BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 199 



The fall and winter of this official year were characterized by a degree of work done in 

 direct instruction by the Custodian, and other officers of the Society and assistants, so un^ 

 exampled in character as to call for special and full notice. 



The study of natural history had been recently introduced into the public schools, and 

 it was thought by those who had been instrumental in effecting this, particularly by Miss 

 Lucretia Crocker, the supervisor of that department, that the teachers generally of the 

 schools should have such instruction in the several branches, as could be well given under 

 the auspices of the Society. An appeal to its officers was therefore made by Miss Crocker 

 for assistance, and as this was urged as essential to success, the call was cheerfully re- 

 sponded to. The opportunity of interesting the children of the public schools in natural 

 history through lessons given to the great body of their teachers, seemed too much in the 

 line of the Society work to be lost, and strenuous efforts were at once made to do all that 

 was possible in furtherance of the object. 



The Council appointed the President, Mr. Bouve, Vice President, Mr. Cummings, and the 

 Custodian, Mr. Hyatt, to take charge of the matter, giving them full authority to arrange 

 for the lectures, obtain specimens for illustration and distribution, and to approve bills for 

 such expenses as might necessarily be incurred, it being understood that, excepting the 

 time and labor devoted to the object, the cost should be defrayed by subscription. 



The wonderful success that attended the movement will be presented in the annual 

 report of the Custodian at the yearly meeting in May. 



De. J. B. S. Jackson. 



1879, January 15th. After calling the meeting of this date to order the President said: 



Since we last met. Death has once again entered our circle and borne from us one of the 

 oldest and most highly respected of the active members of the Society, Dr. J. B. S. Jack- 

 son. 



To those of you who have not been members for more than the last decade or two, 

 there can be but little appreciation of the feeling experienced by those of us who 

 were contemporary, or nearly so, with the founders and early members of the Society, 

 when one of their number passes the limit that divides the seen from the unseen. Among 

 these were men of noble characters and impulses, with whom to be associated was to be 

 impressed with such sense of their great excellence and purity of purpose as no subsequent 

 experience through life could obliterate. Claiming but little knowledge of natural his- 

 tory, but strongly appreciating the importance of its study both for themselves and the 

 community, they came together for mutual help in the acquisition of knowledge, and to 

 combine their efforts for its dissemination, modestly expressing in the preface to the first 

 number of the Journal " that having but small claims to the character of naturalists, they 

 nevertheless are desirous of contributing something to the common stock of information." 



In the greater light of the present day, and reflecting upon the little aid attainable by 

 them through books or collections, we may well exclaim, Noble men ! Simple seekers of 

 truth, not only for your own good but for that of all others ; you grandly did your work ! 

 And so they did. The many volumes of their papers and proceedings attest this : the 

 State reports upon the geology; the'invetebrate animals; the fishes; the insects injuri- 

 ous to vegetation ; the trees and shrubs of Massachusetts ; all by early members resident 



