OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME XI, 1909. 17 



in being naturalists, puzzling their brains already in the effort 

 t<> harmonize the facts of nature with the teachings of the 

 church. 



Professor Riley needs no extended mention here. The liter- 

 ature of entomology is full of references to him, and his per- 

 sonality has been described in many biographical records. 



Dr. A. J. Schafhirt was a man of middle age and fine per- 

 sonal appearance. He was a druggist, and kept a shop in the 

 neighborhood of the Government Printing Office. He was 

 much interested in entomology and, naturally, especially in the 

 insects affecting drugs and stored products, but I think at one 

 time he had made a general collection of insects. 



Alonzo H. Stewart was at that time quite a boy, although 

 he was the chief of the pages of the Senate. I imagine that he 

 could not have been more than 18 or 19 years of age at the 

 time of this initial meeting. lie was greatly interested in 

 insects, and during the early meetings frequently came with 

 interesting specimens for exhibition and with many questions 

 to ask about them. 



The other two persons present, Mr. Schwarz and myself, 

 need no description to this assemblage. Letters were read from 

 Colonel (then Captain) T. L. Casey, 'Mr. C. R. Dodge, and 

 Professor John Murdock. Captain Casey and Mr. Dodge are 

 both in Washington, and are known to members. 



Professor John Murdock at that time had just returned from 

 Point Barrow, Alaska, where he had been spending many 

 months in connection with an expedition under the Signal 

 Service of the Army. He had collected largely both in ethno- 

 logical and zoological lines, and was in Washington working 

 on the report of the expedition. He subsequently became 

 Librarian of the Smithsonian Institution, and is now connected 

 with the Boston Public Library. He attended several of the 

 meetings of the Society. He is a charming man, a delightful 

 talker, graduate of Harvard, and a very well posted zoologist ; 

 in fact he filled the chair of zoology in the University of Wis- 

 consin during the period when Professor Birge was connected 

 with the University of Tokyo. 



So much for the members present at the first meeting. It will 

 be unnecessary to do anything further in this way of personal 

 description. Reminiscences will come to all of the older mem- 

 bers no doubt after T have finished. 



On one occasion years ago a member of a prominent north- 

 ern entomological society came to Washington and attended a 

 meeting of our Society. After adjournment I asked him, 

 "Well, what do you think of our society?" "Huh!" he said, 



