Bulletin of the Michigan Ornithological Club. 



11 



in public with birds or plumes of birds forming any addi- 

 tion to her attire, all the way from hats to fans. Were 

 such a bill drawn up, and signed by a large number of 

 people of all departments of science, and then properly 

 represented and introduced. Congress would undoubtedly 

 pass it, and that as a sound measure for the common 

 good of all," If we must do so we will. — L. W. W. 



The Auk, Vol. XV., No. 1, January, 1898. 



Mr. Geo. H. Mackay, Nantucket, Mass., in the Auk 

 for January, announces the probable death of "Gull 

 Dick," the American Herring Gull, whose individual 

 movements have been noted for twenty- four consecutive 

 years. "Dick" has not been seen since October, 1896. 

 He has furnished exceptional opportunity for study and 

 has often been the subject of notes. 



Mr. H. D. Kirkover, Fredonia, N. Y., observed the 

 Greater Yellow Legs catching minnows by running with 

 their bills beneath the surface of the water, which was 

 about three inches deep. He killed and examined the 

 stomachs of two of them and found them to contain min- 

 nows one and a half inches long. 



Mr. J. C. Merrill, Washington, D. C., saw a Spotted 

 Sandpiper carry her young for some distance, apparently 

 clasped by its thighs. This after being much worried by 

 continued visits to the place by Mr. Merrill. 



Mr. Frank M. Woodruff of the Chicago Academy of 

 Science records the taking of Glaucus Gull, Larus 

 glaucus, on beach of Lake Michigan, near Miller's, 

 Indiana, on August 8, 1897. He also reports flocks of 

 the Knot, Tringa canutus. None of these latter were 

 in the adult plumage of brick -red breasts, which gives 

 them the name Robin Sandpiper amomg the hunters. 



The report of the A. O. U. Committee on Bird Pro- 

 tection is very elaborate and is intensely interesting and 

 gratifying. Nearly every State is heard from, and the 

 work in behalf of our birds is most encouraging. The 

 specialists, the amateurs, the sportsmen, the business 

 men and the noblest women in our land are enlisting as 

 volunteers in the cause of justice, love, and mercy, and 

 in a work of economical importance also, on every hand. 

 We hear the farmers and gardners complaining in help- 

 less bewilderment at the ever increasing hosts of insect 

 pests, and they talk of spray pumps and insecticides and 

 perhaps even neglect to use these All this time they 

 have forgotten to protect nature's insecticides, the birds, 

 and they are being punished for it too. — L. W. W. 



The Annual Meeting. 



Lansing, Mich., Dec. 17. The meetings were 

 held in the Senate Chamber in the Capitol Build- 

 ing. In the absence of the President Mr. L. 

 Whitney W atkins was appointed cliairman. After 

 the reading of minutes and the rendering of the 

 reports of the Treasurer and Librarian for the 

 past year, the remainder of the afternoon was 

 spent in discussing informally the interests and 

 prospects of the Club, and several committees were 

 appointed to meet and report later with regard to 

 the condition of the Club, and to propose any 

 changes that might suggest themselves. At half- 

 past five the meeting was adjourned to meet again 

 at seven-thirty o'clock. 



Evening Session. The evening was devoted en- 

 tirely *to the reading and discussion of papers. 

 The first was on "The Rapid Disappearance of our 

 Birds of Prey," by Mr. Percy Selous of Greenville, 



and was an able defense of the Hawks and Owls of 

 Micliigan, wliich was read by Mr. Read of Grand 

 Rapids, in the absence of the author. 



Mrs. Kelsey next read a short paper written by 

 Miss Mable Bates of Traverse City, in which was 

 put forth the "Work of the Junior Endeavor in 

 Michigan Toward the Protection of Birds." 



Prof. Barrows followed this witli an instructive 

 paper on "The importance of the Local Collection." 



"The Manner of Nesting of some North Dakota 

 Water Birds" was the title of a most interesting 

 article by Mr. Edwin S. Bryant, who is a resident 

 of Michigan, but who has been doing much collect- 

 ing in the west. Among other things, Mr. Bryant 

 mentioned finding nests of the White-winged 

 Scoter; this he believes to be the first record of the 

 nidification of this bird within the United States. 

 He exhibited nests and eggs of tlie American 

 Golden-eye, Blue-winged Teal, Pintail, White- 

 winged Scoter and Shoveler to illustrate his paper. 



The fifth paper was by Mr. T. L. Hankinson, and 

 was entitled "Our Grebes." Mr. Hankinson men- 

 tioned the taking of a specimen of Holboell's Grebe 

 ( Colymbiis holba;llli) by himself at Pine Lake, Ingham 

 County, October 30, 1897. 



The programme was concluded by a paper on 

 "The Butcher Bird," written by Dr. Gibbs and read 

 by Mr. W. A. Hayden of Jackson. 



Dec. 18. In the morning a short business meet- 

 ing was held in parlors of the Hotel Downy to 

 complete the unfinished business of Friday after- 

 noon. Officers and committees for the following 

 year were elected, a list of which will be found in 

 the proper place. The editorial staff of the 

 BuLT.ETiisr were elected as follows: Editor-in- 

 chief, L. Whitney Watkins; associates, T. L. 

 Hankinson, Percy Selous and Miss Frances Mar- 

 garet Fox; managing editors, W. E. Mulliken 

 and L. J. Cole. 



It was decided that the next annual meeting 

 shall be lield in Detroit. 



It was moved that a committee of three be 

 appointed to revise the constituti(»n and to report 

 at the January meeting. L. J. Cole, T. L. Hankin- 

 son and D. A. SeeJey were appointed on this com- 

 mittee. Messrs. Watkins and Hankinson were 

 appointed to draw up resolutions upon the pro- 

 tection of Michigan birds, these resolutions to be 

 spread upon the minutes of the Club and to be 

 printed in the Bulletin. 



Mr. Watkins, Mrs. Kelsey and Miss Mabel Bates 

 were appointed a committee to confer with Mr. 

 Stone of the American Ornithologists' Union to 

 see what steps can be taken towards joining with 

 them in the interests of bird protection. 



The remainder of the forenoon was spent at the 

 Agricultural College in looking over the College 

 Museum. 



In the afternoon a short session was held at the 

 College, and the following papers were read: "The 

 Passenger Pigeon in the Early Days of Micliigan," 

 by Percy Selous; "Characteristic Motions of Birds," 

 by Claude H. Barlow; and "A Generation of 

 Ornithologists," by Dr. Morris Gibbs. 



During the latter part of the afternoon the 

 members returned to Lansing, and npon the kind 

 invitation of Mayor Davis, spent the remainder of 

 the day in looking at his artistic collection of 

 mounted mammals and birds, and Audubon's Birds 

 of America, of wliich Mr. Davis has two complete sets. 



LEON J. COLE, Secretary. 



