956 The American Naturalist. ` [ November, 
burg the same morning (August 28th) by steamer, reporting a 
most interesting week’s trip, during which they had enjoyed 
quite as lavish hospitality as had been the lot of those in the 
Urals. They were under the guidance of Sederholm, and saw 
much glacial geology in addition to the old crystalline forma- 
tions of western and southern Finland. 
The formal opening of the Congress took place the afternoon 
of Sunday, August 29th, in the hall of the Zoological Institute 
of the University, which was well filled by a large and brilliant 
audience. The Honorary President of the Congress, the Grand 
Duke Constantine Constantinovitch, presided and opened the 
session with an address of welcome. It was followed by sim- 
ilar addresses by the Princess of Oldenburg, President of the 
Imperial Society of Mineralogy, and by the Minister of Agri- 
culture, Ermoloff. Renevier, President of the preceding Con- 
gress, announced the officers named by the council, the Amer- 
ican Vice-Presidents being Marsh, Emerson, Emmons and 
Frazer. The address of the President, Karpinsky, was chiefly 
occupied with a brief statement of the questions to come before 
the Congress, and after a resumé by Tschernyscheff, Secretary- 
General, of the work of the Committee of Organization in ar- 
ranging for the Congress and excursions, the session came to a 
close. 7 
Of the eight hundred and fifty names which appeared in 
the official list of the members of the Congress, upwards of 
six hundred were recorded as in attendance. Despite this 
very large membership the actual number at the meetings was 
very small, rarely more than one hundred being present. 
But the adjoining hall where numerous exhibits were arranged 
was always occupied by a throng of members, showing very 
clearly that here as generally in such meetings, it is the per- 
sonal intercourse that is desired by the members rather than 
the formal discussions. 
The subjects which it was desired to have specially brought 
before this Congress, as announced in an early circular of the 
Committee of Organization and as stated in the President’s 
address, were as follows : : 
_.1. Shall stratigraphic nomenclature be based upon an artl- 
ficial or upon a natural classification. 
