DECEMBER 8, 1899. ] 
4, That no general appeal to the public 
for funds is required, as each institution 
will endeavor to secure the amount neces- 
sary for its work. 
5. That the work already planned in- 
cludes observations of contacts, photogra- 
phy of the corona with large and small 
cameras ; visual and photographic observa- 
tions of the spectrum of the sun’s limb and 
of the corona; visual examination of the 
details of the coronal structure; measure- 
ment of the brightness of the sky at differ- 
ent distances from the sun; search for an 
intra-mercurial planet ; and observations of 
the shadow bands. 
A preliminary report on the weather con- 
ditions along the line of totality has been 
prepared by the Weather Bureau, at the 
request of the committee. From thisitap- 
pears that interior stations are probably to 
be preferred to those on the seacoast, in 
spite of the shorter duration of the total 
phase. The full report of the Weather Bu- 
reau, which will soon be published, will 
contain much valuable matter, including 
maps of the eclipse track, showing location of 
towns and railways; information regarding 
hotel accommodations, desirable sites, etc. 
It is understood that the Naval Observa- 
tory will issue instructions to observers, 
and that a map of the eclipse track will be 
published by the Nautical Almanac Office. 
The Treasury Department has made ar- 
rangements by which the instruments of 
foreign parties will be admitted free of duty. 
The committee, if authorized by the con- 
ference to continue its work, will be glad 
to receive and publish further information 
from eclipse parties regarding their plan of 
observations and location of stations. 
Extracts from the replies of various as- 
tronomers were appended to the report, but 
need not be reproduced here, as they have 
been published in the Astrophysical Journal. 
The committee was continued in office. 
The committee appointed at the Second 
SCIENCE, 
849 
Conference to act in reference to the ques- 
tions at issue regarding the United States 
Naval Observatory also reported that the 
opinions of astronomers regarding that in- 
stitution, which had been obtained in re- 
sponse to a circular letter, had been com- 
municated to the Secretary of the Navy. 
This report is not reproduced here, as it is 
practically superseded by the official report 
of a Board of Visitors appointed by the 
Secretary of the Navy to visit, examine 
and report upon the Naval Observatory. 
The recommendations of this official report 
have been given in full in ScrENcE. 
The first meeting of the Astronomical 
and Astrophysical Society of America ad- 
journed at noon, September 8th. 
Epwin B. Frost, 
Acting Secretary. 
YERKES OBSERVATORY, WILLIAMS BAY, WIS. 
AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. 
Tue Seventeenth Congress of the Amer- 
ican Ornithologists’ Union convened in 
Philadelphia, on Monday evening, Novem- 
ber 13th. The business meeting was held 
in the Council Room, and the public ses- 
sions, commencing Tuesday, November 
14th, and lasting three days, were held 
in the Lecture Hall of the Academy of 
Natural Sciences. 
Robert Ridgway, of Washington, D. C., 
was reelected President; Dr. C. Hart 
Merriam, of Washington, D. C., and Charles 
B. Cory, of Boston, Vice-Presidents ; John 
H. Sage, of Portland, Conn., Secretary ; 
and William Dutcher, of New York City, 
Treasurer. Charles F. Batchelder, Frank 
M. Chapman, Ruthven Deane, Witmer 
Stone, Drs. A. K. Fisher, Jonathan Dwight, 
Jr., and Thos. S. Roberts, were elected 
members of the Council. By a provision 
of the by-laws, the ex-Presidents of the 
Union, Drs. J. A. Allen and Elliott Coues, 
and Messrs. William Brewster and D. G. 
Elliot, are ex-officio members of the Council. 
