8 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



issued by the end of this year. The senior author of the work, 

 Mr. Charles Wachsmuth, has not lived to see the publication 

 completed. His whole life had been devoted to the study of the 

 North American Crinoids. He was an ardent collector and a philo- 

 sophical student of the group. He made during his lifetime two 

 great collections, one of which was secured for the Museum in 1873, 

 and the other he brought together with his friend Mr. Springer. 

 These collections were the materials upon which was based their 

 Monograph, which will be his monument to science. 



A good deal of confusion regarding the date of publication of 

 this Monograph has been caused by the premature publication, a 

 few months ago, of a review of the volumes by a person having 

 access to the sheets and plates in Mr. Wachsmuth's hands. 



It is hoped that by the arrangements made by the Corporation 

 on behalf of the Museum, the funds which for the past years have 

 been expended for the benefit of the Undergraduate Department 

 may gradually be restored to the Museum account, and expended 

 more in accordance with the original aims of the Museum. 



During the past year the Museum has lost the services of two 

 of its officers. 



Dr. D. D. Slade, who for many years had devoted his time to 

 the Osteological Collection of the Museum, died at Chestnut Hill in 

 February last. Dr. Slade attempted to build up an advance course 

 of osteological research, and it was a great disappointment to him 

 that he met with so little encouragement. He devoted his time 

 mainly to the arrangement of the material in his charge, and wrote 

 a number of papers on special subjects connected with osteology. 

 He hoped to build up the osteological collection with special refer- 

 ence to its use as an aid in palaeontological research. 



By the death of Josiah D. Whitney, American geology loses one 

 of its oldest Professors and one of its soundest and most thorough 

 investigators. He was the oldest officer of the Museum. In 1875, 

 when the Sturgis-Hooper Professorship was changed to one of 

 Geology, and his duties as Director of the Mining School ceased, 

 Professor Whitney became attached to the Museum. From that 

 time he was identified with its interests, devoting his time mainly 

 to higher instruction and to the publication of the material he had 

 accumulated during his connection with various geological surveys. 



Of the more important publications which the Museum owes 

 to him, I may mention " The Azoic System," " The Auriferous 



