BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 71 



mens had been received, many of which were new to our Cabinet. To Mr. Kennicott, 

 one of our Corresponding Members in Illinois, the Society was also indebted for a consid- 

 erable number of valuable specimens. 



The Curator of Oology reported that the collection of eggs had received many ad- 

 ditions during the year from Mr. E. Samuels, obtained in California. 



No report from the Curator of Ornithology was made. Two specimens of South Amer- 

 ican birds had been presented to the collection by Mr. N. H. Bishop. 



The Curator of Crustacea and Radiata reported that his department was indebted to 

 Mr. Thos. Tallant of Concord, for some corals from California; Capt. Geo. E. Tyler for 

 one large specimen ; Capt. J. P. Couthouy for corals from the wreck of a Spanish vessel 

 sunk off the Island of Magdalena ; Capt. N. E. Atwood for Corals and a starfish ; and to 

 Dr. J. T. Parkinson for a crustacean from St. Simon's Island, Georgia. 



The Curator of Ichthyology reported the collection of his department as in fair con- 

 dition, and that the Society was indebted to Dr. A. G. Hamlin of Bangor, Dr. S. Knee- 

 land, Jr., Mrs. Geo. S. Hillard, Dr. S. Darkee, Kev. J. P. Robinson, Dr. D. H. Storer, and 

 to himself, for specimens received during the year. 



The Curator of Conchology reported the following donations : A collection of land and 

 fresh water shells from Dr. James Lewis of Mohawk, N. Y. A box of land and fresh 

 water shells from R. Kennicott, Illinois, some marine shells from Capt. N. E. Atwood, 

 and a small collection of shells from John Jas. Dixwell. 



The Curator of Botany reported that but little damage had been done to the herba- 

 rium during the year, and that the plants were generally in good condition. 



At the election of officers for the year, Capt. N. E. Atwood was chosen Curator of Ich- 

 thyology in place of Dr. Samuel Kneeland Jr. ; Theodore Lyman, Curator of Crustacea 

 and Radiata in place of Dr. John P. Reynolds, and John Green, Cui-ator of Comparative 

 Anatomy in place of Dr. Jeffries Wyman, elected President the previous June. 



The reception of the splendid bequest of Prof. Bailey seemed to inspire some of the 

 members with a desire for microscopic research, and in June a Section for the special 

 purpose was formed, called the Section of Microscopy. This, all members of the So- 

 ciety interested in the object, were invited to join. It was provided that a Curator of the 

 department should be chosen yearly at the annual meeting, whose duty it should be to 

 take charge of all specimens belonging to it, and to preside at its meetings. It was also 

 further provided that at the first regular meeting of the Society each month, the presid- 

 ing officer shall call for microscopical papers, remarks or exhibitions, and that these shall 

 be in order during the continuance of the meeting, excepting that no business matter 

 properly belonging to the annual meeting of the Society shall be superseded. The pro- 

 ceedings of this department were to be published in the Journal and Proceedings of the 

 Society, subject to the decision of the Publishing Committee. 



At the first meeting in June, Dr. Silas Durkee was elected Curator of the new depart- 

 ment of Microscopy. 



Mr. Charles J. Sprague announced the donation by Dr. Benjamin D. Greene, the 

 first President of the Society, of his large and valuable Herbarium. This was stated to 

 be particularly rich in specimens collected by the various exploring expeditions, both of 

 Europe and this country. 



In September of this year, the department of Crustacea and Radiata was divided, 



