JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS. 259 



Prof. J. Marcou presented a valuable collection of geological and palaeon- 

 tological specimens, for which some of our Nebraska fossils were sent in 

 return. 



Prof. II. Shinier, of Mount Carrol Seminary, sent us a fine collection ot 

 mounted birds of Illinois ; several other specimens were presented by 

 members and friends of the Institution. 



The additions to our library came principally through exchanges, partly 

 from this continent but principally from abroad; the latter being facilita- 

 ted, in tact made possible, through the valuable agency ot the Smithsonian 

 Institution, and, I must be permittted to add, through the faithful and effi- 

 cient services of our Corresponding Secretary. 



The operations of this officer, on whose report I am largely drawing, 

 have been constantly increasing in extent and importance. To our for- 

 eign list of exchanges have been added, during the year, eleven acade- 

 mies or individuals, so that the whole number now amounts to 164. 

 We have received last year for the first time exchanges from Havana, in 

 Cuba, and Bologna, in Italy. Some of the Institutions send us all their 

 publications ; others communicate only their proceedings. 



Our home list of exchanges now numbers 70 societies and individuals, 

 nearly if not quite all in "the United States and Canada, which issue 

 publications. The only American addition made last year was the No- 

 va Scotian Institute of Natural Sciences in Halifax. 



We have received during the year, through our exchanges, nearly 400 

 volumes or numbers, some of them large and costly and full of plates. 



The humble means to draw these literary treasures to ourselves, and 

 to keep up this valuable and encouraging intercourse with the savants 

 and their associations in other countries, consist in our printed Transac- 

 tions. The distribution of number one of our Vol. II., issued in May, 

 1863, and sent abroad in 1863 and 1864, has been sufficient to keep alive 

 this extensive system of exchanges, proving the kindly spirit and the 

 great liberality animating men of science all over the globe. But it is ap- 

 parent that if we fail to issue another number during the present year, we 

 shall soon begin to draw rather too largely upon this liberality and the 

 patience of our correspondents. Without doubt, however, arrangements 

 can be made to begin with the printing of the second number of the sec- 

 ond volume in the next week, so that we may be ready for the distribu- 

 tion by the Smithsonian Institution in May next. 



You see, then, from this statement of our affairs, that, as I have assured 

 you before, our present condition is as favorable as we possibly could ex- 

 pect ; that we have gained a firm basis, and that we may go on increasing, 

 and succeed better and better, but only under the condition that we re- 

 main true to ourselves and to our promises, and never lag and never fal- 

 ter in our endeavors to further our Academy of Science of St. Louis. 



An election of officers of the Academy for the ensuing 

 year resulted as follows : 



President, George Engelmann. 



1st Vice-President, B. F. Shumard. 



2d Vice-President, Adolphus Wislizenus. 



Corresponding Secretary, Nathaniel Holmes. 



Recording Secretary, Spencer Smith. 



Treasurer, Enno Sander. 



Librarian, F. E. Baumgarten. 



Curators, C. W. Stevens, B. F. Shumard. 



S. Smith, and J. S. B. Alleyne. 

 Com. on Publication, N. Holmes, G. Engelmann, and 



B. F. Shumard. 



