243 
[Annual Meeting. 
Annual Meeting, May 1, 1889. 
Mr. T. T. Bouve in the chair. 
The following reports were presented : 
REPORT ON THE MUSEUM. 
BY ALPHEUS HYATT, CURATOR. 
The revival of interest in the work of this Society which was 
noticed last year has continued and the time is perhaps not very 
distant when we may hope to begin a new era in our history. The 
progress made towards the establishment of a series of Natural 
History Gardens has been slow, but not slower than can be shown 
to have been necessary for the attainment of success. The vote, 
finally taken, empowering the Council to take measures for the es. 
tablishment of Zoological Gardens and Aquaria reads as follows : 
Resolved , That this Society cordially and fully approves the 
steps taken by its Council in the matter of Natural History Gar- 
dens and Aquaria. 
Voted, That the Boston Society of Natural History authorizes the 
Council of the Society on its behalf to proceed with the establish- 
ment of such gardens and aquaria, whenever the sum of $200,000 
shall have been raised for that express purpose, provided that of 
that sum $100,000 be forever set apart as a guarantee fund of 
which the income only shall be available for current expenses, build- 
ing and other items of maintenance or construction, and that after 
the fund of $200,000 has been raised sand the reserved fund has 
been invested, the Council shall not incur an indebtedness beyond 
the sum of eight-tenths of the actual value of the investments of 
the reserved fund. 
This conservative resolution seemed to meet the objections of 
all members who had been opposed to the scheme, and was satis- 
factory to those who believed in making the effort provided the ex- 
isting funds of the Society could be secured in case of failure of 
the Gardens to meet expenses. It is certainly very creditable, that 
a conservative body of people having a fixed policy and a success- 
ful history could be moved to undertake a new enterprise involv- 
ing so much labor for the benefit of the public and it is an unusual 
