25 



Mr. Newhall also alluded very appropriately to some of the changes 

 that had taken place since the meeting of the Institute at Saugus in 

 1859, and spoke of several persons interested in that meeting, who 

 have since been enrolled among the departed worthies of that ancient 

 town. 



Mr. F. W. Putnam of Salem, exhibited several zoological specimens 

 found during his rambles, such as the eggs of the wood turtle, several 

 species of frogs, dor-bugs, etc., etc. In answer to inquiries which 

 were made, he gave some highly interesting information concerning 

 the habits of the specimens exhibited, and also spoke of the damage 

 done to vegetation by insects, alluding to the ravages of the canker 

 worm for several years, and its apparent disappearance the present 

 season in several localities where it had been very abundant for a 

 few preceding years. This he accounted for by the parasitic insects 

 which feed upon the worm and consequently check its increase for a 

 time. 



The President- remarked that the present season has been very fa- 

 vorable to all vegetation; the fields never looked greener than at 

 this time ; the specimens of flowers were abundant and looked finely. 

 Flora appears to be in the ascendant. The collections of botanical 

 specimens were very large. He called upon Mr. C. M. Tracy of Lynn, 

 who greatly instructed the audience with his comments upon many of 

 the plants and flowers, taking up the several species and narrating the 

 peculiarities of each. 



Mr. S. P. Fowi.ER of Danvers, being called upon, said that he 

 wished to speak of the value of old books and papers, "just the stuff 

 we make history of," and offered a vote of thanks to Mrs. Jonathan 

 Newhall, of Saugus (who had that day presented several old volumes 

 to the Library of the Institute) which was unanimously adopted. 



Mr. A. C. GooDELL, jr., of Salem, spoke of the historical reminis- 

 cences, and detailed his visit to an old house which was undoubedtly 

 built by one of the early workers at the foundry. He mentioned sev- 

 eral interesting facts in connection with the iron works ; also of the 

 coining of money in the colonies ; and commented upon the appropri- 

 ate names given by the early colonists to several i^laces in this vicin- 

 ity Thus, Brooksby was applied to what is now Peabody, being the 

 place where several brooks were united; Hammersmith, to that part 

 of Saugus near the old foundry, etc. Mr. Goodell, in graceful and 

 fitting terms, spoke of Saugus as a favorable region for^the Field 

 Meeting of the Institute. Being at the junction of the fresh and salt 

 water, it furnished specimens for the zoologist. Its fields were fruit- 

 ful to the botanist ; its geological opportunities were excellent and it 

 was an interesting historical region. Two hundred and twenty years 

 ago the sound of the trip hammer ranged through these fields and 



PROCKEDINGS ESSEX INST., VOL. VI. 4 NOV., 18G8. 



