1870.] 323 [Annual Report. 



tions from other parties, including in particular some Floridan 

 mollusks presented by Mr. R. E. C. Stearns, Unionidas from 

 Cedar River, Iowa, by Mr. John King, and some three hun- 

 dred mollusks from California, Peru and New Zealand, by 

 Mr. H. Edwards. 



The collection of Radiates has been greatly improved and 

 little remains to be done ; the alcohol has been replenished, 

 new labels have been attached, and a large portion of the 

 corals and sponges mounted in an erect position upon black 

 tablets; interesting specimens from New Zealand and Cali- 

 fornia have been sent by Mr. H. Edwards, and a series of 

 sixty one specimens from various localities, with a select col- 

 lection of named species from the Gulf of California, re- 

 ceived in exchange from the Museum of Yale College ; the 

 latter are mostly types of new species described by the 

 Curator. 



The Microscopical collections continue in good order. 



The Botanical department still remains without a Curator. 

 It has, however, received an important addition in the herba- 

 rium of the Hon. J. A. Lowell, containing many thousand 

 specimens carefully labelled, mounted and catalogued. Mr. 

 Lowell has also given specimens of wood and a mass of un- 

 arranged duplicates and special collections, among the latter 

 many of Oakes, Fendler, Wright and others. No collection 

 of plants, says Mr. Brigham, the acting Curator, has ever 

 been given to the Society, at once so large, so valuable and im- 

 mediately accessible for reference. The cases in which these 

 plants were contained have been placed in a new gallery, 

 constructed for the purpose in the botanical laboratory; 

 every sheet has been carefully inspected and put in order. 

 By the generous subscription of a few gentlemen of this city, 

 we have been enabled to purchase and mount a specimen of 

 the Californian Redwood tree, consisting of a ring of bark, 



