Of bCIE PHOCEEDINaS i3o6ton Socictu of JCatiiral ^istori). VOL. V. 1854 TO 1856. BOSTON: PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY, 1856. -757^ f^J RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: PRINTED BY H. O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY. yA/nf f^-^ 'v-^r '. T^W-KT PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY TAKEN FROM THE SOCIETY'S RECORDS. January 4, 1854. The President, in the Chair. Dr. T. M. Brewer presented a communication on the Ornithological Fauna of Wisconsin, from the Rev. A. Con- stantino Barry, of Racine, Wisconsin, as follows : Order — ACCIPITRES. Family — VULTURIDtE. Cathartes aura. Found in our State only in rare in- stances. Family — FALCONIDiE. BuTEO BOREALis. Very abundant at times, and always met with in considerable numbers about the groves and forests bor- dering our prairies, where they subsist principally upon moles, snakes, frogs, etc ; these being often found in their stomachs bolted entire. B. lineatus. Occasionally met with in this vici- nity, (Racine;) in some portions of the State considerably nu- merous, particularly about the large marshes frequented by water fowl, upon which it preys. B. Pennsylvanicus. A few spe- cimens have been obtained. proceedings B. S. N. H. 1 JULY, 1854. Archi-buteo Sancti Johannis. Very rare, and exceedingly- difficult to be taken. Aquila chrysaetos. Occasionally met with. Two or three fine specimens have been shot near this city. Haliaetus leucocephalus. Only now and then an indivi- dual is latterly seen. Opposite this city on the Michigan shore, is an old pair, that for many years have held undisputed posses- sion of the locality — a " brave old oak," where in the same nest they annually rear their young. Pandion haliaetus. Common along our rivers and lakes. IcTiNEA plumbea. A single bird of this species was seen last spring. Nauclerus furcatus. At one time quite numerous upon our prairies, and quite annoying to us in grouse shooting ; now rarely met with in this vicinity. Falco peregrinus- Rare. Hypotriorchis columbarius. Common. TiNNUNCULUs sparverius. Abundant, and breeds here in considerable numbers. AsTUR PALUMBARius. Abounding largely in this state. A friend of mine in his excursions has shot twenty of them in a season. AcciPiTER CooPERi. Not numcrous. Circus cyaneus. Common. Breeds here. Family — STRIGIDiE. Strix funerea. Found here occasionally. S. pratincola. The only bird of this species known to have been found in the State, and now in my possession, was shot in the vicinity of this city. Nyctea nivea. This regular winter visitor is at times quite numerous upon our prairies ; always most numerous during our severest winters. They generally frequent the vicinity of marshes, and only appear about the farm-houses when driven by hunger. In a i'ew instances they have been known to remain with us during the whole year. Athene passerina. Only now and then met with. I have been able to obtain but a single specimen. Syrnium cinereum. Very rare, unless it may be in quite the northern part of the State. I have met with it in two instances only. S. NEBTJLosuM. Found every.where in our forests. Otus WiLsoNius. Abundant. O. Brachyotus. Very com- mon. Bubo Virginianus. A somewhat rare species. Ephialtes ASIC. Common, and found in almost every grove and thicket upon our prairies. These seem to be their favorite haunts, in preference to the heavy forests. E. n^via. This species 1 have good reasons for believing to be separate and dis- tinct from the former. The difference in plumage, I knoic^ is not owing to different states of the same bird. With the young and the old of both species I am quite familiar. E. Kirt- LANDii. Recently discovered and described by Dr. Hoy, of this city ; a beautiful small species, considerably less than the A. passerinci. Two specimens only have been obtained. Order — PASSERES. Family — CAPRIMULGIDiE. Capri mulctUS vociferus. Among the most common of our birds. Chordeiles virginianus. Very abundant. Family — HIRUNDINID^. AcANTHYLis PELASGIA. Only Occasionally found, Progne purpurea. Visits us in great numbers. Hirundo FULVri. Only a single specimen observed. H. rus- TiCA. Very abundant. H. thalassina. Reported in the inte- rior. CoTYLE riparia. Numerous in early spring. C. serripen- Nis. Occasionally found in conpany with the Sand Martin. Family — MUSCICAPIDiE. Tyrannus intrepidijs. Common. Myiobius crinitus. The only specimen known to have been obtained here was shot by me last spring. M. ater. Rare. M. ACADicus. Numerous early in May, only in rare instances found during the season. M. fuscus. Abundant. M. virens. Ar- rives about the middle of May. It nests here in considerable numbers. Setophaga ruticilla. Makes its appearance quite early in the spring, and frequents low grounds abounding in the willow and poplar, about the blossomed tops of which it darts incessantly in pursuit of its prey. It remains with us during the summer. Vireo flavifrons. Among the rarest of our spring visitors. V. SoLiTARius. Exceedingly rare. I had not seen it in the State until last spring, when I shot a single bird ; a second one, the male, I failed to secure. V. Noveboracencis. Abun- dant. V. GiLVUS. Plentiful during the month of May, and many remain to breed. V. olivaceus. Quite numerous during the warm season. Family — LUSCINIDiE. CuLicivoRA c^RULEA. Quite abundant. IMniotilta * CANADENSIS. Stops with us for a few days, on its northward journey, about the first of May, but rarely remains to breed. M. coronata. In spring very numerous. M. stri- ata. Common. Makes its appearance from the lOth to the * This point (Eacine) seems to be a favorite rendezvous for the whole family of Warblers, with perhaps two or three exceptions, — Lake Michigan forming a sort of guide-post on their northward journey. From the mouth of the Osage they make their way in great numbers across the country to this immediate point; so that half a mile south, or the same distance north, scarcely a bird of them all will be found. Of their numbers, an idea may be formed from an entrj^ in my note book: — " Shot on the moi-nings of May 2d and 3d, 1853, Cerulean Warbler, 3 ; Parti-colored, 6 ; Cape May, 2 ; Tennessee, 1 ; Black-Throated Blue, 4 ; Chestnut-sided, 6. And on the mornings of May 10th, 11th, and 16th, Pine, 1; Blackburnian, 4; Bay-breasted, 5; E. Throated Green, 3; Canada, 3; Mourning, 1 ; together with Finches, Vireos, Thrush, &c. &c. 15th of May. M. superciliosa. Only a single specimen ob- served. M. CASTANEA. Numerous .'about the middle of May, remaining for two or three days only. M. Pennsylvanica. Among the most numerous of our warblers, and one of the ear- liest to visit us in the spring. Occasionally nests here. M. PiNus. Rare. Have met with it only in two or three instances. M. PARus. Like the ill pinus, only an occasional visitor. M. viRENs. Visits us in considerable numbers from the 5th to the 10th of May. A few remain during the breeding season. M. MARiTiMA. Seldom met with save at this point, and here no more than two or three of a season. M. ccerulea. Rather common. M. blackburni^. Among the first to come in the spring. Occasionally very abundant, and a few remain to breed. M. ESTIVA. Rare. M. nigrescens. Seldom found. M. cana- densis. An occasional visitor ; never plenty. M. discolor. A single specimen in the cabinet of Dr. Hoy. M. agilis. Some seasons quite abundant. M. peregrina. Rare. M. rubrica- PiLLA. A iew only visit us in the annual migration. M. Pu- siLLA. Some seasons quite numerous. A few remain to nest and rear their young. Trichas PHILADELPHIA. Very rare ; two specimens only have been obtained. T. marilandicus. Common, and breeds here abundantly. Parus atricapillus. Common in all our wooded districts. Regulus cristatus. Common. R. calendula. Abundant at this point. SiALiA Wilsoni. Common. Enicocichla aurocapillus. Not common. Makes its ap- pearance here in the spring in company with the warblers, and usually journeys with them farther to the north. E. novebg- racensis. Visits us in small numbers. Anthus pipiens. Rather abundant. Family— -CERTHIDiE. Certhia varia. Common, and breeds here in considerable numbers. C. familiaris. Abundant, and remains during the season. SiTTA Carolinensis. Common. S. Canadensis. Abundant in ihe northern part of the State. Troglodytes Americanus. Somewhat numerous. T. ^don. Very abundant. T. arundinaceus. Frequently met with on our marshes, and about our slues. T. brevirostris. Also common, — both species breeding with us. Family — TURDIDiE. MiMUs Carolinensis. Abundant. M. rufus. Common. Turdus migratorius. Abundant. T. mustelinus. Another common, and sweet singer. T. fuscescens. Usually found in considerable numbers. T. solitarius. Generally distributed throughout the forests of our State. Icteria viridis. Extremely rare. Family — FRINGILLIDiE. Otocoris alpestris. Met with everywhere upon our prai- ries, especially along the highways. Mounts upward when it sings. Plectrophanes lapponica. Abundant. P. nivalis. Com- mon. ZoNOTRicHiA grammaca. Common. Z. savanna. Breeds here in considerable numbers. Z. pallida. Rare. Z. so- ciALis. As everywhere in the United States, a common bird. Z. MONTicoLA. Met with occasionally. Z. palustris. Fre- quently met with in our swamp-thickets, where it nests. A very shy bird, and a sweet singer. Z. Lincolnii. Rare. Have seen it only in one or two instances. A nest and eggs were pro- cured by me last spring in the low grounds near this city ; the bird I failed in capturing. Z. iliaca. Common, and frequents low wooded grounds and the borders of streams. Z. melodia. Abundant. Z. Pennsylvanica. Very plentiful. Z. leuco- PHRYS. Common. Z. atricapilla. Met with only occasion- ally. Emberiza passerina. Common. E. Pusilla. Abundant in all settled portions of the State. FrIx\gilla hyemalis. a common winter visitor. F. linaria. Common. F. pinus. Rare. F. Americana. Abundant. Spiza cyanea. Not common. PiPiLo erythrophthalma. Abundant. Carpodacus ptjrpureus. Some seasons quite abundant. LoxiA cuRviROSTRA. Like C. purpureus, at times quite nume- rous. GuiRACA LuDOviciANA. Abundant, making their appearance early in May. CoccoTHRAUSTEs VESPERTINUS. Rare ; a few specimens only have been secured. Pyranga estiva. Rare. P. rubra. Abundant. Family— STURNID^. DoLicHONYx oRYZivoRus. Extremely abundant. MoLOTHRUS FEcoRis. Common. Agelaius xanthocephalus. Seldom found. I have never seen more than a single bird. A. phceniceus. Abundant. Yphantes Baltimore. Common, though not numerous. Xanthornus spurius. Found in considerable numbers near this city, where they breed. QuiscALUS purpureus. Common. ScoLECOPHAGUS FERRUGiNEus. Very abundant. Sturnella LUDOVICIANA. Extremely plentiful. Family — CORVIDtE. CoRvus coRAx. Rare. C. corone. This bird has not yet made its appearance to any extent in our State ; a few only have ever been seen. Pica Hudsonica. Seen only in a single instance. Cyanocorax cristatus. Abundant. Perisoreus Canadensis. Found in the northern part of the State. Family — LANIIDiE. Lanius Ludovicianus. Abundant, and breeds here in consi- derable numbers. L. BOREALis. Rare. A very few only have come under my observation. Family — AMPELIDtE. Ampelis garrulus. Visits us in great numbers during the winter, frequenting our gardens in search of food. Scores of them are taken every season. A. Carolinensis. Common. Family — TROCHILIDiE. Mellisuga colubris. Abundant. Makes its appearance early in May, when it is seen about the tops of the willows and poplars in the low grounds. Family— ALCEDINIDJE. Ceryle alcyon. Common. Order— SCANSORES. Family — PICIDiE. Dryocopus pileatus. Abundant. Pious villosus. Frequently met with, though not plentiful. P. PUBESCENS. Common. P. varius. Common. Melanerpes erythrocephaltis. Common. CoLAPTES AURA-Tus. Very abundant. Family — CUCULIDJE. CoccYzus ERYTHROPHTHALMUs. Rather common. Family — COLUMBIDiE. EcTOPisTEs MiGRATORius. Abundant in spring and fall. E. MARGiNATUS. Abundant. Order — G ALLINiE. Family — TETRAONIDJE. Ortyx Virgintanus. Distributed in immense numbers over the entire State. Even our gardens in the city at times abound with them. BoNASA UMBELLXJS. Abundant. Tetrao Canadensis. Said to be plenty in the extreme northern part of the State. T. cupido. Common. Large num- bers are taken during the shooting season. Forty and fifty are not unfrequently bagged by a single sportsman of an afternoon. T. phasianellus. Occasionally met with. Order — GRALLiE. Family — RALLIDiE. PoRPHYRio MARTiNiCA. A few breed here every season. FuLicA Americana. Common, and breeds here in great numbers. Ortygometra Carolina. Rare. Rallus crepitans. Not unfrequently met with on our prairie marshes, where it undoubtedly breeds. R. Virginianus. Rare. Family — ARDEIDiE. Grus Americana. Often found in very large flocks upon our prairies, and numbers are killed every year. The young are easily domesticated, but make naughty pets. The flesh of this bird is highly esteemed by many. Tantalus loculator. A single bird of this species was shot near Milwaukie a year or two since. Platalea ajaja. Found along the Mississippi within the bounds of our State, and occasionally about our small lakes in the interior. BoTAURUS lentiginosus. Abundant. Breeds here in great numbers. Ardea exilis. Abundant. A. virescens. Occasionally met with. A. occiDENTALis. A fowf of this species visit a large shie in the vicinity of this city every spring, but all our efforts to cap- ture one have thus far proved unavailing. A. Herodias. Com- mon about our rivers and marshes. Nycticorax n^vius. Rare. 10 Family — CH ARADRIDiE. Chakadrius Virginicus. Plenty in spring and fall of the year. Immense bodies of them sometimes gather upon the open prairie, especially upon portions over which fire has run. Ilhave seen hundreds of them thus assembled, and busily engaged in feeding — upon what, I am puzzled to know. C. vociferus. Abundant. C. melodius. Not common. CiNCLUS iNTERPRES. Somcwhat numerous, especially in the vicinity of Lake Michigan. Family — SCOLOPACIDiE. Tringotdes Bartramia. Abounds largely upon our prairies in autumn and spring, where it breeds, though in less numbers. T. MACULARiA. Common. T. canuta. Found in small num- bers about our lakes and ponds. It undoubtedly breeds here, though I have not as yet found its nest. T. cinclus. Visits us in company with others of its species on its annual journey to and from the north. T. subarcuata. At one time quite com- mon in the vicinity of this city, but has entirely disappeared. Found in considerable numbers in unsettled districts about the slues. ToTANUs SEMiPALMATUS. Frcqucnts the shores of our lakes, and occasionally may be seen in large flocks. I found them more numerous about Lake Winnebago than elsewhere. T. MELANOLEUcus. Quitc abundant along our forest streams, and wet, wooded marshes, where it breeds. T. flavipes. Abun- dant. T. GLOTTIS. Have seen two or three only. LiMOSA FEDOA. Rare. I have never obtained more than a single specimen. Gallinago Wilsonii. Very abundant for a few weeks in spring and autumn, and shot in great numbers. Philohela Americana. Found in small numbers, but is evi- dently increasing. Recurvirostra Americana. Rare. 11 NuMENius LONGiROSTRis. Has disappeared from this part of the State, though a few probably visit other and unsettled por- tions. Order — ANSERES. Family — ANATID.E. Bernicla Canadensis. Abounds largely, and occasionally breeds in our State. A curious fact connected with the habits of this bird, is the intelligence displayed in opening and keeping open ponds and slues upon which ice has formed, or is forming. A flock alights upon the thin ice and commences a jumping-up process, at the same time giving hard blows with their wings. When the ice has thus been sufficiently broken to admit them into the water, there begins a splashing process, and this is con- tinued at intervals, by individuals, during the night, preventing ice from forming. Large flocks of this bird frequent our small lakes and ponds during the fall, from whence they go out upon the grain fields to feed. They are shot in considerable numbers at this season. B. Hutchinsii. Rare. B. Brenta. Abun- dant in all parts of the State, and large numbers breed here. Anser Bruchi. An occasional visitor. A, hyperboreus. Frequently found in company with the B. Ca7iadensiSj sometimes in separate flocks. Not very numerous. Cygnus Americanus. Rare. Anas boschas. Exceedingly abundant, and breeds here in great numbers. A. obscura. Found in small numbers in our rivers and lakes during the fall, especially those bordered by the wild rice. Breeds in the State. Chaulelasmus strepera. The first observed in the State, was procured by me in a recent excursion on Fox River. Mareca Americana. Abundant. Dafila acuta. Common. Aix spoNSA. Found here in great numbers ; nearly every wooded stream abounding with them. In autumn they gather in large flocks about the rice marshes, along the margins of our rivers. QuERQUEDULA Carolinensis. Common. 