February, ’24] 
BUSINESS PROCEEDINGS 
33 
President A. G. Ruggles: It is unanimous. The new officers are 
elected. 
It gives me great pleasure to hand this honorable weapon to my 
worthy successor, Mr. Burgess. 
President-elect Burgess: Members of the Association: I am not 
in the habit of using a gavel or a mallet, or a hammer, so I will merely 
say that I will try to use this in a way that will meet with your approval 
during the coming year. 
The office of President of this Association is the highest one that can 
be conferred upon any member. I certainly appreciate the action which 
you have taken, and I appreciate the support and help and good fellow¬ 
ship that has existed between the members of the Association and myself 
during the years that I have been officially connected with this organiza¬ 
tion. It goes without saying, and you all know that I have been 
interested in this organization and its success, and if there is anything 
I can do officially or otherwise during the coming year to make it more 
effective, I shall do it to the best of my ability. 
We are not a small group of isolated workers as we used to be years ago, 
we are becoming a large and important organization in our chosen line, 
and the influence of the organization extends not only to the workers 
in this country, but throughout the world. It is a great honor to serve 
you in this capacity, and I thank you all. 
President A. F. Burgess: Is there any miscellaneous business? 
Mr. J. J. Davis: You are all familiar with the attempt that is being- 
made to sell the Barnes collection of Lepidoptera to the U. S. National 
Museum. The Entomological Society of America has appointed a 
committe to investigate the matter and to report on the desirability, the 
value, and need of this collection. I would like to move that the 
President appoint a committee of three to work with the committee 
of the other society to investigate the propaganda being circulated about 
the sale of the William Barnes collection and to formulate a complete 
report within 30 days and that a copy of this report be submitted to 
the Secretary of the U. S. National Museum, the Secretary of the U. S. 
Department of Agriculture and the Chief of the Bureau of Entomology. 
Mr. E. P. Felt: I have no objection to the proposed action, but an 
attempt to formulate a report of this sort might embarass the committee 
and I am not altogether clear that it is advisable for committees in both 
organizations to handle the same matter. This seems to be within the 
province of the Entomological Society of America and as our membership 
