MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



3 



Disposal of Duplicate Birds. 



Through the generous cooperation of Mr. Gurdon Bill, the mu- 

 seum has been enabled to sell some seventy specimens of birds in a 

 fine collection recently purchased. These specimens were duplicates 

 and not needed in this museum. Mr. Bill has bought these duplicates 

 and presented them to the Bill Memorial Library of Groton, Conn., 

 which is a gift to the people of that town from Mr. Frederick Bill. 

 The birds sent from the museum include a number of interesting and 

 rare specimens and the collection will prove an incentive to bird study 

 among the people of Groton. The money received will be used in com- 

 pleting the collection already in our museum. 



Publications. 



The Museum of Natural History has pubhshed for the Springfield 

 Botanical Society the thirtieth annual report of that organization. 

 This pamphlet contains the list of officers and active members, con- 

 stitution and by-laws, an interesting sketch of the early history of the 

 Botanical Society, and a program of the meetings for 1907. 



A new edition of the "Manual on Bird Migration" has been issued 

 with complete data of time of arrivals of spring migrants for the 

 years 1901 to 1907 inclusive, and with space for recording arrivals 

 for 1908, 1909, and 1910. There is much interest shown in this little 

 book and it has done valuable service in stimulating and making intel- 

 ligent the study of the habits of local birds. 



The museum has continued to give in the Bulletin descriptions of 

 important species of trees found in this city. Sixteen species in all 

 have been described and the Bulletin for the current month has a list 

 of reference books to be consulted by those interested in tree study. 

 Plans are now made for the assembling of these articles in a manual 

 or guide on local trees. A list of the trees described is given in the 

 appendix of this report. 



Lectures. 



Professor Lewis B. Allyn, instructor in the State Normal School at 

 Westfield, gave his lecture "On the Adulteration of Food" in the Art 

 Museum on the evening of January 31. Professor Allyn showed in a 

 direct, practical way the importance of safeguarding our food supply 

 against injurious adulteration. 



It should also be noted that all the lectures of the Botanical Society 



