1889 .] 
249 
[Annual Meeting. 
guide to the museum. At present systematic work in appointing 
set hours for taking parties of persons around the Museum is not 
considered advisable but small parties are gathered, and then con- 
ducted through the educational collections. The matter has gone 
far enough to show, that if a regular office were made for this pur- 
pose and paid highly enough to secure a scientific man, or some per- 
son of sufficient scientific attainments, the results would amply 
repay the expenditure. Peripatetic lectures of this sort may attain 
a high value and do a large amount of good in the hands of a proper 
person. 
The Woman’s Education Association became desirous of con- 
tinuing their spring courses of lectures in Natural History and 
applied to the Curator to give such a course upon insects. This 
was finally agreed to upon condition that the proceeds including the 
lecturer’s pay should be donated to the introductory collections in 
the vestibule. The Association was pleased to consider this a 
worthy object, and the lectures were begun. They have been suc- 
cessful, and the proceeds will effectually help us to make progress 
where progress threatened to be impracticable on account of want 
of even the small sums of money needed for expenditure in this 
direction. Reports on the different departments in which work 
has been done are as follows. 
Geology. 
Mr. Crosb3 r has completed the revision and re-arrangement of 
the lithologic collection in room B. The principal accessions to 
this collection are a fine series of polished marbles from western 
New England and New York and a series of polished granites from 
New England. 
The petrologic collection which formerly occupied one of the cen- 
tral or floor cases in this room has been expanded, by the addition 
of the new material collected during the past six years, and re-ar- 
ranged so as to fill both the central cases. This is now a very in- 
teresting and instructive exhibit. 
Mr. Crosby’s time has been largely occupied in the preparation 
of the guide to room B, on the same general plan as that for room 
A. The main part relating to the lithologic collection will be pre- 
pared early in the coming year. The explanatory text for two new 
numbers of the series of Guides, Dynamical geology and Structu- 
ral geologjr, will then be ready for publication. 
