Ill 



females only yield from fifteen to twenty barrels. Among tlie Hump- 

 backs the females exceed the males in size. The attachment of the 

 females to the young was also alluded to. 



Capt. A. concluded his remarks by giving an account of the cap- 

 ture of the whale, the manner of cutting up and obtaining the oil, and 

 other details of the various operations of the whalers during their 

 cruises. 



At the close of Capt. Atwood's interesting address, Mr. Bickuell 

 made a few remarks upon the microscopic structure of the black 

 whalebone, and stated that, in his opinion, in addition to serving as a 

 strainer to catch the food of the whale, the fringe of hairs (with which 

 each blade is furnished on its inner edge) serves as an organ of touch, 

 notifying the whale of the presence of his food. This theory is based 

 upon the fact of the hairs being but the termination of a series of tubes, 

 which ai'e continuous from their base to their termination in free ends, 

 and which are filled with a vascular pulp, and which he had no doubt 

 contained nervous substance. The examination of a piece of fresh 

 whalebone would be sufficient to decide the question. 



Donations to the Museum and Libraiy were announced. 



Monday, March 4, 1867. Eegular Meeting. 



Vice President Goodell in the chair. 



Letters were announced as received from, — J. E. Oliver, Lynn 

 (Feb. 19); B. W. Stone, New York; The Numismatic and Antiquarian 

 Society of Philadelphia; E. W. Buswell, Boston (Feb. 20). Prof. S. 

 Tenuey, Vassar College, N. Y. (Feb. 21) ; John Clark, Cambridge ; 

 W. F. Poole, Boston ; Hon. J. A. Andrew, Boston ; Horace Mann, Cam- 

 bridge (Feb. 22) ; H. N. Woods, Eockport ; William H. Leggett, New 

 York (Feb. 24) ; Augustus T. Perkins, Boston (Feb. 25) ;'"Hon. J. A. 

 Andrew, Boston (Feb. 26) ; John Clark, Cambridge (Feb. 27) ; Wil- 

 liam S. Appletou, Boston (Feb. 28) ; C. F. Brackett, Brunswick, Me. ; 

 ~D. L. Adair, Hawsville, Ky. ; Capt. N. E. Atwood, Provincetown (Mar. 

 1) ; E. T. Strong, West Addison, Vt. ; Prof. Theo. Gill, Smithsonian 

 Institution; Thure Kuinlien, Bussjrville, Wis. ; Dr. T. M. Brewer, Bos- 

 ton (Mar. 2) ; Prof. James Hul)bert, St. Francis College, Eichmond, 

 C. ^Y. ; Prof. H. C. Wood, jr., Philadelphia, Pa. ; Dr. Amos H. Johnson, 

 Salem; S. B. Buttrick, Salem (Mar. 4). 



Mr. W. P. Upham read a letter written Nov. 30, 1670, by Eev. John 

 Higginson to the Magistrates of the County Court then sitting at Sa- 

 lem, remonstrating against " Mr. Authonj^ Ashby's being admitted an 

 ordinarjr-keeper in Salem." "It is to be feared," says the writer, "yt 

 his ordinary-keeping may be a snare to ye looser sort of people in this 

 place & a means to increase drunkenness & prophaneness here, against 



