1881.] -^^5 [Brinton. 



"witli which he did everything he believed to be right, or to be his duty as 

 the occasion dictated. 



" When in affluence, his contributions for the promotion of science were 

 liberal. When in moderate circumstances, he pursued with equal industry 

 such subjects in science as required small expenditure. But at all times he 

 was an industrious and intelligent laborer, a warm and sympathetic friend, 

 and a thorough hater of pretence and empiricism. 



' ' Failing eyesight compelled him eventually to give up his studies in 

 Zoology, and to devote his whole time to Linguistics, for which he had ex- 

 hibited a growing taste for several previous years. 



" The rare flexibility of his vocal organs gave him peculiar facility for 

 analyzing and imitating the sounds in foreign languages, which he never 

 lost any opportunity of hearing in his travels, both in this country and in 

 "Europe. In this matter his Natural History training in accurate observa- 

 tion, aided by remarkable perceptive qualities, gave him great advantage, 

 and I am convinced that his analysis of the causes of change of sound in 

 words, in passing from one language to another, will hereafter receive much 

 more attention than they have heretofore done in this, the country of his 

 birth, where such investigations are still in their infancy." 



Stated Meeting^ February 18, 1881. 



Present, 12 members. 



President, Mr. Fraley, in the Chair. 



A letter acknowledging Diploma was received from A. 

 Akerman, dated Stockholm, Jan. 16, 1881. 



A letter requesting missing numbers of the Proceedings 

 was received from the Rhode Island Historical Society, 

 February 14, 1881. 



A letter respecting the third part of Transactions, Yol. 

 XV, was received from E. A. Barber, 4008 Walnut street, 

 Philadelphia, February 14, 1881. 



Letters of acknowledgment were read. 



Donations for the Library were received from the Mining 

 Surveyors at Melbourne ; the Zoologischer Anzeiger ; the 

 Academia dei Lincei; the Academy at Brussels; M. Delesse; 

 the Revue Politique; London Nature ; Journal of Forestry ; 

 Mr. T. S. Brown, of Montreal ; Essex Institute ; Poughkeep- 

 sie Society of l!Tatural Histoiy ; Mr. B. A. Hinsdale ; Penna. 



