18 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 966 



by-laws of the commission provided for an open 

 meeting of the commission, and he moved that the 

 present session of the section resolve itself into a 

 joint meeting of the commission and of the sec- 

 tion, in order to comply vrith the provision in ques- 

 tion. Upon second, this motion prevailed. 



The secretary reported that he was under in- 

 structions from the commission to present to the 

 meeting the report and a supplemental report of 

 the commission. The chair called for the reports 

 which were read in full, except that upon motion, 

 second and vote, he read paragraphs (31-45 and 

 58) by title, or by title and examples. 



Following the reading of the regular report, the 

 meeting took a. short recess to enable certain mem- 

 bers of the commission to examine and vote on the 

 supplemental report. After the meeting was again 

 called to order, the supplemental report was read. 



The secretary requested the adoption of the 

 reports as a whole, explaining that this adoption 

 did not carry with it the approval of the separate 

 recommendations. Upon motion, and second, the 

 reports were adopted. 



The secretary requested action on those para- 

 graphs that involved recommendations, nomina- 

 tions and resolutions. Acting upon each subject 

 separately, the joint meeting, upon motion and 

 second approved the following paragraphs sepa- 

 rately : 



(5), (9), (11), (13), (14), (50) [commission 

 instructed to continue the list], (52 a, i, c) [vote 

 unanimous except for one], (55), (56), (57), 

 (91), (107), (113), (114), (115), (116). 



The secretary was asked if it would be agreeable 

 to him to resubmit the names in (31), (32), (33), 

 (34), (35), (36) and (37) to subcommittees of 

 specialists before they were formally approved. 

 His reply was that the suggestion was entirely 

 agreeable, and he withdrew his request for formal 

 approval of these lists. 



The secretary gave notice that the list of bird 

 genera in (38) would be published before action 

 was taken by the commission. 



No formal action was asked upon (40), (41), 

 (42), (43), (44), (45). 



In view of the fact that opinions 29-51, inclu- 

 sive, had been printed in detail, it was moved, 

 seconded, and voted that the section (58) of the 

 report dealing with opinions 29-56 be read by 

 title, and that the opinions be approved. 



Commissioner Stejneger stated that he now had 

 some misgivings as to whether or not practical 

 difficulties might arise in coordinating the resolu- 

 tions of paragraphs (99), (100), (101), (105), 



(106) with (113), (114), (115) and he requested 

 that action on the former be postponed until the 

 next congress, in order to determine more clearly 

 whether the two propositions contained anything of 

 a contradictory nature. As any one commissioner 

 has a right to cause postponement of action on 

 any portion of the report (since the commission's 

 vote must be unanimous). Dr. Stejneger 's request 

 was respected and no final action was taken in 

 regard to the Transitional List; these sections 

 were tabled. 



In reply to certain questions, the secretary ex- 

 plained the following English parliamentary ex- 

 pressions : 



"To table" or "to lay on the table" any 

 motion means that final action is postponed upon 

 the matter in question. Matters that are ' ' tabled ' ' 

 may be "taken from the table" for further con- 

 sideration and for final action. 



The expression "suspend the Efegles" in the 

 supplemental report is used in its accepted parlia- 

 mentary sense. Parliamentary procedures are 

 carried out under recognized or special "parlia- 

 mentary rules" and under provisions contained in 

 ' ' constitutions " and " by-laws. ' ' Upon a unan- 

 imous vote, by-laws may be temporarOy "sus- 

 pended, ' ' that is to say, they may be set aside and 

 the body takes action on the matter under con- 

 sideration unrestricted by the provisions of the 

 by-laws, and such action, if taken imder a "spe- 

 cial rule" framed for the case at hand or without 

 reference to any rules, except the "constitution" 

 and recognized "parliamentary rules," has all the 

 validity of an action taken under the "by-laws." 



Thus, if the congress confers upon the commis- 

 sion the plenary power to suspend the Bfegles in 

 any given case, it practically says to the commis- 

 sion: "If you carry out the precautions provided 

 for in the supplemental report, you may decide 

 any given case arbitrarily without reference to 

 the Rfegles or you may make a "special rule" to 

 govern that particular case, and this congress will 

 accept your decision as being just as authoritative 

 as if you had made your ruling strictly in accord 

 with the code. ' ' A plan of this kind is thoroughly 

 in accord with recognized parliamentary customs 

 and it has the great advantage of saving the 

 necessity of introducing "exceptions"' to the 

 rules. 



' To make this point as to the difference be- 

 tween ' ' exceptions ' ' and ' ' suspension ' ' of rules 

 clearer to some of the non-English-speaking mem- 

 bers, the secretary later used this comparison upon 

 adjournment of the meeting: 



