151 



his friend, Dr. George Osgood, of Danvcrs, discovered 

 the Vacchiium vitis-ida'a (a species of cranberry), a very 

 rare plant in this section of the state. It is said that after 

 a fatiguing ramble at the close of a summer's day, in the 

 year 1820, in search of botanical specimens, upon the 

 finding of this plant Oakes raised his hands above his head 

 and with all the enthusiasm of an ardent lover of nature 

 exclaimed, "we have found a rare plant that will repay us 

 for our toil." In another direction, near the intersection 

 of the Andover and Newburyport turnpikes, is the place 

 where is found occasionally the rare toad Scaphiopus soli- 

 tarius. We well remember the enthusiasm which our 

 late esteemed friend, Dr. Andrew Nichols, manifested, 

 when conducting us to that place in June, 1843, where a 

 small pond, usually dry in the summer months, was filled 

 with these toads and the tadpoles in the various stages of 

 growth. This toad never appears except under a pecu- 

 liar combination of circumstances, that only occurs at 

 intervals of several years. Other incidents might be cited 

 of equal interest to the student of nature, but time will 

 not permit a further digression in this direction. 



The President then gave a brief review of the work of 

 the society and its objects, which he said was to collect 

 materials for the natural and civil history of the county, 

 and to cultivate a taste for the study of the sciences and 

 the arts, and to promote the general culture of the com- 

 munity. 



Mr. F. "W. Putnam, of Salem, was then introduced, 

 and gave an account of the doings of the recent meeting 

 at Portland of the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, and also of the work of Prof. S. F. 

 Baird, as U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries, located at 

 Peak's Island in Portland Harbor the present season, in 



