178 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 



The Eser Palaeontological collection, presented by Mr. John Cummings, had been thor- 

 oughly revised by Mr. Crosby, and was being mounted for exhibition by Miss Carter, 

 whose efficient services to the Society were due to the generosity of Mr. Cummings. Mr. 

 Crosby had been also engaged upon the American fossils, and they were being mounted by 

 Miss Washburn, for whose desirable assistance the Society had been likewise indebted to 

 Mr. Cmiimings. 



During the summer of the past year, the Custodian, assisted by Mr. Rathbun, worked for 

 the U. S. Fish Commissioners under the charge of Prof S. F. Baird, to whom the Society 

 was indebted for the ample opportunities given the Custodian and his assistant for collect- 

 ms- The valuable additions thus made to our New England collection had been revised 

 and placed in complete order. 



The Custodian, in mentioning some work done in preparing models illustrating some of 

 the living forms of the Mollusca, remarked that the experiment had shown the practicability 

 of rendering our collections useful as a means of conveying accurate knowledge to gen- 

 eral students, teachers and the public, and he strongly deplored the insufficiency of funds 

 in every department of the Musevun, necessary to this being done, except in that of Con- 

 chology, which the bequest of Miss Pratt provides for. 



The Teachers' School of Science had been resumed with good results, Mr. Cummings 

 liberally furnishing the means. A course of about thirty lessons on Minerals had been 

 given by Mr. L. S. Burbank of Lowell, and the usual plan of presenting specimens used at 

 the lectures had been followed. In order to test the practical results of these gifts, 

 enquiries were made which resulted in showing that in as many as fifty instances the spec- 

 imens were being intelligently employed in the instruction of students of the teachers. 



The Society may therefore congratulate itself upon being the birthplace of the first 

 practicable movement for introducing the study of the natural sciences into the public 

 schools of Boston. 



The Botanical collection had received daily attention from Mr. Cummings, and had been 

 much improved by his own work and that of Miss Carter. A beautiful as well as valu- 

 able addition to this department had been made by Mr. Edward T. Bouve, consisting of 

 the preparations of the leaves and stems of New England trees and shrubs pressed under 

 panes of glass so that they can be readily studied without injury to the specimens. These 

 were accompanied by other specimens of the wood and bark of each species. When com- 

 pleted, as it will be as rapidly as possible, this collection will occupy a prominent place 

 among the New England plants. 



Among the donations worthy of mention was one of birds, shells and insects, received 

 as a bequest from the family of a deceased fellow-member, Mr. F. P. Atkinson. Although 

 very young, Mr. Atkinson had already shown much interest in the study of natural hist- 

 ory, and had attracted the friendly attention of many of the members of the Society, who 

 deeply regretted his early death. 



The evening lectures given from the Lowell fund by the Trustee, Mr. John Amory Low- 

 ell, consisted of four courses, and in all twenty lectures. Six were upon the " Chemistry 

 of the Waters," by Dr. T. Sterry Hunt; six upon " Injurious Fungi," by Dr. W. G. Farlow ; 

 six upon " American Archaeology," by Mr. F. W. Putnam ; and two upon the " Village 

 Indians of New Mexico," by Mr. Ernest IngersoU. 



