378 



George F. Read ; S. Y. Slircve ; Boston Society of Natural 

 History (in exchange) ; S. Carlin ; Charles H. Fabens ; J. 

 H. Melhchamp, of South Carolina ; J. L. Norfolk ; T. 

 Trask ; R. H. AVheatland ; F. Winsor ; C. Cooke ; Miss Eliza 

 Low ; Mrs. N. D, Cole ; James Lucas, of Manchester. 



Letters were read from Massachusetts Historical Society ; 

 Trustees of Boston Public Library ; Corporation of Harvard 

 College ; New England Historic Genealogical Society ; "W. 

 B. Trask, of Boston ; J. Linton Waters, of Chicago, 111 ; 

 Stephen H. Phillips ; and B. F. Morrison, of Nantucket. 



The Chairman then proceeded to make some general re- 

 marks upon the character of these meetings, the objects of 

 the Institute, &c. He also alluded to the importance of a 

 more intimate knowledge of the things around and about us. 

 Some peoj)le pass their whole lives without knowing the 

 names of the common plants that lie as it were continually 

 under their feet. These jDlants are called weeds and that to 

 them is enough — so it is with most if not all of the almost 

 infinite variety of animals, and even of the rocks and stones 

 which abound so profusely in many portions of our county. 

 This led him to notice the importance of the study of these 

 subjects in our schools and to observe that at least some 

 general ideas of them should be obtained that will lead to a 

 more intimate knowledge of them after the period of school 

 life ha§ terminated. He then explained some of the flowers 

 collected during the ramble in the forenoon — among which 

 he noticed the Arethusa bulbosa; Clintonia bor e alls, iornier- 

 ly known as Dracana — an Alpine plant — not common in 

 this region ; the Mitchella repens, Callapalusti'is, &c. 



F. W. Putnam mentioned that among the donations an- 

 nounce(^ was a fine specimen of the American Ptarmigan, 

 taken a few weeks since near Lily pond in Manchester, by 

 Mr. James Lucas of that place, and by him presented to 



