i8 9 i.] 
269 
[Annual Meeting. 
Dr. R. R. Andrews read a paper on the development of the 
enamel of teeth. 
Mr. S. H. Scudder called attention to the appeal for the Natu 
ral History Gardens and Aquaria recently issued. 
Annual Meeting, May 6, 1891. 
President F. W. Putnam in the chair. 
The President announced the death of Prof. Joseph Leidy, a 
corresponding member of the Society since 1845. 
The following reports were presented : 
Report of the Curator, Alpheus Hyatt. 
In several of the preceding annual reports it has been the duty 
of the Curator to bring before the Society any facts of general 
interest bearing upon the history of our attempt to found Natu- 
ral History Gardens for the benefit of the City of Boston. In 
doing this he necessarily appeared for the time being to have lost 
sight of the present condition and needs of the Museum in which 
he is naturally, as well as by virtue of his office, more deeply 
interested than in any other department. It is, therefore, with a 
certain sense of relief, that he finds himself able to state that the 
Natural History Gardens has been erected into a distinct depart- 
ment of the Society and will in future be treated, as its impor- 
tance demands, by a special report made by the Chairman of the 
Board of Directors. 
It may be well to call the attention of those who feared that this 
new departure might detract from the interest heretofore shown 
in the work of the Society and the progress of its Museum to the 
fact that so far the results have not justified their prognostications. 
On the contrary the movement has enabled us to attract atten- 
tion in a very advantageous way to the past history and achieve- 
ments of this Society and the importance of the work to be done 
has increased the interest felt in us by the public. We shall 
undoubtedly continue to gain in this respect for a number of 
years to come and probably be able to enlarge our corporate mem- 
