46 JOURNAL OF THE [March, 



PROCEKDINGS. 

 Meeting of February 5th, 1886. 



The President, Mr. C. Van Brunt, in the chair. 



Thirty-four persons present. 



The President spoke as follows : — 



"This meeting, being the first after the Annual Meeting, is 

 known, under our By-laws, as the Annual Reception. As it is 

 incumbent on the newly elected officers to assume their duties 

 at the Annual Reception, I take pleasure in resigning the chair 

 to Mr. Zabriskie, our President for 1886." 



Mr. Zabriskie, on taking the chair, said : — 



" I thank you, gentlemen of the Society, for the honor you 

 have done me in selecting me to preside over your delibera- 

 tions. I am less confident of my ability to discharge the duties 

 appertaining to the office of President in a manner which shall 

 prove satisfactory to you, than I am of my desire to do so. 



" I would like to be of use to you, I would like to learn 

 much from you ; and while I cannot but acknowledge that you 

 exhibit considerable interest in the work and welfare of the 

 Society, I would like, if I could do so, to say something which 

 will not only keep that interest alive, but will stimulate it to 

 increased activity. 



" The reflection that the field covered by the labors of such 

 a Society as ours is so very large that no one has time, or 

 means, or ability to work in every part of it, is encouragement 

 for even modest efforts in microscopical investigation. In the 

 verification of phenomena observed by other persons, facts un- 

 noticed before are often met with, sometimes unimportant, 

 sometimes significant, sometimes completely altering the conclu- 

 sions of our predecessors. 



" Such reflections are incentives to the microscopical worker 

 of every class and rank ; and if, induced by a desire to see, to 

 learn, to know, even the least experienced undertake research, 

 how well provided he is with help ! In no part of the world of 



