PREFACE. 



In conformity with the custom inaugurated a year ago, this 

 volume presents a brief biography of the second president of the 

 society. 



The constitution, as given on page 7 (177), includes the amend- 

 ments that have been passed since the publication of volume II. 



The numerals in parenthesis before the titles of the abstracts 

 [page 15 (185)] indicate numerical positions in the entire series of 

 communications presented before the society since its organization. 

 These numerals are given on the assumption that some of the mem- 

 bers desire to have bound together several (perhaps the first three) 

 of these volumes. In such cases the numerical arrangement re- 

 ferred to, and that adopted for the index, will facilitate reference 

 to the abstracts. The page numerals in parenthesis continue those 

 of Volume II. 



The numerals in the index at the end of the volume correspond 

 with those in parenthesis before the titles of the abstracts. None 

 of them duplicates any of the numerals in the index of volume I 

 or of volume II. 



September i, igo6. 



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