The Fifty-Second Stated Meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union
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Vol.1935 LII] J PALMER,Fifty-second Meeting ofthe .4. O. U. 53 THE FIFTY-SECOND STATED MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION. BY T. S. PALMER. FoR the secondtime in its history the Union met in Chicagoand in con- nection with an exposition. Low rates and the attractions of a fair are stronginducements for increasingattendance, notwithstanding the disad- vantagesof crowdsand distractionsof many kinds. When the Union met in San Franciscoin 1915its headquarterswere on the Expositiongrounds, and this year they were only a few blocksaway, at the Hotel Stevens, while the public meetingswere held in the Field Museum just outsidethe gatesof the Century of ProgressExposition. BusinessSessions: The usualMonday meetingsincluded two sessionsof the Councilat 10 a.m., and 2 p.m., a meetingof the Fellowsat 4 p.m., and a meetingof the Fellowsand Members at 8 p.m. At the meetingof the Fellows,A. W. Anthony,a Fellowsince 1895, was transferred at his request to the list of Retired Fellows and four vacancies in the list of Fellows were filled by the electionof S. PrentissBaldwin and F. H. Herrick of Cleveland, F. C. Lincoln of Washingtonand A. J. van Rossemof Pasadena. The eveningmeeting was attendedby 18 Fellowsand 26 Members. The report of the Secretaryshowed a membershipof approximately2,000; the Treasurer reported total receiptsof $10,701.82,disbursements of $10,042.64,and a balanceof $659.18on Sept.29, 1934;while the report of the Trusteespre- sentedin detail the conditionof the permanentfunds of the Union. The electionresulted in the selectionof two Honorary and ten Corre- spondingFellows, ten Membersand 162 Associates.The Officersfor 1934 werere•]ected for the ensuingyear and W. H. Osgoodwas electedto fill the vacancyon the Councilcaused by the death of Ruthyen Deane. The businesswas confinedchiefly to routinematters. Provisionwas made for publishinga pocketedition of the 'CheckList of North AmericanBirds' and this project was entrustedto a committeeof which Dr. Alexander Wetmoreis Chairman. The usualcontribution was made to the Zoological Societyof Londonin supportof the 'ZoologicalRecord,' and a committee was appointedto revisethe Bylaws. Toronto, Ontario, was selectedas the placefor the next meetingto be held October21-24, 1935. Appreciationof the numerouscourtesies extended to the Union was ex- pressedby the adoptionof resolutionsof thanksto the Local Committeeof Arrangements,the authoritiesof the Field Museum of Natural History, the ChicagoZoological Society, the Library of Congress,the Ford Motor Company,and to Miss Margaret Conoverand Mrs. RudyerdBoulton. 54 PALMER,Fifty-second Meeting ofthe A. O.U. [Jan.[Auk PublicMeetings: The publicmeetings opened on Tuesdaymorning with an addressof welcomeby S.C. Simms, Director of the Field Museum, and a responseon behalf of the Union by Dr. Alexander Wetmore, Assistant Secretaryof the SmithsonianInstitution. Followingthe roll call of Fellows and Membersand a brief statementof resultsof the businessmeeting, re- portswere presented by the chairmenof the Committeeson Arrangements, Bird Protection,and Biography. The programincluded 62 papers,eight of whichwere read by title. In orderto affordopportunity for discussionof the scientificpapers a special eveningsession for memorialaddresses was held on Tuesdayand double sessionson Wednesday. In generalthe programwas characterizedby the numberof life history papersand comparativelyfew travelogues,motion picturesand technicalpapers. Most of the morningsession on Thursday wasdevoted to a discussionof the variousphases of the water-fowlsituation. Reports were presentedon the Eighth International OrnithologicalCon- gressat Oxford, the John B. SempleExpedition to British Columbia, the AmericanMuseum Expeditionto New Guinea, the Field Museum Expedi- tion to Nigeria, the CornellUniversity Expedition to Churchillon Hudson Bay and R. T. Moore's ascentof Mount Chimborazoin Ecuador. Motion pictureswere shown by A.M. Bailey of characteristicbirds of two proposed National Park areas in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennesseeand North Carolina,and the Evergladesof Florida. The birds of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan were describedby Wing and those of the Bird Islandsof Great Salt Lake by Sugden. Life historystudies were presented on the Pied-billedGrebe, American Woodcock, Ruffed Grouse, Derby Guan, Marsh Hawk, SparrowHawk, Great HornedOwl, Ivory-billedWoodpecker, European Starling, House Wren, Meadowlark, Baird's Sparrow, Song Sparrowand Tree Sparrow. The more technicalpapers included 'Problems in RecordingSongs of Birdson Film,' 'Progressin the Studyof the Anatomy of the Tubinares,' 'Affinities of the Ring Dove,' 'Experimental Study of Sex Recognitionin