108 DIRECTORY OF AMERICAN MUSEUMS 



financial support of the society consists of the income from invested 

 funds, fees of annual members, and annual grants from the common- 

 wealth of Massachusetts and the city of Boston. The collections 

 are open free to the public on week-days, except holidays, from 9 

 to 4. In summer the hours are 9 to 4.30 (Saturdays, 9 to 1). 



BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY. Museum. 



Staff. Curator, Charles W. Johnson; Assistant curator, Joseph 

 A. Cushman; Assistants, L. R. Martin and M. E. Carter. 



Botany. The C. J. Sprague collection of 2550 North American 

 lichens; 250 specimens from the Cummings, Williams, Earle, and Sey- 

 mour collections of 700 lichens and fungi; a special New England her- 

 barium of io,ooc± specimens; a general herbarium of 5o,ooo± speci- 

 mens; and an exhibition series of common flowering plants, trees, and 

 shrubs. 



Geology. Minerals, 5150; Rocks, 4000; Relief maps, models, 

 etc., 32. 



Paleontology. Invertebrates, American, 2600, foreign, 2900, 

 types and figured specimens, 106; Vertebrates, American, 354, foreign, 

 535, types and figured specimens, 34; Plants, American, 395, foreign, 

 322, types and figured specimens, 41. There are in addition 9000+ 

 fossils in storage. 



Zoology. Shells, on exhibition, 3500, in storage, 15,500; Insects, 

 on exhibition, 5000, in storage, 25,000+, types and figured specimens, 

 150+; Other invertebrates, on exhibition, 1550, in storage, 3000+, 

 types and figured specimens, 50+; Fishes, on exhibition, 400, in stor- 

 age, 3000+, types and figured specimens, 25+; Batrachians, 250; 

 Reptiles, 500; Birds, on exhibition, 12,000, types and figured specimens, 

 724; Mammals, 400. The museum collection includes the following 

 New England species: Echinoderms, 33; Mollusks, 350; Crustacea, 

 150+ ; Spiders, mites, etc., 250+ ; Insects, 6500; Fishes, 180; Reptiles 

 and amphibians, 41 ; Birds, 322 ; Mammals, 68. There are 8 large and 

 52 small groups of animals exhibited in natural surroundings. 



Historical Sketch. The society was founded in 1830 as an 

 outgrowth of the earlier Linnaean Society of New England. It occu- 

 pied the old Atheneum building on Pearl Street for three years; as 

 a result of the rapid growth of the museum and library a new hall 

 on Tremont Street was then occupied and this too was soon outgrown; 

 in 1847 a building on Mason Street was purchased and in 1863 the 

 present building was erected. 



Financial Support. By the general funds of the society, which 



