1891.] Proceedings of Scientific Societies. -93 
Tuesday, December 30th.—Subfrontal Gyri and Problems Connected 
with the Cerebral Fissures; Burt G. Wilder, M.D., Ithaca, Nok 
Comparison of the Fibrine Filaments of Blood Lymph in Mammalia 
and Batrachia, with Methods of Preparation ; Simon H. Gage, M.D., 
Ithaca, N. Y. The Semilunar Bone; Francis J. Shepard, M.D., Mon- 
treal, Canada. On the Structure of Protoplasm and Mitosis (Demon- 
stration); Carl Heitzmann, M.D., New York City. A Specimen, 
George McClellan, M.D., Philadelphia. Corrections of the Article 
“Gross Anatomy of the Brain,’’ in Wood’s Reference Hand-Boo 
of the Medical Sciences ; Burt G. Wilder, M.D., Ithaca, Ni Yu 
The American Ornithologists’ Union.—The Eighth Congress 
of the American Ornithologists’ Union was held in the Lecture Hall 
of the United States National Museum, Washington, D. C., on No- 
vember 18th, roth, and 2oth, 1890, and was attended by a large num- 
ber of active and associate members from all parts of the country. The 
first day’s session was devoted to business. Dr. J. A. Allen, of New 
York, who has been president of the Union since its foundation, de- 
clined reélection, and Mr. D. G. Elliot was elected to succeed him in 
the presidency. The succeeding days were set apart for the reading 
of scientific papers, of which the following i; a list : 
November 19th.—1. The American Ornithologists’ Union: A Seven 
Years’ Retrospect ; J. A. Allen. An interesting review of the work 
done in American ornithology since the founding of the Union. 2. 
Seed-Planting by Birds ; Walter B. Barrows. A valuable contribution 
to economic ornithology based upon the system of stomach examina- 
tions now being conducted by the Department of Agriculture. 3. A 
Study of Bird Waves in the Delaware Valley during the Spring Migra- 
tion of 1890; Witmer Stone. This paper gave a brief review of the 
work done by the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, of Philadelphia, 
in the investigation of bird migration, and illustrated by a system of 
a new method for the graphic arrangement of migration data’ 
4. Our Present Knowledge of the Neotropical Avifauna ; Frank M. 
Chapman. An excellent review of the work that has been done on 
the birds of the western tropics, up to the present time. 5. “ie 
Present Status of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker; E. M. Hasbrouck. 
By carefully-prepared maps Mr. Hasbrouck contrasted the former ex- 
tensive distribution (nearly throughout the Austro-riparian fauna) of 
this elegant bird, and its present restricted range in Florida and the 
southernmost portions of some of the other Gulf States, and showed 
that in the near future this species will become a thing of the past. 6. 
Phalaropes at Swampscott, Mass; Wm. A. Jeffries—read by Mr. Chap- 
