BULLETIN 



of the 



Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences 



VOLUME VIII No. 6 



e Che 



Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



by 

 HENRY R. HOWLAND 



The earliest effort in the City of Buffalo to organize a 

 society for the study of Natural History dates back to April 10, 

 1858 when eight or ten boyish enthusiasts agreed to meet every 

 Thursday evening, for interchange of scientific observations, at 

 a room in the Granite Block on Main Street, where they dis- 

 cussed the first chapter of Genesis, the value to science of Hugh 

 Miller's labors or those of Dr. Edward Hitchcock and other like 

 grave subjects and out of their slender funds subscribed for the 

 Scientific American and the Horticultural Magazine to aid their 

 budding endeavors. 



At first they called themselves "The Buffalo Natural 

 History Society", but that did not suit them and after changing 

 their title to "The Buffalo Scientific Society" and trying its 

 effect for a few months they finally decided to be known as 

 "The Lyceum of Natural Science" a name which they retained 

 during the year or two of their somewhat brief existence. In 

 April 1859 they rented a room in the Harvey Block for $25.00 

 per annum and continued their meetings until December 14th 

 of that year when they determined to give up their room 

 "unless circumstances become more favorable to our contin- 

 uance in it than they are at present". Apparently "circum- 

 stances" were adverse, for here their meetings ceased ; but among 

 these early devotees of science were Henry S. Sprague, Wm. 

 M. Stewart, James H. Hall and Edward C. Taintor, who a 

 little later shared in the organization of the Buffalo Society of 

 Natural Sciences. 



