DANA CENTENARY 69 



being accomplished, only the echoes of them remained through his later career. 

 Predestined as a geologist, it seems that all his various departures into other 

 sciences were to harvest out their bearings on his interpretation of the earth. 

 To the philosophical aspects of his zoology he did recur — to his conception of 

 cephalization as a guiding factor in evolution — long before he accepted the 

 prolegomena of natural selection, and also to his zoophytes as contributions to 

 his views on coral-island growth. Let us look, for a sample year, to 1853. when 

 his fascinating book on "Coral Reefs and Islands" came out. a book to appear 

 in two subsequent editions, under the better known title of "Corals and Coral 

 Islands," in which a picture has been painted of these islands that is equaled 

 in sentiment only by Chamisso, and in science perhaps not at all. In this 

 year Professor Dana published besides his Coral Islands papers on changes of 

 level in the Pacific; the effect of temperature on the vertical distribution of 

 marine species ; mineralogical notices ; the isomorphism of sphene and euclase : 

 an isothermal oceanic chart; consolidation of coral formations; a supposed 

 change in ocean temperature. Up to 18G6" he published a little each year, 

 chiefly on the philosophical lines of zoology; on classification, parthenogenesis. 

 cephalization, homologies, and parallel development; on man's zoological place. 

 and even on the origin of life; and then his versatile mind seems to have be- 

 come so entirely impregnated with his life's chief purpose that he excluded 

 organic problems, perhaps not from his thoughts, but at least from bis special 

 treatises, and never again for nearly thirty years, until 1894, the year before 

 his death, did he recur to this subject, and the last of his long list of scientific 

 papers was on the derivation and homologies of some articulates. 



Another fact in this distinguished record, of singular and rather extraordi- 

 nary meaning, is that, notwithstanding Professor Dana's intimate concern with 

 both the living and the dead earth, he permitted this strong combination to 

 lead him but a very short distance into the byways of paleontology, lie did 

 indeed describe some Paleozoic corals and some Australian Tertiary sbells. but 

 this quite impassively, and the dynamics of life seemed to concern him vastly 

 more than its history. It would be historically interesting to know the reasons 

 for this avoidance of what would seem the most natural path to take for a 

 man armored as he was. I am not aware that the question has been answered 

 or even asked. One might, however, guess thai the invitation into the paleon- 

 tological thoroughfare in this country during bis creative years was not com 

 pelling to a man of his ideals. At all events and when all is said, it Is entirely 

 obvious that by Professor Dana his exceptional and philosophic acquaintance 

 with zoology was held to be the handmaiden of bis chosen science of geology. 



Session of Monday. December 30 



The Society convened ai 9.45 o'clock a. m. in general session. President 

 II. L. Fairchild in the chair. The following reporl was presented by the 

 Auditing Committee: 



REPORT Of AUDITING COM MITTEE 



The Auditing Committee reporl thai they have checked the receipts as 

 shown by the Treasurer's printed reporl with the original item o( entry, 



