90 



Society says: — "The great aim of the society is to call forth and 

 encourage latent taste for natural history." The President of the 

 Liverpool Naturalist's Field Club says: — "Large numbers join our 

 excursions who are not particularly interested in any branch of natu- 

 ral science, and this is just what the chief object of our club renders 

 a desirable circumstance. The busy appearance of our workers, who 

 often come in when tea is half over, flushed with exercise and ani- 

 mated with success, is a suggestive lesson to others who may be found 

 waiting at the door of our meeting room half an hour or even an 

 liour before the appointed time ; a lesson on the diflerence of the 

 amount of pleasure aflbrded by a walk with a special object and a 

 walk without one." 



It is gratifying to observe that an interest in these field excursions 

 has been awakened in this country; the Worcester Natural History 

 Society has held several during the past two or three years, and con- 

 template their continuance the present season. Last week the Natural 

 Histoi-y Section of the Pittsfleld Young Men's Association, held a very 

 successful meeting at Stockbridge, and several of the members of the 

 Institute were present and took part in the proceedings. 



Mr. F. W. Putnam of Salem was introduced and gave an account 

 of his reseai'ches in the department of zoology, exhibiting specimens 

 of two species of turtles found in the pond — the Painted and the 

 Musk — and described their peculiarities, as he also did of the Pick- 

 eral, the Perch, the Shiner, and several other species of fishes found 

 in the tow^n. He also exhibited a cluster of flsh eggs, the species of 

 which he had not yet identified. He gave an interesting account of 

 the May-fly, which at this season is very abundant in many places. 

 Mr. Putnam next alluded to a fine group of stone and copper imple- 

 ments which had been collected in Wakefield by Mr. James H. Carter 

 and brought to the hall for inspection, some of which he had kindly 

 donated to the Museum. He called special attention to the copper 

 implement as being of the greatest interest and raritj^; as but very 

 few copper implements had been found in Massachusetts. The speaker 

 remarked that within a few years increased attention had been given 

 to the study of Archaeology, and spoke of its importance in contribu- 

 ting to our knowledge of the difl'erent races of people that had in- 

 habited this continent prior to the advent of the European. 



Mr. E. S. Morse spoke of the different mollusks or shells found in 

 ponds and brooks during the day and now exhibited to the meeting, 

 happily illustrating his remarks on the blackboard. He traced the 

 development of animals through their various stages of growth, the 

 common frog being selected as the i-epresentative. 



Hon. LiLLEY Eatox of Wakefield was next called upon. He extend- 

 ed words of welcome, congratulation and gratification, to the friends 



