Annual Meeting.] 240 [May 6, 



Mr. Clifford Warren Smith was elected an Associate Member. 



Mr. F. W. Putnam exhibited several bronzes from Peril and 

 gave an account of their composition and the various methods of 

 casting metals as shown by the specimens, several of which were 

 of complicated design and indicated an advance in the art which 

 had not been attributed to the ancient Peruvians. These speci- 

 mens were obtained from several different sources, and the only- 

 reason for doubting their great antiquity was the high state of the 

 art. He hoped to secure further evidence on this point. 



General Meeting, May 20, 1885. 



Vice President, Mr. F. W". Putnam, in the chair. 



Mr. G. T. Barton read a paper on the system of land-holding 

 among the Hawaiians. 



Dr. C. S. Minot discussed the phenomena of development and 

 duration of animal life. 



Mr. Wm. Newell read a paper on the different action of fresh 

 and salt water upon clays. 



Mr. Putnam exhibited several bone fish-hooks in different stages 

 of manufacture. A hole was first bored in a thin splinter of bone 

 and a triangular piece cut out, thus outlining the hook, which was 

 finished by rubbing and smoothing on a stone. These specimens 

 were lately received by the Peabody Museum from Dr. Metz who 

 had obtained them from the "ash pits "in the ancient cemetery 

 near Madisonville, Ohio. 



General Meeting, Oct. 7, 1885. 



The President, Mr. S. H. Scudder, in the chair. 



The President welcomed the members of the Society to the first 

 meeting after the long vacation ; and alluded with fitting words 

 to the 'death of Mr. Henry Edwards of Boston, a life member. 



Dr. S. Kneeland described a family of Norwegian Lapps, with 

 a herd of nineteen reindeer which were living in Copenhagen in 



