4 HISTORICAL SKETCH 



Already reference had been made at some of their meet- 

 ings to the formation of a new Scientific Association, but the 

 thought seems to have slumbered until at the suggestion of 

 Coleman T. Robinson six enterprising young men met on the 

 evening of October 5, 1861 at the studio of Charles Caryl 

 Coleman on East Swan St. near Main, where the Ellicott Square 

 now stands, to discuss the organization of "A Natural History 

 Society". Those present constituted themselves a committee 

 to further the project and when they met again a week later 

 they reported 113 names for possible membership. Other 

 preliminary sessions followed and Thursday evening, November 

 21, 1 86 1 a larger meeting of those interested was held at Odd 

 Fellow's Hall when a form of Constitution and suitable By 

 Laws, submitted by R. W. Haskins, David Gray und Coleman 

 T. Robmson who had been appointed a committee for that pur- 

 pose, were discussed, a primary election held and a call issued 

 through the newspapers for a general meeting at Lower St. 

 James' Hall on the evening of Thursday December 5th. 



At this meeting Judge Clinton presided. The constitu- 

 tion was adopted, its first provision being that the Society should 

 be called the "Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences" and its 

 object "the promotion and study of the Natural Sciences, 

 through the formation of a museum and library, the procure- 

 ment of lectures and by such other means as shall be efficient 

 and desirable for that purpose". At this meeting Hon. George 

 W. Clinton was made president and for twenty years he was 

 annually elected to that office. The others then chosen as the 

 Society's first officers were- 



ist Vice President . . Rev. A. T. Chester, D. D. 



2nd " 



Corresponding Secretary 



Recording Secretary 



Treasurer 



Librarian 



Charles Winne, M. D. 

 Samuel Slade. 

 Theodore Howland. 

 Leon F. Harvey, M. D. 

 Richard K. Noye. 



The nine Curators first chosen, who, with the officers made up 

 the Executive Board for management of the Society's affairs 

 were, George E. Hayes, M. D., Prof. William S. Van Duzee, 

 Hiram E. Tallmadge, Charles D. Marshall, Coleman T. Robin- 

 son, Charles C. F. Gay, M. D., Charles S. Farnham, David F. 

 Day and Charles F. Wadsworth. 



