14 



Atlas of Massachusetts, fifty-five sheets quarto (with F. A. Walker and 

 H. L. Whiting). January, 1891. 



Report of the Massachusetts Topographical Survey Commission. Jan- 

 uary, 1891. 



The instruction during the past year in the elementary courses in 

 Physical Geography and Meteorology, by Professor W. M. Davis, 

 has been greatly benefited by the occupation of the new rooms 

 assigned to these subjects in the Geological Section of the Mu- 

 seum ; and by the aid of Mr. R. DeC. Ward, of the class of 1889, 

 who has acted as assistant in the laboratory work. Under these 

 favorable conditions, it lias been possible to introduce certain 

 practical methods of laboratory teaching that have been in mind 

 for several years past, but which have been unattainable heretofore 

 in smaller rooms and without assistance. Each of these elemen- 

 tary courses occupied half a year, the number of students in the 

 course on Meteorology being ninety, and in Physical Geography 

 one hundred and ten. In each course, two lectures a week were 

 given to the whole class in the large Lecture Room on the first 

 floor ; and an hour of laboratory work was arranged for each of 

 the five sections into which the class was divided for this purpose, 

 this work consisting of exercises on charts, maps, diagrams, models, 

 photographs, etc., and involving about two hours' additional work 

 by each student for its proper completion. In order to test the 

 progress made by the class, it was divided into twelve sections, 

 each of which met the instructor or the assistant weekly for a half- 

 hour's recitation, followed by half an hour for a written exercise. 

 Although the amount of time required for the work by the 

 instructor and the assistant was great, it is believed to have been 

 well expended, to the profit of the students : moreover, the marks 

 assigned on the frequent recitations and written exercises, when 

 combined at the end of the term, are found to be a valuable check 

 on the mark given upon the final written examination. 



The second course in Physical Geography and Meteorology, for 

 students already acquainted with the rudiments of these subjects, 

 was attended by six students. The work in this course is done 

 individually by the students, and discussed in a weekly conference 

 of two hours. The subjects studied in the past year were the 

 Natural History of Rivers ; the Physical Geography of Wisconsin ; 

 Professor Russell's Theory of Cold Waves ; the Chinook Wind of 

 the Rocky Mountains ; and Faye's Theory of Cyclones. To this 



