344 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. No. 1162 



of white-winged crossbills in the vicinity of Wash- 

 ington, constituting the second authentic record of 

 this species in the District fauna. The first speci- 

 men was seen by Mr. McAtee on December 10, 

 1916, in a flock of American crossbills. Later other 

 specimens were seen on December 24, 27 and 30, as 

 single birds and also in flocks, Mr. Wetmore having 

 seen as many as forty birds together. 



In contrast to this unusual northern visitor Mr. 

 McAtee mentioned the lingering of summer birds, 

 having noted a Cape May warbler on December 6, 

 and a bluegray gnateatcher about two weeks ago. 

 He also mentioned having found a box turtle out 

 and active on January 7, 1917. 



Mr. E. A. Goldman mentioned the reported oc- 

 currence of Hudsonian chickadees in the vicinity 

 of New Tork City and Boston. 



Mr. A. 8. Hitchcock called attention to the un- 

 usual precautions that were being taken in the care 

 of the herbarium of the British Museum. 



The regular program was as follows: 



Some European Experiences with Entomologists: 



L. O. HOWAKD. 



Under the above title Dr. Howard read three 

 short papers, entitled (a) "Eennes and Een6 Ober- 

 th1ir," (6) "An Entomological Trip to the 

 Crimea," and (c) "The Episode of Theophile 

 Gautier, " all illustrated with lantern slides. In 

 the flrst he described the personality of EenS Ober- 

 thiir, one of the great amateur collectors of in- 

 sects in Europe, and his beautiful place at Rennes 

 where he has a private museum, an extraordinary 

 arboretum, and one of the largest collections of 

 orchids in existence. He spoke at some length of 

 the very important voluntary assistance which M. 

 Oberthiir had given the Bureau of Entomology in 

 the collection and importation of the parasites of 

 the gipsy moth and the brown-tailed moth from 

 Europe into the United States, and gave an ac- 

 count of an automobile journey through Brittany 

 and Normandy in the summer of 1909, on which he 

 was accompanied by M. Oberthiir and by Paul 

 Marchal, of the Station Entomologique de Paris. 



In the second paper he described a journey from 

 Budapest through Lemburg to Kiew in 1907, the 

 establishment of an experimental station at Kiew 

 under the direction of Professor Waldemar Pospie- 

 low, of the University of Kiew, of the journey 

 thence to Sebastopol, Baehtisserai and Simferopol; 

 of the regional museum at the latter place under 

 the charge of Professor Sigismond Mokshetsky, and 

 of the excellent work in economic entomology done 

 by Professor Mokshetsky in the Crimea. He also 

 mentioned the old palace of the Khan of the 



Crimea at Baehtisserai and the marine zoological 

 laboratory at Sebastopol. 



In the concluding episode he described his per- 

 sonal experiences in 1910 and 1912 with Theophile 

 Gautier, one of the most successful rose-growers of 

 France, at Anglers, a man of the simplest appear- 

 ance and habits but of the highest standing in hor- 

 ticultural circles and an Officier of the order of 

 M4rite Agricole. 



decent Additions to the List of North American 



Birds: H. C. Obbrholsee. 



Dr. Oberholser said that the period from 1910 to 

 1916, inclusive, was one of great ornithological ac- 

 tivity. During this period fully 125 species and 

 subspecies were added to the list of birds known 

 from North America. Most of these additions re- 

 sulted from the description of new subspecies or 

 the revival of hitherto unrecognized forms, which 

 together amount to over 100, among the most in- 

 teresting being five new subspecies from New- 

 foundland. Two distinct species were described 

 from North America during this time: JEstrelata 

 oahow from the Bermuda Islands, and a remarkable 

 new guU, allied to Larus calif amicus, called Larus 

 thayeri, from EUesmere Land. Also a number of 

 extra limital forms were for the first time detected 

 within our boundaries, among the most notable of 

 which might be mentioned Fujjinus carneipes taken 

 in California; Totanus totanus from Greenland; 

 Calliope calliope camtschatkensis and Sypocentor 

 rusticus, both from Kiska Island, Alaska; Nyroca 

 ferina, Marila fuUgula, Clangula clangula clan- 

 gula, Cryptoglaux funerea funerea, Coccothaustes 

 coccothaustes japonicus, and Fringilla montifrin- 

 gilla, all from the Pribilof Islands; Pcecilonetta 

 bahamensis from Florida; Petrochelidon fulva pal- 

 lida from Texas; and Tyrannus melancholocus 

 satrapa from Maine. 



The Fossil Seacow of Maryland: Wm. Palmee. 



Mr Palmer exhibited the fifth thoracic neural 

 arch of a sirenian which was shown to be unlike 

 that of the manatee and to agree absolutely, ex- 

 cept in size, with a similar bone of Steller's sea- 

 cow (Sydrodamalis) from Bering Sea. The speci- 

 men was found, freshly fallen, under a cliff of the 

 Calvert Miocene on the western shore of Mary- 

 land. It was suggested that the species was liv- 

 ing during the period following the first erosion 

 of the Cretaceous and the deposition of the Eocene 

 as all the specimens so far found in the Miocene 

 were clearly redeposits from an earlier age. 



M. W. Lyon, Je., 

 Recording Secretary 



