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REPORT ON THE INSTRUCTION IN GEOLOGY, PALAE- 

 ONTOLOGY, AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



By Professors N. S. Shaler and W. M. Davis. 



During the past year this instruction was given by sections, 

 field and laboratory teaching as follows, viz. : — 



1. An elementary course in Descriptive Geology, consisting of sixty 

 lectures and fifteen days of field work on the geology of Eastern Massa- 

 chusetts. Students in this course were also required to pass an examination 

 on the more important parts of Dana's Manual of Geology. Those who 

 desired to pursue the higher courses in Geology mentioned below were 

 required to take a course on Determinative Mineralogy, given by Mr. 

 O. W. Huntington, Instructor, in the mineral cabinet. The total number 

 of students in this course was one hundred and sixty-five. 



2. A course in Advanced Geology, designed to give an acquaintance 

 with the history of the science, with criticisms upon its methods of in- 

 quiry ; together with some practical knowledge of the methods of field 

 work. In addition to the sixty lectures, the students were required to 

 become familiar with Lyell's Principles of Geology, and also to pursue, 

 under the immediate direction of Prof. W. M. Davis, a systematic course 

 in field work. This course was attended by twenty-five students. 



3. A course in advanced field work, in which the students are required 

 to study a selected geological field, and to prepare a report on the same, 

 with a geological map and sections. This course was attended by four 

 students. 



4. A course in Palaeontology, open only to those who have taken the 

 elementary course in Zoology as well as the two courses in Geology 

 named above. Sixty lectures were given in this course, and the students 

 were required to become familiar with the synoptic collection of the 

 Museum, as well as with the small systematic collection of the teachers' 

 cabinet. In addition to my own Lectures on this subject, a short course 

 on Fossil Plants was given by my Assistant, Mr. R. T. Jackson. This 

 course was attended by seventeen students. 



