Oct. 23, 1884] 



NA TURE 



617 



Russia ; Col. N. Przevalsky, Russia ; Dr. Gustav Radde, 

 Russia ; Dr. Leopold von Schrenck, Russia ; Dr. YV. Sever- 

 tzow, Russia ; Rev. Canon H. B. Tristram, England ; Dr. 

 1 Ijalmar Theel, Sweden. 



The report of the Committee on Revision of Nomenclature 

 and Classification of North American Birds was presented by 

 the Chairman, Dr. Elliott Coues, who said that the work of the 

 Committee had been divided by the creation of two .Sub-Com- 

 mittees : one (consisting of Messrs. Ridgway, Brewster, and 

 Henshaw) to determine the status of species and sub-species ; the 

 other (consisting of Mr. Allen and Dr. Coues) to formulate the 

 canons of nomenclature and classification adopted by the Com- 

 mittee. He also expressed the indebtedness of the Committee 

 to Dr. Leonhard Stejneger for determining many points in 

 synonymy, and for other aid. Dr. Coues then read at length 

 the report of the Sub-Committee on Codification of Canons of 

 Nomenclature and Classification, as adopted by the full Com- 

 mittee. The reading occupied about an hour and a half. Mr. 

 Ridgway continued the report by reading the list of species 

 prepared by the Sub-Committee on the Status of Species and 

 Sub-Species as adopted by the full Committee. The Committee 

 unanimously adopted the tenth edition of Linna;us's " Systema 

 Naturae " as the starting-point in zoological nomenclature ; it 

 unflinchingly avowed its adherence to the rule of priority ; and 

 emphatically and unequivocally indorsed the employment of 

 trinomials in the designation of sub-species. 



The report of the Committee on Bird Migration was presented 

 by the Chairman, Dr. C. Hart Merriam. Dr. Merriam stated 

 that a circular had been issued setting forth the objects and 

 methods of the Committee, specifying the division of the terri- 

 tory of the United States and British North America into 

 thirteen districts (each of which had been placed in charge of a 

 competent superintendent), and supplying instructions to ob- 

 servers concerning the data desired — which were classed under 

 the heads of Ornithological, Meteorological, and Contemporary 

 and Correlative Phenomena. 



In order to secure a large number of observers, the Chairman 

 had written to the editors of eight hundred newspapers, asking 

 them to call attention to the work of the Committee and to 

 state that more observers were desired. The several superin- 

 tendents had also written to a large number of papers — just how 

 many the Chairman was not aware. The Press very kindly 

 gave the matter the prominence its importance deserved, and 

 abstracts of the circulars, amounting in some cases to an actual 

 reprint, and usually coupled with editorial comment, were pub- 

 lished in several hundred newspapers. This resulted in the 

 receipt by the Chairman of upwards of three thousand applica- 

 tions for circulars of information and instruction. In all, nearly 

 six thousand circulars were distributed. By this means the 

 Committee finally secured nearly seven hundred observers, in 

 addition to the keepers of lights. The observers are distributed 

 as follows : — Mississippi Valley di-trict, Prof. \V. W. Cooke, 

 Superintendent, 170; New England district, John H. Sage, 

 Superintendent, 142 ; Atlantic district, Dr. A. K, Fisher, 

 Superintendent, 121 ; Middle-Eastern district, Dr. J. M. 

 Wheaton, Superintendent, 90 ; Quebec and the Maritime 

 Provinces, Montague Chamberlain, Superintendent, 56 ; district 

 of Ontario, Thomas Mcllwraith, Superintendent, 38 ; Pacific 

 district, L. Belding, Superintendent, 30 ; Rocky Mountain dis- 

 trict, Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, Superintendent, 14 ; Manitoba, 

 Prof. W. W. Cooke, Superintendent, 10 ; British Columbia, 

 John Fannin, Superintendent, 5 ; North-West Territories Ernest 

 E. T. Seton, Superintendent, 5 ; Newfoundland, James P. 

 Howley, Superintendent (returns not yet received). Migration 

 stations now exist in every State and Territory in the Union 

 excepting Delaware and Nevada. 



The Committee was fortunate in obtaining the co-operation of 

 the Department of Marine and Fisheries of Canada, and of the 

 Lighthouse Board of the United Slates. By this means it 

 secured the free distribution of upwards of twelve hundred sets of 

 schedules and circulars to the keepers of lighthouses, lightships, 

 and beacons in the United States and British North America. 



The returns thus far received from observation were exceed- 

 ingly voluminous and of great value. They were so extensive, 

 indeed, that it was utterly impossible for the Committee to 

 elaborate them without considerable pecuniary aid. 



