1891.] 
281 
[Annual Meeting. 
of animals and the explanation of the laws that governed the 
evolution of their forms. Special attention was given to those 
classes whose history is most complete and which afford the best 
opportunities for obtaining materials for examination. 
The work was continued through the Protozoa, Porifera, 
Hydrozoa and Actinozoa. 
There were thirty-eight seats in the lecture room and the 
average attendance was thirty-eight. 
The Curator had the satisfaction in his last annual communica- 
tion to report that Mr. Lowell had put the courses of lessons on 
Field Geology, which take place during the autumn and spring, 
under the patronage of the Lowell Fund. He now has the 
pleasure of announcing that this gentleman, without solicitation 
from anyone, has taken the Laboratory course on Lithology and 
Petrology under the patronage of the same fund. The assistance 
thus given to the School is clearly understood to be dependent on 
an annual grant from the Lowell Fund, but the fact that the 
Trustee of that Fund has sufficient confidence in our School to 
support four of its courses for the instruction of the teachers of 
Boston is a matter for sincere gratification, and it is one of the 
best evidences that we have been doing good work. 
The course in Field Geology for the spring of 1890 was begun 
and completed, the average attendance being twenty-one. The 
attendance at these field courses and the deep interest shown by 
teachers of all grades in the geology of our own neighborhood are 
excellent indications that there are a certain number of persons 
in our public schools who are anxious to avail themselves of really 
good opportunities for obtaining sound information upon scien- 
tific subjects. 
Ten lessons upon the geology of the vicinity of Boston were 
given by Prof. George H. Barton by means of excursions and 
field work during the autumn, beginning on September 6th and 
ending November 8th. The average attendance at this course 
was twenty-two. The spring half of this course which began 
April 18th is not yet completed and will be reported upon next 
year. 
A laboratory class in Lithology was formed by Prof. Barton 
and fifteen lessons were given of two hours each. A definite 
portion of the subject was covered by each lesson and illustrated 
by specimens. The first part of each lesson was devoted to an 
examination of specimens covering all of the ground gone over up 
