130 THE CONDOR 
The Organization Meeting of the Ameri- 
can Society of Mammalogists was held in 
the New National Museum, Washington, D. 
C., April 3 and 4, 1919, with a charter mem- 
bership of over two hundred and Titty. “The 
following officers were elected: C. Hart 
Merriam, President; E. W. Nelson, First 
Vice-President; Wilfred H. Osgood, Second 
Vice-President; H. H. Lane, Recording Sec- 
retary; Hartley H. T. Jackson, Correspond- 
ing Secretary; Walter P. Taylor, Treasurer. 
The Councilors are: Glover M. Allen, R. M. 
Anderson, J. Grinnell, M. W. Lyon, W. D. 
Matthew, John C. Merriam, Gerrit S. Miller, 
Jr., T. S. Palmer. Edward A. Preble, Witmer 
Stone, and N. Hollister, Editor. The policy 
of the Society wi!l be to devote its attention 
to the study of mammals in a broad way, in- 
cluding life histories, habits, evolution, pal- 
aeontology, relations to plants and animals, 
anatomy, and other phases. Publication of 
the Journal of Mammalogy, in which popu- 
lar as well as technical matter will be pre- 
sented, will start this year. Anyone who 
qualifies for membership before the next 
annual meeting will be considered a charter 
member. 
Addition to Military Service Record: 
Stmmons, George F., Second Lieutenant, 
Sanitary Corps, Adjutant, Base Hospital no. 
130, Camp Shelby, Miss. Discharged De- 
cember 18, 1918. Mr. Simmons is now re- 
suming his ornithological studies at the 
University of Texas. 
The Summer Session of the University of 
Califcrnia at Berkeley will be held this year 
from June 30 to August 9. Two courses of 
special interest to students of birds will be 
given, one on “The Birds of California” and 
the other pertaining to ‘Economic Verte- 
brate Zoology”; both to be conducted by 
Associate Professor J. Grinnell and based 
on the collections and equipment of the 
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. 
Merrill W. Blain died at his home in Los 
Angeles on December 26, 1918. He was born 
at Oceanview, California, April 24, 1894, and 
received his early education in San Fran- 
cisco. At the time of his death Blain was 
a third-year student in the Detroit College 
of Medicine and Surgery. He was an en- 
thusiastic ornithologist and was a member 
of the Cooper Ornithological Club, the Wil- 
son Ornithological Club and the American 
Ornithologists’ Union. He had a well cared 
for collection of the birds and eggs of south- 
ern ‘California. Blain had returned to Cali- 
fornia in the hopes of regaining his health 
and was for some months in a sanitarium, 
but he continued to fail. He was buried in 
southern California amid the hills and flow- 
ers he loved so well. . 
Vol. XXI 
The Business Managers’ report for the 
year 1918 has been presented to the two Di- 
visions of the Cooper Ornithological Club by 
Messrs. Law and Chambers. Some of the 
more important features of their statement 
are as follows: In 1918, Conpor fund re- 
ceipts amounted to $1258.46, Avifauna re- 
ceipts, $105.73; January 1, 1918, there was 
in bank $8.68. Total available funds for 
1918, $1372.87. Expenditures, from Convor 
fund (which includes administrative ex- 
penses of the Club), $1173.06, from Avifauna 
fund, $9.31, a total of $1182.37. Balance in 
bank, January 1, 1919, $190.50. Deducting 
from this balance dues and subscriptions al- 
ready received for 1919 and subsequent 
years ($127.10), and there is left $63.40, 
which represents the net balance on hand 
with all debts paid. 
There were printed 1100 copies of each is- 
sue of volume 20 (1918) of Tue Connor. The 
printing of this volume, with 226 pages, cost 
$920.36, as compared with $892.55 for volume 
18 (1916), with 250 pages. Receipts during 
1918 were the least of any year since 1913, 
but careful retrenchment kept disburse- 
ments at a lower figure than for any year 
since 1912,—this despite the fact that the 
cost per page of printing Tur Conpor is 
greater than ever before. 
In last year’s report the business mana- 
gers ventured the prediction that January 
1, 1919, might see the Club entirely solvent. — 
Happily, this has been realized, and, for the 
first time in the twenty years of THE Con- 
DOR’S existence, the old year makes a small . 
contribution to the new. The Club began | 
1919 with an actual cash surplus of $63.40, 
and all debts paid. 
The publication of Avifauna 13, the Second 
Ten Year Index to THE Conpor, has been 
undertaken, and will again throw the Club 
in debt. The earlier numbers of the Avi- 
fauna series were published, and the cost — 
successfully met, at a time when each new 
issue only increased an already excessive 
deficit, a condition requiring much optimism 
on the part of the business managers and 
a great deal of patience on the part of the 
Club’s creditors. Now, with no deficit and 
with an established demand for the Club’s 
publications, it is reasonable to assume that — 
the sale of Avifauna 13, together with ear- — 
lier numbers, will all but pay the cost of © 
publication. But there is much more ma 
terial available for production in this se- 
ries, no less than four numbers being now 
in course of preparation, some with the 
manuscript well toward completion. The 
production of these papers presents a prob- 
lem to be met during the coming year. The 
Business Managers invite suggestions as td 
