72 



Dr. Jackson announced the donation of Mr. Thoreau's col- 

 lections to the Society. These consisted of 



1. His collection of New England pressed plants, numbering more 

 than one thousand species, arranged by himself, together with those 

 western plants collected in his journey of 1861. 



2. His collection of birds' eggs and nests, carefully identified by 

 himself, composed of New England species. 



3. The collection of Indian antiquities, consisting of stone imple- 

 ments and weapons (chiefly) found by himself in Concord. 



Dr. Charles T. Jackson read the following 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE APPOINTED TO EXAMINE THE 

 FROZEN WELL OF BRANDON, VERMONT. 



The attention of the Boston Society of Natural History having 

 been called to a communication published in the newspapers of this 

 city, by John H. Blake, Esq., and to a statement communicated to 

 this Society by that gentleman, a committee was appointed to investi- 

 gate the phenomena in question. 



This committee consists of John H. Blake, Esq., Prof William B. 

 Rogers, and Dr. Charles T. Jackson. 



On the 23d of May, 1859, Uriah A. Boyden, Esq., of this city, 

 liberally placed in the hands of the chairman of this committee the 

 sum of three hundred doUars, to defray the expenses of their inves- 

 tigations. 



On the 10th of June, 1859, Prof Rogers being otherwise engaged, 

 Messrs. Blake and Jackson proceeded to Brandon, taking with them 

 the instruments required for their examination of the well, and of the 

 geology and topography of the country around it. 



In Brandon we received much valuable assistance from Mr. J. E. 

 Higgins, and to him the care of the explorations made during our 

 absence was intrusted, Mr. Blake occasionally visiting the place, and 

 giving the requisite instructions. 



The frozen well of Brandon is situated about half a mile west of 

 Brandon Hotel, on the estate of Mr. Abraham Twombley. It was 

 dug in the month of November, 1858, and stoned up with boulders of 

 limestone rock soon after. 



In excavating this well, the first strata were found to be sandy 

 loam, then came coarse gravel, and a bed of rounded boulders, of 

 sizes varying from that of a walnut to a foot or more in diameter, the 

 spaces between the boulders being filled with fine clayey sand. 



Twenty feet from the surface, the boulder bed and soU were found 



