80 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 732 



about seventy-five members and their friends be- 

 ing in attendance. 



The report of the recording secretary showed 

 that during the year 1908 the academy had held 

 eight business meetings and twenty-eight sectional 

 meetings, at which ninety-six stated papers and 

 four lectures had been presented, classified under 

 fourteen branches of science; furthermore, that 

 four public lectures by noted home and foreign 

 scientists had been given at the American Museum 

 of Natural History to the members of the academy 

 and the afiiliated societies and their friends. 

 Attention was called to the preparations under 

 way for the celebration, on February 12, 1909, of 

 the centenary of the birth of Charles Darwin and 

 the semi-centennial anniversary of the appearance 

 of "The Origin of Species," which promises to be 

 an event of more than ordinary importance to the 

 local scientific public. This report also stated 

 that the membership of the academy was now 458 

 active members, including 127 fellows and 12 

 associate active members, a net loss of 42 active 

 members during the year 1908. 



According to the report of the corresponding 

 secretary, the academy has lost by death during 

 the past year the following honorary members: 

 Lord Kelvin, elected in 1876; Professor Charles 

 A. Young, elected in 1878; Professor Wolcott 

 Gibbs, elected in 1899; Professor Wm. K. Brooks, 

 elected in 1898; Professor Asaph Hall, elected in 

 1889; and the following corresponding members: 

 Professor Daniel C. Oilman, elected in 1876; Pro- 

 fessor Albert de Lapparent, elected in 1900; Pro- 

 fessor Albert B. Prescott, elected in 1876; Colonel 

 Aim6 Laussedat, elected in 1890. There are now 

 upon our rolls the names of forty-five honorary 

 and 142 corresponding members. At the meeting 

 three honorary members were elected, namely: 

 Dr. Eduard Strasburger, professor of botany in 

 the University of Bonn; Professor Kakichi Mit- 

 sukuri, director. College of Science, Imperial 

 University, Tokyo, Japan; Dr. Wilhelm Ostwald, 

 of the Royal Society of Natural Science, Leipzig, 

 Germany; and the following active members were 

 elected fellows: Dr. Charles P. Berkey and Dr. 

 Charles L. Pollard. 



The treasurer's report showed that the financial 

 condition of the academy was satisfactory. 



The officers of the academy desire to call the 

 attention of the members to the fact that the 

 academy has in its keeping two important funds, 

 the income of which is available for the encourage- 

 ment of scientific research. These are the Esther 

 Herrman Building Fund and the John Strong 



Newberry Fund. Grants are made to members of 

 the academy or of the affiliated societies upon 

 application to the council of the academy with 

 the endorsement by the society of which the 

 applicant is a member. During the past year 

 more than one thousand dollars was paid out from 

 the Esther Herrman Research Fund on account 

 of such applications, and the reports presented 

 by the grantees show the importance of the assist- 

 ance granted. Income is now available for appro- 

 priation upon approved application. 



The librarian's report showed that during the 

 past year the library of the academy has received 

 through exchange and donation 454 volumes, 32 

 separata and 1,863 numbers. The chief accessions 

 were a gift of 40 volumes from La Soci6t€ des 

 Naturalistes de Varsovie and of 71 volumes from 

 the Sociedad de Geographia, Lisbon. The books 

 may be consulted by members and the public any 

 week day between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 

 5 P.M., and members are urged to assist in extend- 

 ing the use of the library. 



According to the editor's report, part 3 com- 

 pleting volume XVII. was distributed early in the 

 year and parts 1 and 2 of volume XVIII. have 

 been printed and distributed, while two parts of 

 part 3 of volume XVIII. have been printed but 

 not distributed. Part 1 of the latter volume was 

 devoted to the records of the Linnaeus celebration 

 of May 23, 1907, including the addresses delivered 

 on the occasion and the greetings received from 

 sister organizations at home and abroad. 



The annual election resulted in the choice of the 

 following officers for the year 1909: 



President — Charles F. Cox. 



Vice-presidents — J. J. Stevenson, Frank M. 

 Chapman, D. W. Hering and Maurice Fishberg. 



Recording Secretary — Edmund Otis Hovey. 



Corresponding Secretary — Hermon Carey Bum- 

 pus. 



Treasurer — Emerson McMillin. 



Librarian — ^Ralph W. Tower. 



Editor — Edmund Otis Hovey. 



Councilors (three years) — Franz Boas, Henry 

 E. Crampton. 



Finance Committee — Charles F. Cox, George F. 

 Kunz and Frederic S. Lee. 



After the business meeting, the members of the 

 academy and their friends sat down together at 

 the annual dinner, at the conclusion of which the 

 president, Mr. Charles F. Cox, gave an address 

 upon " Charles Darwin and the Mutation Theory." 

 E. O. Hovey, 

 Recording Secretary 



