Notes from Field and Study 
all the birds noted have been indentified 
with as much care as powerful binoculars 
permit, and no questionable records are 
included. 
Great Black-backed Gull, 1, May 13, 
to., Sept. 27, Ring-billed Gull, 1, Feb. 13, 
Red-breasted Merganser, 5, May 21. Black 
Duck, 18, May 21. Old-squaw, 1, May 27. 
White-winged Scoter, 1, May 21. Surf 
Scoter, 20, May 21. White-rumped Sand- 
piper, 2, May 21; 1, Oct. 23. Sanderling, 
I, Jan. 4. Hudsonian Curlew, 12, May 13, 
same number, May 21. 
This fine bird but rarely comes within 
range of the field-glass student. On May 
13, 1 was so fortunate as to get within 
seventy-five feet of the flock, though it 
meant a half-hour crawl on my hands and 
knees in the mud of the marsh. 
Duck Hawk,—A fine bird on Sept. 27, 
Sharp-tailed and Seaside Sparrow. More 
and more individuals of these species 
seem to be lingering along our coasts. 
(Vide the winter Seaside Sparrows from 
Barnstable, Mass., and my winter Sharp- 
tail from Long Beach; Brrp—Lore’s 
tenth Christmas Census). On Nov. 6, Mr. 
La Dow and I observed an individual of 
both species in a certain tract of reeds 
where the birds have lingered through 
October. American Pipit.—1, Jan. 4. 
LupLtow Griscom AND STANLEY V. La 
Dow, New York City. 
Hardy Snow Buntings 
On cold, frosty nights, with the ther- 
mometer away below zero, one wonders 
how the winter birds are faring. 
Nearly every winter, the Snow Bunt- 
ings roost in the chinks on the north side 
of our granary. On fine nights, when it is 
not too cold, they have a fairly good place, 
if the wind does not blow directly on them. 
But on January 14, 1907, the wind blew 
roughly right on the ledges where the birds 
roost, and the thermometer registered 
36° below zero. -Soon after sundown, as I 
looked to see if there were any birds on the 
granary, I was surprised to see about 
twenty Snow-Buntings in their usual 
place, fully exposed to the biting wind. 
247 
For the benefit of those who have not 
experienced such low temperature, I might 
say that a wind as cold as that will freeze 
one’s unprotected face almost instantly; 
yet here was a flock of little birds going to 
sleep, not protected from it in the least, as 
unconcernedly as though it were a warm 
summer night. There were plenty of places 
about the buildings they could have 
roosted in, well sheltered from the wind, 
but few that were more exposed than the 
one they chose. 
Next day they were as lively as ever, 
and apparently none the worse for the 
cold—Joun Woopcockx, ~Minnedosa, 
Manitoba. 
Absence of Kinglets 
I notice in Brrp—LoreE for May-June 
that no Kinglets were seen in northern 
New Jersey from Dec. 1 to March 27, 
It is noteworthy that no Kinglets of 
either kind have been seen hereabouts in 
either the spring or fall migration, this 
year, though we, as a rule, have both kinds 
in the spring migration, and the Ruby 
Crown in the fall. They often are here 
for several weeks, both in the woods and 
about the house—Etziza F. MILLER, 
Bethel, Vermont. 
The Twenty-eighth Annual Congress of 
the American Ornithologists’ Union 
The Twenty-eighth Annual Congress of 
the American Ornithologists’ Union was 
held in Washington, D. C., November 
14-17, 1910. 
At the meeting of the Fellows of the 
Union, held on the evening of the four- 
teenth, the following officers were elected: 
President, E. W. Nelson; Vice-presidents, 
Frank M. Chapman, A. K. Fisher; Sec- 
retary, John H. Sage; Treasurer, J. 
Dwight, Jr. 
The following were elected as Members 
of the Union: J. H. Bowles, California; 
E. S. Cameron, Montana; Ned Hallister 
and W. L. McAtee, Washington, D. C.; 
E. R. Warren, Colorado. Ninety associate 
members were elected. 
