8 T'ccciity-scirnfli .Iniiiial Meeting 



On the recommendation of my predecessor in office, the 

 Society directed an official seal be procured, which I did. I can 

 see no use to which the seal may be put, but I have carried out 

 the direction of the Society in this regard. 



In making up the report last year I found that the nominating 

 conunittee, in its report, which was unanimously adopted, had 

 made a mistake in putting on the executive committee a gentle- 

 man who was not a member of the Society. This fact was over- 

 looked at the time of the adoption of the report. While the gen- 

 tleman named would have been a most desirable member of that 

 committee, considering the fact a.bove stated, I took the liberty of 

 substituting in his stead the name of Mr. H. A. Sherwdn, who was 

 present at the meeting, and who takes an active interest in our 

 success. 



After issuing tlie report of the last meeting my attention w^as 

 called to the omission from the list of active members of the 

 name of Mr. Carl Thompson. This was a mistake, the gen- 

 tleman having paid his dues and being in good standing as a 

 member. His name was included in the report sent by me to 

 the Treasurer as among those who had paid dues. How the 

 error occurred is unexplainable, but it is one of those annoying 

 mistakes which w-ill occur. His name should be placed in the 

 next list pubhshed. A letter was written Mr. Thompson apolo- 

 gizing for the mistake. 



Following out the action taken at the last meeting, copies 

 of proceedings were only sent to those entitled to them on ac- 

 count of membershi]). Complaint as t<j this has arisen only in 

 one instance to my knowledge. Mr. C. B. Reynolds, the pro- 

 prietor of Forest and Stream withdrew from membership in 

 the Society at the last meeting. Soon after the distribution of 

 the report Forest and Stream contained an article commenting 

 on the action of the Society in confining the distribution of its 

 reports to members. The article seemed to me to require a re- 

 ]^ly, and the following was sent to that paper and was printed: 



Detroit, Mich., Oct. ii, 1897. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



My attention has been called to an item on the first page of 

 your issue of October 9th stating that you had failed to receive 

 a report of the American Fisheries Society, and commenting on 

 the action of the Society in restricting the distribution of its 

 reports to its members. While the Society chd so restrict the dis- 

 tribution, I knew it was not its intention to exclude the sporting 



