Vernon M. Dorsey, an unusually promising mineralogist and chemist, was elected president. When a new member was elected it cost him nothing, so he was elected with the full consent of all the members, not one objecting. Passive members were allowed in this Chapter, they paying ten cents a month, which money went into the treasury.
We adopted most of the rules and regulations in the Hand-book, and, after having arranged the executive portion of the Chapter, we commenced to have a regular course of essays or lectures, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, given by the active members, which lectures the passive members could attend if so inclined. After the lectures we generally had debates, and as each member had a different branch of Natural History to which he devoted his attention, the lectures and debates were not monotonous.
We ran on pretty smoothly for about a year and a half, until the money in the treasury commenced to accumulate, when, with the exception of one or two members, the Chapter spontaneously combusted.
We have never been able to rebuild it. We can hold no meetings. It exists, really, only in name, because the prospects for the future look rather dull.
If you will allow our Chapter to remain on the list, I should much prefer you would do so.
I have carried on investigations in various branches of zoölogy, but, as this is merely a report of the Chapter, I will not enter into details concerning them.
I hope that the other Chapters will meet with better success than ours, though it may yet revive.
Yours respectfully, F. A. Reynolds, Cor. Sec.
[We are sorry that this excellent Chapter experienced "spontaneous combustion," but we hope and believe that it will ere long also experience voluntary resurrection.]
465, Waterville, Maine. Our president has moved away. The rest of us have been exceedingly busy. We have been obliged to vacate our room, and, as we could not get another, have had to store our specimens. But we are not dead yet! Far from it! It is only a case of suspended animation. We fully expect to take up work again this summer.—Charles W. Spencer, Sec.