20 THE MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



AN ACCOUNT OF THE ANNUAL MEETING. 



PRESIDENT NEWCOMBE'S ADDRESS. 



The address was a plea for a natnral-liistorv survey conducted along 

 ecological lines. Such a survey would be founded upon the topographic 

 survey of the State now being made by the co-operation of the State and 

 National Governments. The results of the topographic and natural-his- 

 tory survey should be published in parts with the territory of not more 

 than one to three or four counties in eacli part, each report to have maps 

 and accompanying text giving the elevations, the soils, the glacial geology, 

 and the distribution of plant and animal societies. 



Such reports would be of inestimable value to the ever increasing num- 

 ber of lovers of outdoor life, would provide guides to the rural and 

 city schools for the study of the geography, physiography, and natural 

 history of their neighborhood, would classify lands according to their 

 fertility, would locate valuable surface deposits such as those of peat and 

 inarl, would locate the fish and game of the State, and thus lay a basis 

 for the study of their habits with a view to their protection and prop- 

 agation. 



Keighard. 



PROFESSOR COULTER'S ADDRESS. 



Professor Coulter gave an exceedingly interesting account of the life of 

 Eafinesque, a naturalist who did much to classify and name the plants of 

 North America east of the Mississippi. His work was not confined to 

 ])lauts but included almost every branch of natural history, and extended 

 even to every subject in the category of education. Professor Coulter 

 enlivened the description by relating incidents in his life, and quoting 

 from Rafinesque's own works, which served to show the character and 

 llie immense will-power of the man. The most interesting item of all. 

 ])erhaps, was the "last will and testament.'' This illustrated in an es- 

 ])('cial manner his extraordinary egotism. In this he had. ])erhnps. few 

 e(|uals. The lecturer showed that, in many respects. Rafinesqne was far 

 in advance of his time, and that many of his predictions, though ridiculed 

 at the time, have since been verified. He worked in a period when 

 orthodox dogmatism permitted no investigation into the origin of 

 things; when it required no ordinary strength of character to assert 

 individual views which might hapi)en to be in opposition to the orthodox 

 belief. 