12 Pterocyanea discors. Abundant. Spatula clypeata. Rare. A few only have been seen. Nyroca valisneria. Met with only in rare instances. A large flock was reported to have been seen near our city, No- vember 2d, 1853. N. FERiNA. Abundant during the month of October. Breeds, to some extent, in the northern part of the State. FuLiGULA MARiLA. Not commou. F. coLLARis. Found only occasionally. Erismatura rubida. Rare. Clangula albeola. Abounds on all our rivers, though it breeds generally far north. Harelda glacialis. Exceedingly rare. Mergus Castor. Frequents our lakes and rivers in consider- able numbers ; more abundant in autumn. Breeds in the north- ern part of the State. M. serrator. Common. M. cucullatus. Abundant in all parts of the State. Family — PELECANID^. Pelecanus track yrhyncus. Common about the Mississippi, and occasionally finds its way into our small lakes in the interior. Family — LA RIDiE. Hydrochelidon nigra. Abundant, and breeds in great num- bers in the low, reedy marshes about our lakes and rivers. The young, when able to leave the nest, are fed by the parent birds while upon the wing. Sterna minuta. Not so common as the former, and proba- bly does not breed in the State. Larus Bonapartii. Some seasons quite abundant, particularly in the month of October, and along the shore of Lake Michigan. L. marinus. Common. Family — COLYMBIDiE. Colymbus glacialis. Common. C. septentrionalis. Rare, and seldom found away from Lake Michigan. 13 PoDicEPS CRISTATUS. Common. p. coRNUTUS. Abundant in the fall of the year about Lake Michigan, and the larger streams that empty into it. P. auritus. Reported in the State, though I have not seen it. PoDiLYMBUS Carolinensis. Found only occasionally.* Dr. Brewer also read a letter from Mr. Wm. Hopkins, of Auburn, N. Y., giving a list of some birds obtained there, part of which are sea birds, and others supposed to be in- habitants only of other regions, as follows : — Large White Egret, Egretta alba. Glossy Ibis, Ihis Ordi. Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps rubricollis. Red Phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius. Kittiwake Gull, Rissa tridactyla. Mealy Redpoll, Linaria horealis. Large-billed Guillemot, TJria Brunniclii. Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carlo. Prof. J. Wyman gave an account of observations upon the Surinam Toad, Pipa Amer^icana, lately presented to the Society by Dr. Cragin, as follows : As yet, no complete description of this animal has been given, though it is not uncommon in collections. The eggs, when dis- charged, are not permitted to escape into the water, as is the case with the allied species, but are received by the male, after- wards deposited upon the back of the female, and there impreg- nated, when the skin thickens between them, rises, and partly surrounds each egg, forming a kind of sac or pouch. The dark cuticle is found to be prolonged some distance into the pouch, which is covered by a thin operculum, formed of a layer of gela- tinous substance, in a dried state, probably a portion of the gela- tinous matter which previously surrounded the egg. * The abundance and variety of our water-fowl may be inferred from the fol- lowing result of a short himting excursion, only a few miles from this city: — 6 Coot, 5 Eing-neck, 1 Tufted duck, 3 Green-winged Teal, 5 Blue do., 2 Shovel- ler, 1 Dusky, 4 Gadwall, 4 Crested ^Merganser, 6 Buffle-head, 6 Widgeon, 15 Mal- lard, 1 Eedheaded,3 Ruddy, 8 Summer ducks. 14 The yolk is of large size. In the development of the legs, these are seen to be formed distinct from the vertebral column, so that, morphologically considered, they cannot be called ap- pendages of the spine. The external branchiae are developed and disappear at a very early period. The tail is fully formed in the embryo, but afterwards is absorbed, so that when the ani- mal escapes from the egg the latter has disappeared. Prof. Wyman exhibited the embryos in three stages of devel- opment, and a section of the back of the female. The fully formed embryo is larger than the original egg, so that the ani- mal must have absorbed something from the pouch in which it was lodged — a fact in the embryology of batrachians entirely by itself. Prof. W. B. Rogers exhibited a series of fossils from the middle secondary belts of North Carolina, Virginia, Penn- sylvania, and Massachusetts ; chiefly, he said, with the view of calling attention to the evidence afforded by some of them, of the close relation in geological age between what has been called the New P^ed Sandstone of the Middle States and Connecticut Valley, first designated by Prof. H. D. Rogers as the Mi'Qdle Secondary Group, and the coal bearing rocks of eastern Virginia and North Carolina. Prof. R. referred to the existence in Virginia of three distinct belts of these rocks. The most eastern of these, extending almost continuously from the Appommatox River to the Potomac, includes the coal-fields of Chesterfield and Henrico Counties. The middle tract, about twenty-five miles west by south of the preceding, is of much less extent, and has not yet furnished any workable coal seam. Somewhat intermediate in trend to these is a belt of analogous rocks in North Carolina, commencing* some distance south of the Virginia line and stretching south- westwardly across the State, and for a few miles beyond its limits, into South Carolina. This area, first mapped by Prof. Mitchell, includes the coal bearing rocks of Deep River. The western belt extends, with two considerable interruptions, entirely across Virginia, being prolonged towards the southwest in the course of the Dan River in North Carolina, and towards the northeast through Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, forming what is usually called the New Red Sandstone Belt. Eastern and Middle Belt of Virginia and Eastern Belt OF North Carolina. From an examination some twelve years ago of the fossil plants of the most eastern of the Virginia belts here designated, Prof. Rogers had been led to refer this group of rocks to the Oolite series on or near the horizon of the carbona- ceous deposits of Whitby and Scarborough in Yorkshire. Some years later he discovered many of the same plants in the middle belt of Virginia, and, in the summer of 1850, he found several of these plants in the coal rocks of Deep River, in North Caro- lina. In each of the latter districts we meet with Equisetum columnare, Zamites, and a plumose plant referred to Lycopodi- tes, and strongly resembling L. Williamsonis of the Yorkshire rocks. These are among the usual forms occurring in the east* ernmost of the Virginia belts. Besides the fossil plants common to these three areas, they contain two species of Posidonomya and two of Cypris. Of the Cypridse, one species has a smooth, the other a beautifully gran- ulated carapace. They are both very small, seldom exceeding ^^ an inch in length and yL- in width. Both species of Posido- nomya differ in proportion from the P. minuta of the Euro- pean Trias, but one of them strongly resembles the P. Bronniioi the Lias, although of larger dimensions. Prof. Rogers remarked upon the uncertainty which exists as to the true nature of the small shell-like fossils, which being as- sumed as molluscs, have been referred to Bronn's genus Posido- nomya. But, whatever may be their zoological affinities, the fossils now under consideration have great interest, as affording further means not only of comparing together the mesozoic belts of North Carolina and Virginia, above referred to, but of approximating more justly than heretofore to the age of the so- called New Red Sandstone, or Triassic rocks which form the prolonged belt lying further towards the west. In the report of Prof. Emmons, published in the autumn of 1852, mention is made of the remains of Saurians in the Deep River deposits, as well as of the Posidonia and Cypris, and of 16 an Equisetites, a Lycopodites and other allied forms, together with a naked, rather spinous vegetable, regarded by him as a cellular cryptogamous plant. In view of the general identity of the fossils thus far found in the Dry River and Middle Virginia belts, with those of the most eastern deposit in Virginia, viz., that including the coal of Ches- terfield, Prof. Rogers maintained that the general equivalency of these three areas may be regarded as established, and therefore the Dry River belt of North Carolina, as well as the Middle Vir- ginia belt, ought to be placed in the Jurasic series, not far proba- bly above its base. Western Belt of North Carolina and Virginia and its Extension towards the Northeast, forming the so-called New Red Sandstone of Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and probably of the Valley of the Connecticut. In North Carolina, on the Dan River, where the rocks include one or more thin seams of coal, the same Cypridse or Posido- niae are found in great numbers in some of the fine-grained shales and black fossil slates. The latter were noticed as early as 1839, by Dr. G. W. Boyd, while on the Virginia Geological Survey. Regarding this fossil, of which specimens were also obtained about the same time from the middle belt in Virginia, as identical with the Posidonia of the Keuper, Prof. Rogers had, many years ago, announced the probability that a part or all of the great western belt was of the age of the Trias, instead of being lower in the Mesozoic series. Specimens of the Posidqpise and Cypridse, from both belts in North Carolina, and from the eastern and middle belts in Vir- ginia, were exhibited by Prof. Rogers at the Albany meeting of the American Association of Science in 1851, for the purpose of showing the close relationship between these deposits, in geolo- gical time. Among the specimens from the Dan River, Prof. Ro- gers on the present occasion referred to the impression of a Zamite leaf and a joint of Equisetum Columnare. Prof. Emmons, in the report above referred to, speaking of the marly slate of this sys- tem, says that " it differs in no respect from that of Deep River, bearing the same fossils, Posidonia and Cypris, in great abun- dance." 17 In the. belt in Virginia, toward the Potomac River, Prof. Rogers had lately found immense numbers of the same Posidonice and Cypridse, crowded together in fine argillaceous shales, and at several points he had met, in the more sandy rocks, vegetable impressions, which, although obscure, are strongly suggestive of the leaves of Zamites. In the same belt in Pennsylvania, in the vicinity of Phenix- ville, early last spring, Prof. H. D. Rogers discovered Posidonise in great numbers in a fissile black slate, and on subsequent exa- mination, the same beds were found to contain layers crowded with the casts of Cypridse. Along with these are multitudes of Coprolites, apparently Saurian, resembling in size and form the Coprolites found in the carbonaceous beds on Deep River, and also some imperfect impressions of Zamites leaves. These facts Prof. Rogers considers sufficient to identify, as one formation, the disconnected tracts of this belt in North Carolina and Virginia, and the great, prolonged area" of the so-called New Red Sand- stone of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. As to the geological date of this belt, Prof. Rogers said, that the discovery at various and remote points of its course of Posi- donise, Cypridse, and Zamites, most or all of which are identical with these forms in the eastern middle secondary areas of Vir- ginia and North Carolina, makes it extremely probable that these rocks, formerly referred to the New Red Sandstone, and of late more specially to the Trias, are of Jurassic date, and but little anterior to that of the Coal Rocks of Eastern Virginia. Prof. Rogers considered the frequent occurrence of Cypridoe in all these belts as a strong evidence of their Jurassic age. While only a few species of Cypridse, and many of the. allied genus Cytherina occur in the Silurian and Carboniferous rocks, there is a total absence of these crustacean remains throughout the series of deposits extending from the base of the Permian to the lower limits of the Oolite. But on entering the latter, the Cypridse re-appear, and become very abundant there, there being no less than twelve species known to belong to the Oolite forma- tions of Europe. On comparing the silicified wood, found in the western and eastern belts, Prof. Rogers had found its structure to be the PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. VOL. V. 2 OCTOBER, 1854. 18 same, and to agree very nearly with the fossils figured by Witham under the name of Peuce Huttonia. As this particular structure does not appear to have been met with below the Lias, and occurs in that formation, it furnishes another argument in favor of the Jurassic age of all these rocks. Prof. Rogers added, that he had not found in the New Red Sandstone of the Connecticut Valley either the Posidonia or Cypris, although he had met with obscure markings which he was inclined to refer to the latter. He had however satis- fied himself that one of the plants, from the vicinity of Green- field, in Massachusetts, was identical with the form in the Virginia coal rocks referred to Lycopodites, and probably L. Williams onis ; and that, among the other very imperfect impres- sions associated with this, was one which he regarded. as the leaf of a Zamites. On the whole, therefore. Prof. Rogers concluded that the addi- tional fossils from the coal-bearing rocks of Virginia and North Carolina served to confirm the conclusion of their being of Jurassic date, and that the fossils thus far found in the more western belt, and its extension through Pennsylvania and New Jersey, rendered it proper to remove it from the Trias and place it also in the Jurassic period, a little lower probably than the eastern belt of North Carolina and Virginia ; and there could be little doubt, he thought, that the same conclusion would apply to the New Red Sandstone of the Connecticut Valley. January 18, 1854. The President in the Chair. Prof. Wyman stated, that since he had presented to the Society his observations on the Amhlyopsis spelceus or " blind fish " of the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, he had, through the kindness of Prof. Agassiz, been furnished with two other specimens, one of which was larger than any he had seen before. 