SYNOPSIS OF PROCEEDINGS. 287 



remains from the residence to the Academy building on Sunday morn- 

 ing. Dr. J. VV. H. Baker, G. P. McClelland, William Riepe, and S. P. 

 Bryant were appointed bearers. 



The following resolutions were reported and adopted : 



Whereas, The inevitable end of life has come to our esteemed and res- 

 pected fellow citizen and co-worker in the field of scientific investigation, 

 Dr. Charles C. Parry, and left us to mourn the loss of his gentle presence 

 and the guidance of his wise counsels ; and, 



Whereas, In his demise the Academy has lost not only one of its ablest 

 members and its second Vice-President, but also one who, whether at home 

 or abroad, whether pursuing his favorite botanical studies in the field or 

 summing up their results for the benefit of science in general, never forgot 

 for a moment the child he helped so much to attain a standing in tlie world — 

 the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences — therefore be it 



Resolved, That we mourn the irreparable loss, not only of a brother mem- 

 ber but also of a genial, companionable, modest, true, and ever reliable 

 friend, known in every land where his favorite science of botany is pursued. 



Resolved, That this Academy attend the funeral obsequies of our fellow 

 member in a body. 



Resolved, That these resolutions, feebly expressing the sympathy of this 

 Academy, be presented to the bereaved family of the deceased. 



Resolved, That these resolutions be entered in the minutes of the Acade- 

 my, that a copy be furnished for publication in the city papers, and that, in 

 token of our grief, the Academy be draped in mourning for thirty days. 



March j, i8go. — Regular Meeting (adjourned from Friday, 

 February 28). 



President McCowen in the chair ; eleven members and about twenty 

 visitors present. 



The Curator reported the donation by William and George Ahrens 

 of Haypole, Nebraska, of a catamount, the head and skin of an ante- 

 lope, two prairie dogs, and a white owl, which were being prepared 

 for preservation. 



The order of the evening was the illustration, by Prof. Pratt, of 

 Foucault's experiment demonstrating the rotation of the earth on its 

 axis. A 7 2 -pound ball was suspended by a 30 foot wire extending 

 from the dome of the rotunda through the first floor to just above the 

 floor of the basement. The ball, surrounded by a screen to cut off 

 disturbing air currents, was drawn six inches to one side and held 

 there by a thread. Having been left thus for a long time so as to be 

 perfectly still, it was released at 8 o'clock by burning the thread, and 

 allowed to swing in an exact north and south direction. The Pro- 

 fessor, by means of a convenient turntable constructed for the purpose, 



