58 SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. 



coveries or researches. The measure was taken by Professor 

 Ray Lankester, president of the Section of Biology of the 

 Engh'sh Association, two years ago, and a number of papers 

 were sent over from this countr}-, and well received on the 

 other side. 



3. In regard to the admission of papers, the Sectional Com- 

 mittee should carefully observe the requirements as to the pre- 

 liminary abstracts being full enough to give some idea of the 

 quality of the paper, and further the Sectional Committee should 

 decide as to which papers should be printed in the Proceedings 

 of the Association. Brief notes of the discussion following 

 papers should in some cases be published. 



4. The Sectional Committee should, to a certain extent, 

 classify the papers relating to different branches of Biolog}- and 

 to laboratory technique, into groups, so as, in a measure, to bring 

 the reading of papers of the same character together. 



Finally, the following questions arise : Whether the above 

 changes ai^e desirable, and how it is best to introduce them ? As to 

 the latter, there would seem to be one course which is least open 

 to criticism, namely, that they should be introduced into the 

 Association, not as coming directly from the Society, but by 

 ourselves, as members of the American Association. This may 

 be carried out in the following way : — 



1. These measures may be communicated to the next Presi- 

 dent of the Biological Section, with the request that, if he concurs, 

 he will execute part of them, acting upon his own responsibility. 



2. These measures may be brought forward for open discus- 

 sion in the Section, upon motion that a committee be regularly 

 appointed to consider them and present a report to the Section. 



The committee feel that they have by no means exhausted this 

 question, and will therefore be glad to receive suggestions from 

 any member of this Society. 



The action proposed above is open to the objection that it 

 gives this Society the appearance of a peliminar}' caucus, seeking 

 to ol)tain midue control in the larger Society. It can be said in 

 reply tliat the same objection holds good against an}' previously 

 concerted action which has in view the welfare of the Associa- 

 tion. It is, however, with a view to avoid such criticism that 