19 He stated at that time, (see Proceedings, Vol. IV, p. 396,) that he had found a lenticular-shaped body connected with the eye, and which might possibly be a lens. He had now satisfied him- self that this body is truly a lens, and though not a perfectly refracting organ composed of fibres, yet it is to be considered as the rudimentary lens of the eye of this fish. Another point, more satisfactorily determined, is the presence of a layer of cells beneath the choroid coat, resembling the retina, and corresponding to it in position. A sclerotic coat, a choroid coat, a layer resembling the retina, a lens, and a nerve, have now been found in the eye of the Amblyopsis. Nevertheless, it is an imperfect eye, and the areo- lar tissue and skin which cover it prevent all transmission of light to it, except in a different condition. It has heretofore been compared with the eyes of the invertebrate animals, but the above observations show that it is more like the eyes of other vertebrates. The organ of hearing was examined by Dr. Wyman, in a dif- ferent manner, and the semicircular canals were seen to be largely developed, and the vestibules to contain large otolithes. The President exhibited one of a series of specimens of Ornithichnites obtained by exchange w^ith Pres. Hitchcock, and numbering from fifteen to twenty different species. This specimen was prepared in a peculiar way, a section having been made directly through the fossil so as to show the impression from four points of view. It was the track of the Ornithopus gracilis. Mr. Sheafe presented a specimen from Dr. Codinse, of Philadelphia, found near Memphis, Tennessee. It resem- bled somewhat an extremity of a large fossil bone, with a central cavity. Dr. Wyman, from a cursory examination, remarked that it probably was not a bone, but one of those clay masses commonly called clay-stone. The specimen could be split in layers at the extremity as well as on the shaft, which is not a character of fossil bone. Its form was imitative of bone, but clay-stones take on great varieties of form. Many sub- 20 Stances resembling bone have been at times mistaken for it. Mr. Edward Daniels, of the State Geological Surveying Corps of Wisconsin, was chosen Corresponding Member of the Society. The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from Mrs. Teschemacher, in reply to the resolutions transmitted to her by the Secretary ; also, one from the Editors of Silliman's Journal, thanking the Society for the notice transmitted to them of the life of the late Mr. Teschemacher. Also, a letter from the Linnsean Society, acknowledging the recep- tion of certain volumes of this Society's Transactions. Mr. James A. Dupee was elected a Resident Member. ^February 1, 1854. The President in the Chair. Mr. C. J. Sprague presented, in the name of Dr. Charles Pickering, a specimen of common Eel Grass (Zostera ma- rina) in fruit, and described in detail the mode of reproduc- tion in this plant as made out by Gronland and Hofmeister. Mr. T. T. Bouve remarked that it is very rare to see Zostera in fruit ; he had looked in vain for it for several years along our coast. Dr. Charles Pickering stated that Prof. Asa Gray had seen it in flower not unfrequently on Beverly Beach, and in that neighborhood. Dr. Henry Bryant exhibited the peculiarly formed trachea of the Courlan (Aramus scolopaceus.) It had a remarka- ble bend, so as to present a number of convolutions upon itself in the form of a watch spring. There is no regular- ity in the number of turns, nor in the situation of this pecu- 21 liarity. It is higher up in the neck than a similar anomaly in the Swan, Whooping Crane, and other birds. The President exhibited a specimen of Ornithichnite in shale, split into two layers, the impression of a tetradactylous foot. This, as well as other tracks in the same shale, has the appearance of a double impression, as if two feet had been placed in the same spot, and makes it somewhat doubtful if they are not the impressions of a quadruped. The President also stated that he had received a slab of sandstone, bearing an impression of the Otozoum. The impression is that of four toes, all directed forwards, and each track is twenty inches in length. Prof. Wyman stated that he had recently dissected a Tor- pedo, (T. occidentalis Storer) and had directed his atten- tion particularly to the termination of the nerves in the laminae which compose the efficient part of the battery. The results at which he had arrived agreed with those of Wagner, who has made a special study of the minute structure of the electric apparatus. The plates consist of an exceedingly thin membrane, which appears to be nearly homogeneous, its surface showing only traces of striations. On this membrane are distributed ultimate nerve fibres and capillary vessels. When the primitive nerve tube reaches the plate, it breaks up into numerous fibres, and these in turn subdivide and reunite, so as to form a regular net- work, with large meshes over the whole surface. Connected with these last divisions of the nerve tubes, are to be seen pro- longations, into which the white substance of Schwann either does not enter, or if it does, extends only for a short distance, so that the branch loses its double outline. Tiiis divides into numerous branches, and frequently, at the point of bifurcation, there is to be seen a large nucleated cell ; the ultimate branches terminating, as described by Wagner, in an extremely delicate filament, which seems to be lost on the surface of the plate. Prof. Wyman estimated the whole number of the plates at be- 22 tween 250,000 and 300,000. There were about 100 to the inch in each electric prism, which is less than the number counted by Mr. Hunter, viz. 150 to the inch. The number of prisms in each battery was about 1200, each prism measuring from one to two inches in height. The interval between the plates was filled with a fluid, consisting of about 90 per cent, of water, containing albu- men and common salt in solution. On examining the contents of the stomach, it was found that, during the process of the digestion of the bones, the calcareous matter was removed before the gelatinous matter was dissolved, and Dr. Wyman had noticed the same result in the dissection of other fishes. This is the reverse of what occurs in dogs and hyenas, where the gelatinous matter alone is removed, the calca- reous matter not being dissolved. The stomach of the specimen had been acted upon by the gastric fluid after death, and was perforated in its large curvature. Hydrochloric acid was de- tected in its contents. Prof. Rogers alluded to the analogy between this animal bat- tery and the ordinary metallic battery. The nervous tissue might act both as generator and conductor, generating in its minute ramifications, and conducting by its larger branches. The disproportionate quantity of nervous tissue would not be an objection to this, as batteries are constructed in which the copper plate bears but a small proportion in size to the zinc, not more than one twelfth perhaps, which yet exert a powerful effect, espe- cially when a hot acid is employed. Prof. H. D. Rogers made a communication on the Epoch of the Mammoth or Elephas primigenius. He called attention to the interesting Palceontological bear- ings of a fact, which he thinks demonstrable ; that while the remains of the Fossil Elephant, or Siberian Mammoth of the Eastern Continent, are imbedded in the great Drift Stratum, those of the Fossil Elephant of North America are as invariably above it, lying in superficial deposits of a distinctly later age. It is now generally conceded, that the relics of the Mastodon giganteus of North America, which do not extend beyond this continent, are nowhere involved in the general or earlier drift, 23 but lie upon it, inclosed either in more recent swampy deposits or in the nearly as recent, later, local diluvial clays and gravels of the great lake and river valleys of the country. But the fact that the bones and teeth of the extinct Elephant on this conti- nent are entombed in the same superficial materials, seems not to have been sufficiently adverted to by geologists, or, if pass- ingly stated, its bearings have been overlooked. That the American Elephant was the contemporary of the Mastodon giganteus, is not only proved by the occurrence of great numbers of their teeth and bones, side by side, in the marshy alluvium of Big Bone Lick, but is manifest, on a scru- tiny of the conditions under which its remains are alleged to be imbedded. A careful review of all the cases on record of the positions of the Elephant remains, must satisfy geologists, fami- liar with the more recent strata of this country, that these two colossal animals lived together in the long period of surface tran- quillity which succeeded the strewing of the general drift, (the period of the Laurentian clays,) and were overtaken and exter- minated together by the same changes, partly of climate, partly of a second but more local displacement of the waters ; that namely which reshifted the Drift, and formed our later lake and river terraces. The fact, that these extinct animals thus occur only above the true drift in North America, and in it in Siberia and Europe, would seem to indicate one of two things : either that the Drifts of the two continents are not of the same epoch, or these being of one age, that the fossil Elephants of the two re- gions are not of one and the same species. If we admit, with the great body of geologists, that the general Drift covering of all the northern latitudes of both continents is of one origin and one date, we are constrained to regard the Mammoths of these respective lands as different. Yet the identity of date of the two Drift formations should not be dogmatically pronounced upon in the present incomplete condition of comparative geology. Prof. Rogers exhibited maps of the Arctic discoveries in the years 1850 and 1851, and explained why Albert Land, of the English charts, should be justly called Grinnell Land, the name given to it by Lieut. I)e Haven, its discoverer. 24 Dr. Pickering stated, that between Salem and Danvers were two hills covered with boulders, and between them a plain where no boulders were to be seen. The western hill is of Sienite, the eastern of Greenstone, and the plain level. He had been at loss, until this evening, to account for the absence of boulders in this narrow plain, situated as it is between the two steep hills, but he thought it probable now that boulders would be found under the soil of this plain, if it could be removed so as to expose the curved bed of rock which must be the prolongation of the curved sides of the hills. Dr. James Lewis, of Mohawk, N. Y., was chosen Cor- responding Member of the Society. February 15, 1854. The President in the Chair. Mr. Bouve read extracts from the printed report of a jury trial, which took place in Edinburgh during July and August last. The case involved the right to work a certain mineral as coal, in the lands of Torbanehill, Linlithgow county, Scotland, commonly known as the Boghead gas coal ; and the principal question upon which the whole case turned was, whether this mineral substance was really a coal, or whether it was bitumen, shale, clay, or other sub- stance. The case showed to what extent the most eminent scientific men may differ upon practical points in geology, mineralogy, microscopy, and chemistry, and into what humi- liating exhibitions they are sometimes drawn unawares. Prof. Wyman exhibited the stomach of a lama, which, by the kindness of Fletcher Webster, Esq., he had had an op- portunity of dissecting. 25 The stomach is that of a true ruminant. The paunch, which is of great size, compared with the digestive cavity of the sto- mach, has a large portion of its surface, as in the camel, provided with sacs, which open into the general cavity by a narrow mouth, and capable of retaining water. The necessity for this arrange- ment is not exactly understood, as the lama does not generally inhabit desert regions, but places supplied with water. The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from Dr. James Lewis, of Mohawk, N. Y., thanking the Society for his election as Corresponding Member, and transmitting a description of a new species of Shell, Cyclas crocea, as follows : Cyclas crocea Lewis. Shell small, fragile, and translucent; outline simple, rounded, without angles ; beaks nearly central, full, not large, elevated conspicuously above the gently curving hinge margin ; posterior curve distinct from hinge and basal margins, forming a segment of a circle of a radius three times longer than the radius of the anterior curve ; the posterior is separated by a somewhat abrupt turn from the basal margin, which extends forward in a con- stantly diminishing curve, and blends with the curve of the anterior extremity ; the valves are rotund rather than compressed ; surface marked with distinct striations, in some specimens reticu- lated with faint or obsolete radiate scratches ; surface of young shells shining ; adults frequently obscured by a thin ferruginous film. Cardinal teeth, in left valve, two, very projecting ; in right valve not discernible. Lateral teeth delicate, prominent and laterally extended, not elevated above the margin of the right valve. Color. Young specimens yellowish ; adults, orange, with zones of gray and yellow, which are sometimes retained in the dried shells. Young shells dried become nearly colorless, or of a bluish gray. Animal colorless; tubes of the siphon very wide, forming an important distinguishing feature. Dimensions. Long. .275 inch. ; lat. .165 inch. ; ah. 245 inch. 26 Habitat. Swamps and sluggish streams in the vicinity of Otsego and Schuyler's Lakes, in Otsego County, and in Little Lakes, Herkimer County, N. Y. This shell seems to be rare. Found most abundant in the muddy bottoms of sluggish streams, in deep water. Mr. J. M. Barnard, from the Committee on the purchase of the Greenfield Fossils, gave notice that the subscription list was completed ; and on his motion it was Voted, That when the Treasurer's receipt, and the usual vote of thanks are transmitted to the subscribers, that those who have contributed the sum of fifty dollars and over, shall be notified that they are enrolled as patrons of the Society. On motion of Mr. Stodder, it was Voted, That a Committee be appointed to revise the by-laws of this Society, and to report thereon to the So- ciety '\x\ print. Dr. Gould and Dr. Shurtleflf were appointed this Com- mittee. > March 1, 1854. The President in the Chair. The President congratulated the members of the Society, on the reception of the fossils which had lately been pur- chased for the Society, the largest of which were then reposing against the walls of the library. He observed that the best thanks of the Society were due to the Committee for their endeavors in obtaining them, and for the successful accomplishment of their labor. The President also stated that he had the pleasure of notifying the Society of a new act of beneficence in the name of an old friend to the Society, and presented a letter 27 from the daughters of the late Hon. T. H. Perkins, offer- ing the Society his collection of shells and minerals, which they had reason to believe he intended personally to present to the Society. On motion of Dr. Keep, it was Voted, That the dona- tion be gratefully accepted, and that the thanks of the Society be transmitted to the daughters of the late Col. Perkins. Dr. Cabot stated that he was requested to ask the Society to appoint a Committee to take charge bf this collection, and to offer for the acceptance of the Society the cases in which they were now contained, if of any value to the Society. Dr. A. A. Gould, Dr. John Bacon, and the Curators of Conchology and Mineralogy, were appointed this Committee. The Treasurer gave notice that the sum of one thousand dollars had been received from the estate of the late Hon. T. H. Perkins, for the benefit of the Society, and offered the following order, viz. : Ordered, That the sum of one thousand dollars received from the estate of the late Hon. Thomas H. Perkins, on account of a subscription for the purchase of the building now occupied by the Society, be invested by the Treasurer as a commencement of a fund, to be called the Building Fund, and that the income be annually added to the said fund. The order was unanimously adopted. The Secretary read a letter from Dr. James Lewis, com- municating the following observations on a species of Lim- nsea, (L. catascopium,) which presents different appear- ances in different localities. The letter was accompanied by specimens. At certain seasons of the year, Lymnsea catascopium may be observed in considerable abundance, in the water of the Erie 28 Canal, clinging to the stones of the embankment, at the margin of the water. At the close of navigation, each winter, the level of the water is reduced, so that usually there is scarcely more than a thin stratum at the bottom of the canal. In the spring, before the opening of navigation, many of these Lymnsese may be found in the spaces' between the stones of the embankment, far above the water, and in positions where it may be safely assumed they have passed the winter. A greater por- tion of the shells so found, will be observed to have the orifice of the shell closed with a thin transparent membrane, behind which the animal reposes, alive, awaiting the coming of the condition favorable for renewed activity. This fact may be one of import- ance to those persons who are interested in tracing the connection between Lymnczm and Helices, in which latter it is not at all un- common to observe this peculiar membrane, or epiphragm. Previous to the enlargement of the Erie Canal at Mohawk, the canal at the " upper lock " was about