249 [Annual Meeting. 
on tablets, and marked with printed labels by Miss Carter. 
There are 2583 specimens, representing 304 genera, and 492. 
species. 
Mr. C. J. Sprague has given us 300 specimens of dried 
plants, 250 of which are from Florida, collected by A. H. 
Curtiss, and 50 are rare New England species collected by C. 
J. Pringle, of Vermont. These are all fine specimens, and 
have been mounted and placed in their respective places in 
the Herbarium. 
The work of sorting the duplicates and filling the gaps in 
the General Collection therefrom has been steadily progres- 
sing under the direction of Mr. Cummings. 
Mr. E. T. Bouvé has kindly continued his work upon the 
trees and shrubs of New England, a number of species hav- 
ing been added to the collection. 
The work upon the Anatomical department has been 
in great measure suspended, but a new section of this 
collection has been established, and many new preparations 
made. In this new section there are now brought together 
preparations made by Mr. Van Vleck exhibiting the general 
anatomy of the invertebrates and the typical forms of the 
different subdivisions of the animal kingdom. They are 
temporarily exhibited in floor cases, which have been con- 
structed out of the old cases which formerly served in 
the Mason street building to hold the shells. These are 
economical, but can hardly be described as either safe or or- 
namental. 
The final report upon the collection of Shells, which was 
promised in the last Annual Report, cannot be given on ac- 
count of the sickness and prolonged absence of Miss Wash- 
burn, whose services were necessary for the completion of 
this part of the work. Mr. Van Vleck worked over the 
duplicate sets returned from the estate of Dr. Carpenter, and 
has done the preliminary work upon the mass of other dupli- 
cates. The collection is in reality finished, with the excep- 
