288 ANNALS NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



the species of open country. Thus the range of the genus Malimbus 

 coincides almost exactly with the equatorial forest, while that of Colius 

 covers the whole of Africa excepting the deserts and the West African 

 forest. Many other examples could be shown. Even among water birds 

 forest-loving forms can often be distinguished from those of the more 

 open districts. On the other hand Heterotrogon vittatus is found only 

 on the higher mountains of eastern Africa and again on Mt. Kamerun 

 in the West Coast, and Mt. St. Isabel, on the Island of Fernando Po. 

 In the study of bird distribution in Africa the importance of a general 

 knowledge of the extent of forest, savanna and plains cannot be too 

 strongly emphasized. 



Our long stay in Africa gave us an exceptional opportunity to observe 

 the migration of birds. W. L. Sclater found that of the 814 species 

 known from South Africa 72 were migrants from Europe and Asia, while 

 21 were African species that come to spend the summer. In the north- 

 eastern corner of the Congo we found about 33 species of African birds 

 that had regular migrations and many of them were studied for three or 

 four successive years. Since then a careful study of records with dates 

 in books have enabled us to understand some of these movements. The 

 Pennant-winged Nightjar (Cosmetornis vexillarius) , breeding south of 

 the equator, migrates northward regularly every year ; whereas the Stork 

 (Ahdimia abdimii) nests in the north, from Nigeria to Abyssinia, and 

 migrates to South Africa. Batastur rufipennis, breeding on the White 

 Nile and Bahr-el-G hazel, moves in the dry season up to the northern 

 edge of the forest. This same region is visited in the dry season by a 

 great many birds of the Sudan. Almost no forest birds are truly migra- 

 tory. These few examples show that migration is characteristic of a 

 considerable number of Central African birds, that these are movements 

 in different directions, and that they offer an interesting subject for in- 

 vestigation. 



The Section then adjourned. William K. Geegoey, 



Secretary/. 



SECTION OF GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY 



16 OCTOBEE, 1916 



Section met at 8 :15 p. m.^ Vice-President Douglas W. Johnson pre- 

 siding. 



The minutes of the last meeting of the Section were read and approved. 

 The following program was presented : 