sixty or eighty feet north of its present position, and the former bed of the canal for a short distance, and the " old lock " now remain, as several puddles or pools of water, in which may be found many shells no doubt descendants of the ancestors of those which may be also found in the canal proper, at this time. It is worthy of remark, however, that those shells which are found in the most shaded places, amid the ruins of the " old lock" are most like the shells found in the canal ; and those shells which are found more remote from the shade of the lock, and in warmer loca- tions, are of a laj^er and coarser growth, and to one not acquainted with these facts, might appear to be different species. Those shells found most remote from the lock, are subject to various changes of conditions; the water frequently dries away? even so much that the mud becomes hard and fissured ; the shells disappear, but reappear again in the spring, and reach a growth that is never seen in the shells found in the more equally tem- pered water of the canal. The apparent differences between the shells found in the canal, and those found in those parts of the old canal bed most liable to changes, are as follows : — The latter grow to nearly twice the length of the former. The canal shell is of a uniform color generally ; the " old lock " 29 shell exhibits two stages of growth ; the first in color and appear- ance much like the canal shell, and equivalent to the adult shell found in the canal ; the second stage of growth, separated from the first by a very distinct varix or cicatrix, is of a lighter color, usually of an ochraceous yellow, the surface of the shell check- ered or broken up into irregular facets, evidently the result of the rapid growth of the animal, by which the shell was too rapidly enlarged, to be evenly solidified. The " old lock " shell is a less solid shell than the other. Dr. Lewis's communication was accompanied by the fol- lowing note from Mr. T. J. Whittemore. Gray " is of opinion that the calcareous rim within the peri- stome of certain Lymnsese and Planorbes, is formed when the waters they inhabit are nearly dried up ; or in winter, when they are affected hy cold, preparatory to their secretion of a dia- phragm for their protection at these times," (see Haldeman's work on Lymniades,) and this was distinguishable in a variety of L. fragilis, marked D in Jiis work, L. 7, Plate 6 ; and he further says " that the varieties D and E have the minute spiral lines, very distinctly marked, but the irregular reticulations are want- ing ; when these are present, the surface is divided into a series of facets, which have been compared to those upon cut glass." The remarks of Dr. Lewis are very interesting, particularly in regard to the growth and change in appearance of the Lymncea catascopiimi, and appear by the shells to indicate that the two neighboring localities produce the same shell, although so differ- ent in appearance ; yet the old growth has the same appearance. Mr. Bouve called the attention of the Society to some points of interest in the Collection of Ornithichnites, recently purchased for the Society, deferring a more elaborate report to a future meeting. He remarked that the largest and most valuable slabs were then in the room, and of these he called attention to one upon which the impressions of rain drops were very numerous and distinct. Another, of coarser sandstone and of lighter color, exhibited rain drops in relief. 30 One, which was on movable supports, had been sent as a present to the Emperor of Russia, but having been impro- perly directed, was returned. One showed not only the foot prints of an animal, but the passage over its surface of a shell fish or a worm. One exhibited the stride of a gigantic animal, this stride being about nine feet in length. The largest of all had over sixty impressions of feet upon its sur- face. Mica can be seen upon the surface of many of these slabs, and Mr. Bouve thought that this might account for the easy separation of these sandstones into layers. He suggested that in the process of deposition of this rock, mica might have been deposited in greater abundance at certain intervals than at others, and that in these places was the greatest tendency to splitting into layers. Prof. Rogers remarked, that some of these specimens had a shining appearance, as if they were once covered with a kind of slime ; finely comminuted mica would give the proper degree of density and plasticity for preserving slight impressions, and he had always been in the habit of looking for the best impressions on glazed surfaces. Dr. J. B. S. Jackson observed that Mr. Marsh, who had col- lected the specimens in question, had called his attention to what he called " his books," that is, layers of stone in which the impressions grew less distinct towards the surface, upon which merely a line could be traced. This line had often been a guide to Mr. Marsh to search in lower layers. He supposed the impression to have been made in deep and soft mud, which settled in slowly after the foot was with- drawn. Some discussion ensued as to whether certain of these tracks were made by birds or reptiles. Mr. Bouve thought they were made by birds. The arti- culations could be counted, and coproliles, which have on analysis been found similar to guano, are found with them. 31 Dr. Cabot thought that those referred to could not have been made by birds. Birds which walk in soft mud have widely spread toes to support them. An impression sup- posed to be that of the tarsus, could be plainly seen ; but no wading bird touches the tarsus to the ground. He thought these particular impressions may have been made by rep- tiles, or by animals ranking between reptiles and birds. Prof. Wyman remarked that Prof. Owen formerly enter- tained the opinion, that an impression exactly like one of the largest of these, was made by a reptile. Dr. D. H. Storer presented a new species of Fish, from Captain N. E. Atwood, of Provincetown, and found in the harbor at that place, which he proposed to call Sebastes fasciatus. Sebastes fasciatus Storer. Body elongated , not convex in front of dorsal fin as in the Sebastes Norvegicus. Four distinct dark, brown, tranverse bands upon the sides, the broadest at the posterior portion of the body. Length, 3f inches. Fin rays as follows : D. 13 - 14. P. 20. V. 1 - 5. A. 3 - 7. C. 19. A communication was received from Dr. W. I. Burnett, upon the Poison-apparatus of the Rattlesnake, as follows : Notes upon the Poison-apparatus of the Rattlesnake. By W. I. Burnett, M. D. In the spring of 1853, I presented to the Society the results of some investigations of mine upon the development of the fangs, and the nature and mode of action of the poison of the common Rattlesnake. But these investigations were not complete in many points, as the specimens examined did not present all the cha- racteristics of structure of this apparatus. Since that time, in some parts of Florida, where these snakes are peculiarly abundant, I have enjoyed rare opportunities for the 32 further study of this subject, and especially as to one or two doubtful points of some interest. The specimen which yielded the most satisfactory results, was one of the largest I have ever seen, being 5^ feet long, and 8 inches in circumference. It was a female, and contained 16 more or less matured eggs. The fangs were very prominent, beincr |. of an inch long from their apex to the point of their insertion in the sockets ; the mucous fold below contained, on each side, seven supplementary fangs of a graduated size, and the development of which in their capsules I described in the previous paper. On the left side, there were two fangs at- tached, of equal size — the old one external, and the new one internal — this coexistence being due to the persistence of the old fang, until the relations of the new one should be fully esta- blished. The canal of this old fang was more or less obstructed, and it was evident that it had not been used for some time. The canal of the new fang, on the other hand, was pervious, but con- tained no poison. The duct of the poison gland did not appear to connect with the base of either fang, but lay between them, apparently in a state of transition from the base of the old fang to that of the new. On the right side, there was only one fang fixedly attached, the next succeeding fang lying in its future socket, but its anchy- losis not yet having taken place. Here, the duct of the gland communicated with the base of the fang, its fibres embracing, fan-like, the portion including the commencement of the canal of the fang, but not, as is stated in books, entering this canal. In this way the current of the poison would be direct and continuous from the duct to the external end of the fang where it is dis- charged into the wound. It would appear, then, from this examination, that the succes- sion of fangs takes place in the following manner : — The new fang appears behind, pushing upwards as it grows ; posteriorly and somewhat internally to the socket of the old fang, it acquires its socket and becomes attached therein ; as this attachment is be- coming complete, it pushes still further forwards, at the same time crowding the old fang outwards, and finally takes its place more or less exactly. By this lateral pressure, the socket 33 of the old fang is absorbed, and the fang itself is probably entirely removed at last, by falling out, or being broken off. But the interesting question which now arises, and one too on which there has been some obscurity, is : How, in this succession of fangs, does the transference of the poison-duct from the old to the new take place ? From the appearances of the specimen in question, it would seem that, as the old fang is pushed aside, the expanded extremity of the duct on its base leaves it, and is finally transferred to the corresponding part of the new fang. There would therefore be a period during which the duct communi- cates with neither fang, but lies between them, as in the case in question. If then, the appearance of a new fang took place simultane- ously on both sides, the snake would be left, for a time, without an effective poison-apparatus ; but, if the present case is a fair example, this does not occur ; for, as above mentioned, there was only one fang attached on the right side, and the new fang lying behind would not probably have become anchylosed before the old fang on the opposite side had been wholly replaced by the new. The phenomena here presented, of the succession of the fang- teeth, with subsequent adaptation of their vessels, appear to be quite like those of the succession of ordinary teeth in the higher animals. The poison-gland, situated in the midst of muscles behind and below the eye, was of a fusiform shape, and of the size of a small almond. It was invested with a thick tunic of fibrous tissue, from which prolongations were given off inwardly, which em- braced and supported each lobule of the gland. The gland is botryoidal, and carefully dissected out from all its investing fibrous tissues, internal and external, it would quite resemble a bunch of grapes ; each grape representing one of its lobules, and the free stem the main duct leading to the fang. As to the microscopic structure, each lobule is composed of the branchings of the pedicle by which it is connected with the main stem or duct. This ramification of canals occurs precisely as in other glands ; but the tubes terminate coecally. These tubes are composed of a basement membrane, covered internally with PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. — VOL. V. 3 OCTOBER, 1854. 34 a single layer of epithelial cells. These cells are undoubtedly the secreting organs. The connection of the glandular tissue with the vascular system, whereby the secretion is effected, is very extensive and complete. The investing fibrous tunic of each lobule is filled with a net- work of blood-vessels, and in this way the secreting tubes are brought inclose contact with the vascular system. These vascu- lar net-works are so dense, that they give the whole gland a very red, spleen-like aspect. This relation of the blood-vessels to the secreting tubes, is worthy of note, from its being exactly the reverse of that found in the kidneys. In these last, the Malpighian bodies consist of a sac-like dilatation of the end of the secreting tube around a knot of blood-vessels ; while in the case in ques- tion, the blood-vessels surround in a capsular manner the secret- ing tubes. The poison, examined microscopically, appeared only as lim- pid, hyaline serum, but I was surprised to find in it crystals resembling those of the ammonio-magnesian phosphate. I may remark, finally, that a microscopic examination of the sheath of the gland showed no muscular fibres there, contrary to the statements of authors. (See Comp. Anat. by Siebold and Stannius, Vol. II. § 107.) But the poison is probably expressed forcibly into the fang by the pressure of the temporal muscle pen the gland during the act of striking. The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from Mr Charles J. F. Binney, making a donation of Bird Skins to the Society. The thanks of the Society were voted to Mr. Binney for his donation. Mr. Elijah Swift, of Boston, was elected Resident Member. 35 March 15, 1854. The President, in the Chair. Dr. A. A. Gould made some remarks upon the collection of shells presented to the Society by the family of the late Col. Perkins. Upon examining the collection, he found there were many specimens of species not previously in the pos- session of the Society, and many specimens superior to those already in the cabinet. To one shell in particular, he called especial attention, the large Argonaut, commonly called Paper Nautilus, and which is the largest specimen known to exist. Its measurements are 11| by 11 inches; the next largest specimen, in the Museum of the College of Surgeons, London, measures | of an inch less than this. This large specimen was brought from the Indian Ocean. In the collection, is a series of Argonauts of different ages ; some with and some without horns, but otherwise similar in the number of undulations and tubercles. These horns are often different on opposite sides of the shell, and are often wanting on one side. Many of the shells differ in symmetry in other respects, so as to render all external appearances doubtful marks in the determination of species belonging to this genus. The animal has been found to have no fixed connection with the shell, and it has been a question if it were not a parasite. It has, however, been recently determined that the animal found in it truly belongs to the shell. It has the power of sinking and rising in the water ; when crawhng at the bottom or rising, the keel is uppermost ; and upon reaching thesurface, the open portion of the shell becomes uppermost. The animal employs a part of its arms for mo- tive power, and with the remainder the shell is clasped. When the shell is broken, the animal has the pov*^er of 36 repairing it by a secretion from the arms, as has been proved by experiment by Mrs. Powers, in Italy. It has been said that the females alone have shells, and then only at the time of depositing eggs ; this idea seems to have been recently confirmed by specimens carried home by the English Ex- ploring Expedition. Dr. John Bacon exhibited a part of the collection of Minerals, which accompanied the collection of Shells. In the whole, there are somewhat more than 800 specimens, and of these about 400 are from the mines of Peru, and com- prise many valuable gold and silver ores. Amongst them are an ancient Peruvian implement in silver ore, and a speci- men presenting a polished surface, supposed to have been used as a mirror. Specimens of salt and water from the Dead Sea were also received with this collection. Mr. T. T. Bouve stated, that no better arrangement than the present could be made for the Greenfield Fossils. Though they were not in their proper place, nor in a good light to be examined, he thought they might safely remain where they are until accommodations could be provided for them. Dr. Gould said he was reminded by circulars sent from the Natural History Society of Portland, that the Boston Society of Natural History had it in their power to furnish that Society with many duplicates from their shelves, parti- cularly in the department of Conchology. He hoped that such of the duplicates belonging to the Society as might be selected, when the Portland Society of Natural History was ready to receive them, might be presented to that Society. Dr. H. R. Storer stated that he had come to the meeting expressly for a similar purpose, to move that a set of the " Journal " of this Society be presented to the Portland Society of Natural History ; and on his motion it was 37 Votedy That a complete set of the Journal of this Society be presented to the Portland Society of Natural History. On motion of Dr. Gould, it was also Voted, That a series of duplicate shells belonging to this Society be presented to the Portland Natural History So- ciety, whenever they are prepared to select and receive them. Mr. Bouve remarked that probably it was not generally known that perhaps the next best specimens of the Ornith- ichnites of the Connecticut Ptiver Sandstone, after those in Boston, belonged to the Portland Society, and were de- stroyed when its Museum was burned. Dr. Cornehus Kolloch, of Cheraw, S. C, and Dr. A. S. Baldwin, of Jacksonville, Fla., were elected Corresponding Members. Rev. David G. Haskins, of Boston, and Mr. Robert M. Copeland, of Pvoxbury, were elected President Members. DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM. A Sturgeon, from Minnesota ; from Dr. Kneeland. BOOKS RECEIVED DURING THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 31, 1854. Annals of Science. Nos. