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Bulletin Wisconsin Natural History Society [Vol. 13, No. 1 
Mr. lleddle exhibited a number of recent additions to the botanical 
collections of the Public Museum. 
Mr. Teller described the Hamilton formation that lies immediately 
north of Milwaukee, and showed some fossils from this particular locality. 
The meeting then adjourned. 
Milwaukee, Wis., Feburary 26, 1914. 
Regular meeting of the society. 
President Barth in the chair. Thirty-eight persons present. Minutes 
of last meeting read and approved. 
The name of Mr. T. E. B. Pope, Public Museum, was presented for active 
membership and was referred to the board of directors for action. 
The chair announced that this society would participate in the joint 
meeting of various scientific societies of the state, to be held under the 
auspices of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. The 
meeting wall be held in the Public Museum building in the early part of 
April. 
Mr. Russel read an obituary of the late Dr. George Williams Peckham, 
one of the oldest members of the society; one to whose active interest and 
valuable scientific contributions is due in large measure the success of this 
organization. The society deeply feels the loss of one of its most dis- 
tinguished members. 
The obituary, which was prepared by a committee composed of Messrs. 
Russel, Graenicher and Teller, will be published in the next number of the 
Bulletin. 
Dr. Arthur S. Pearse, of the Department of Zoology, University of 
Wisconsin, gave an illustrated lecture on the subject “ Tropical Nature in 
Columbia. ” The lecture consisted, for the most part of an account of 
the interesting forms of animal and plant life observed by Dr. Pearse, as 
a member of an expedition that was undertaken by the University of 
Michigan to the Santa Marta Mountains, Colombia, in the summer of 
1913. The plan carried out by the expedition was the study of the animal 
life of a narrow strip of land, from the mountain altitudes to the lowlands; 
particular attention being given to the habits and local distribution of the 
species. 
The tropical forest. The most striking impression that the tropical 
forest presents is the fact that there is a most intense struggle for existence 
among the components of the vegetation. Numerous woody climbers, 
twiners and other vines, and many bromeliaceous epiphytes manage to 
exist in the dense growth of trees. The forest seemed to be full of birds. 
The plumage of these birds when observed in their natural habitats appears 
to be less highly colored, than our common impression of tropical birds 
would lead us to believe. Tapirs were present but seldom seen. Of the 
smaller animals of the forest were many butterflies of gaudy colors, ta- 
rantulas, and numerous tree-inhabiting lizards and vinesnakes. Probably 
the most conspicuous objects of the forest were the large ants’ nests. 