Birds,' 'PrecociousDevelopment of SexualCharacters in the Fowl followingPituitary Treatment,' 'Factors of Speciation'and 'SomeAspects of the SubspeciesProblem.' The presentationof theseand other paperson the programbrought out many novel and interestingpoints but want of spaceprevents mention of more than a few. Sutton found that traders in British Columbia were encouragingthe Indians to kill Eaglesby offeringrewards of $2.50 for the wingsand tails of each bird. This plumagewas later sold at a handsome profit to Indians in the Southwest,especially the Hopis and the Indians of the Plains, and sonetimesbrought as much as $1.00 per feather. On the Churchill ExpeditionAllen devotedspecial attention to the Ptarmigan, shippedback eggsand successfullyreared the first Ptarmiganever raisedin ¾oi.1935 LII] I PALMER,Fifty-second Meeting ofthe A. O.U. 55 captivity.1 The nestinghabits of Harris' Sparrowwere alsoobserved and the first picturessecured of the femaleon the nestand of the young. Boul- ton traced the developmentof the 'Bird Collectionsof the Field Museum' from a nucleus of about 1000 mounted birds exhibited at the World's ColumbianExposition in 1893 to the presenttotal of about 100,000speci- mens. Stone,in discussing'Some Pre-Linnaean Ornithologists,' emphasized the fact that Linnaeusnever saw many of the birds he named from North America. His descriptionswere basedon the accountsof Catesby,Edwards and Brissonwhose biographies and contributionswere briefly outlined. In the seriesof life historypapers Shortt reportedsome valuable observa- tions on the habits of Baird's Sparrowbased on 15 nestsand calledatten- tion to the fact that only 19 other nestsof thisspecies were known. Breeken- ridgeshowed some remarkable motion pictures of Marsh Hawks illustrating how the prey is transferredin midair from the male to the female. Under the rifle 'Wild Birds in Hens' Clothing,'Miss Knappen enumeratedthe various birds of which the females have been described as 'hens' and the young as 'chickens.' In considering'A NeglectedNatural Resource'she describedwith somedetail how certain Hawks are treated as game and preparedfor the table by hunters at Cape May, N.J. In the discussion whichfollowed it wassuggested that this practiceprobably developed after Flicker shootingwas prohibitedin 1903. In the game bird sessionmany facts regardingthe feedinghabits of the Woodcockwere given and the mechanismfor controllingthe flexibility of the bird's bill was described. In the discussion of the water-fowl situation the fact wasbrought out that not only are Canvasbacks,Redheads, Lesser Seaupsand Buffle-headsgreafiy reducedin numbersbut that the Black Duck alsosuffered severely last year in EasternCanada and alongthe New Englandcoast on accountof the severewinter and the shortageof eel-grass. Tuesdayevening a well attended memorialsession was held in the Tower Room of the StevensHotel at which addresseswere presentedin honorof the Fellowswho had died sincethe last meeting. Three memorialsin honor of Ruthven Deane, Edward W. Nelson and Charles W. Townsend were presentedby W. H. Osgood,E. A. Goldmanand GloverM. Allen respec- tively (the last readby the Secretary);and two in honorof RobertW. Shu- feldt and Otto Widmann were read by title. The customof presenting formal addresses on the activities of deceased Fellows dates back more than forty yearsbut only in 1895,1928 and 1932were special sessions held and oneach occasion a large and attentive audience was present. Exhibits:No formal exhibitionof bird art was attemptedthis year but the originalpaintings made by LouisAgassiz Fuertes on the expeditionto • See Alien, A. A., 'Studying Ptarmigan at Hudson Bay.' Am. Game, Sept.-Oct. 1934, pp. 67, 72-73. 56 PALMER,Fifty-second Meeting ofthe A. O.U. [Jan.[Auk Abyssiniawere exhibited in a specialhall. These, representingFuertes' last, and in some respectshis best, work were arrangedin well lighted museumwall casesand the opportunity of examiningthem was greatly appreciatedby membersof the Union. A seriesof thesepaintings has been issuedin the form of an atlas and may be had at a nominalprice from the Field Museum. There were also exhibiteda seriesof twenty groupphoto- graphsof the Union from the Deane Collectionin the Library of Congress. Thesepictures, representing a completeset of all the groupstaken sincethe organizationof the Union, includedmost of the prominentmembers. • Social Features: Luncheon was served in the cafeteria of the Field Museum and the spacereserved for membersof the Union wascrowded to capacity each day. Other social features included a dinner to the Fellows at the University Club on Monday evening,the annual dinner of the Union on Wednesdayevening and a tea on Thursday afternoon, immediately after adjournmentof the meeting. The annual dinner was held in the North Ball Room of the StevensHotel and was attended by 198 membersand