American Fisheries Society 27 



REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY 



To the Officers and Members of the American Fisheries Society: 



As the illness that kept our late beloved Secretary Peabody from 

 attending the last meeting of the Society soon after resulted fatally, 

 the duties of the office have been administered by the Assistant Secre- 

 tary, aside from the period of his absence of some five months in Alaska 

 when Dr. H. M. Smith attended to the affairs of the office until he was 

 suddenly called to Europe, after which, and until the return of the 

 undersigned, matters were well looked after by Miss Ethel M. Smith, 

 of the Bureau of Fisheries, Washington, D. C. 



During the year our ranks have l^en depleted by the grim visitor to 

 the number of seven, as follows : 



Enrico H. Giglioli, Florence, Italy. Died Dec. 20, 1909. Elected a 

 corresponding member in 1884. 



Geo. F. Peabody, Appleton, Wis. Died Sept. 12, 1909. Elected to 

 membership in 1895. 



Charles P. Bennett, Secretary of State, Providence, R. I. Died 

 August 25, 1909. Elected to membership in 1903. 



J. Frank Ellis,-U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, Washington, D. C. Died 

 April 7, 1910. Elected to membership in 1885. 



Charles H. Ferry, 1551 Railway Exchange, Chicago, 111. Died May 

 2, 1910. Elected to membership in 1903. 



L. B. Spencer, New York Aquarium, New York City. Died April 16, 

 1910. Elected to membership in 1901. 



A. J. Kavanagh, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, Leadville, Colo. Died 

 March 1, 1910. Elected to membership in 1908. 



Since the last meeting there have been three resignations and twenty- 

 five members have been dropped by the Treasurer for non-payment of 

 dues after failure to respond to repeated notice of arrearage. The 

 names of these delinquents as well as deceased members were omitted 

 from the last pubHshed membership list, so far as reported up to the 

 time the completed proceedings were received from the printer's hands 

 early in April. 



It may have seemed to some that the publication of the report was un- 

 duly delayed, but speaking in the absence of Dr. H. M. Smith, chairman 

 of the newly-created publication committee, of which the undersigned 

 was a member, it may be said that as the committee found its duties 

 rather arduous in the matter of carefully revising and editing all of the 

 papers and discussions, and as every possible effort was made to correct 

 and revise the membership list, it was inevitable that the report should 

 be somewhat delayed. It is hoped that the members will appreciate 

 the position and efforts of the committee. 



While heretofore the Secretary has had charge of the publication of 

 the Transactions, it is believed that the Society's best interests will be 

 served if the matter of publishing the reports is delegated to a duly 

 qualified committee. 



