THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 121 



partook of refreshments in a primitive way. A few dined 

 ut the hotel. At 2.30 P.M. the meeting was called to or- 

 der, the president in the chair. In the absence of the 

 secretary, who was detained at the rooms in Salem, Capt. 

 George M. Whipple was chosen secretary pro tern. 



Prof. E. S. Morse was the tirst speaker ; he discoursed 

 upon the shell heaps found in this vicinity. He thought 

 they were of great age ; one proof of their antiquity men- 

 tioned was that the bones of the great auk, a bird now sup- 

 posed to be extinct, are found in great abundance in these 

 heaps. These birds were once numerous, but only a few 

 specimens are now preserved in any museum. A molar 

 tooth of a polar bear has been found in heaps near Port- 

 land or Portsmouth showing that the heaps were made when 

 the climate was cold enough for that animal many centu- 

 ries ago. Professor Morse also spoke upon the gradual 

 change in the shape of the clam, attributed to a change in 

 the climate of these regions. 



Abner C. Goodell, jr., was the next speaker. He spoke 

 of the value of old records ; regretted that the earliest peo- 

 ple did not make any record of their lives and habits. 

 He compared the present modes of recording and present- 

 ing the fects of history to the limited opportunities of the 

 olden times. The art of photography, had it been in use 

 in the early days of New England, would have preserved 

 to us views of great interest and value. John Smith in 

 1614 mentions "Plumb" Island and said it was covered with 

 mulberries probably mistaking those trees for plum trees. 

 Baker's Island, Mr. Goodell said, was named for Isaac Ba- 

 ker, who was killed on that island while felling a tree. 

 He said the imperfect account of the early years of Amer- 

 ica should teach us of the present time, faithfully and fully 

 to put on record the events great and small of to-day. 



John H. Sears spoke in reference to the peculiar geo- 



