38 



Four Baldpates {Mareca americana), taken at New Haven, 

 Conn., December 8, 1909. 



Young male American Eider (Somateria dresseri), taken at 

 New Haven, Conn., December 20, 1909. 



Swamp Sparrow {Melospiza georgiana) and Red-winged Black- 

 bird {Agelaius phwniceus) , taken at New Haven, Conn., January 

 1, 1910. 



He also remarked on the flight of flocks of Blackbirds observed 

 at Bronx Park, N. Y., on October 31, as exactly in the direc- 

 tion of the Quinnipiac Marshes near New Haven. It was hardly 

 thought likely, however, that these were the same birds that 

 roosted there. 



An interesting discussion followed on the speed of birds' flight 

 in general. 



Mr. C. G. Abbott recorded seeing about 50 Black-backed 

 Gulls {Larus marinus) at Rockaway Beach on February 22. 



Mr. H. H. Cleaves told of seeing the first Bluebirds {Sialia 

 sialis) of the season on Staten Island on February 23. 



Mr. Francis Harper recorded a Great Blue Heron (Ardea 

 herodias) seen by Mr. H. C. Raven and himself at Smith's Point, 

 L. I., on February 20. 



Dr. Bishop then presented the paper of the evening: ''Some 

 Notes on the Winter Birds near Rockport, Texas." He spent 

 from February 1 to 7 in that vicinity. During that time 62 

 species were observed, and 77 individuals, representing 34 

 species, were collected. Dr. Bishop divided the species ob- 

 served into five groups, as follows: (1) birds of the water, 

 (2) birds of the shores and flats, (3) birds of the marshes, (4) 

 birds of the prairie, and (5) birds of the brush. Rockport is evi- 

 dently situated advantageously from an ornithological point of 

 view, since the ranges of numbers of eastern and western forms 

 overlap at this point. 



The meeting closed with an informal report by Dr. Bishop 

 ■on the progress of the bird-tagging movement in this country. 

 As an example of possible records, he told of a Bluebird (Sialia 

 Malts) tagged in Maine and taken in the mountains of western 

 North Carolina. He solicited the interest and support of the 

 Linnsean Society in behalf of the work. 



