Nov. 25, 1911.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
779 
American Ornithologists’ Union. 
The twenty-ninth annual congress of the 
American Ornithologists’ Union convened in 
Philadelphia, Nov. 13, at the Academy of 
Natural Sciences. 
The first day’s session was devoted entirely to 
business matters, but on the three following days 
the meetings were open to the public. 
Frank M. Chapman, of New York city, was 
elected President; Dr. A. K. Fisher and Henry 
W. Henshaw, of Washington, D. C., Vice-Presi¬ 
dents. The Secretary, John H. Sage, of Port¬ 
land, Conn., and the Treasurer, Dr. Jonathan 
Dwight, Jr., of New York city, were re-elected. 
Five honorary and four corresponding fellows 
and eighty-one associates were elected. 
The papers presented were of a high grade 
and the attendance of members much larger 
than at any previous congress of the Union. 
A most delightful reception was tendered the 
members of the Union by Mr. and Mrs. William 
L. Baily at their home in Ardmore, Pa., on 
Tuesday evening, Nov. 14. 
Following is a list of the papers read at the 
sessions: 
TUESDAY, NOV. 14, MORNING SESSION. 
In Memoriam—Henry A. Purdie; William Brewster, 
Cambridge, Mass. 
The Validity of the Red-legged Subspecies of Black 
Duck—Dr. Charles W. Townsend, Boston. 
Description of a New Ptarmigan from the Aleutian 
Islands—Arthur C. Bent, Taunton, Mass. 
Some Notes on the Egg-laying Habits of the Cowbird 
(Molothrus ater)—Chas. W. Miller, Shawnee-on-Del- 
aware, Pa. 
New Light on the Name of the Traill Flycatcher—Harry 
C. Oberholser, Washington. 
Field Notes on “Recognition Marks” in Certain Species 
of Birds—John Treadwell Nichols, New York city. 
The Relation of Genera to Faunal Areas—Dr. Spencer 
Trotter, Philadelphia. 
The Status of the Blue-eared Jay (Aphelocoma cyanotis) 
in Texas—Harry C Oberholser, Washington. 
The Gulls of Four Brothers Island—B. S. Bowdish, 
Demarest, N. J. 
TUESDAY AFTERNOON. 
Recent Field Studies of Some Ecuador Hummingbirds. 
Illustrated with lantern slides—S. N. Rhoads, Had- 
donfield, N. J. 
Exhibition of Lantern Slides and Moving Pictures of 
Birds—Clinton G. Abbott, New York city. 
Some Nesting Habits of the Least Sandpiper (illustrated 
with lantern slides)—Robert Thomas Moore, Had- 
donfield, N. T. 
Autochromes of Land Birds and Sea Birds (illustrated 
with lantern slides)—Dr. Frank Overton, Patchogue, 
N. Y., and Francis Harper, College Point, N. Y. 
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15, MORNING SESSION. 
Report of the “American Bird Banding Association”— 
W • W Grant, New York city. 
Results_ of a Brief \ isit to the Aleutian Islands and 
Bering Sea (illustrated with lantern slides)—Arthur 
C. Bent, Taunton, Mass. 
A Last Word on the Passenger Pigeon—Prof. C. F. 
Hodge, Worcester, Mass. 
Probable Cause of the Extinction of the Labrador Duck— 
E. H. Forbush, Westboro( Mass. 
Bird Notes from Pisgah Forest, North Carolina (illus¬ 
trated with lantern slides)—Harry C. Oberholser, 
Washington. 
Flight Maneuvers of the Gannet and Kittiwake (illus¬ 
trated with lantern slides)—Robert Thomas Moore, 
Haddonfield. N J. 
Notes, on the Flight of Gulls—William Brewster, Cam¬ 
bridge, Mass. 
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. 
An Ornithological Reconnaissance in Colombia (illus¬ 
trated with lantern slides)—Frank M. Chapman, New 
York city. 
Call Notes of Tropical American Birds (audibly illus- 
trated)—Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Ithaca, N. Y. 
A rrl ,P,- t ,?- tlle Masjalens (illustrated with lantern slides) 
—William L. Baily, Ardmore, Pa. 
* lie Propagation of Bobwhite (illustrated with lantern 
slides)—Herbert K. Tob, West Haven, Conn. 
THURSDAY MORNING SESSION. 
Do Birds Change their Routes of Migration?—E. II. For- 
bush, Westboro, Mass. 
An Automatic English Sparrow Trap—Chas. W. Miller 
Shawnee-on-Delaware, Pa. 
Bird Life on the Paramo of Mount Pichincha, Ecuador— 
S. N. Rhoads, Haddontield, N. J. 
The Classification of Kingfishers, with Particular Refer¬ 
ence to the Genus Cervle—V\ . De Witt Miller, New 
York city. 
Notes on the Laysan Finch—Hubert Lyman Clark, 
Cambridge, Mass. 
I.ast Days of the Wild Pigeon in Sullivan County, Pa.— 
Herman Behr, Jennings, Md. 
The Golden Plover (Charadrius dominicus dominicus) on 
the Coast of South Carolina—Arthur T. Wayne, Mt. 
Pleasant, S. C. 
Bird Photography from Staten Island; in New York 
City; Gardiner’s Island, N. Y., and Certain Vir¬ 
ginia Coast Islands (illustrated with lantern slides)— 
Howard H. Cleaves, New Brighton, N. Y. 
THURSDAY AFTERNOON. 
Bird Life in the Arizona Desert (illustrated with lantern 
slides!—Wm. L. Finley, Milwaukee, Oregon. 
