14 



REPORT ON THE INSTRUCTION IN BIOLOGY. 



By Professors Farlow and Mark, and Dr. Ayers. 



The courses in Zoology in charge of Professor Mark during 

 the past academic year have remained substantially as during the 

 previous year, with the exception of Nat. Hist. 2, which, as a 

 part of a general plan to provide half-year elementary courses in 

 several branches of science, was reduced from a full course to 

 a half course. It was also thought desirable to introduce labo- 

 ratory exercises as a part of the work. It being obviously im- 

 practicable, as well as undesirable, to train a large number of 

 students, the most of whom never expect to pursue zoology fur- 

 ther, in the difficult labor of making dissections, the instructor 

 has been able to require in this course only the study of material 

 already prepared. This, however, has proved to be a valuable 

 means of illustrating and enforcing the subjects treated of in the 

 lectures, and the result warrants a continuation of the plan. In 

 these laboratory demonstrations the instructor has had the effi- 

 cient aid of Mr. G. H. Parker as assistant. The course was 

 given during the first half of the year, and was completed by 

 seventy students, — one Graduate, eleven Seniors, nineteen 

 Juniors, twenty-one Sophomores, twelve Freshmen, five spe- 

 cial students, and one Scientific School student. There were 

 two lectures a week. For the Laboratorj^ demonstrations — 

 four hours a week — the class was divided into sections. 



In N. H. 13 there were five students, — three Graduates, one 

 Junior, and one Scientific School student. The most attention 

 was given this year to Hydra, Star-fishes, and the Earth-worm. 



Of the four persons who pursued embryological work (N. H. 9), 

 one has produced a paper, which was completed in June, and will 

 soon appear in the Bulletin of the Museum : "The Eyes in Scor- 

 pions, by G. H. Parker." The work of two others was inter- 

 rupted before the close of the year, but their papers will be 



