SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES 



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148- (118) TRANSACTIONS OF SCIENTIFIC SECTION 



complete as possible, of the flora and the fauna of the 

 region surrounding ; he cannot forbear now, at the close 

 of his term of office, to congratulate the Section that so 

 much has been done in this direction, and to express the 

 hope that the efiort will be continued until every specie 

 of minerals, plants and animals indigenous to this region 

 of country shall be represented in our Museum. All 

 details concerning the number and character of the spe- 

 cimens in the collection at the present time must be left 

 for the Curator of the Museum to report. 



With the perplexing questions of organization settled ; 

 with the Institute building completed, and the Section 1 s 

 rooms at our command ; with a Museum reduced to order 

 and greatly enriched by recent additions, and with a 

 membership loyal and earnest, the Section will, when 

 another season arrives, rind itself for the first time in its 

 history, ready to take up its work without delay, and 

 equipped to carry it forward without interruption. Un- 

 der these conditions, I gladly retire from the Chairman- 

 ship, and before doing so it only remains for me to assure 

 you gentlemen of the Section, that I am profoundly grate- 

 ful for your forbearance, courtesy, and cooperation. 



LeR. c. cooley, 



Chairman. 

 The officers for 1883-84 were elected viz : 

 Prof. W. B. Dwight, - - Chairman. 

 Mr. C. N. Arnold, - - - Recording Secretary. 



