Report of the Executive Board. 49 



Society — valuable exchanges. Tnis shows the importance of issu- 

 ing a journal devoted to scientific articles, especially in the depart- 

 ment of natural history belonging to our home locality. 



Independently of the Museum, special work, and the Journal, 

 the Society is steadily making a healthy progress in public lavor and 

 usefulness in another and exceedingly valuable and interesting field 

 of labor. Under a plan of action, due originally more to Prof. 

 Joseph F. James than to any other individual, carefully fostered 

 and extended by the Society, it has become a free teacher by the 

 formation of 1^ ceum classes and lectures. These have increased 

 in kind and in the number of students. The Lyceum has 82 mem- 

 bers, of which 70 per cent, have been constant in attendance on 

 the lecture courses. These lecture courses commenced on the 17th 

 of September, 1S87. The first course had ''Physics" for its sub- 

 ject of treatment, and the lectures were delivered by Mr. Horace 

 P. Smith. The second course was on Chemistry, the lectures 

 being delivered by Dr. W. S. Christopher. The third subject in 

 course was Anatomy and Physiology, the lectures on which were 

 delivered by Dr. B. Merrill Ricketts, assisted by Dr. Goode and 

 Dr. W. R. Amick. It must be borne in mind that these lectures 

 have been prepared and delivered by the free act of these gentle- 

 men for the benefit of the Society and of the classes, they should 

 therefore have the hearty thanks of the Society. The fourth 

 course will be on Microscopy, by Dr. C. E. Caldwell, and the fifth 

 and last will have Zoology for its subject, by Mr. Wm. Hubbell 

 Fisher, assisted by Mr. Chas. Diiry. 



Beside the lecture course, the Woodward and Hughes High 

 Schools have inaugurated the custom of sending pupils to the Mu- 

 seum to receive tuition m zoology through use of the animal objects 

 themselves. Monday afternoons have been set aside for Hughes — 

 and Tuesday afternoons for Woodward High School. Attendance 

 from Woodward (voluntary) has been from 20 to 40 pupils; from 

 Hughes (by order) about 100. It is to be hoped that these clashes 

 will be made permanent and regular, and the prospect is flattering 

 for the reason that attendance will arise from a pleasurable induce- 

 ment, combining the features of a holiday with those of useful instruc- 

 tion. It is Hkewise to be hoped that our Society may thus gather the 

 like happy and busy throngs to be seen on public days in the great 

 Museum in the city of New York. 



The Society has also had its regular winter course of lec- 

 tures, to the number of ten, at regular weekly periods, 