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. Cleveland, 1853-4. Received in Exchange. American Journal of Science and Arts. Vol. 17, Nos. 49, 50. Received in Exchange. Farmer's Companion. Kos. 1, 2, 3. Vol. 3. 8vo. Pamph. Detroit, March, 1854. Received in Exchange. New York Journal of Medicine. Nos. 1, 2. Vol. XII. New Series. 8vo. Pamph. New York, 1854. Received in Exchange. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences^ of Philadelphia. Vol. VT. No. 12. Index and Title page to Vol. VI. ; and No. 1, Vol. VH. 8vo. Pamph. 1854. Philadelphia. Received in Exchange. Denkschriften der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Vols. 4, 5. 4to. Jahresbericht des Wissenschaftlichen Vereins in HaUe. Fiiufter Jahrgang, 1852. 3 und 4 Hefte. 8vo. Berlin, 1853. Received in Exchange. 38 Zeitschrjft fiir Gesammten Naturwissenschaften. January to July, 1853. 8vo. Halle, 1853. Received in Excliange. Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin. Vols. 2, 3, 4, 5. 8vo. Dublin, 1839 - 53. Received in Exchanrje. Bulletin de la Socidt6 Geologique de France. 2ieme sdrie. TonaeX. Feuillcs 17-22. (17 Jan. — 4 Av. 1853.) 8vo. Paris. Received iri Exchange. Transactions of American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia. Parts 2, 3, Vol. VII., and Part 2, Vol. VIE. Vol. X. Part 3. New Series. 4to. Philadel- phia, 1853. Received in Exchange. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia. Vol. IV., Nos. 36, 37 ; and Vol. V. No. 43, and No. 50; July, Dec, 1853. Received in Ex- change. ■ Mdmoire surles Ph6noni6nes erratiques do la Suisse compar(^s aceux auNord de I'Europe et de I'Amerique, par E. Desor. 8vo. Pamph. 1852. From the Author. Eeport on the Geology of the Lake Superior Land District. By J. W. Foster and J. D. Whitney. Part 2d. With Maps. 8vo.^ Washington, 1851. From the Author. Descriptions of New Species of Eeptilcs, collected by the XJ. S. Exploring Expedition. By C. Girard. 8vo. Pamph. From the Author. Geological Map of Keweenaw Point, Lake Superior. Mounted. By J. D. Whit- ney, assisted by S. W. Hill and W. H. Stevens. From the Authors. Characters of New Genera of Plants, mostly from Polynesia. By Asa Gray. 8vo. Pamph. Cambridge, 1853. From the Author. Destiny of the Solar System. ByD.Vaughan. 8vo. Pamph. Cincinnati, 1854. From the Author. Researches upon Nemerteans and Planarians. By C. Girard. 4to. Pamph. I. Embryonic Development of Planocera elliptica. Philadelphia, 1854. From the Author. Illustrations of the Birds of California, Texas, Oregon, British and Eussian America. By John Cassin. Nos. 1, 2, 3. 8vo. Pamph. Philadelphia, 1853-54. Received from the Coiirtis Fund. American Almanac for 1854. 12mo. Boston. Received from the Courtis Fund. Genera of Eeccnt Mollusca arranged according to their Organization. By H. and A. Adams, Nos. 5-8. 8vo. Pamph. London, 1853. Received from the Courtis Fund. Annals and Magazine of Natural History for January and Februaiy, 1854. London. Received from the Courtis Fund. History of British Birds. By William McGillivray. 3 vols. . 8vo. 1837-40. London. Received from the Courtis Fund. Types of Mankind. By J. C. Nott, M. D., and George E. Gliddon. 4to. Philadelphia, 1854. Received from the Courtis Fund. Genera of Eecent Mollusca. By H. and A. Adams. Parts 9 and 10. 8vo. London, 1854. Exchange icith 11. Cuming. Proceedings of Zoological Society of London. Parts 2, 3, 4. April to Decem- ber. 8vo. Sheets. London. Exchange with II. Cuming. Zeitschrift fiir Malakozoologie. Herausgcgeben von K. T. ]\Ienke and L. Pfeifler. Nos. 6 - 12, 1852 ; and 1-9, 1853. 8vo. Sheets. Exchange loith II Cuming. Eeport on the Copper Mine of the North Carolina Copper Company in Guil- ford County, N. C. 8vo. Pamph. Fr<m C T. Jackson, M. D. S9 Notices of New Species of Mosses from the Pacific Islands. By W. S. SuUi- vunt. 8vo. Pampli. Cambridge, 1854. From Prof. Asa Gray. Histoire Naturelle des Mammifdres, avec des Figures originales, coloriees, dessin<5es d'apres des Animaux vivans. Par M. GeofFroy Saint Hilaire et Frederic Cuvier. 3 vols. Folio. Paris, 1824. From Hon. F. C. Gray. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London. Vol. X. Part 1. No. 37, for February, 1854. Deposited by the Repuhlican Institution. April 5, 1854. The President in the Chair. Dr. Hamel, of Russia, and many gentlemen, subscribers to the fund for the purchase of the Greenfield Fossils, pre- sent by invitation. In pursuance of a vote passed at the previous meeting, the President nominated the following gentlemen as members of the Building Committee, viz. : Prof. Henry D. Rogers, Mr. Thomas T. Bouve, Dr. N. B. ShurtlefF, Mr. Francis Alger, Mr. James M. Barnard ; and they w^ere accordingly elected. The Secretary read a letter from Dr. Kaup, of Darmstadt, addressed to the President, offering for sale some newly discovered fossil teeth and bones. The President announced the donation, from Hon. Fran- cis C. Gray, of the valuable work of Frederic Cuvier on the " Histoire Naturelle des Mammiferes." Mr. Bouve made a full and minute report upon the Greenfield Fossils, and remarked upon each of the larger slabs in detail. The report was preceded by a lucid and comprehensive sketch of the Science of Geology, particu- larly in its bearings on the subject of Paloeontology, as it exists at the present time. Descriptions of three New Species of Fish from Massa- chusetts, viz. : Pomotis ohesus, Boleosoma fusiforme, and 40 Esox ornatus, were received from Mr. Charles Girard, as follows : Description of some New Species of Fish from the State of Massachusetts. By Charles Girard. 1. PoMOTis oBESTTs. General form subelliptical, the head being of a perfect continuity with the dorsal and abdominal line of the body. Peduncle of the tail short. Greatest depth about the middle of the length, the caudal fin excluded. Mouth rather small, and its cleft, when shut, obliquely direct- ed upwards. Dorsal fin composed of nine spiny rays, and eleven soft ones, the latter being elongated, the posterior ones extending beyond the base of the caudal. The anal has three spiny and eleven soft rays, the posterior ones extending likewise beyond the base of the caudal. Caudal fin posteriorly rounded, and composed of seventeen rays. Ventral fins com- posed of one spiny and five soft rays, their insertion being a little in advance of the pectorals ; their tip extending beyond the anterior margin of the anal. The pectorals, composed of eleven rays, are subelliptical, rounded posteriorly, and extend as far backwards as the ventrals, that is to say, beyond the anterior margin of the anal. D. IX. 11. A. III. 11. C. 2. I. 8. 7. 1. 2. V. I. 5. P. 11. The scales are proportionably larger, disposed upon sixteen rows across the line of greatest depth, and eight or nine rows on the peduncle of the tail. The lateral line forms a regularly arched curve from the upper angle of the opercular bone, to beneath the posterior margin of the dorsal fin, thence almost straight, and very obsolete, to the base of the caudal. The ground color is light, transparent olive, with five or six vertical black bands. A tinge of rose color on the posterior part of the abdomen. Scales generally with a V-shaped gold mark- ing, smaller and more like a spot, on the peduncle of the tail. Iris reddish brown, with a vertical bar of brown. Opercular apparatus, greenish golden ; rest of the side of the head provided with golden lines and spots. A large and subcircular black patch is observed at the upper angle of the operculum, extending 41 over the gill flap, upon which a double crescent is seen ; this is golden at the base, with a horizontal blue or golden line below. Total length, about four inches ; greatest depth, one and three eighths of an inch. Specimens were procured by S. F. Baird, from the fresh waters about Hingham, and in a branch of the Charles River, at Hol- liston. 2. BoLEOsoMA FUsiFORME. The largest specimens which we have seen of this species, are nearly two inches long. Body slender and fusiform in shape, snout blunt. First dorsal iin not contiguous to the second. Caudal posteriorly rounded. The tip of the pectoral fins extends as far back as that of the ventrals. Ground color yellowish brown, with crowded and irregular black spots distributed all over the back and sides. The dor- sal fins are likewise spotted. Caudal fin barred with the same color ; the other fins unicolor, similar to the color of the lower part of the body, which is somewhat lighter than the ground color of the back and sides. Specimens were caught by S. F. Baird, at Framingham, in a tributary of the Charles River. 3. Esox ORNATUS. A small species, about seven or eight inches in length, having the general physiognomy of Esox Ameri- canus and Esoxfasciatus. The head forms a little less than the fourth of the total length. The lower jaw is longer than the upper one ; both are provided with very small and acute teeth. The posterior extremity of the maxillary extends beyond the pupil. Caudal fin forked, composed of nineteen rays ; ten to the upper, and nine to the lower lobe, with a few rudimentary ones above and below. Dorsal subquadrilateral, and com- posed of twelve rays and an anterior rudiment. The anal has about the same shape as the dorsal, and is composed of ten rays and an anterior rudimentary one. The anterior margin of that fin is situated a little behind the origin of the dorsal. Ven- trals, situated on the middle of the space between the base of the caudal and the tip of the snout, elongated and composed of nine rays. Pectorals scarcely larger than the ventrals, con- taining fourteen rays. 42 D. 13. A. 11. C. 3. 1. 9. 8. I. 2. V. 9. P. 14. Twenty-eight to thirty longitudinal rows of scales nfiay be counted from the insertion of the ventrals to the dorsal line. Color, above and on the sides mottled with yellowish and dark brown, deeper above. Traces of vertical bands broken up into spots. Isolated scales, exhibiting greenish reflections ; at other times, golden. A vertical black vitta beneath the eye ; another from the eye to the snout. Iris, dark green. Inferior fins, red ; upper ones margined with red. Length of specimen described, 7f of an inch. Head, from snout to posterior margin of oper- culum, 1^ of an inch. Specimens collected by S. F. Baird. Dr. J. B. Cordeiro, of Boston, and Mr. Nathaniel H. Bishop, of Medford, were chosen Resident Members. April 19, 1854. The President in the Chair. The President gave notice that the next meeting would be the regular Annual Meeting, for the election of officers, and other business. Prof. H. D. Rogers and Dr. N. B. Shurdeff, were chosen a Committee to nominate officers for the ensuing year. Mr. J. M. Barnard and Dr. Kneeland were chosen a Committee to audit the accounts of the Treasurer. Prof. H. D. Rogers made some remarks upon the Cornwall Iron Mines, in Lebanon County, Penn., which he had lately visited. These mines have an almost unlimited source of supply, having been worked for the last eighty years, and still afford material to an increasing number of works. The two principal sources of iron in the United States, are hematite and the magnetic oxide of iron ; these mines affi)rd another copious source in the form of the brown hydrated oxide. 43 The President made some remarks upon the relation be- tween the vegetable impressions of the coal beds, and those of the New Red Sandstone. In connection with this sub- ject, Mr. Bouve stated that the Sandstone slabs from the Connecticut Valley exhibit a large number of vegetable impressions. In answer to a question by the President, as to the best received theory of the formation of coal, Prof. Rogers stated that it is generally admitted at the present day, that each bed of coal was an ancient peat deposit ; that it was formed at a period when the climate was warmer than at present, and when the fall of rain was also much more abundant; when vegetation was rank and redundant, the plants abounding in cellular tissue, and evidently of quick and easy growth. The Curator of Oology announced the donation of nine specimens of choice eggs from Florida, by Dr. Henry Bry- ant, of the following species : Trogiodptes Ludoviciamis, Carolina Wren; Quiscalus major, Boat-tail Grakle ; Charadrius WilsoniuSy Wilson's Plover ; Tantalus loculator, Wood Ibis ; RhynchojJS nigra, Razor-bill Shearwater ; Anous stolidtis, Noddy Tern ; Sterna fuliginosa, Sooty Tern ; Sterna acuflamda, Cabot's Sandwich Tern ; Plotus anhinga, Snake-bird. Also a donation of twenty-four specimens by himself, viz. : — American Species : Chordeiles Virginianus, Night Hawk ; Acanthylis pelasgia, Chimney Swallow ; Progne purpurea, Purple Martin; Myiobius crinitus, Crested Flycatcher ; Ammodramus passerinus, Yellow-shouldered Sparrow ;• Ammodramus mariti7nus, Seaside Finch ; Frin- gilla tristis, Goldfinch ; Rallus crepitans, Clapper Rail. European Species: Alcedo ispida. Kingfisher; Upupa epops. Hoopoe; Calamodytapalustris, Fauvette Warbler ; Accentor modularis. Hedge Chanter; Turdus 7nerula, European Blackbird; Enneoctonus collurio, Red-backed u Shrike ; Corvus corone, European Crow ; Fringilla car- duelisj European Goldfinch; Fring-illa cannabina, Com- mon Linnet ; Emheriza miliaria^ Common Bunting ; Co- lumba livia, Rock Dove ; Perdix cinerea, European Par- tridge ; Glareola pratinicola^ Collared Pratincole ; Chara- drius pluvialis^ Golden Plover ; Vanellus cristatus, Lap- wing ; Platalea leucorodia, Spoonbill. The Curator of Comparative Anatomy presented the skull of a wolf, from Florida, in the name of Dr. Bryant. Prof. Rogers gave notice that he had been informed by Mr. Chesbrough, that the Cochituate Reservoir at Brook- line would be drained in the course of the succeeding week, and that Mr. Chesbrough would be glad to give assistance to any members of the Society in collecting specimens. Prof. Rogers had seen, at the draining of the Fairmount Reser- voir, in the mud left after the flowing off of the water, appearances similar to those exhibited by glacier action in Switzerland. Prof. Forbes had made out this analogy on a small scale, by means of soft solids conducted through troughs, but here the experiment was seen upon a grand scale, extending over an acre or more of ground. Mr. Charles Eliot, and Mr. E. S. Holden, of Boston, were elected Resident Members. May 3, 1854. ANNUAL MEETING. The President in the Chair. The customary Annual Pvcports of the Treasurer, Libra- rian, and Curators were received and read ; the following are abstracts : 45 The Curator of Comparative Anatomy reported, that during the last year, the increase in his department had been small. The additions have been — a skeleton of a loon ; crania of a wolf and porpoise ; cranium of a Sandwich Islander ; and about a dozen national skulls, deposited by the Curator. The Curator of Comparative Anatomy took this opportunity to remind the members and friends of the Society, that a