134 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Voi. Xxvi. 



REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THE 

 NEW YORK ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY.^ 



By a. T. Slosson, 



New York, N. Y. 



I am very sorry and really mortified to find that I can give you so 

 few details of the early days of our New York Society. For I am 

 one of the small remnants left of the members who entered it at the 

 beginning, twenty-five years ago. But I had probably already gone 

 from the city to my summer home in Franconia before our first meet- 

 ing and did not return until October. I think only a few meetings, at 

 irregular intervals, had been held during the summer. Soon after 

 my return from the mountains I attended a meeting at the residence 

 of Mr. Palm. My brother-in-law's old Arab butler escorted me that 

 evening, calling for me later to see me home. I shall never forget 

 the sensation produced by my unexpected entrance into that scientific 

 meeting ! Through the smoke of pipes and over mugs of some bev- 

 erage which foamed in the gaslight in a sudsy sort of way I saw 

 startled, embarrassed faces. " A woman ! — and finding us like this ! " 

 So their expressions seemed to say. The host himself, good Mr. 

 Palm, seemed somewhat embarrassed. After seating me in the most 

 comfortable chair unoccupied he hastened away to order coffee for 

 me as more appropriate and fitting drink for a feminine throat. We 

 were the weaker sex then, you see — for those were our voteless days 

 — and we must be kept carefully apart from the ways and habits of 

 men in their idle moments. I was not at all shocked at this orgie, 

 for I had five brothers and spent much of my time in a tobacco- 

 smokv atmosphere, seen many a foaming beverage poured and 

 quaffed, and so we were all at our ease in a few minutes and chatting 

 over our summer's adventures and their net profits. I recall a few 

 of those present at that time — Dr. Ottolengui, Messrs. Angell. Siebalt 

 and Julich. After that I attended the meetings quite regularly and 

 came to know very pleasantly most of our members. We met at 

 different houses, Mr. Palm's, Mr. Neumoegen's and at my brother-in- 



1 Read at a special meeting held June 7, i^^iS, to commemorate the twenty- 

 fifth anniversary of the incorporation of the Society. 



