Anierican Fisheries Society. ;jj.i 



pie \vc haw Iutc i-cpresenting tin- Anierican Kislu'rics Society. 

 I believe that if you could attend one oT their meetiuofs and hear 

 their discussions of ])apers, you would agree with me heartily, 

 and we consider it a great honor, Mr. Tresich-nt, of the Ameri- 

 can Fisheries Society, that you have accepted our invitation to 

 come here. 



Secretary: In behalf of the American Fislieries Societv I 

 wish to olf<'r tlie folowing resolution : 



Resolved, That the Society offer its gratelul acknowledge for 

 the courtesies extended by the sta,t<^ of Rhode Island Fish Com- 

 mission, for its generous hospitality that rounds u]) in a most 

 appetizing way one of the most, if not the most, successful nu>et- 

 ing ever held by the American Fisheries Society. 



Motion seconded. 



Secretary: Before that resolution is put 1 would like to say: 

 One year ago Mr. Root, President of the Rhode Island Connnis- 

 sion, told me a fish story at our meeting at Put-In-Bay. He sai(! 

 that one morning at a lake near by where he has a sunnner home 

 and lives, he caught sixty-eight bass that weighed \'.\ pounch 

 apiece, all wall-eyed black bass. I do not know that this is 

 accurate, because we have just enjoyed a large dinner, luit it is 

 as near as I can get to it. Now, I repeated this story to a friend 

 in Chicago, and he said, "A lake in Rhode Island — there are no 

 lakes in Rhode Island — it is not big enough for a lake." 1 wish 

 I had that gentleman here now. He would think Rhode Island 

 was as big as the state of Texas. (Great laughter and applause). 



(Jeneral Bryant-: 1 rise to sup])ort this resolution. A politi- 

 cal friend of mine once said when he had felt tlie ingratitude of 

 men he had hel])e(l and favored in politics, and I was trying to 

 console him, with a rueful shake of his head, "Hungry men are 

 never gTateful for last year's dinners'." (Laughter). 1 want to 

 say that that is not the principle nor the characteristic of the 

 Anierican Fisheries Society. We came here three yeai-s ago ai 

 the invitation of your good people, and we had one of your clam 

 baki's, a feast so uniqiie, so excellent, so noble, that it has lin- 

 gered in our memories for three years, and theiv is mil a mem- 

 ber of this society that has not turned his thoughts towards 

 JJhode Island, with a orateful emotion, ever since, (great an- 



