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The President requested Mr. A. C. Goodeli-, jr., to take the chair, 

 who, with a few words of introduction, in which he alluded to some 

 of the historical associations of the place, and to the fact that this 

 was the first time that a field meeting had been held in this immediate 

 locality, proceeded to introduce the several speakers. 



George D. Phippex spoke at some length on the importance of the 

 study of Botany and the use of plants in the great economy of nature. 

 He then gave particular accounts of many of the plants collected dur- 

 ing the forenoon's excursions, of which there were a goodly number, 

 both in quantity and variety. Among those which he specified, may 

 be enumerated Lobelia cardinalis, the beautiful cardinal flower, which 

 with its varieties may be easily transplanted into our gardens, and 

 become one of the most attractive flowers in the parterre; the several 

 species of Spiraea, the Orchis, Eupatorium, Gerardia, Rliexia, and 

 others. A specimen of the common teasel used by woollen manufac- 

 turers was presented, and the question was raised as to the feasible- 

 ness of its cultivation in this vicinity. Those used at Winona Mills 

 were brought from a distance. It was stated that Richard Crowuin- 

 shield, Esq., many years ago raised it in considerable quantities in 

 this town, and supplied several mills. 



Mr. James H. Emertox, of Salem, showed some very beautiful and 

 varied specimens of galls, upon the leaves of the Walnut tree, and 

 explained the habits of the insect which produces them. He depicted 

 upon the blackboard some of the forms of the architecture of the 

 webs of several species of spiders, as that of the Agelena ncevia and 

 Epeira riparia, and in reply to some queries he described their mandi- 

 bles and the manner of biting. The bite, he said, was poisonous, but 

 they seldom or never poisoned anybody, for the reason that they have 

 no jaws of sufficient power to puncture the human skin ; he had 

 handled all sorts of spiders for years, with perfect freedom, and was 

 never bitten. 



Prof. E. S. Morse spoke of the common grasshoppers, and ex- 

 plained wherein their growth diflered from that of other insects which 

 undergo a thorough metamorphosis; and Avhy they are plentj' in dry, 

 and scarce in wet seasons. The eggs are deposited in the ground. 

 In dry weather they all hatch, while continued moisture is fatal to 

 them. He concluded with some general remarks in advocacy of a 

 better knowledge of the rudiments of natural history, alluding to 

 popular errors currently entertained, and which creep into the news- 

 papers with a singular ignorance of the facts. The poisonous nature 

 of spiders and snakes then became a topic of debate, participated in 

 by Messrs. Morse, Emerton, Banci'oft, Cooke, Spofibrd, and others. 



At this time the intense lightning and loud peals of thunder, ac- 

 companying a verj' heavj' shower which had suddenly come up, inter- 



