84 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



however, that the organization was really purposing to advance 

 the sum of human knowledge was given when the academy ar- 

 ranged for the scientific observation of the solar eclipse of August 

 7, 1869. The undertaking was a somewhat serious one for the 

 little group of workers. Money had to be secured and subscrip- 

 tion lists were passed. Arrangements were made for photograph- 

 ing, and during the two hours of the shadow three dozen negatives 

 were made, of which twenty were fairly good. From them sets 



FIG. 1. BUILDING OF THE DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 



of prints were made, some of which were sold to repay expenses, 

 others of which were sent to foreign societies. It was the first 

 exchange contact of the academy with the scientific world. 



In July, 1873, the academy, now nearly six years old, rented 

 " a small back room," into which it put three or four cases for its 

 collection and where for the first time it felt itself at home. The 

 next year more commodious quarters were obtained in the Odd- 

 Fellows' Building. Increasing activity showed itself by weekly 

 conversaziones of a popular kind in addition to the regular meet- 

 ings, by the purchase of a geological library, and by field work in 



