MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



3 



an average attendance of eighteen. During the first part of the year the 

 club met in one of the lecture rooms of the Art Museum, but of late the 

 meetings have been held in the Museum of Natural History, where the col- 

 lections could be used as a means of illustration. As in the past, the 

 club has listened to frequent reviews of the more important literature of 

 the subject, and has thus kept in touch with the current research work. 

 The card catalogue list of the animals of Springfield and vicinity repre- 

 sents another line of activity of some importance, and additions to it are 

 being made constantly. The club feels that it has a certain mission of 

 instruction to perform, and so plans to give a series of talks through the 

 spring months on some of the groups of animals where such work of in- 

 struction is perhaps most needed and most likely to be appreciated. 

 These talks will to a certain extent take the place of regular meetings,, 

 and will be held at the usual times for meetings, 4.30 p. m. on the first 

 and third Wednesday of every month except July, August, and Septem- 

 ber." 



The Geological Club has continued its studies of local formations 

 with occasional talks on general geological topics. For this year the 

 topics relate to the Silurian era in western Massachusetts. Occasional 

 field excursions are taken to interesting localities. 



Class Work and Lectures. 



A class in entomology was conducted by Dr. George Dimmock for a 

 course of twelve lessons, beginning January 10, 1903. The meetings 

 were held on Saturday mornings, with an average attendance of fourteen. 

 Dr. Dimmock has prepared a systematic outline of work for the study of 

 the anatomy, physiology, and psychology of insects. In the outline care- 

 ful directions are given for reading and research. 



The botany class has held weekly meetings under the direction of 

 Dr. Walter H. Chapin. Study has been made of mosses and ferns. 



There have been three evening openings as follows : 

 1902. 



May 9. Talk on Vegetable Galls by Miss Fannie Stebbins. 



September 12. Exhibition of Keramic Club and the Bill Collection of 



animal groups. 



1903. 



January 28. Talk on Indian Corn by Mr. George S. Lewis, Jr. 



A lecture on " Bird Studies with a Camera," was given by Mr. Frank 

 M. Chapman of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, 

 under the auspices of the museum, in High School Hall, March 7, 1903. 

 There was an attendance of 261, and so much interest was aroused that 