collection of national skulls would be a very desirable addition to the cabi- net, and that it would not be very difficult, with their assistance, to obtain one. Many authentic specimens are in the possession of individuals who take no special interest in Ethnology ; many are in the possession of, or easily obtained by friends among Indians, in Australia, in California, and the Pacific Islands. If these could be collected, and added to those already possessed by the Society, a collection might be made of exceeding interest and value to the students of Anthropology, who are now so rapidly increasing in number. At any rate, the Society should possess a collection of the skulls of the Ahoriginal American Tribes^ who are now rapidly and forever fading away ; in a few years it will be impossible to obtain authentic specimens. The Curator of Oology reported, that at the commencement of the year, the collection of eggs amounted to 240 specimens, belonging to 165 species, inclusive of six undetermined. During the year, 37 species have been added, of 33 species. The collection now contains the eggs of 198 species. Of these, 106 are North American ; 79, European ; 8, South American ; 2, African ; 1, Australian. The Curator of Oology availed himself of the present occasion once more to solicit donations from members and others to this department. In the hope to stimulate others to aid him in mak- ing this collection more worthy of the Society, he had prepared a catalogue of the Society's collection, to be submitted for publi- cation in the Proceedings to enable gentlemen to observe and supply its wants. The Curator of Oology also announced the donation of three specimens of birds' eggs from Dr. Henry Bryant, viz. : Ephialtes asio, Caprimulgus Carolinensis, Pytilis cardinalis. The Curator of Geology reported, that the portion of the cabi- 46 net under his charge was in good condition, and as well arranged as the present contracted space allotted to it would admit. This department had been enriched, during the past year, by the addi- tion of a splendid collection of the Footmarks of Birds and other animals upon the Red Sandstone of the Connecticut Valley, and by a series of Silurian fossils from the State of New York ; also, by the presentation of several fossils from various persons, as reported at the meetings of the Society. The Curator of Botany reported, that the Herbarium was in good order. About 800 specimens had been added to the col- lection during the past year, obtained mostly by exchange from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Jamaica. A portion of these were presented by the Curator, a portion by Prof. Asa Gray, of Cambridge, and a valuable collection of Swiss Mountain Plants was received from Mr. B. F. Kendall. The Herbarium now contains a large proportion of the New England plants ; still there are many of the rarer species yet wanting, as well as some of those belonging to our Western bor- der. The Curator is particularly desirous of obtaining a full suite of New England specimens, and he solicits the aid of those interested in Botanical pursuits. The Curator of Icthyology reported, that the collection of Fishes remained nearly the same as at the last report, only a few specimens having been added. The Curator of Herpetology reported, that in this department are contained, at the present time, about 480 specimens, classi- fied as follows, viz. : Chelonians 50 ; Serpents 227 ; Saurians 122 ; Batrachians 81. Under the Curatorship of Dr. H. R. Storer, much progress was made in identifying and labelling the different species ; the tortoises and batrachians having been nearly all labelled, and a large portion of the saurians. It is to be regretted that little progress has as yet been made in classify- ing the serpents, in consequence of the deficiency of the requi- site books and plates. There are many valuable specimens be- longing to the Society, from South America ; some of which, in all probability, are undescribed species. The Curator of Conchology reported, tliat during the past year, the principal donations to this department have been from 47 the family of the late Hon. Thomas H. Perkins, and Dr. James Lewis, of New York. The Librarian reported that there had been received 328 bound volumes, and 170 pamphlets and parts of volumes, being a considerable increase over the number of works received the preceding year. Of the bound volumes, 249 have been depo- sited by the Republican Institution. Among the most valuable works presented to the Society, may be mentioned the splendid work of Geoffrey St. Hilaire and Fred. Cuvier, entitled, " Histoire Naturelle des Mammiferes," 3 vols, folio, elegantly bound, from the Hon. Francis C. Gray. The Librarian took this occasion to say a few words respect- ing the publication of the Journal of the Society, on which the continuance of its system of exchanges mainly depends. The intervals of publication are too long, four years having elapsed since the publication of Vol. VL No. 2 ; within a few weeks only, Vol. VI, No. 3, has been published, and during this interval the subscription list has sensibly diminished, by death and other causes. The Librarian felt it to be very important that a large addition should be made to the subscription list, and if all the members of the Society would subscribe, two numbers a year might easily be published. On examining the record of books borrowed from the Library since the last Annual Meeting, he found that 471 charges had been made ; a good evidence, if any were needed, that the col- lection is accomplishing its legitimate object. Mr. Bouve, from the Committee on the Purchase of the Greenfield Fossils, reported that the total amount of expend- iture for their purchase and transportation, was $1,352.32 ; and that the sum of $*57 only was now wanting to remu- nerate the Committee. Dr. Shurtleff, from the Committee appointed to nominate officers for the ensuing year, reported the names of the fol- lowing gentlemen ; being the same as those of the past year, with the exception of the substitution of the name of Dr. Bryant for that of Dr. Cabot, who declined reelection, — as follows : 48 President, John C. Warren, M. D. Vice-Presidents, Charles T. Jackson, M. D., and D. Humphreys Storer, M. D. Corresponding Secretary, Samuel L. Abbot, M. D. Recording Secretary, Benjamin S. Shaw, M. D. Treasurer, Nathaniel B. ShurtlefF, M. D. * Librarian, Charles K. Dillaway. Curators, Thomas T. Bouve, Of Geology. Francis Alger, Mineralogy. Waldo I. Burnett, M. D. Entomology. Samuel Kneeland, Jr., M. D. Comparative Anatomy. Jeffries Wyman, M. D. Herpeiology. Thomas M. Brewer, M. D. Oology. Silas Durkee, M. D. Ichthyology. Charles J. Sprague, Botany. J. B. S. Jackson, M. D. Crustacea and Radiata. Thomas J. Whittemore, Conchology. Henry Bryant, M. D. Ornithology. Cabinet Keeper, Charles Stodder. The gentlemen nominated were elected to their respect- ive offices. On motion of Dr. Kneeland, the thanks of the Society were presented to Dr. Samuel Cabot, for his long contin- ued and valuable services as Curator of Ornithology. On motion of Dr. Bryant, the thanks of the Society were 49 presented to the Committee on the purchase of the Green- field Fossils. A letter from Sir John Richardson to the President, referring to some points in the anatomy of the Mastodon, was read to the Society. Dr. Kneeland read some extracts from an analysis, which he had made of the work of Messrs. Nott and Gliddon, on the '^ Types of Mankind," highly commending the work as one of extreme value, and favoring the view adopted by its authors, of the multiple origin of the human race. May 17, 1854. The President in the Chair. The President laid upon the table, for distribution to members of the Society, copies of his recently published monography upon fossil impressions, entitled " Remarks on some Fossil Impressions in the Sandstone Rocks of Con- necticut River." Dr. Kneeland exhibited specimens of the bark, foliage, cones, and seed of the Wellingtonia gigantea, from the large tree recently cut down in California. The bark was about seventeen inches thick, charred on the outside, and with indications on the inside that the layers nearest the wood did not exist on the specimen ; so that it must have constituted at least three feet, and probably much more, of the diameter of this tree. It resembles the bark of the Southern Cypress, though it is less fibrous and stringy. The piece exhibited contained about twelve layers to the inch, making an age of two hundred and sixteen years, if each layer represents exactly a year's increase, all the layers being of about the same average thickness ; this calculation, supposing the tree to be two thousand PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. VOL. V. 4 OCTOBER, 1854. 50 years old, and the annual increase the same, would give the bark the thickness of nearly one half the diameter of the tree ; whereas, in the Philadelphia specimen, at the height of twenty- five feet, the bark was about one sixth of the diameter. Taking this ratio, which will probably be not far from the truth, [as the thickness of the annual layers of wood is greater in the youth of the tree, the diameter of the entire bark would be between five and six feet, supposing none to be lost by ex- foliation ; the probability is, however, that from constant exfo- liation, the bark is no thicker now than it was five hundred years ago. The specimen of foliage is cypress-like, and is probably only one of the two forms common in trees of this family ; it is well known that the deciduous cypress has two forms of leaves. The cones are oblong, and are said to have a thick woody axis ; which cannot be fully verified, from the unwillingness of the owner of the specimens to have them cut into. They will, how- ever, be submitted to Prof. Gray, and will doubtless serve to con- firm or reject the genus Wellingtonia, which name has been given by Dr. Lindley. The specimens were accompanied by a lithograph, taken at San Francisco, of the tree from which these specimens were obtained. It is one of many gigantic trees found near the head of Stanislaus River, on the Sierra Nevada, California. Its height was two hundred and ninety feet, its circumference ninety-six feet,^ and its diameter near the ground about thirty-one feet. The age was estimated at three thousand years, which, from the investigations of Prof. Gray on a larger tree of the same genus, is probably too great by at least one thousand years. The size and age of these trees is a matter of much interest ; the one now on exhibition at Philadelphia was sound from the sap-wood to the centre, which is almost never the case in trees of other families, as the Oaks, which often attain a great size. The diameter of the tree in Philadelphia, at five feet from the ground, was over twenty-nine feet ; at eighteen feet, fourteen and a half feet ; at twenty-five feet, twelve and a half feet, the bark being two and a quarter feet thick ; at two hundred feet, about five and a half feet, — its* length being about three hundred and twenty feet. The section, at twenty-five feet from the ground, (without the 51 bark over ten feet thick) has been hollowed out by fire and other means, to a shell of about four inches in thickness. A piece of this wood Dr. Gray found to contain, on an average, forty-eight annual layers to an inch ; the semidiameter at this point being five feet two inches, (viz. at twenty-five feet from the ground.) Supposing the tree increased in diameter at the same rate during its whole life, there would be nearly three thousand annual lay- ers ; but Dr. Gray, in consideration of the greater thickness of the layers of a young tree, and from comparison of sections of the so-called Cypress of the Southern States, Taxodium distichum, (as given in detail in the Proceedings of the American Academy, Vol. 3, p. 96,) assigns about two thousand years as its highest probable age. This tree is nearly allied to the Redwood of California, Taxo- dium sempervirens. Don, of late described under the new genus Sequoia, which is now growing in England, and rarely in this vicinity, where it is barely hardy. As we have now seeds of the VVellingtonia, it is hoped that ere long we shall have some young specimens of this gigantic conifer. Prof. Wyman communicated the results of his recent re- searches upon the structure of the heart, and the physiology of the respiration in the Menobranchus and Batrachians. The group of reptiles, known as Perennibranchiates, retain the gills throughout life, associated with rudimentary lungs ; there has been a question as to the structure of the heart in this group, i. e. as to the existence of a single or double auricle. It has been pretty well determined that the proteus has but one au- ricle ; the axolotl of Mexico has been found likewise to have only one auricle. Prof. Wyman had found the heart of the meno- branchus provided with a single auricle and ventricle. It has long been well known, that Batrachian reptiles respire partly by means of the skin, and this has been satisfactorily de- termined by the experiments of Edwards and others. Prof. Wyman had seen, in dissecting the vascular system of the frog, after minute injection with coloring matter, that the branch of the pulmonary artery described by Muller as going only to the occi- put, actually sends all of its blood to the skin, a fact to which attention has been recently called by Bernard. There are also 52 branches from the vertebral artery, coming off with the spinal nerves and going to the skin, and subserving the purspoes of respiration. It is difficult to say, at present, what is the exact analogue of this branch of the pulmonary artery. The following connmunication from Mr. James Lewis was read : Notes on Paludina decisa Say. By James Lewis. Paludina decisa Say, is probably the only species of Paludina to be found in New England and the eastern portion of the State of New York. It has been observed, that this species often presents speci- mens that are reversed. From several hundreds of specimens obtained in the Erie Canal, at Mohawk, Herkimer County, N, Y., for purposes of exchange, the embryonic young pre- sented in one lot, a proportion of about one reversed shell to 92 nor- mal ; these were all taken from normal adult specimens. On another occasion, from a similar lot, the proportion was as 1 to 55.5 ; giving in the two between 1 and 2 per cent, of reversed specimens (young.) The embryonic young of reversed adults, gave as follows : Large reversed adult. 3 reversed young. 