206 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 



specimens, more than ten thousand in all, were gratuitously presented to the class by Mr. 

 Spurr. 



" The Custodian followed with twelve lessons on Zoology, which will be completed on 

 the 10th of this month, and Mr. Burbank is to continue with five on Mineralogy. The 

 average attendance on fair days, so far, has been about five hundred. 



" The course was supplemented by the publication of a series of small pamphlets, under 

 the general title of Science Guides, which were intended to assist the teachers in the ap- 

 plication of the knowledge imparted by the lectures. These are described in the Report 

 of the Secretary. 



" Perhaps the most gratifying and encouraging facts are derived from an examination of 

 the statistics of the past seven years. Thus out of the 616 applicants of this winter, 

 there are 155 who had attended at least one previous course, 1 119 who had attended two 

 or more previous courses, and 44 who had attended all of the courses. Some of these last, 

 I may add, are masters of public schools." 



The Secretary's report was interesting, as he compared the condition and the work of 

 the departments under his charge during the ten years then closing. As in this volume it 

 will be better to present such comparisons at the close of another year, they are here 

 omitted. 



Of members, twenty-four Associate, five Corporate, and fourteen Corresponding 

 had been elected. Of the meetings there had been sixteen of the general Society, seven 

 of the section of Botany, and eight of the section of Entomology. The average atten- 

 dance had been twenty-two at the general meetings, eight at the Botanical, and eleven at 

 the Entomological. The meetings of the last had been unusually interesting. 



The history of the Botanical section begun, as stated by the Secretary, " under hopeful 

 auspices three years ago, is far from satisfactory." " With so much popular interest in 

 the study of Botany, the result was unexpected, and is to be regretted." 



The condition of the Library was stated to be good and its usefulness never to have 

 been so great 1169 books having been taken out by 123 persons. 



The Society was indebted to the Museo Civico of Genoa for a valuable and complete 

 series of its publications ; to Prof. Joachim Barrande of Prague, for a set of his extensive 

 works ; and to Prof. J. O. Westwood of Oxford, for a number of his papers. The addi- 

 tions to the Library are as follows: volumes, 252; parts of volumes, 1005 ; pamphlets, 

 214; maps and charts, 221; total, 1692. 



Of Publications, two numbers of the Memoirs, and three quarterly parts of the Pro- 

 ceedings had been issued. 



A new volume of Occasional Papers, the third, had been put in press, and would soon 

 be printed. Besides these, a series of Guides for Science Teaching had been prepared for 

 use in the courses of lectures to the teachers, three of which had been published and 

 distributed, the cost being defrayed by sales. The three already issued were, About Peb- 

 bles, by Prof. Hyatt ; A few Common Plants, by Dr. Goodale ; and Commercial and other 

 Sponges, by Prof. Hyatt. These were to be followed by other numbers. The Secretary 

 stated the exchange list as numbering 352 Societies or Journals, of which 50 were United 

 States and Canadian. 



1 It must be remembered that the highest number of attendants at lessons reached in previous years was 166. 



