150 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 



fact that the methods of teaching geography in some of our public schools are now under- 

 going a change in favor of the more natural method introduced by him. 



" The necessity of actually handling and dissecting specimens obliged the Committee, 

 after consultation with the masters of the Public Schools, to confine the issue of tickets to 

 about two for each school. This limited the average attendance at the succeeding lessons, 

 six on mineralogy, eleven on zoology, and ten on botany, to about fifty-five. Specimens 

 were distributed and studied at every lesson, and we know that in many instances the 

 instruction was repeated at the schools. We have without doubt excited an interest in 

 natural history, which must speedily effect a marked improvement in the system of public 

 instruction. 



" The lectures of the first course by Professor Niles were given in the commodious hall 

 of the Institute of Technology, the others in the lecture room of the Society. The mate- 

 rials for the course of zoology were largely furnished by Prof. S. F. Baird, United States 

 Commissioner of Fisheries, and those of the botanical course by Prof. Asa Gray, from the 

 Botanic Garden at Cambridge. 



" The expenses of the Society in connection with these lectures were but trifling, and it 

 received donations incidental to their delivery of considerable value. Among these were 

 a full suite of the marine animals of Wood's Holl, a full and complete collection of the 

 fauna of the southern coast of Massachusetts, and also a complete collection of the marine 

 animals of the coast of Maine. These collections were purchased for the Teachers' School 

 of Science by Mr. Cummings, but as the duplicates were sufficient for the distribution at 

 the schools, a series from all of them was first selected for the Museum to be the property 

 of the Society. Many of the species thus obtained were not before in the cabinet. The 

 visit of the Custodian to Wood's Holl to procure the specimens required for the school, 

 enabled him fortunately to procure a complete set of the skins of sharks, rays, skates and 

 other large fishes, which were collected by the vessels and the men in the employ of the 

 U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries." 



The Custodian, in addition to what has been given above, stated that at his solicitation 

 Mr. Charles J. Sprague had generously given two hundred dollars towards preparing the 

 skins mentioned above for the New England collection. 



The rearrangement of the Museum in accordance with the plan adopted by the Society, 

 had been commenced by removing the birds to the upper gallery, where suitable cases had 

 been prepared for their reception. As the experience of the Society may be of service 

 to some who read these pages, the statement of the Custodian concerning these cases is 

 given entire. " Extraordinary precautions were taken to render them absolutely insect 

 tight. The lumber was very carefully selected and kept heated while the work was going 

 on. All joints were tongued, grooved and glued. The tops, bottoms and sides were built 

 into the plastering, the sashes grooved and tongued and locked by wedge-shaped bolts. 

 The latter were arranged so as to draw the sashes up tightly and firmly against the 

 tongues at the top and bottom and completely close the fronts of each case. Morse's 

 patent brackets were used to suspend the shelving, which hangs upon the wall and has no 

 connection with the fronts. The success of these precautions is shown by the air tight 

 condition of the cases. By suddenly opening or closing a sash, one can readily crush in 

 or burst out the neighboring glass panes. The resistance of the air is so great that it has 



