MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



9 



Among the special exhibits of the year, mention should be made of 

 the Icelandic collection of W. S. C. Russell, the group of winter 

 birds, a collection of galls, of seeds, of the flora of the region, and 

 of spiders. These displays were made in connection with the meeting 

 of the New England Federation of Natural History Societies. 



A new departure of moment has been made the past year in 

 cooperation with the American Museum of Natural History of New 

 York city, through the good offices and generosity of Nathan D. Bill. 

 A number of articles from the Arctic regions, used or collected by 

 the Peary party, have been displayed in the main hall for several 

 weeks. Advantage has been taken of the popular interest in the 

 search for the North Pole, and .this interest has been directed along 

 lines of further study and research so as to lead to reading of books 

 on Arctic exploration, on the Eskimos, and cn the physical geography 

 of the regions traversed by Peary and his companions. In April the 

 museum was opened on Saturday evening for the benefit of those 

 who could not otherwise see the exhibit. The success of this venture 

 on the part of the museum warrants a repetition of the experiment 

 along other lines, and just as the American Museum of Natural 

 History, out of its treasures, aids greatly the work of smaller insti- 

 tutions by putting at their disposal such loan collections, so this 

 museum may do a like service for towns and villages in its vicinity 

 and thus foster nature study, promote the v/ork of the public schools, 

 enrich individual lives, and broaden community outlook. 



The Fiftieth Anniversary. 



Due recognition is to be made of the completion of half a century 

 of work by this department of the association. An historical sketch 

 of the early beginnings of the collections, and their steady progress 

 in size and quality, with a description of the several quarters pro- 

 vided for the museum, and an account of the steps whereby the 

 present Science Building was secured, together with personal notes 

 on those who have contributed time, energy, and money to the 

 upbuilding of the institution, has been prepared for publication. An 

 informal reception is to be held at the Science Building after the 

 annual meeting of the association, and in the evening a lecture open 

 to the public will be given by A. Radclyffe Dugmore, the noted traveler 

 and naturalist, on "Wild Animals of Africa," at the Central High 

 School. 



