30 Sioux City Academy of Science and Letters. 
ANNUAL PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 
By Vice-President GEO. W. WAKEFIELD. 
Officers and Members of the Sioux City Academy of 
Science and Letters: At the request of our much 
esteemed and revered President, Mr. John H. Charles, 
who has served as presiding officer most faithfully for 
many years, I present the following annual address:— 
This Association was incorporated in 1886 to promote 
Scientific study and investigation. Through the inter- 
_ vening years each winter there has been presented to the 
Sioux City public a series of papers on scientific subjects, 
for the most part prepared and read by our members. 
These efforts have largely served to increase our store of 
knowledge of the observations and speculations of others, 
yet we have in some measure gathered and reported data 
within our own field of observation. The persistent in- 
terest and energy on the part of Mr. Charles has been a 
potent influence in maintaining our organization and 
meetings, and we still delight to honor him. Last sum- 
mer we revised our articles of incorporation with the pur- 
pose of enlarging the scope of our efforts, and particular- 
ly with the view that in the future we should give careful 
attention to the facts in nature that are all about us and 
near us. Such facts constitute in part the data upon which 
true science is founded. For the data within our 
own field we should use our own eyes, observe, record and 
report the facts. By so doing we may make the Academy 
an important recruiting station for scientific data. As I 
have intimated, the past has not been barren in this 
respect, and I will mention some matters that now occu~ 
to me. One of our members gathered, arranged and 
numbered the remains of a saurian found in southwest- 
ern Plymouth county, which are still in the custody of the 
Academy. These remains were sent to Prof. O. C. Marsh 