In order to show the Union the character and extent of the 

 labours of the Committee, the Chairman had requested the 

 superintendents of all districts east of the Rocky Mountains to 

 prepare reports upon five common, well-known, and widely- 



distributed birds, to wit : the robin {Merula miqraloria), cat- 

 bird (Mimas carolinensis), Baltimore oriole (Icterus gabula), 

 pm-ple martin (Profile suhis), and nighthawk (Chordeiles popetue). 

 This had been done, and the reports received were presented 

 for examination. The Chairman directed special attention to 

 those prepared by Dr. J. M. Wheaton and Dr. A. K. Fisher as 

 examples of tabulated returns, and to that received from Prof. 

 W. W. Cooke as an example of the generalisation of results. 



The Chairman called attention to the action of the Inter- 

 national Ornithologists' Congress held in Vienna last April, 

 stating that he had been instructed (in common with the dele- 

 gates from other countries) to represent the cause of the Com 

 mittee in the National Government, begging it " to further to 

 the utmost the organi-ing of migration stations,'' and "to appro- 

 priate a sufficient sum for the support of these stations, and for 

 the publication of annual reports of the observations made." 



The Council was instructed to memorialise the Congress 'of 

 the United States, and the Parliament of Canada, in behalf of 

 the work of the Committee on Bird Migration. 



On the motion of Mr. Brewster, the Committee on Geographi- 

 cal Distribution was merged into the Committee on Migration 

 as a Sub-Committee, the whole Committee to be entitled a 

 " Committee on the Migration and Geographical Distribution of 

 North American Birds." 



The Report of the Committee on the Eligibility or Ineligibility 

 of the European House-Sparrow in America was presented by Dr. 

 J. B. Holder, Chairman of the Committee. Dr. Holder =aid 

 that a circular of inquiry had been printed, and about one 

 thousand copies circulated in Canada and the United States. 

 Particular pains had been taken to secure evidence from those 

 who advocated the cause of the sparrow. A large number of 

 returns had been received, and the evidence for and against the 

 naturalised exotic had been carefully sifted and summarised. 

 The result overwhelmingly demonstrated that the sum of its 

 injurious qualities far exceeds and cancels the sum of its bene- 

 ficial qualities. In other words, it was the verdict of the Com- 

 mittee that the European house-sparrow is not an eligible bird 

 in North America. The Union sustained the decision of the 

 Committee. 



The Report of the Committee on Faunal Areas was presented 

 by the Chairman, Mr. J. A. Allen. Mr. Allen said that, for 

 the purposes of the Committee, North America had been divided 

 into several districts, each of which had been placed in charge of 

 a member of the Committee as follows : — Arctic and British 

 America and the northern tier of States bordering the Great 

 Lakes, from New York to Minnesota inclusive, were being 

 worked by Dr. C. Hart Merriam ; Canada, south of the St. 

 Lawrence, and New England, by Arthur P. Chadhourne ; the 

 Eastern and Middle States, from New Jersey to Florida, and 

 west to the Mississippi Kiver, by Dr. A. K. Fisher; the Rocky 

 Mountain region by Dr. Edgar A. Mearns ; and the Pacific 

 region by L. Belding. It was the plan of the Committee to 

 collate and tabulate the required data from all published sources ; 

 to avail itself in like manner of the material contained in the 

 returns of the observers of bird migration (this privilege having 

 been granted by the Committee on Bird Migration) ; to illustrate 

 the facts thus obtained by coloured maps showing the summer 

 and winter range of each species ; and to generalise the final 

 results and place the same before the Union, accompanied by 

 coloured charts showing, with as much precision as possible, the 

 exact limits of the several faunal areas in North America. 



Dr. P. L. Sclater said he was glad to know that North 

 America, which he knew as a Nearctic region, was being 

 worked in so thorough a manner by so competent a Committee, 

 and that the results obtained could not fail to be of great interest 

 and value. 



The matter of the wholesale slaughter of our native birds for 

 millinery and other purposes was brought forcibly before the 

 Union by Mr. Wm. Brewster, and a Committee was appointed 

 for the protection of North American birds and their eggs against 

 wanton and indiscriminate destruction. 



Dr. Merriam spoke of the capture, just two weeks previously 

 (September 19), of a second specimen of the wheatear (Saxicola 

 ananthe) at Godbout, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, 

 by Mr. Napoleon A. Comeau. Mr. Comeau exhibited the bird, 

 a handsome male, and said that he shot the first specimen at the 

 same place on May 18 last. He also spoke of the capture at 

 Godbout of the European house-sparrow (Passer domesticits), thus 

 extending the known range of the species, on the north shore, 

 by at least 250 miles. 



