Vol. xix.] 2 



Chairman : P. L. Sclater, F.R.S. 



Members present : — P. H. Bahr, E. Bidwell, J. L. Bon- 

 HOTE, S. Bookman, F. D. Drewitt, M.D,, F. W. Frohawk, 

 Norman Gilroy, J. M. Goodall, A. F. Griffith, E. 

 Hartert, Ph.D., C. E. Hellmayr, J. D. La Touche, G. E. 

 Lodge, Major H. A. F. Magrath, E. G. B. Meade-Waldo, 

 IL MuNT, T. H. Newman, W. R. Ogilvie-Grant {Editor), 

 C. E. Pearson, W. P. Pycraft, F. B. Ratcliff, R. H. Read, 

 C. B. RicKETT, Hon. Walter Rothschild, Ph.D., M.P., 

 A. D. Sapsworth, Howard Saunders, D. Seth-Smith, 

 H. Scherren, C. B. Ticehurst, N. F. Ticehurst, F.R.C.S., 

 H. M. Wallis, J. I. S. Whitaker, L. A. Williams. 



Visitors : — J. ]\I. Barton, Capt. B. R. Horsbrugh, C. E. 

 Fagan. 



The Chairman gave the foUowiug Address : — 



Brother Members of the B. O. C, — 



On taking the Chair at the 126th Meeting of this Club 

 (which is now commencing its Fifteenth Session) I venture 

 to offer to you, as on former occasions, a few remarks upon 

 the recent progress of the Science of Ornithology and its 

 future prospects. 



One of the leading features of the present epoch is, I 

 think, the number of expeditions despatched in quest of 

 discovery to every part of the globe. These expeditions 

 of late years, I am happy to say, have been generally accom- 

 panied by a scientific staff, amongst whom there is usually 

 one selected to attend to the Class of Birds. Thus our 

 knowledge of the Bird-life of the Antarctic Seas has been 

 greatly increased by the results of the two recent South 

 Polar Expeditions. It was not to be expected that many 

 new birds remained to be discovered in the Great Southern 

 Ocean, but large additions have been made by both these 

 Expeditions to our knowledge of the distribution of Birds 

 and their mode of life. As regards the Scottish Antarctic 

 Expedition, we have already received two of Mr. Eagle 



