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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 945 



and out down to the thirty-first meeting 

 held at Montreal in August, 1882. At this 

 meeting "Biology," including botany and 

 zoology, was designated as Section P and 

 "Histology and Microscopy" as Section G. 



For ten years the twins — botany and 

 zoology — constituted Section F. At the 

 forty-second meeting held at Madison, 

 Wisconsin, in August, 1893, the twins 

 parted company, zoology becoming Section 

 F and botany. Section G. The Vice-presi- 

 dent of Section F was Henry F. Osborn, 

 who delivered the first vice-presidential ad- 

 dress before the section. The secretary of 

 the section was L. 0. Howard. 



But few vice-presidents have failed to 

 follow the example of Vice-president Os- 

 born. Two years ago sickness prevented 

 the vice-president attending the meet- 

 ing held at Minneapolis, but his address 

 was read by another member of the sec- 

 tion. Last year the vice-presidential ad- 

 dress was omitted from the program be- 

 cause Vice-president Reighard and the 

 other officers were convinced that 'but few 

 zoologists would attend the Washington 

 meeting. Their judgment was vindicated 

 in so far as the number in attendance can 

 be considered a vindication. 



On the whole, the record of Section F as 

 preserved in the Proceedings of the As- 

 sociation is very creditable and can hardly 

 be called discouraging. Moreover, the list 

 of zoologists who have taken an active part 

 in the meetings of the association includes 

 the names of most of our eminent and hon- 

 ored zoologists. 



Why then ask you to consider whether 

 it is worth our time and energy to maintain 

 Section F as an active, vital unit in the As- 

 sociation ? 



Well, Section F can be thought of as an 

 organism — at least it is an organization 

 composed of living animal units — and I 

 dare say it is no reflection upon you to as- 



siune that as zoologists we are all inter- 

 ested in living things and their functions 

 and all the conditions that afi'ect their vi- 

 tality and effectiveness. But let me put 

 you at ease, so far as I can, by assuring you 

 that I am not going to tire you with an ef- 

 fort to work out this figure in detail. 



The immediate suggestion and justifica- 

 tion for my apparent disregard of the tra- 

 ditional character of vice-presidential ad- 

 dresses lie in the unrecorded facts perti- 

 nent to the life of Section F and in the 

 attitude of indifference to and even open re- 

 pudiation of the section assumed by some 

 zoologists in recent years. It may be that 

 the phenomena interpreted as evidences of 

 destructive metabolism are merely expres- 

 sions of efforts at readjustment. If so, I 

 hope I shall be considered among those who 

 desire a proper readjustment. If, on the 

 other hand, the phenomena are indications 

 of a real tendency toward disintegration, I 

 trust I may have some part in at least 

 checking that tendency long enough to en- 

 able us to come to a full realization of what 

 disintegration of the section would mean 

 for zoology in general. 



Bear with me, then, while I bring to you 

 some of the facts and observations which 

 have a bearing upon the position of Sec- 

 tion F as I see it. 



Section F, as already stated, was organ- 

 ized in 1893. The objects of the section, as 

 expressed in the constitution of the Associa- 

 tion, are: 



by periodical and migratory meetings, to promote 

 intercourse between those who are cultivating 

 science in different parts of America, to give a 

 stronger and more general impulse and more 

 systematic direction to scientific research, and to 

 procure for the labors of scientific men increased 

 facilities and a wider usefulness. 



The American Society of Naturalists was 

 organized in 1883 with the object of asso- 

 ciating 



