103 



once been taken out, and lives had thus been lost by bites from these 

 reptiles kept for exhibition. He also alluded to the pickerel and 

 described the difference existing in species found in various localities. 

 He also explained the formation of galls on the willow and other trees, 

 by the insect depositing its eggs in an incision in the bark. A cater- 

 pillar of peculiar construction was described as being the larva of the 

 saw-fly. 



M. FERDINAND BOCHER, Professor in the Massachusetts Institute 

 of Technology, spoke of the beneficial combination of science and 

 literature, giving some amusing illustrations of what he called the 

 scientific and unscientific methods of teaching languages. Language 

 he claimed was an important element of history, and the peculiarities 

 of language threw much light upon history. Facts should be the 

 foundation of theories, and not the deductions from them. 



Mr. E. W. BUSWELL, Treasurer and Corresponding Secretary of the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society, spoke of Field Meetings as an 

 important auxiliary in carrying forward the peculiar work of such or- 

 ganizations as the Essex Institute. 



Eev. G. A. POLLARD, late of the Erzroom Mission, alluded to the re- 

 mark of Prof. Bocher relative to history being learned from languages, 

 and gave some striking illustrations that had come under his own ob- 

 servation. He also gave an interesting account of the people with 

 whom he formerly labored, alhfding to the commonly received belief of 

 their origin, tracing back as far as a grandson of the patriarch Noah. 



The following resolution, proposed by Mr. E. N. WALTON of Salem, 

 was unanimously adopted. 



Resolved, That the thanks of the Institute are due to Messrs. James 

 Flint, S. O. and C. Crane, Abiel and Charles H. Hayward and others, 

 for their successful efforts to render the meeting interesting. 



After a pleasant visit to the excellent farm of Mr. Flint (a brother 

 of the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture) the company took 

 the cars for home, well pleased with the exercises of the day. 



Field Meeting at Bockport, Thursday, August, 26, 1869. The meet- 

 ing at the Pavilion Grounds, Pigeon Cove, Kockport, this day, was 

 attended by a large number of the members of the American Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of Science, which closed its sessions in 

 Salem on the day preceding. The greater part of the company was 

 .accommodated on an extra train which left Salem at nine o'clock 

 in the forenoon, although the morning and noon trains brought a con- 

 siderable accession. The great interest that had been awakened by 

 the recent meetings of the Association induced an unprecedented 

 number of persons to join in the excursion, and thus somewhat de- 

 ranged the plans of the citizens of Kockport, who were not prepared 

 to receive so large a delegation. 



