100 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 



The account thus given of an exceedingly interesting occasion is largely derived from 

 the newspapers of the day, the records of the Society being meagre. 



In June of this year the Society lost one of the most promising of its younger mem- 

 bers, Carleton Atwood Shurtleflf. He was particularly interested in entomology, and had 

 recently prepared a paper upon the general plan of venation in the orders of insects, which 

 was presented and read by Mr. S. H. Scudder at a meeting in September, accompanied by 

 some remarks upon the scientific character and attainments of the deceased. The collec- 

 tion of insects and plants made by Mr. ShurtlefF, and his scientific papers, were sent to the 

 Society by the bereaved family, with the expressed wish that they should be regarded as a 

 bequest from him who had manifested such an interest in its welfare. 



The collection consisted of a considerable number of native plants, over a hundred bot^ 

 ties of alcoholic specimens, mostly insects, quite a large number of dried chrysalids of 

 insects, and a cabinet of dried insects containing about six thousand specimens beautifully 

 prepared, mostly from the vicinity, but including several hundred from China and Japan. 



At a special meeting on the 12th of August, it was announced that the twenty thou- 

 sand dollars offered by Dr. Walker, towards a working fund for the Society, on condition 

 that other individuals should subscribe a like amount, was secured, as one hundred and 

 thirty-five persons had subscribed twenty thousand, seven hundred and five dollars. 



The income receivable from the amount given by Dr. Walker was subjected by him to 

 certain conditions which are shown by the following extract from the agreement with him. 

 " The said aggregate sum of money (forty thousand seven hundred and five dollars), shall 

 be invested and kept invested in some productive real estate, or if such cannot be con- 

 veniently obtained, in mortgages, bonds, stocks, or other personal property, and shall form 

 a permanent fund, the principal of which shall not be infringed upon under any circum- 

 stances, but if through unavoidable casualties, or otherwise, any portion of said aggregate 

 fund should be lost, the whole income of the remainder of said aggregate fund shall be 

 retained and added to said fund until said loss is fully made up ; all investments and 

 changes of investments of said funds, are to be subject to the approval of the supervisors 

 hereinafter named ; all deeds, certificates and evidences relating to said aggregate fund, are 

 to be kept distinct from those of all other investments of said Societ}- ; and the accounts of 

 the principal thereof shall be kept separate from all other accounts of the Societv. 



" John A. Andrew and Samuel K. Williams of said Boston, County of Suffolk, Jeffries 

 Wyman of Cambridge, of the County of Middlesex, Thomas T. Bouv^ of the said Boston, 

 and George A. Kettell of Charlestown, of said County of Middlesex, shall be the super- 

 visors of the funds of the trust hereby erected ; and during their lives, the approval in 

 writing of the major part of them, or of the major part of the survivors of them, or of 

 their successors in the trust, shall be requisite to the validity of any sale or investment of 

 the trust property. 



" From one half of the income of the said aggregate fund representing the gift of the 

 said William J. Walker, there shall )je annually oflered two prizes for the best memoirs, 

 and in the English language, on subjects proposed by a committee appointed by the 

 Council of said S(.)ciety, as folIoAvs : 



" Fir.st, for the best meint)Ir presented, a prize of sixty dollars may be awarded. If, 

 however, the memoir be one of marked merit, the amount awarded may be increased to 

 one hundred dollars, at the discretion of the committee. 



