Annual Report.] b [May 5 



The Lowell Collection was found to be in very poor con- 

 dition, many plants having been destroyed by insects. It 

 has, however, all been rearranged, the duplicates have been 

 picked out, and it now remains only to poison the specimens 

 in order to place the collections in perfect order. Mr. Cum- 

 mingsand Miss Carter have also about half completed a New 

 England collection out of the duplicates of the general col- 

 lection, which will be entirely finished and catalogued during 

 the coming year. 



A beautiful as well as valuable addition to this depart- 

 ment has been made by Mr. Edward T. Bouve. It consists 

 of preparations of the leaves and stems of New England 

 trees and shrubs, pressed between panes of glass, so that they 

 can be readily studied without injury to the specimens. 

 These will be accompanied by other specimens of the wood 

 and bark, and will occupy a prominent place in the collec- 

 tion of New England plants. About one hundred species 

 have been so prepared, and the w T hole list will probably be 

 completed and exhibited during the coming year. 



Among the donations which may be considered worthy of 

 mention is one of birds, shells and insects, received as a be- 

 quest from the family of a deceased fellow member, Mr. F. 

 P. Atkinson. Although very young, Mr. Atkinson had al- 

 ready shown much interest in the study of Natural History, 

 and had attracted the friendly attention of many of the 

 members of this Society, who deeply regret his early death. 



The most important acquisition of the year, and also the 

 last which it is my duty to record, came to us by the bequest 

 of our former President, Prof. Jeffries Wyman. This distin- 

 guished Comparative Anatomist, deeply lamented by the 

 members of the Society, was accorded the exceptional honor 

 of a Memorial Meeting. The ceremonies of this meeting 

 w T ere made impressive by a respectful solemnity and a depth 

 of feeling which will long be remembered by the Society. 

 By his will the entire collection of anatomical specimens 

 formerly exhibited in Boylston Hall, Cambridge, was left 