Notes on the Birds of the Panama Canal Zone (illus¬ 
trated with lantern slides)—Edward A. Goldman, 
Washington. 
Some Birds of the Orinoco Delta, Venezuela (illustrated 
with lantern slides)—Stewardson Brown. 
Vagaries in Nesting of the House Wren (illustrated with 
lantern slides)—Wilbur F. Smith, South Norwalk, 
Conn. 
Certain Asiatic Birds (illustrated with lantern slides)—- 
C. William Beebe, New York City. 
The Hooting of the Blue Grouse (illustrated with 
lantern slides)—Vernon Bailey, Washington. 
Birds in the Markets of Southern Europe^Dr. Louis B. 
Bishop, New Haven, Conn. 
Biological Survey Work. 
Secretary Wilson has just received some in¬ 
teresting and valuable information from the Bio¬ 
logical Survey gathered by a special investigator. 
The study of bird migration has been con¬ 
tinued and has resulted in the accumulation of 
much valuable information on the distribution, 
breeding times and habits of birds. This infor¬ 
mation is of value as a basis for legislation hav¬ 
ing for its purpose the proper protection of game 
and other birds. A bulletin is in preparation on 
the distribution and migration of herons, cranes 
and rails, similar in scope to the one recently 
published on the shore birds. A report on the 
woodrats of the genus Neotoma has also been 
received, and for the first’ time these native mam¬ 
mals are fully characterized and their distribu¬ 
tion given. Maps show the range of every known 
species inhabiting North America, and a brief ac¬ 
count of their habits and economic status is given. 
By direction of Secretary Wilson the Survey, 
in co-operation with the University of Iowa, sent 
an expedition to Laysan Island. The members 
of the party acted as wardens during their stay 
and secured specimens of the flora and fauna, 
some for the Biological Survey, the rest to form 
the basis of a panoramic representation of the 
bird colony for the University museum. A 
special representative of the department who had 
formerly visited Laysan, accompanied the expe¬ 
dition, to make a report on the present condi¬ 
tion of the birds as compared with eight years 
ago. From this report it appears that none of 
the species nesting on the island has been ex¬ 
terminated. but there has been considerable de¬ 
crease in the number of a'batrosses. 
Depredations were committed on the Tortugas 
Reservation by fishermen who, during the winter 
visited Bird Key and stripped the warden’s quar¬ 
ters of everything movab'e, including materials 
stored there for repairs and improvements. The 
co-operation of the Navy Department has been 
secured, and it is believed that future trespasses 
on the island will be prevented. 
A report to Secretary Wilson from the Chief 
of the Bureau of Biological Survey shows that 
the biological survey of Wyoming covering the 
most important agricultural and reclamation 
areas will soon be completed with important 
and valuable results. 
The biological survey of Montana was carried 
over considerable of the northeastern part of the 
State, where little work had been previously 
done, and where a detailed knowledge of the 
distribution of mammals and birds is important. 
The information gathered will apply toward a 
final report on the mammals, birds and distribu¬ 
tion areas of the State. 
A few months’ field work in Southern Idaho 
has covered a strip of country heretofore unex¬ 
plored by zoologists, but now rapidly develop¬ 
ing agriculturally. The distribution in the re¬ 
gion of many species of birds and mammals was 
determined. A new species of ground squirrel 
was found to be abundant and doing serious 
damage over considerable areas of the best farm¬ 
ing country. The biological survey of the 
lower Mississippi Valley States was carried on 
mainly in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and 
Tennessee. A report on the birds of Arkansas 
with notes on distribution areas and map of 
life and crop zones, now in press, is the first 
result of this work, but other reports will follow 
as fast as possible. 
-- 
Grubs in a Mouse. 
Kettle Falls, Stevens County, Wash., Nov. 10. 
—Editor Forest and Stream: Recently my son 
Paul killed a mouse which appeared emaciated 
to a skeleton, and with an enormous—for the 
tiny creature’s size — enlargement on its back 
which appeared to contain some living creature. 
The thing appeared so repulsive that he 
promptly buried the little animal for fear the 
cat or dog might be harmed by it. This was 
unknown to me at the time. 
To-day my wife mentioned the matter and 
at my request showed me where the creature 
was buried. Lhiearthening the little animal more 
than twenty-four hours after its burial I found 
and took from the little rodent’s back two dark 
brown and living grubs of equal size about three- 
fourths of an inch in length and one-third of an 
inch in diameter, very fat and plump, with deep 
wrinkles crosswise and around the body, as 
though the grub could be extended in length 
at volition, and with dark brown or black hairs 
one-half inch in length quite plentiful on one 
end of each grub. 
The body of the mouse had been buried ten 
inches or a foot deep and the earth tramped 
firm above it. 
For the little creature’s size this was the most 
enormous parasite growth I ever saw, and in 
appearance disgusting in the extreme. 
The heads of the grubs appeared at the surface 
of the skin at separate holes an inch apart, being 
evidently of full growth and ready to emerge. 
What was this parasite, and is it at all com¬ 
mon ? Orin Belknap. 
[The grubs or larvae described unfortunately 
were not saved and cannot be identified from 
the very general description given by Mr. Bel¬ 
knap. They are presumably CEstrid, and similar 
in general character to the larvae so well known 
as often found under the skin of the back in 
cattle, caribou and rabbits. CEstrid larvae have 
been found in mice, but not commonly. There 
is no species known that regularly infests mice. 
—Editor.] 
