120 



all classes, from its foundation, in correcting which he has 

 been assisted by Dr. A. A. Gould and T. T. Bouve, Esq. 

 This list ftirnishes, so far as possible, the name, residence, 

 time of election and admission of members, the character of 

 their membership, the time and cause of its dissolution, and 

 the offices, if any, held by them. The Records, both of the 

 Society and Council, from the commencement to the pres- 

 ent time, have been carefully gleaned for all important data, 

 and the list is beUeved to be as nearly perfect as practicable, 

 Accompanying it is a list of all the officers since the founda- 

 tion of the Society, and the times of their entrance upon 

 and exit from office. 



In accordance with the provisions of the By-Laws of the 

 Society, the Custodian has opened a Donation Book, in 

 which all objects received for the Museum are entered care- 

 ftiUy and numbered by lots. The increase to the Collections 

 during the past year has been very considerable, although 

 only $68.50 has been spent in the purchase of specimens; 

 there are no means of direct comparison with the accessions 

 of former years. The donations number 443 lots and 21,155 

 specimens, about half of which are Insects, principally form- 

 ing the cabinet of the late Mr. C. A. Shurtleff, which was 

 bequeathed to us, together with his other collections and ac- 

 companying papers ; they form the most valuable addition of 

 the year. 



The opening of our collections once more to the public, 

 after their long storage, has made our halls again the favorite 

 resort of many ; the number of visitors has varied but little, 

 notwithstanding the difficulty of access to the building in 

 the severe winter weather, the unheated ajDartments at that 

 time, and the breaking up of the ground around us in the 

 spring. 'No regular record was kept of the number of vis- 

 itors in the early part of the official year, but since the first 

 of January they have been 7,363 in number, averaging 272 

 on public days. 



We will turn now to the Reports of the Curators. These 

 I have concluded to present, not in any scientific arrange- 

 ment, but in the order which one would naturally take in 



