BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 27 



There seems to have been some anxiety on the part of the Society relative to the will 

 of Mr. Courtis. In February of this year, at a meeting of the Council, extracts were read 

 and considered, and finally a committee was appointed to take charge of the matter with 

 power to take legal measures if necessary to protect the Society's interests. 



At the Annual Meeting in May, the Rev. Hubbard Winslow delivered an address on 

 the relation of natural science to revealed religion, which was subsequently published by 

 the Society. It is spoken of in the records as an ingenious, eloquent and fervid address. 



The Treasurer's report at this meeting shows the Society had on hand but |180.17, 

 whilst it owed a note for ^677 with 10 months interest. 



No money had been expended on the library during the year, and the need of a fund 

 for the purchase of books which were indispensable for progress was strongly felt. 

 Dr. Storer reported upon the state of the collections, giving a very elaborate account of 

 the condition of every department, with notice of the many valuable additions made to it 

 during the year. 



The most important acquisition was that of the great collection of insects purchased of 

 Professor Hentz, the entomologist, then residing in Florence, Alabama. This was the 

 fruit of seventeen years labor in this field of study, and was undoubtedly one of the best 

 collections extant. Professor Hentz was very desirous that the whole collection should be 

 possessed by some society of similar character to our own, rather than that it should be 

 sold abroad. He had previously offered it to Harvard College, together with his ento- 

 mological books, for |1600, but the offer had been declined. Professor T. W. Harris, then 

 Curator of the Entomological department of the Society, interested himself in obtaining 

 subscriptions in its behalf, and after much exertion, obtained in this way enough to secure 

 the collection, and also such portion of the library of Professor Hentz as was most needed 

 for our Society. The insects alone cost |550, the books |200, and other incidental 

 expenses, $39, making in all |789. 



The principal donors to the fund were Dr. B. D. Greene, Dr. James Jackson, 

 Dr. George C. Shattuck, Hon. Francis C. Gray, Hon. Jonathan Phillips, Dr. John Randall, 

 the Hon. David Henshaw and an anonymous person who gave |250 of the amount. 



The collection contained, by the count of Dr. Harris after arrival, 14,126 specimens, of 

 which 12,811 were American, and 1315 foreign. There had been much delay in 

 responses to the application for subscriptions, and Dr. Harris was annoyed in consequence. 

 In mentionino- the great accession to the cabinet at the annual meeting, he expresses 

 himself thus : " I congratulate the society in the acquisition it has received, and 

 although the tediously protracted negotiation has caused me much anxiety and vexation, 

 and the small and lingering success which has attended my efforts in your behalf has 

 subjected me to severe mortification and disappointment, I cannot but feel happy at the 

 result. It is my hope that we shall have here in entomology, as well as in other depart- 

 ments, a standard collection, rich in genera and species, as complete as possible in the 

 productions of our own country, arranged and with the names affixed to every 

 described species. Our museum then will be useful, not only to ourselves, but to all 

 others who may wish to refer to well authenticated specunens, to remove their doubts or 

 confirm their conjectures." 



