32 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE 
Believing that men who had chosen Comparative 
Medicine as a career, must have some real liking for 
those animals, at least, which are classed as domestic, 
if not for all creatures that breathe the breath of life, 
and feeling assured that a knowledge of the mental 
constitution of animals must prove invaluable to the 
veterinary surgeon in the diagnosis and treatment of 
the diseases of his speechless patients, in the latter part 
of the year 1885, I called together such of the students 
of the Montreal Veterinary College as were attending 
my own classes in physiology, and suggested the desir- 
ability of forming some sort of association for the attain- 
ment of these objects. Those addressed responded to 
my proposals as only young men can. Soon almost 
every student in the College joined us. The Principal 
and Professors aided, both by smoothing the way and by 
active and cordial co-operation. A spacious and com- 
fortable room was kindly placed at our disposal in the 
Veterinary College building in which to hold our meet- 
ings. As the project was tentative, we did not think it 
well to fetter ourselves with many rules or regulations. 
However, on commencing our second year, we felt 
warranted in giving our Association a name, providing 
for ita constitution and bye-laws, and taking such other 
steps as tended to show that organisation was warranted 
as a natural result of growth and development.* 
In order to present the history of our Association 
within a small space, you will bear in mind that the 
accounts of papers read, and the discussions ensuing, 
must appear in very condensed form; and that the com- 
ments I have now to make on them must be few, and 
rather indicative of the line of investigation we have 
* Thus far the Principal of the Veterinary College, D. M‘Eachran, 
has been the Honorary President; T. Wesley Mills, Professor of 
Physiology, M‘Gill University, President; W. J. Torrance, Record- 
ing Secretary. The other offices have been filled by different members 
of the Association, including the Professors of the College. 
