Annual Meeting.] . 8 [May 3, 



visible to him, both in the increased powers of the teachers them- 

 selves, and in their use of what they had learned in the instruc- 

 tion of their pupils in the Public Schools of Boston." 



The Teachers' School of Science has also had another branch in 

 active operation which has heretofore never appeared in this con- 

 nection because the courses were paid for by the teachers them- 

 selves. Nevertheless the lessons given in our Winter Laboratory 

 every Saturday since the commencement in the fall of 1877 

 properly belong in this part of the Curator's report. The Cura- 

 tor, assisted by Mr. Van Vleck, has had two classes in Zoology 

 occupying four winters, and numbering in all fifty-nine teachers, 

 Mr. B. H. Yan Vleck a class in Physiology numbering fifteen 

 teachers, and Mr. W. O. Crosby a special class in Geology. 



These classes have demonstrated a demand for the kind of 

 knowledge we can give so earnest that a good proportion of the 

 teachers were willing to surrender their holidays to laboratory 

 work and also to pay for the privilege. We can also state posi- 

 tively that there were a number more who would have attended 

 but for the obstacle of the fee charged for tuition. We shall make 

 no farther effort to continue these classes, now that the reality of 

 this demand has been shown unless they can be placed on a 

 more liberal basis, and one more consistent with the usual policy 

 of the Society with regard to the needs of our public schools. 



Winter Laboratory. 



We shall hereafter give an account of what has been done 

 in the laboratory attached to the Museum. This laboratory has 

 been used by the following classes : one in Zoology from Boston 

 University, one in Zoology and Paleontology from the Massa- 

 chusetts Institute of Technology ; both of these under charge of 

 the Curator. One in Physiology from the Boston University, 

 and one in Physiology composed of teachers of the public schools, 

 both the last named under the charge of Mr. B. H. Van Vleck. 

 An agreement has been arranged between our Council and the 

 Boston University, which enables us to separate the work done 

 in this department from all danger of future interference with 

 that of other departments. 



