Record. xix 



him of our grateful appreciation of his long and faithful services to the 

 Academy. And we hope that we shall continue for many years to enjoy his 

 genial presence among us. 



A paper by Mr. Charles Robertson, entitled New or little 

 known North American Bees, was read in abstract. 



Prof. A. C. Bernays addressed the Academy on biological 

 facts as evidence of man's place in nature. He illustrated 

 certain facts from the ontogeny of man by description and 

 blackboard sketches, and tried to explain the anatomical pecu- 

 liarities in the structure of man and the lower animals by the 

 biogenetic law of Haeckel. He also made some suggestions 

 about the best method of studying and of teaching anatomy. 

 It was claimed that in the biogenetic law of Haeckel a scien- 

 tific background, or rather a working hypothesis, was given, 

 by means of which the recorded facts of zoology, botany, 

 paleontology, etc., were made understandable and really be- 

 came useful to science. He also gave a definition and illus- 

 tration of the meaning of the term differentiation as used in 

 biology. 



Mr. George W. Parker, Dr. Otto Sutter and Mr. O. M. 

 Wood, of St. Louis, were elected to active membership. 



Twenty-four persons were proposed for active member- 

 ship. 



February 7, 1898. 



President Engler in the chair, fourteen persons present. 



Mr. J. B. S. Norton read a paper by Professor A. S. Hitch- 

 cock, on the ecological plant geography of Kansas. 



Professor L. H. Pammel spoke informally on the anatomi- 

 cal characters of seeds from the standpoint of systematic 

 botany. 



The following persons were elected active members : James 

 Adkins, Robert E. M. Bain, W. K. Bixby, Dr. James A. 

 Close, Dr. Geo. C. Crandall, Wm. S. Curtis, George W. 

 Flersheim, D. R. Francis, Dr. R. M. Funkhouser, Fred. F. 

 Gottschalk, F. U. Hugunin, Breckinridge Jones, Frederick N. 

 Judson, George R. Kline, John J. Lichter, Jr., Dr. H. W. 

 Loeb, Wm. McMillan, Dr. Harvey G. Mudd, J. B. S. Norton, 

 Warren A. Tyrrell, Dr. Jules F. Valle, A. J. Vanlandingham, 