13 normal. Smaller '' " 2 *' " 12 Still smaller '' 0 " *' 12 c( (( (( Q *' ^^ 8 '"'' P. decisa obtained near Boston, Mass., first presented to my notice reversed specimens. The same thing has been noticed in other portions of New England. (See " Shells of Vermont, by C. B. Adams, A. M." ) I have also noticed it in Paludina in Mohawk River, a variety of P. decisa, which, owing to the greater abundance of lime in the water, seldom has its spire truncated, o,s is seen in shells found in localities deficient in lime. (I would here remark, that samples of these shells of the normal form, sent to a friend in Boston, were pronounced P. integra Say.) ^ In the Erie Canal, these shells, favored by peculiar circum- stances, attain a very large growth, some of them being 1 /g- inches long, by 1 xV wide. They also present, within certain 53 limits, considerable diversity of form and structure. Some of them present traces of an umbilicus, especially those specimens which are of the thinnest texture. The thin shells are some- times more slender than the others. The opercles of the shells present also considerable diversity of form ; in the largest (adults) the opercle is long and narrow, closing the mouth of the aperture, in length, but not in width. In the smaller shells, the opercle seems to close the shell com- pletely, about one fourth of a turn back from the mouth of the orifice. This shell corresponds well with DeKay's description of P. Integra. (See Invert, of N. Y.) I have observed, that the structure of the animal in the re- versed shell, is also reversed. About twelve miles south from Mohawk, in Schuyler's Lake, are found great numbers of Paludina integra Say. The species, as thus exhibited, is seldom over one inch in length, the shell rather more slender than the specimens of P. decisa, which have come under my notice in the canal and river, at Mohawk, and I have never seen a single reversed specimen among them, notwithstanding I have carefully examined hundreds of specimens in various stages of growth, and at different times, to ascertain if they were pre- sent. I have also examined Paludina, in other small lakes and ponds having connection with the above-named lake, but have never seen a single reversed specimen among them. From all I have been able to ascertain in relation to reversed specimens of Paludina decisa, I am disposed to consider this peculiarity as exclusively incident to this species ; and I regard its occurrence as a distinct indication that the shell is P. decisa Say, and also that the occurrence of occasional reversed specimens among dextral shells of this genus, is a clear indication of the species. Prof. William B. Rogers communicated some observations recently made by him on the natural Coke, and the asso- ciated igneous and altered rocks of the Oolite coal region in the vicinity of Richmond, Virginia. In the district on the north side of the James River, where the most valuable seam of coke has been explored, it is at present 54 wrought by two vertical shafts. In that nearest the outcrop, the coke is reached at 112 feet from the surface, in the other at 207 feet, the dip of the coal measures being nearly west, and at a low angle. A third shaft, recently wrought, which lies nearer the margin of the basin, than either of the preceding, cuts the stratum of coke at the depth of 90 feet. A bed of whin stone, or coarse gray trap, is intercalated in the coal measures of this part of the basin, intersecting the two first mentioned shafts, but cropping out a little west of the third. This bed is met with in the deepest and most western of the shafts, at a distance of about 100 feet from the surface, and is more than 30 feet thick where it is cut through ; but in the next shaft, it is struck at a depth of less than 30 feet, and has thinned down to about half the preced- ing thickness. One of the most remarkable effects produced by this igneous bed, is seen in the stratum of carbonaceous fire-clay which lies next beneath. This, which in the second shaft has a thickness of eleven feet, has been greatly indurated, and made to assume a columnar structure, by which the whole mass is converted into a congeries of closely packed five and six-sided prisms, often quite regular, usually about half an inch in diameter, and always at right angles to the lower surface of the trap. A portion of this bed, originally occupied by impure coaly matter, presents the same columnar structure, but the material is a compact plumba- ginous coke, with much earthy matter intermixed. The general aspect of the gray part of this bed strongly resembles that of the coarser varieties of fire-brick, after they have been long exposed to intense heat. This is what might be expected, for in the bed in question, we have the very materials of fire-brick, and in the overlying trap we have a source of igneous action, which, in the originally molten condition of this substance, could not fail to work great changes in the contiguous strata. This columnar indurated clay, or natural fire-brick, when recently broken, emits a most offensive odor, partly that of sulphuretted hydrogen, and partly perhaps caused by a sulphuret of carbon. At the depth of about seventy feet below the bottom of the trap, occurs the bed of natural Coke, for the mining of which chiefly these openings have been made. This interval below the 55 fire-clay is occupied by bluish and drab argillaceous and sandy slates, with some worn sandstone, the former abounding in im- pressions of plants, among which may be noted Equisetum co- lumnare, Zamites obtusifolius, and Tseniopteris magnifolia — forms which, many years ago, Prof. Rogers pointed out as mark- ing the Oolite age of these coal-bearing strata. The baking action of the trap is curiously shown in all these fossils. The coaly matter of the stems and fronds, when closely examined, is seen to be blebby or blistered. It is in fact coke, which, while it retains the outlines and stronger markings of the plant, has in its partial fusion obliterated all the finer characters of the organ- ized surface. The coke, where it has been successfully mined, forms a bed about five feet thick, including but little slate, and presenting a nearly homogeneous mass of a bluish black color,i uniformly vesicular, and light enough to float in water. It retains only a minute fraction of the volatile ingredients of the unaltered bituminous coal of this region, but it ignites readily, and burns like the compactor kinds of ordinary coke. Throughout the bed, but especially towards the top, it presents a partially co- lumnar structure. Where this structure is marked, the coke is found to crepitate when heated. In some localities, on the south side of the James River, where the whole mass of coal and adjoining shale has been rendered completely columnar, the material, in the process of heating, breaks up with explosions like the crack of a pistol, at the same time projecting its fragments to some distance from the grate. The gradually diminishing influence of the Trap bed, as we recede downwards, is illustrated by the section in one of the shafts which embraces a thickness of fifty feet of strata below the seam of coke above described. After passing through in- durated fire-clay, lying immediately beneath the coke, we have a thickness of about twenty feet of slates, followed by a thin seam of semi-coke or coky coal — more bituminous below than at the top ; and after this, descending through some twenty feet more slates and sandstones, we come upon a bed of bituminous coal, which appears to have sustained no alteration beyond the de- velopment throughout the mass of a columnar structure. In the deepest of the three shafts, the seam now wrought under the 56 intelligent direction of Col. Worth, corresponds to the coky coal above described, the lower layer retaining much of its original bitumen. In all these workings, the gradation of metamorphic influence is beautifully marked within a distance of less than fifty feet of strata, from the greatly altered shale or fire-clay, immediately beneath the Trap, through the successive slates and coke seams, to the unchanged bituminous coal at the bottom of the section. Dr. Brewer exhibited the eggs presented by Dr. Bryant, at the last meeting. The egg of the Chuck-wills widow {Caprimulgus Carolinensis) is of considerable value, being quite difficult to procure. June 1th, 1854. The President in the Chair. Letters were received and read from Prof. H. D. Rogers and Prof. Baird, of the Smithsonian Institution, relative to a collection of specimens for the Society, to be furnished by the Smithsonian Institution, and asking that a sum of money be placed at the disposal of the Institution, for the payment of their preservation and transportation. On motion of Mr. Barnard, these letters were referred to a committee of three, viz. Prof. H. D. Rogers, the Trea- surer, and Mr. Barnard, with instructions to report at the next meeting. Dr. Durkee exhibited a piece of cloth, a part of the envelope . of the Peruvian Mummy ^ the skull of which was presented to the Society at the last meeting. According to Quekett, in his lectures on histology, published as late as 1852, the enveloping cloths of Peruvian Mummies have been found to be composed of cotton only. In this specimen, no cotton fibres could be detected, and the texture was found to be of hair or wool, possibly that of the lama. 57 Dr. Cabot exhibited a unique specimen of a hybrid duck, a cross between the Golden eye and the Hooded Merganser {Clan- gula Americana and Mergus cucullatus.) This hybrid preserves the distinctive characters of each of the parent stock, although they belong to distinct genera. Dr. Cabot remarked upon the peculiarities of the bird, and gave some of its anatomical mea- surements, but deferred a full report upon the specimen to a future meeting. Dr. J. B. S. Jackson exhibited and presented to the Society a large collection of objects which he had recently obtained in the western country. Amongst these were specimens of the Mistle- toe, growing upon the locust tree {Rohinia pseudacacia,) upon the banks of the Ohio, near Louisville. Dr. Jackson was in- formed that it is most common there upon the locust, maple, and elm, and that it is rarely if ever seen upon the oak, which is generally supposed to be its favorite tree. At sixteen miles be- low Louisville, it is so abundant that the trees are quite green with it all winter. Dr. Jackson stated, on the authority of the guides to the Mammoth Cave, Ky., that craw-fish with well developed eyes, had been found in the waters of the cave, and that the blind fish had been found in the waters of Green River, outside of the cave, both alive and dead ; evidence of a communication of Green River with, or its passage through the cave. A letter was read from Dr. Samuel Kneeland, Jr., giving notice to the Society of his resignation of the office of Curator of Comparative Anatomy. The thanks of the Society were voted to Dr. Kneeland, for his faithful services as Curator, and the Corresponding Secretary was requested to express to him the sincere regret of the Society at his departure from Boston. Prof. Jeffries Wyman, after resigning the office of Cu- rator of Herpetology, was elected Curator of Comparative Anatomy, in place of Dr. Kneeland. 58 Prof. Wyman, to whom were referred the reptiles belong- ing to the collection of Dr. T. H. Webb, reported, that a large proportion of them were from Mexico, and the south- ern part of the United States, and belonged to genera and species not yet described by systematic writers ; that this So- ciety has not the proper books and plat.es for their determi- nation ; and that as Prof. Baird, of the Smithsonian Institu- tion, has already studied these reptiles, and has a complete library of works on herpetology, he advised Dr. Webb to send them to Prof. Baird, who had accordingly done so. Dr. D. H. Storer read portions of a letter from Dr. W. O. Ayres, of San Francisco, upon subjects of Natural His- tory. At the suggestion of Dr. Ayres, the Society voted to send a copy of the "Journal" and "Proceedings" to the California Academy of Natural Sciences, a newly established society of San Francisco. The following gentlemen were elected Corresponding Members : Rev. A. Constantino Barry, of Racine, Wis. ; Thure Kumlien, Esq., of Albion, Wis. ; and William Hop- kins, Esq., of Auburn, N. Y. June 2lst, 1854. Dr. Silas Durkee, in the Chair. Dr. Shaw exhibited specimens of the Coccue insect upon the locust tree, placed in his hands by Mr. C. J. Sprague. The small branches of the locust were completely covered by the insect. They were all females, each containing an immense number of ova, and are apparently of the same spe- cies as that which infests the grape vines in Boston, though the cotton-like secretion which envelopes the eggj is much less abundant in the Coccus of the locust. 59 DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM. I\Iay ocl. The eggs of Epliialtes asio, Cajmmulgiis Carolinensis, and Cardinalis Vir- ffiniatius ; by Dr. Henry Bryant. Two large specimens of jNIarine Vases, from the East Indies ; by Gustavus Tuckerman, Esq. The skull of a Sandwich Islander, obtained by exchange with the Boston Society for Medical Improvement. The skull of a Porpoise {Delphinus delphis) obtained in latitude 2 N. Nut from the West Indies; and a Clay-stone from Waterbury, Vt.; by Dr. Samuel Knee- land, Jr. May 17th. The skull of a Peruvian IMummy, in good state of preservation, repre- sented to have belonged to a person of royal blood, and to have been found in one of the royal tombs ; also some Ears of Corn, found with the mummy ; by Mr. N. H. Bishop. Several small articulates from Matanzas; some frogs in different stages of growth; some Gulf-weed, &c., by Dr. Samuel Kneeland, Jr. Specimens of Paludina decisa from the Erie Canal, at Mohawk, N. Y, ; also specimens of the revei-sed Shell, and a Jar of the embryonic Young, natural and reversed, by Dr. James Lewis. June 7th. A hybrid from a Golden-eye duck ( Clangula Americana^) and a Hooded IMerganser {Mergus cucullatiis) ; by Henry D. Morse, Esq. Mistletoe from the Locust tree ; Encrinites and other fossils from the neighborhood of Louisville; specimens from the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, consisting of Bats, Craw-fishes, Insects, &c. ; also Carbonate of Lime in incrustations ; also. Sand from the Artesian well at St. Louis, brought up from the depth of 2200 feet; by Dr..J. B. S. Jackson. June 21st. A portion of a Maple tree from Goffstown, N. H., exhibiting two small branches fused into one ; by Mr. Philip Lovejoy, BOOKS RECEIVED DURING THE QUARTER ENDING JUNE 20, 1S54. Beitrage zur Gesammten Natur-und Heilwissenschaft ; herausgegeben von Dr. W. E. Weitenweber. 4 vols. 8vo. Prag. 1838. Dr. J. C. E. Hoser's Eiickblicke auf sein Leben und Wirken. By the same. 8vo. Prag. 1848. Der Arabischer Kaffee. 8vo. Pamph. Prag. 1837. By the same. Aus dem Leben und Wirken des Herrn Dr. J. T. Holds. 8vo. Prag. 1847. By the same. From the Author. Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Vols. 1-6. 8vo.. From the Association. . Notices of the Meetings of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Parts 1 2, 3. 1851 - 53. 8vo. Pamph. London. From the Royal Institution. Journal of the Eoyal Geographical Society. Vol. 23. 8vo. 1853. General Index to the Second Ten Volumes of the Journal of the Eoyal Geographical Society. 8vo. Pamph. London, 1853. From the Royal Geogra^ phical Society. 60 Denkschriften der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Fiinfter Band. Erste Lieferung. 4to. Wien, 1853. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. Sechster Band, 1854. Band xi. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. 8vo. 1853. Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie, &c. Band ix. x. xi. 8vo. Wien, 1353. From the Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften. Seventh Census of the United States. 1850. Cong. Doc. 4to. Washington, 1853. Finance Keport, 1853 - 54. Cong. Doc. Washington. Congressional Eeport on Commerce and Navigation. 8vo. Washington, 1854. From Hon. S. H. Walley. Catalogue of the Public Library of the City of Boston. 8vo. Boston, 1854. From the City of Boston. Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon. By Lieut. Herndon. Parti. 8vo. Washington, 1853. Maps to Ditto. 1853. Keports of Prof. Henry D. Rogers on Wheatley, Brookdale, and Charlestown Mines, Pennsylvania. 8vo. Pamph. Philadelphia, 1853. Eeport on the Geology and Mining Resources of Part of Lackawana Coal Basin. By Prof. H. D. Rogers. 8vo. Pamph. Philadelphia. From Prof. H. D. Rogers. Seventh Annual Report of the Regents of the University of New York, on the condition of the State Cabinet of Natural History, &c. 8vo. Pamph. 1854. Albany. Sixty-seventh Annual Report of the Regents of the University of New York. 8vo. Pamph. Albany, 1854. From the Regents of the University. New York Journal of Medicine. Vol. XIL No. 3. May, 1854. From the Editor. Descriptions of New Fluviatile Shells of the United States. By J. G. Anthony. 8vo. Pamph. Cincinnati, 1854. From the Author. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. New Series, Vol. H. Part IV. 4to. Philadelphia, 1854. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences. Vol. VH. No. H. 8vo. Pamph. 1854. Discourse in Commemoration of the Founding of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. By W. P. Foulke. 8vo. Pamph. Philadelphia, 1854. From the Academy of Natural Sciences. Coal Measures of the South Joggins, Nova Scotia. By J. W. Dawson. Svo. Pamph. London, 1853. From the Author. Metamorphic and Metalliferous Rocks of Eastern Nova Scotia. By the same. Svo. Pamph. London, 1850. From the Author. Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York. Vol. VL Nos. 2-4. New York, 1854. Appendix to the History of Vermont ; Natural, Civil, and Statistical. 1353. By Zadock Thompson. 