report of the council 559 



Session of Thursday, December 27 



The Society was called to order by Acting President William M. Davis, 

 in the absence of President Israel C. Eussell, deceased, at 4.30 o'clock 

 p :n, in the lecture hall of Schermerhorn hall, Columbia University. A 

 brief bnt cordial address of welcome was delivered by President Nicholas 

 Murray Butler, of Columbia University, to which response was made by 

 Acting President Davis. 



The report of the Council was called for, and was presented by the 

 Secretary, Herman Leroy Fairchild, in print, as follows : 



BEPOliT OF THE COUNCIL 



To the Geological Society of America, 



in Nineteenth Annual Meeting assemhlecl: 



The stated annual meeting of the Council was held at Ottawa con- 

 jointly with tlie meeting of the Society. It has not been found necessary 

 to call any special meeting, but some business relating to nomination of 

 officers and recommendation for fellowship has been done by correspond- 

 ence. 



The details of administration for the eighteenth year in the history of 

 the Society are given in the following reports of the officers : 



Secretary's Report 



To tlie Council of the Geological Society of America: 



Meetings. — The proceedings of the Ottawa Winter Meeting, 1905, will 

 be recorded in the closing brochure of volume 17 of the Bulletin. 



Membership. — Since the last printing of the list of Fellows four Pel- 

 lows have been removed by death : W. B. Dwight, S. L. Penfield, I. C. 

 Eussell, and N. S. Shaler. The names of 16 Fellows, elected at the 

 Ottawa meeting, have been added to the list, making the present enroll- 

 ment 283, or 12 more than at the last printing. On the ballot now before 

 the Society are the names of 14 candidates, while several nominations 

 are awaiting action by the Council. 



During recent years our membership has been increasing. In November, 

 1901, it was 247 ; in January, 1904, it was only 253. The present enroll- 

 ment, with the addition of the 14 candidates on the current ballot, will 

 make a total within three of 300. Another year will carry the list beyond 

 300. For several years no name has been dropped from the roll for non- 

 payment of dues, and only one resignation has been accepted. The in- 

 crease in membersliip has not been due to any lowering of the standard 



