101 



C. B. Richardson of New York ; N, Boutoii of Concord, 

 N.H.; Zoologishon Gesellschaft der Frankfurt ; A. P. How- 

 ard of Boston. 



To the Cabinets — from S. V. Shreve ; Mrs. J. F. Dcypcy- 

 ster of New York. 



Letters were read from the Trustees of Boston Public Li- 

 brary ; Corporation of Yale College ; C. M. Tracy of Lynn ; 

 L. Agassiz of Cambridge ; A. P. Howard of Boston ; Mrs. 

 Frances G. Deypeyster of New York ; D. C. Gilman of New 

 Haven Conn.; C. M. Endicott ; M. A. Stickney. 



The Chair, in introducing the exercises, made some state- 

 ments explanatory of the principles, objects and history of 

 the Institute, and of the purposes and method of these 

 "Field Meetings." We had pursued this system of gather- 

 ings for several years, and thus far, with signal advantage 

 and enjoyment to all who participated. At these meetings 

 we bring together those who feel an interest in the works of 

 Nature and who make them their especial study ; and we 

 place them face to lace with the various phenomena of crea- 

 tion, as they are exhibited in our fields, our hills, and our 

 forests. By these excursions, we are relieved from the ne- 

 cessity of studying these things in the dry, dead cabinets of 

 home : and the student who walks with us has a view of 

 them as Nature has herself arranged them, drawing his 

 conclusions from facts undisguised by the interference of 

 man, and free from that partial and imperfect character 

 which will ever be detected, even in the best ordered and 

 fullest collection. Such students of nature are with us to- 

 day ; may we hear from them how they ha,ve fared in these 

 respects during the day's rambles. 



James J. H. Gregory of Marblehead, said that this region 

 presents many interesting matters to the eye of the geolo- 

 gist. In this immediate vicinity, the rock in place is uni- 

 formly porphyritic, and the porphyry takes on a great variety 

 of texture, color and marking ; so that a long and pleasant 



