Report of the President. 



His Excellenct Harrison Ludington", 



Governor of Wisconsin : 



Sir: — Since the date of my last report, the Wisconsin Academy 

 of Sciences, Arts, and Letters has steadily advanced in prosperity. 

 It has not made hirge additions to its permanent fund, nor greatly 

 increased the list of its working members. But the very consid- 

 erable number of scholars and scientists holding memberships, have 

 devoted themselves with increased zeal to the work of the work of 

 the Academy in original investigation, and have produced papers 

 embodying the results of their inquirif^s which are of considerable 

 value, and must yet more favorably commend the Academy to the 

 respect and confidence of the literary and scientific public. 



The Academy is no longer an experiment. The past six years 

 have demonstrated; first, that Wisconsin embraces a large number 

 of persons both competent and experienced as laborers in various 

 fields of research and investigation; and secondly, that it is posible 

 and easy, through such an organization as this, to hold them to- 

 gether in systematic and profitable oc-operation, for the advance- 

 ment of the arts and sciences, as well as for the intellectual ajnd 

 social progress of the commonwealth. 



The present volume of transactions will be found to consist 

 largely of papers in the Department of the Natural Sciences. 

 While all are interesting and valuable, it will appear upon exami- 

 nation that some of these are the fruit of extensive observations in 

 the field, as well as of laborious investigations in the laboratory. 

 Since it is this department which so directly touches the material 

 progress of the State, and which would also especially contribute 

 to the establishment of advantfigeous relations with kindred organ- 

 izations in all parts of the world, it will be to the friends and pat- 

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