventy-two members,— seven 
by death, fifteen by resignation, and fifty were dropped for non- 
payment of dues. The members lost by death were Henry 
Seebohm,! an Honorary Member, who died in London, England, 
November 26, 1895, aged 63 years; Dr. Juan Gundlach,’ who 
died in Havana, Cuba, March 14, 1896, at the age of 85, also an 
1 For an obituary notice, see Auk, XIII, 1896, pp. 96-97. 
2 For an obituary notice, see /ézd., p. 267. 
