A RACY LETTER. 141 



laugh, or box and wrestle. Soon those who wanted 

 to work began to lose heart, and finally, March 25, 

 1886, just a year, lacking two days, from the day we 

 organized, we disbanded. Still there were four of us 

 who never dropped the idea of having a good chapter 

 in time. Each of our four enthusiasts worked steadily 

 during the summer, one collecting eggs and studying 

 and stuffing birds and collecting insects, another learn- 

 ing to stuff birds, the third collecting minerals, and 

 myself collecting eggs. Two of our members have 

 finished cabinets, made by themselves. Through all 

 our troubles we have had an earnest desire to go on 

 wi.th our studies and form a new chapter, that we might 

 get together once a week and discuss the things of 

 interest we had seen in our rambles. Last Wednes- 

 day, January 19, 1887, our new chapter, consisting of 

 four members, held its second meeting at the home 

 of the president, and finished drawing up a constitu- 

 tion. The only officers we now have are a president 

 and secretary. No person can become a member of 

 this chapter without a vote of every member. We are 

 going to make the initiation fee the contribution of 

 one year's subscription to some paper on natural his- 

 tory. We are not going to keep a cabinet, but when 

 any interesting specimen is obtained it is to be brought 

 to the next meeting, and a paper written about the 

 specimen is to be read by the finder. At each meeting 

 the secretary reads from some paper or book an arti- 

 cle on natural history, and at the next meeting each 

 member is to read an essay, written from memory, 

 giving as nearly as possible the substance of the arti- 

 cle read. In this way we shall remember better the 

 things about which we study. We think that we shall 

 at last succeed. I would like to say to all the chapters 

 that have among their members persons who fool 

 away their time, and who do not respect the desires 



