1890.1 
7 
[Annual Meeting. 
representation of the geology of the Boston Basin. The Curator 
proposes to take advantage of the opportunity thus placed at the 
Society’s command to begin the accumulation of materials neces- 
sary for such a collection. Mr. Crosby proposes, if funds for this 
purpose can be obtained, to construct a model in relief of the Bos- 
ton Basin on a large scale. This will be colored to represent the 
geological structure, and will form the principal feature and cen- 
tre-piece of the exhibit. It should occupy a table-case in the mid- 
dle of a room ; the wall cases of which should be devoted to the 
exposition of the geology of the different districts of the Boston Ba- 
sin. This should include maps and plans and colored sections, as 
well as relief maps or models of the more interesting areas ; each 
illustration of this kind should be accompanied by a complete series 
of typical specimens, showing every phase of form and structure 
in the different districts. The great importance of such an exhibi- 
tion need not be enlarged upon, and it is extremely gratifying that 
this department has got to such an advanced stage of progress, 
that it can begin to explain for the beaefit of the public the struct- 
ure of the locality in which we reside. Such subjects require illus- 
tration of great size and so large an amount of original investiga- 
tion to perfect them in all their details, that they are very generally 
left until everything else is’completed. 
Botany. 
It is the pleasant duty of the Curator to state that Mr. John 
Cummings has continued to support this department during the 
past year, as in many previous years, and the Society is under ob- 
ligations to him for important assistance in this and other depart- 
ments of the Museum. 
Miss Carter under this gentleman’s direction has carried the final 
revision of the herbarium and the catalogue through the Gamopet- 
alse and Apetalse, thus completing the Exogens. The duplicates 
of these divisions have been picked out, properly arranged, and 
packed away for exchange. It is probable, that the remainder of 
the general collection will be completed next year, and a final sta- 
tistical report will then be made. 
The nomenclature of the specimens in the New England Collec- 
tion has been changed to correspond with the revised edition of 
Gray’s manual recently published. The revision and labelling of 
the Lowell Collection has been continued and also the work of 
poisoning the plants in the herbarium. 
