85 



GIonce:^ter Telcpi-apli. Ilaverliill Gazette. Ipswich Chronicle. Land and Water. 

 Lawrence American. Little Giant. Lynn Reiiorter. Lynn Transcrijit. Jledical 

 and Surgical Ueporter. Nation. Nature. Peabody Press. Salem Oljserver. The 

 llrunonian. 



The Superintendent of the Museum reported : — 



From Miss J. U. Colby, a Fire Set, taken from the ruins of the liouse of Mrs. 

 Mullilccn, burned by the Britisli at the Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775. 



FIRST FIELD MEETINGS — DR. WILLIAM STIMPSON. 



The President in his opening remarks alluded to the 

 coincidence of this day being the twenty-third anniversary 

 of the tirst Field Meeting, which was held in the ncigh- 

 horing town of Danvers, on June 12, 1849. Some twelve 

 or fifteen members in private carriages assembled at the 

 Plains, and under the guidance of our old friend. Dr. 

 Andrew Nichols, visited the locality of the Vaccinium 

 vitii^-idea first discovered by William Oakes in 1820 — 

 this plant is seldom found growing elsewhere within the 

 limits of Massachusetts. The sphagnous borders of 

 Cedar Pond in Wenham were also visited and there was 

 detected the Andromeda pol if olia just passing out of bloom. 

 Thence repairing to Berry's Tavern at the Plains, the 

 afternoon was devoted to explaining and illustrating by 

 the microscope (a constant accompaniment at these meet- 

 ings) the structure and economy of the lower algae, fungi, 

 lichens, etc. The second meeting, a few weeks later, 

 was held at the residence of A. T. Newhall in Lynntield. 

 There were present with us on this occasion, Messrs. F. 

 Alger and C. T. Jackson of Boston, and Seaman of 

 German3\ Ship Rock and the serpentine ledges in Lynn- 

 lield were visited, and at the afternoon session furnished 

 topics for discussion. The third, on the 28th of August 

 following, winis at the seashore on Burley Smith's farm in 

 Manchester. Some visited the woods of Essex and Man- 

 chester where Cutler and Oakes, in years long past, were 



