36 



told of a six weeks' visit in Costa Rica, chiefly at Guapiles, 

 in the spring of this year, during which he and an assistant had 

 collected alive over three hundred mammals, birds, reptiles, 

 batrachians and fishes. The most interesting discovery he 

 made was a little sac on the breast of the abundant Central 

 American Brown Jay {Psilorhinus mexicanus cyanogenys); 

 when the birds were excited they rapidly inflated and deflated 

 these sacs with a popping noise. The sac was plainly to be 

 seen on a skin the speaker exhibited. He showed also the 

 skins of the Montezuma and Wagler's Oropendolas {Gym- 

 nostinops montezuma and Zarhynchus wagleri) and a caged 

 Mexican Rice Crackle (Cassidix oryzivorus mexicanus), which 

 is parasitic, cow^bird-wise, on the Oropendolas; and Uving 

 specimens of the great Marine Toad (Bufo agua) , a poisonous 

 snake (Lachesis) and two species of Poeciliid fishes {Poeciliopsis 

 pitieri and Alfaro cultratum), one of them (Poeciliopsis) with 

 young born that morning; also water-color sketches of frogs, 

 one species (Dendrobates t. typographus) bright red. 



December 9, 1914- — The special public lecture by Mr. Howard 

 H. Cleaves on '^Bird Studies along the Atlantic Coast" was 

 given in the auditorium of the American Museum of Natural 

 History before an audience of 102. In the absence of the 

 President, Vice-President Johnson introduced the speaker. 



Mr. Cleaves told of his studies, chiefly of water-birds, made 

 at various points from Nova Scotia to South Carolina, and 

 showed a large series of motion pictures and colored lantern- 

 slides of Wilson's Petrels (Oceanites oceanicus), Great Black- 

 backed and Laughing Guhs (Larus marinus and L. atricilla), 

 Royal, Common and Least Terns (Sterna maxima, S. hirundo 

 and S. antillarum), Semipalmated Sandpipers (Ereunetes 

 pusillus), Piping Plover (JEgialitis meloda), Ospreys (Pandion 

 haliaetus carolinensis) and other species. 



December 22, 1914- — The Vice-President in the chair. Twelve 

 members and five visitors present. 



Mr. Cleaves proposed Mr. Clifford H. Pangburn, of Lawrence 

 Park, Bronxville, New York, for Resident Membership. 



From the National Association of Audubon Societies a letter 

 was read calling attention to our contribution of fifty dollars 



