ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. b 



species, even after retaining- full series in different stages of 

 growth for the Academy's collection. To dispose of these to ad- 

 vantage is an object of paramount importance, and one to which 

 the attention of the Council should be particularly directed. 

 We especially need, to assist our already excellent collection of 

 Crustacea, species from the Atlantic States, Europe, Africa and 

 Australia. From the latter country and from New Guinea, we 

 have every reason to hope for valuable contributions, and as our 

 own Pacific Coast species are eagerly sought for by naturalists 

 throughout the world, we may confidently expect that by a proper 

 use of our duplicates, our number of species will, before the 

 close of the present year, be certainly doubled. The same re- 

 mark will apply in a greater or less degree to the other depart- 

 ments of Natural History, and I therefore urge upon all our 

 friends, not to discard specimens because they may be thought 

 to be common, as every one in good condition, whether existing 

 in our series or not, is of value elsewhere, if not to us, and may 

 be regarded as a gift of a new species to the Academy. For the 

 proper display of our collections, however, more cases are imme- 

 diately necessary, and as one of the matters most important to our 

 interests during the present year, I urge upon the Trustees, as 

 far as the funds at their disposal will allow, to take the subject 

 of the display of all the materials in our possession into their 

 serious consideration. A few hundred dollars judiciously spent 

 now will give us case-room for some years to come, and the ex- 

 hibition of our collections to the public, while it will not only 

 assist scientific men in their investigations, will lit the same time 

 add an increased interest to our proceedings and draw from all 

 quarters valuable contributions to our stores. 



Our Library, under the able guardianship of Mr. W. J. Fisher, 

 has considerably increased, and will shortly be rendered more 

 accessible by a careful catalogue of every book and pamphlet 

 upon our shelves, now being prepared by our Librarian, and in- 

 tended to be subdivided into the different branches of study. 

 We have received many important presents during the year, 

 and I feel called upon to make special mention of the gift by our 

 friend General D. D. Colton, of the most valuable series of En- 

 tomological works, including those of Hubner, Cramer, Drury 

 and Stoll, all of which are profusely illustrated, and are of in- 

 calculable interest to students in that branch of science. To him, 



