48 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 



Read at the Society's Annual Meeting, April 3, 18S8, and ordered 

 printed in the Journal. 



To the Cincinnati Society of Natural History : 



By Section 7 of Article 11 of the By-Laws, it is made the duty 

 of the Executive Board that "they shall annually report to the 

 Society the condition of the Museum and Library." In obedience 

 the following is respectfully submitted : 



The collections of the Museum have increased until much 

 valuable material has to be stored away, for which reason it cannot 

 be displayed or arranged so as to be made conveniently useful. 

 The Botanical collection is quite full, but needs the flora of our 

 own immediate vicinity and region. The valuable collection in 

 Palaeontology is being increased, chiefly from the Carboniferous 

 and Tertiary geological formations. No important advance has 

 been made in mineralogy. 



In Conchology 500 species have been added, during the year, 

 400 of which are new. The growth this year in this branch has been 

 through exchanges made by Mr. Horace P. Smith, your Custodian. 

 In Zoology the collections are increasing, though slowly. In the de- 

 partment of Ornithology it has been advised by Mr. Wm. Hubbell 

 Fisher, Dr. F. W. Langdon and Mr. Chas. Dury that attention be 

 directed to the increase of the collection from the fauna of our 

 region and vicinity. In Osteology, Ichthyology, and Anthropology 

 in its archaeological phase, litde progress has been made. No 

 increase has been made in the collection of Entomology. 



The Board regrets that there has been for some time a falling 

 off of the number of members who pursue specialties in the above- 

 named or other departments. To such an extent has this arrived 

 that there is a lack of scientific articles for the Journal of the 

 Society, which for many years caused it to rank in first class with 

 the natural history scientific journals of this and foreign countries. 

 It should be an object for the Society to increase its number of 

 working specialists. 



The Library of the Society is in a sound and flourishing con- 

 dition. It numbers now something over 3,000 valuable books and 

 pamphlets. It has been increased during the current year about 

 300, of which 160 have been exchanges for the Journal of the 



