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The annual meeting of the Newport Nat- 

 ural History Society was held Thursday 

 evening at the Redwood Library. The 

 special fund deposited for the aquarium 

 amounts to $1 ,298.80. Prof. Raphael Pum- 

 pelly was elected president for the ensuing 

 year. 



The report of the curator contained so 

 many pertinent suggestions relative to the 

 making of natural histor}' collections, that 

 we can do no better than to print, for the 

 benefit of small societies, so much of it as 

 our space will permit After preliminary re- 

 marks, the curator said: "A list of the do- 

 nations is appended to the present report ; 

 and the objects themselves, it is satisfactory 

 to state, have during the last few days been 

 deposited in a room, which, after careful con- 

 sideration, has been rented for one year by 

 the society, as a central depot. This room 

 is in the rear of the Sanitar}' Association's 

 office, opposite the Redwood Library, on 

 Bellevue Avenue : and, while singularly 

 modest in its dimensions, 3'our council be- 

 lieve it ma}' suffice for some time for the 

 purposes in view. These are to preserve 

 carefully the donations presented, and 

 to have a central point to which further con 

 tributions can be sent. 



Referring to section V. of your by-laws, I 

 beg respectfully to point out that you have 

 there provided that onl}' such objects as 

 have a scientific value are admissible to 



your museum. This is a salutary provision, 

 without which, natural history collections 

 are apt to degenerate rapidl}' into a hetero- 

 genous assemblage of odds and ends, devoid 

 of scientific value, and elucidating no 

 leading features or principles. 



Your avowed aim is that which should be 

 the guiding theory of all local museums, 

 namel}', the formation of collections illustrat- 

 ing the local geology, the local fauna and 

 the local flora, both terrestrial and marine. 

 Such an aggregation of collections, when 

 carefully classified and named, would in 

 time be well worthy of a special building or 

 museum for its reception. To the man of 

 science it would be invaluable for reference ; 

 and to our teachers of youth it would be a po- 

 tent aid in grafting on the minds of our bo3-s 

 and girls that love of natural history-, which, 

 wherever their lots ma}^ be cast in mature 

 life, cannot but prove an unfailing source 

 of pleasure and improvement. 



The second class of objects to be concen- 

 trated in your Newport museum of the fu- 

 ture, though much less important, must 

 not be overlooked. Specimens belonging 

 to any branch of natural history from other 

 parts of the United States, and series of ob- 

 jects from foreign countries, have a positive 

 value ; and it would be a mistake to ignore 

 the deep interest which the general public 

 take in miscellaneous objects of this char- 

 acter. 



Section V. of your by-laws reserves space 

 for such ; but what is respectfully and ear- 

 nestl}' contended for in this report, is the ne- 

 cessity' of subordinating this miscellaneous 

 element ( which can find appropriate and 

 full development in the general museums 

 of large cities like New York, Boston, or 

 Philadelphia) to the main object our so- 

 ciety should keep in view, namely, the for- 

 mation of local collections. 



Some practical suggestions may possibly 

 not be regarded as out of place from your 

 curator in such an initial report as the pres- 

 ent one. The following branches of natu- 

 ral histoi-y do not present much difficulty in 

 their practical investigation ; many of the 



