[891.] 
299 
[Annual Meeting. 
ticon. The average attendance has been 44 ; the smallest 22 ; 
and the largest 112. It will be seen by a comparison with that 
of last year that we have" slightly increased our attendance. This 
is the largest average attendance which has been recorded since 
1888 and looks encouraging for the future of the Society. 
The papers which have been read were of exceptional interest 
and cover the most important subjects to which the Society is 
devoted. While there is a marked predominance of communica- 
tions on certain sciences the Secretary has endeavored to preserve 
a proportion which would prevent an undue predominance. He 
has been unable to assign dates for one or two speakers on ac- 
count of the numbers who have volunteered to read papers. 
This increase in the numbers of those who are willing to read 
communications is very gratifying. 
Five papers have been read by title. The Council has held 
frequent meetings, all of which have been well attended. The 
amount of work which has fallen on the Council in revising the 
reports of the Committee on Organization and the discussion of 
the articles of the new By-laws has been very great. 
Library, 
The additions to the library have out-numbered those of 
any single year since 1886. In order to increase our shelf 
facilities we have purchased a new case which has greatly im- 
proved our library, but still a second case is needed to prevent 
the absolute crowding of our shelves. The usefulness of a library 
is in point of fact greatly impaired by the limitation of shelf 
room . 
The largest addition which the library has received during the 
past year is the magnificent gift to the conchological department. 
This gift from the estate of Mr. E. R. Mayo, the well known 
naturalist, is particularly rich in systematic works on conchology, 
many of which are very rare. It renders our conchological al- 
coves the richest of any in Boston or vicinity. 
We have also received most welcome additions to our small 
collection of ethnological works. Dr. Crehore continues to 
supply the library with the Anthropological Journal and Revue 
d’Ethnographie, files of which he gave last year. 
