5 



November 14, 1899. — The usual meeting was omitted, 

 owing- to the absence of members at the Congress of the 

 American Ornithologists' Union at Philadelphia, Pa. 



November 28, 1899. — The President in the chair. Eight 

 members and sixteen visitors present. 



The chair announced that although the annual lecture 

 course would be omitted, one lecture, volunteered by Mr 

 F. M. Chapman, on " A Naturalist in Cuba," would be giv- 

 en on January II, 1900. 



Mr. William Dutcher gave a talk on ' k Home Life of 

 Birds Through a Camera," illustrated with many lantern 

 slides, notably some of the breeding habits of the Clapper 

 Rail {Rallies crepitans) taken on the eastern end of Long 

 Island, and of Albatrosses [Diomedea immutabilis) on the 

 Island of Laysan, Hawaiian Islands. 



December 12, 1899. — The President in the chair. Eight 

 members and twelve visitors present. 



Mr. C. W. Beebee was elected a Resident Member of the 

 Society. 



Mr. Thomas Proctor presented a paper on " Our Che- 

 wink and His Friends : a Story from an Aviary." He told 

 about a young Che wink {Pipilo erytJiropJithalmus) which 

 he had captured on Long Island, taken home, and reared. 

 He mentioned several interesting facts concerning its de- 

 velopment, the most remarkable of which related to its 

 song. From the beginning of its captivity its only feath- 

 ered companion was an Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortu- 

 lana). The Chewink imitated not only the actions but the 

 song of the Bunting, and this to a remarkable degree, the 

 song natural to the Chewink being entirely absent. Other 

 birds he had reared had always before begun with the song 

 peculiar to their species 



December 26, 1899. — The President in the chair. Six 

 members present. 



Mr. W. P. Lemmon presented a paper, " Notes on the 

 Taking of a Duck Hawk's Nest on the Palisades," and ex- 

 hibited five photographs of the locality. The nest was 



