Page Twenty-eight 



On Saturday, April 9th, the first incetiiifj; of the Joint Committee 

 on Conservation of the National Research Council, the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of 

 Sciences was held at the Museum. A preliminary organization was 

 formed, and a discussion was made of methods of raising money for an 

 educational campaign to further the conservation of the natural re- 

 sources of the country. It is hoped that this meeting marks the begin- 

 ning of more concerted and effective work for conservation on the part 

 of the scientific men and societies of the Ignited States. The representa- 

 tives present at the meeting were: Dr. J. C. Merriam, President of the 

 Carnegie Institution of Washington; Dr. Isaiah Bowman, of the 

 American Geographical Society; Dr. J. McKeon Cattell, Editor of 

 Science, Dr. John M. Clarke, Director of the New York State Museum 

 in Albany; Mr. H. S. Graves, of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science; Mr. Vernon Kellogg, of the National Research 

 Council; Mr. C. E. McClurg, of the National Research Council; and 

 Dr. Harrington Moore, of the Ecological Society of America. Dr. V. E. 

 Shelford, of the University of Illinois, is also a member of the committee, 

 but was unable to be present at the meeting. 



The first shipment of material collected by the A\'hitney South Seas 

 Expedition has been received at the Museum. It comprises about 350 

 specimens of birds and a series of nests and eggs from Christmas Island 

 in the Pacific Ocean and the Marquesas group. The land birds include 

 two rare species of Polynesian Pigeons, sev^eral kinds of old-world Fly- 

 catchers, including a Warbler peculiar to Christmas Island, as well as 

 Kingfishers, Swifts, etc. The water l)irds number three species of 

 Boobies, two of Tropic-V)irds, one of the Man-of-war Ijird, seven of 

 Terns, five of Petrels, and many more. Among them are several new to 

 the collections of the Museum and others of which only two or three 

 specimens have previously been contained in any collections in America. 

 Particularly noteworthy are the series of a rare white-breasted Petrel 

 known as Fregetta albogidaris and a splendid series of two beautiful 

 Ghost Terns of the genera Gijgis and Procelsterna. These and the other 

 species, including many examples of the Red-tailed Troj^ic-bird, one of 

 the most beautiful of all the sea-birds, number .specimens in all stages of 

 growth, from the newly hatched chicks to fully matured birds, and it is 

 almost needless to add that in quality and the exactness of the accom- 



