OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. • 63 



request gave a review of his talks of last spring. Incidentally he 

 referred to the enormous increase in the number of species of 

 plants known and named since the days of Linnaeus. He attrib- 

 uted this increase to a concurrence of several causes, among 

 which were, first, the impetus imparted to botanical study by the 

 introduction of the natural system of classification ; second, the 

 exploration of new regions ; third, the greater number of observ- 

 ers ; fourth, closer and more systematic observation. Another 

 cause, not so legitimate as these, was the tendency now preval- 

 ent of magnifying minute differences and of restricting specific 

 definitions, thus multiplying specific and varietal names beyond 

 all due bounds. 



Adjourned to November 7th. 



Tuesday evening, November 7th. Regular meeting, the Vice 

 President in the chair. After business Mr. Batchelder conducted 

 a special review of the Pteridophyta, illustrating the subject by 

 specimens of Eqiiisetiim, Botiychiuni and Lycopodimn. 



Adjourned to November 21st. 



Tuesday evening, November 21st. Regular meeting, the Vice 

 President in the chair. Adjourned to December 5th. 



Tuesday evening, December 5th. Annual meeting, Miss May 

 W. Davis in the chair. The annual report of the Secretary was 

 read and accepted and ordered placed on file. The annual report 

 of the Treasurer was similarly disposed of. Mr. William E. 

 Moore and Mr. Edward H. Fogg were appointed a committee to 

 nominate officers for the ensuing year. They reported the fol- 

 lowing names : President, Mrs. Albert O. Brown ; Vice Presi- 

 dent, Mrs. J. Arthur Williams ; Secretary, Miss Ellen E. Connor ; 

 Treasurer, Miss Ellen F. W^iggin. Executive Committee : Mr. 

 F. W. Batchelder, Miss Ellen F. Wiggin, Rev. Charles J. Staples. 



The secretary elect having positively declined- to serve, the 

 nomination of some other person was left to the nominating com- 

 mittee. The committee then asked for more time, and their re- 

 quest was granted. A very interesting letter from Mr. William 

 H. Huse was read, relating to certain tupelos, from which speci- 



