VOL. II.] Proceedings of Societies. 394 



J. A. Allen and Herman Graf zu Solnis-Laubach were elected hon- 

 orary members. 



William E. Ritter was elected a resident member. 



The annual reports of the Board of Trustees, officers and curators 

 were read and filed. 



The report of the officers of election was read, and the following 

 declared elected for the ensuing term: 



President — H. W, Harkness. 



First Vice-President — H. H. Behr. 



Second Vice-President^ — ^J. G, Cooper. 



Corresponding Secretary — F. Gutzkow. 



Recording Secretary — ^J. R. Scupham. 



Treasurer — L. H, Foote, 



Librarian — Carlos Troyer. 



Director of Museum — ^J. Z. Davis. 



Trustees — W. C. Burnett, C F. Crocker, D. E. Hayes, E. J. Mo- 

 lera, George C Perkins, Adolph Sutro, John Taylor. 



California Botakical Club. November ig, i8gi. President 

 Behr in the chair. 



The following were elected to membership: W. N. Suksdorf, F. 

 V. Kelsey, Jean M. Hahn, Miss Louise A. Littleton, L. M. Under- 

 wood, Edward N. Brandegee, Geo. O. Mitchell, Dr. E. R. 

 Ballard, Douglas H. Campbell, Dr. Liliencrantz, M. W. Gor- 

 man, L. F. Henderson. 



Professor Douglas H. Campbell read a paper on ''Recent 

 Methods in Botanical Research.'* 



\n introducing the subject, the writer first called attention to some 

 misapprehensions of the real extent and aims of botanical science, 

 arising from a two exclusive attention of the majority of students to 

 the collection and classification of ph^enogams. While this is a 

 necessary and important phase of the science, it is only one phase, a 

 fact which is too often overlooked. This state of things is largely 

 a survival of the old school of natural history that regarded each 

 species as a separate creation, and consecjuendy considered the col- 

 lection and classification of these as the first task of the student. 



As the methods improved, however, and it was possible to study 

 the life-histories of plants, especially the lower ones, it became evi- 

 dent that a much closer union existed between different groups of 

 plants than was formerly supposed, and gradually the theory of evo- 



