AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS. Thirteenth Annual Congress of the Union Now in Session Here. A body of learned men and women as- sembled this morning in the lecture hall of the National Museum to discuss birds. Those mentioned comprised the American Ornithologist Union, and the present ses- sion is the thirteenth annual congress of the society. When President William Brewster called the union to order at 11 o'clock there were present Dr. J. A. Allen, C. Hart Merriam, Maj. C. E. Bendire, Dr. Elliott Coues, Robt. Ridgeway, Frank M. Chapman, John H. Sage, William Dutcher, D. G. Elliott, Dr. A. K. Fisher, Dr. Theodore Gill, F. A. Lu- cas, L. M. Loomis, Dr. E. A. Mearns, Geo. B. Segnatt, Leonhard Stejneger, Witmer Stone, T. S. Palmer, G. S. Miller, jr., H. R. Taylor, Mrs. Olive Thorne Miller, Chas. H. Townsend, Harry C. Oberholser, Charles W. Richmond, Wm. Palmer, Frank H. Knowl- ton, E. A. Preble, Vernon Bailey, Jewell D. Sornborger, S. D. Judd, Prof. F. E. L. Beal, Outram Bangs, W. E. Clyde Todd and others. Dr. Coues' Exhibit. After a brief business session, during which a proposed amendment to the con- stitution providing for seventy-five active members instead of fifty as at present, was considered, President Brewster introduced Dr. Elliott Coues, who exhibited a number of unpublished water-color paintings of birds by Louis A. Fuertes, a student at Cornell University. Dr. Coues made the exhibit doubly interesting by explanatory remarks. During the remainder of the morning session papers were read by sev- eral members. The sessions are to be continued tomor- row and Thursday, the hours decided upon being 11 to 1 and 2 to 4. This evening a special session is to be held at 8 o'clock, when two memorial addresses are to be delivered, one by Dr. Elliott Coues on the late Thomas H. Huxley, and the other by D. J. Elliott on the late George N. Law- rence. All the sessions are open to the public. Officers Elected. The annual business meeting of the union: was held last evening at the residence of Dr. C. Hart Merriam, 16th street northwest. Very little of an important nature was transacted except the election of officers, which resulted as follows: William Brewster of Cambridge, Mass., president; C. Hart Merriam and Robert Rigway, both of Washington, vice presi- dents; John H. Sage of Portland, Corn., secretary, and William Dutcher of New York city, treasurer. President Brewster is recognized as one of the most distin- guished ornithologists of the day. STAR, NOV. 12, 1896 Original xeroxed by the Smithsonian Archives