parasitic habits make it, to lis veiy remarkable, though it is 

 far from useful, o]ie species injuring the flax-fields in 

 Eui'ope. 



Mr. William R. Deane, of Brookliiie made some re- 

 marks pertinent to the occasion, in which he praised the 

 custom ol ladies joining- in scientific and historical excursions 

 like the present, and expressed delight with this pursuit of 

 the knowledge of natnre, where 



"Some pensive creep along the shelly -Iiore, 

 Unfold the silken textui-e of a flower : 

 With sharpened eyes inspect ahornet's sting, 

 And all the wonder of an insect's wing. 

 Others trace, with curious search, tlie hidden cause 

 Of nature's changes, and her various laws : 

 Untwist her beauteous web, disrobe her charms, 

 And hunt her to her elemental forms" 



Mr. Horatio Gates Jones, of Philadelphia, aft^ii a.&w 

 general remarks, alluded to some of the botanists 9f Penn-. 

 sylvania, among whom were Dr. William Darlingtoa^of West 

 Chester, recently deceased, author of several works oa bota- 

 ny, and William Bartram, of Philadelphia, who may be con- 

 sidered one of the pioneers of American botany, ECe then 

 alluded to some hivestigations that had lately been, made by 

 him in the early history and statistics of paper-making,, al- 

 luding to the Rittenhouse Paper Mill in Philadelphia, which, 

 is presumed to be the first of its kind established in this coun- 

 try. It was built in 1690. He alluded to the fact that the 

 fibre of the poplar, after being converted by chemical means 

 into a pulp, is largely used in the manufacture of paper* 



Rev. Dr. J. C. Stockbridgb, of Chelsea, made some pleas-, 

 ant remarks of a general character. 



A lobster just in the process of casting ofi" its shell was 

 placed upon the table, and Mr. Eben Blatghpord of Rock- 

 port, made some interesting remarks descriptive of tliis inter-, 

 esting feature in this class of animals. 



