Proceedings of Scientific Societies. 189 
— An important series of lectures on Evolution is being delivered 
in the Second Unitarian Church of Brooklyn (Dr. Chadwick's), under 
the auspices of the Brooklyn Ethical Association. The lectures are 
delivered on alternate Sunday evenings, beginning on Oct. 14 and 
ending May 26. They are issued in pamphlet form and may be ob- 
tained from Dr. Lewis G. James, President, No. 55 Liberty St., New 
PROCEEIMNGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 
Biological Societv of Washington.— Annual meeting, and elec- 
on of officers for i^^(), January 12, 1889. — The following, officers 
ere elected : 
President— Lester F. Ward. 
Vice-Presidents— C. V. Riley, R. Rathbun, C. H. Merriam, Frank 
Lucas. 
Ireasurer— F. H. Knowlton. 
Members of Council— Geo. Vasey, J H. Bean, R. E. C. Stearns, 
. n, Walcott, F. VV. True. 
January 26. — The following communications were read : Dr. 
ooper Curtice, Notes on the Sheep Tick, Melophagus ovinus Linn.; 
>r. Geo. Vasey, New Species of North American Graminea of the 
ast Twelve Years ; xMr. Th. Holm, Contributions to the Morpholo- 
y of the (ienus Carex ; Dr. C. Hart Merriam, A New Species of 
ika {Lagomys). 
Naturai. Scienck AssociAiTON OK SiATEN Isi.ANi). — January 
u nas been the custom anion^ those engaged in shad fishing in the 
'>ay to preserve a record of their first catch, which sometimes merely 
J^onsists m chalking the date on the beams in the houses where they 
^eep their nets and live, so as to lose no time at the turning of the 
lae. In one of these houses I copied the following dates, posted on 
the rafters overhead, as already described : 
'April 3, 1873; March 30, 1874; March 28, 1878; March 30, 1879; 
txV '^' .1''^^° ' '■^''"^ 5, i«8i ; April 4, 1883 ; April 9, 1884, 49 fish 
> Kcn April ir. 1885, i 'ish taken ; April 11, 1886 ; April 9, 1887, 
- M .V ' "'^^-'"'^ "• '^^^' 29 fish taken. 
»,K ci '^- ^- '^^''^rdell, who lives at Bav Ridge, Long Island, but 
r^'' *^fhes from the Staten Island shore, has given me the following 
record ot his first captures • 
Cr^T\lk ^'^f ' ''"^^^ ^9, 1879 ; March 28, 1880; Apnl 9, 188,; 
tSsT ^'a ,^ ' -'^P"' 5, 1883 ; April r, 1884 ; April 3, 1885 ; April 5, 
1886 ; April 7, 1887 ; April -- --" 4 , 1 .j, :,,!:, 
'Oneof^^^--^ ' '. .^ - 
, 7^^ofthesignsoftheIndiaT 
'had bush i^Arnelanchier), whic 
