Annual Meeting.] 
280 
[May 6 , 
former report. The Superintendent of Public Schools in this 
city has also kindly assisted us by attending to similar technical 
details in Boston. 
Dr. J. Walter Fewkes gave a series of ten lessons during the 
winter of 1890-91 on “Common Marine Animals from Massa- 
chusetts Bay.” The average attendance at these lessons was 63.6. 
The general scope of this course embraced the ordinary marine 
animals of New England, and special attention was given to the 
mode of life, differences in external forms, local distribution, habi- 
tats, methods and proper time to collect the eggs, young, and 
adults. The anatomy, embryology and morphology of the 
species considered were also dealt with incidentally wherever 
these branches of research could be used advantageously. 
The relative abundance of species and individuals, local causes 
which influence distribution, the rocky or sandy nature of the 
shores and their characteristic faunae, and the influence of depth 
of water, tides, and temperature were also considered. 
The relations and boundaries of the marine fauna of New Eng- 
land were treated of under the following headings : comj)arison of 
the fauna of Massachusetts Bay with that of Narragansett Bay 
and the Bay of Fundy, and causes of the differences observed ; 
pelagic animals ; littoral and shallow-water genera ; introduced 
and indigenous marine animals ; marine animals which inhabit 
both brackish and fresh water. 
A course in Historical Geology, so far as it relates to the history 
of animals whose remains have been preserved as petrifactions in 
the rocks, was given by the Curator. 
A series of lessons upon this subject had been in contemplation 
for many years, but it had been felt that it should not be 
undertaken until after ample opportunities for preparatory studies 
in zoology and geology had been given. 
The class was limited by the number of seats in the Laboratory 
and there was no attempt to get over any specified amount of 
ground, the study of specimens in hand being as thorough as 
practicable without prolonged laboratory work. 
The types of fossils were treated of side by side with selections 
from their living representatives. The periods of the occurrence 
of fossilized remains in the rocks were noticed and the character- 
istic forms of different periods mentioned, but these stratigraphi- 
cal details were held subordinate to the traqing out of the relations 