8vo. Burlington, Vt. From the Author. Annual Report of the Trustees of the State Library of the State of New York. 8vo. Pamph. Albany, 1854. From T. R. Beck. 61 Gelehrte Anzeigen herausgegeben von Mitgliedern fder K. Bayer. Akademie der Wissenschaften. Band 36, 37. Miinchen, 1853. From the Akademie. Verhandlungen des Naturhistorischen Vereins der Preussichen Rheinlande und Westphalens. Zweites Heft. 8vo. Pamph. Bonn, 1853. From the Naturhis- torischer Verein. Information concerning the History, Condition, and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States. By H. R. Schoolcraft. 4to. Vol. 4. Washing- ton, 1854. From G. W. Manypenny, Bureau of Indian Affairs. Bulletin de la Soci^t(^ G^ologique de France. 2ieme s^rie. Tome X. Feu- illes 29-40(16 Mai— 8 Septembre, 1853.) 8vo. Paris. From the Societe Geo- logique. Illustrations of the Birds of California, Texas, Oregon, and Russian America. By John Cassin. 8vo. Nos. 2-5. Philadelphia, 1853. From ike Author. Bulletin de la Socidt^ de Geographic. 4ri^me s^rie. Tomes V. VI. 8yo. Paris, 1853. From the Societe de Geographie. Farmer's Companion and Horticultural Gazette. Nos. 6, 6, Vol. HI. No. 3, Vol. IV. 8vo. Pamph. Detroit, 1854. Annals of Science, for April, 1854. Silliman's American Journal of Science and Arts. Vol. XVII. No. 51. 8vo. New Haven, 1854. Genera of recent Mollusca, by H. and A. Adams. Parts XI. XII. 8vo. London, 1854. Archiv fiir Naturgeschichte. Gegriindet von A. F. A. Wiegraan. Fortgesetzt von W. F. Erichson. Sechstes Heft. No. 6. 8vo, Berlin, 1851. Funftes Heft. Nos. 1-5. 1852. Received in Exchange. Species Filicum. By W. J. Hooker. Parts 4, 5, 6. 8vo. London, 1853. Annals and ^Magazine of Natural History. Vol. XIH. No. 75 for March, No. 7 for April, No. 77 for May, No. 78 for June, 1853. Thesaurus Literatures Botanicse. Curavit G. A. Pritzel. Fasciculi I. - VII. 8vo. Lipsi^, 1854. Index Volume of the American Journal of Science and Arts. 8vo. Pamph. New Haven. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. Vol. X. Part 2. May, 1854. London. Hortus Jamaicensis. By John Lunan. 4to. Jamaica, 1814. Received from the Courtis Fund. Gazeteer of the United States. By T. Baldwin and J. Thomas. 8vo. Phila- delphia, 1854. Works of John Adams. Vol. IX. 8vo. Boston, 1854. Deposited by the Re- publican Institution. 62 July 5th, 1854. Dr. C. T. Jackson, Vice-President, in the Chair. Present by invitation, Mr. Jules Marcou, United States Geologist, and member of the Geological Society of France. The Chairman announced to the Society the death of Dr. Waldo I. Burnett, which had taken place since the last meeting. On motion of Dr. Abbot, it was Voted, That Prof. Jef- fries Wyman be a Committee to draw up resolutions, ex- pressive of the regret of the Society at the loss they have experienced in the death of Dr. Burnett, and also to pre- pare a notice of his life and scientific labors. Dr. C. T. Jackson read an account of a new mine of Gold, Silver, Lead, and Copper, recendy opened at Bridgewater, Vermont. The minerals at present known in this mine are as follows, viz. Native gold in scales, and small irregular grains, in quartz, in black blende, and in other minerals of the vein ; Argentiferous Galena ; Black Zinc blende ; Yellow Copper pyrites ; Gahnite or Zinciferous Spinelle ; Crystals of quartz in geodes ; Brown oxide of Iron. This mine is about twenty miles from the principal railroads leading to Boston and New York, and the produce of it will pro- bably be brought to market by way of Woodstock and Hartland, as the country is less mountainous in that direction than towards Rutland. It is gratifying to find that Vermont may justly rank among the mineral States. Already extensive and valuable cop- per mines have been opened in Vershire and Corinth, and there is reason to believe that many other valuable mines of that metal will be opened along the line of the copper bearing rocks which extend from Strafford to Orange in a line a little west of north. Dr. Jackson also exhibited specimens of Mexican Native Iron, 63 from the neighborhood of Sonora, where they are sometimes used as blacksmiths' anvils and for corner stones to buildings. One specimen contained between five and six per cent, of Nickel, showing it to be meteoric. It is said that these masses are quite common, even of very large size, near Santa Rosas. The Chairman likewise exhibited a fragment in bronze, of a Chilian instrument, probably a crowbar, It contained 7.615 parts of tin, the remainder being copper. This bronze is well adapted for such instruments as were to be hammer-hardened. Ancient Egyptians' bronze tools contain from 17 to 2*^ per cent, of tin. The Corresponding Secretary read letters fronri various societies and institutions, acknowledging the reception of copies of the Journal and Proceedings of the Society, as follows : From Harvard College, Essex Institution, Ameri- can Philosophical Society, Societe de Geographic at Paris, Naturhistorischer Verein at Bonn, Bibliothekariat der K. Bayerischen Akademie, K. Akademie der Wissenchaften at Vienna : also from the office of Indian Affairs, accompa- nying the work of Schoolcraft on the Indian Tribes of the United States. Prof. Lunsford P. Yandell, of Louisville, Ky., was elected Corresponding Member. July 19, 1854. Dr. D. H. Storer, Vice-President, in the Chair. Prof. Henry D. Rogers presented a paper entitled, " A Description of New Species of Fossil Plants, from the An- thracite and Bituminous Coal Fields of Pennsylvania, col- lected and described by Leo Lesquereux, with Introductory Observations by Henry D. Rogers." Referred to the Publishing Committee, for insertion in the next number of the Journal. 64 Prof. Jeffries Wyman, in accordance with a vote passed at the preceding meeting, read the following NOTICE OF THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF THE LATE DR. WALDO IRVING BURNETT. Mr. President — From lime to time Death has entered our circle, and taken from our number one and another of those who have been our most active associates, and to whom we have been bound by the ties of personal regard or of friendship. In nearly every instance they have been removed in full manhood, or even at a later period, when the labors of a life of the ordinary length had been nearly finished. But never before has there been taken from amongst us one who, in his devotion to natural science, has, in so brief a life, left so many memorials of zeal and industry as he, to whose memory we would now pay our tribute of respect. Waldo Irving Burnett was born in the town of Southboro', Mass., July 12th, 1828. His father (the late Dr. Joel Burnett) was a man of distinguished excellence in his profession, and to the qualities of a good and useful citizen, united those of an ar- dent lover of nature, of whose works he was a close and faithful observer. Botany and Entomology especially received his atten- tion, and without the aid of genial spirits, or the intercourse with kindred minds, were studied with no ordinary zeal during the few leisure moments which were left him after the demands upon his time by a laborious profession had been satisfied. His love of nature was transmitted to the son, and was manifested in early boyhood, when the observation and study of insect life took a strong hold upon his mind. His father experienced a just pride in witnessing these tendencies ; but in place of encouragement, which he at first extended with delight, he was soon, though re- luctantly, obliged to substitute restraint. His son's mind was too intently absorbed in his pursuits, and fears were excited lest his studies, prolonged into hours stolen from the usual period of repose, should be attended with disastrous results to his physical constitution. His passion, however, grew with his growth and strengthened with his strength, and in the face of all obstacles, through health and through sickness, from an early youth to his early grave, it was never abated. He had not the advantage of a collegiate education ; this he 65 chose to forego, not from any indifference to its value, but from a sensitive unwillingness to subject his father to any unnecessary expenditure of his means. He gave early indications of great mental activity, and mastered with ease all the studies of the Academy ; in mathematics, especially, he was unusually profi- cient, and drew from his teacher the confession that in this department he was no longer capable of giving him instruction ; and it was the habit of other teachers in the neighborhood to send to young Burnett for the solution of difficult questions which they themselves were incompetent to master. Almost without assistance, at a later period, he made himself familiar with the French, Spanish, and German languages, and during the latter part of his life had made some progress in the Swedish. At the age of sixteen he had become thoughtful beyond his years ; and then commenced the development of those tenden- cies in his mind which ever afterwards were so conspicuous, and which continued to exert a controlling influence, viz. : the desire of gaining an insight into the nature of things, and of forming philosophical ideas and conceptions of natural processes, concep- tions and ideas which can be obtained only by the exercise of the higher powers of the mind. Mesmerism, materialism, and theological questions occupied his thoughts, and were frequently written upon and discussed by him. On all of these he mani- fested independence and continuity of thought, and persistence in whatever direction his mind was turned. It was at this early age that his interest in the study of medicine commenced, when he accompanied his father in his professional visits, and witnessed the effects of disease, as manifested in the examination of bodies after death. Entomology now especially engrossed his thoughts, and nearly all his leisure moments were occupied in collecting, studying, and classifying insects. While yet in his sixteenth year, his father died. This event materially changed his prospects, and was met with firmness and decision, and in the course of the following year, finding that something must be done for his sup- port, he commenced teaching school, and at the same time gave his attention to the study of medicine. The subsequent years of his student life were spent under the direction of Dr. Joseph Sargent, of Worcester, with whom there PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. VOL. V. 5 NOVEMBER, 1854. 66 grew up a warm mutual personal regard and friendship ; in the Tremont Medical School in Boston, which has given to the pro- fession so many zealous and productive laborers in medical sci- ence ; and in the Massachusetts General Hospital. He was ar- dent and industrious as a medical student, but never allowed his attention to be withdrawn from the study of nature, the micro- scope becoming his constant companion, and a source of never- failing pleasure. As evidence of his ability, it may be stated that in two successive years he gained the annual prize offered by the Boylston Medical Society. The subject of the first essay was Cancer^ which he treated with especial reference to its mi- croscopic structure ; and of the second. The Sexual System, or the production of being, considered as to its physiology and philosophy. In 1849, at the age of 21, he graduated in medicine, and soon after visited Europe, where his attention, especially at Paris, was given almost exclusively to natural history and microscopic ob- servation. The expectations of intellectual progress which he now looked forward to with so much interest, were soon doomed to severe disappointment. It was in Paris that he received the first serious warning that consumption, the disease which event- ually destroyed his life, had already marked him for its early victim. After an absence of only four months, he reembarked for America, to receive the benefit of a more genial climate in one of the southern States, and each successive winter he passed either in Carolina, Georgia, or Florida, in order to avoid the inclement and uncongenial climate of New England. He had now no permanent location, was constantly shifting from place to place, to mitigate, as far as possible, the steady progress of his disease. Every thing seemed adverse to any thing like connected study. Nevertheless, it was during these few unsettled years that he accomplished an almost incredible amount of intel- lectual labor. He was incessantly occupied with his microscope ; his mind was ever on the alert, and he allowed scarce a day to pass without some observation, without something added to his stock of acquired knowledge. In the winter of 1851, he delivered at the Medical College in Augusta, Ga., a successful course of lectures on Microscopic Anatomy. In the summer of 1852 he prepared the principal 67 work of his life, the Essay which received the prize from the American Medical Association. His two former prizes were competed for only by his fellow students ; but the third, it is no small praise to say, was open to the compethion of the whole medical profession throughout the country. While yet a medical student he became an active member of the Boston Society of Natural History, and was soon after elected Curator of Entomology. In 1851 hej was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences — one of the youngest members ever admitted into that body. His communi- cations to different scientific bodies and journals were very nu- merous and on a great variety of subjects, and give such evi- dence of industry and enthusiasm as cannot fail to excite our wonder and admiration. They are too numerous for analysis or even enumeration in this place ; but some of the more important ones are found under the following list of subjects, which com- prises those of about one third of the whole number of his me- moirs and communications, and which serves to show that his mind was interested in a great variety of questions, and that whenever an opportunity for investigation presented itself, he was always ready with a cheerful heart and patient industry to enter upon his work.* " On the Hybernation of Insects, and its Relation to their Met amor pho sis y *' An Account of certain microscopic animals found in a per- son who died of an enlarged spleen^ " On the external parasites of warm-Hooded animals,'*'' This was a subject to which he had devoted much attention, and in illustration of which he had made large collections of specimens preserved for microscopic study. " On the Emlryology of the Articulata,^'' including remarks on the alternation of generations in the Humble-Bee, (Bombus * His various scientific papers or abstracts of them may be found in the Pro- ceedings^ also in the Journal of the Boston Society of Natural History. In the Pro- ceedings of the Boston Society for Medical Improvement, in the Proceedings and in the Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in the American Journal of Science, in the Transactions of the American Medical Association for 1853, in the Boston Medical and Surgical Jounwd, and in the American Journal of Medical Science. 68 Americanus,) in which last he ascertained that three generations are produced from one impregnation. " On the luminous spots of the great Fire-Fly of Cuha.^'' " Observations on the Seventeen-year Locust.^^ ** On Spermatozoa.^^ " On the origin, development, and structure of the Kidneys throughout the vertehrated division of animals.'''' " Notes on the Rattle-snake, relating to its dentition, to the physiological effects of its poison, and to alcohol as a remedy.^'' " Some account of an Insect, (Rhinosia pometella, Harris,) and its recent injuries to the fruit and forest trees of New England.'''* " On the development of Viviparous Aphides, or plant lice.'''' This is a subject of great interest, and it was investigated with great ability. Since the days of Bonnet, it has been well known that several successive generations of Aphides are produced after a single impregnation. Dr. Burnett studied the successive gene- rations as they first appear in the body of the parent as illus- trated by the species infesting the hickory. If a fully developed, but wingless Aphis is examined in the spring, it is found to con- tain an embryo nearly mature ; and this embryo contains already the first germs of the third generation, in the form of single cells or a small number of cells inclosed in a sac. While a few germs are thus formed, others are formed by their subdivision from con- striction, until the requisite number is obtained. When they have reached the size of about one three-hundredth of an inch, a yellowish mass forms at one extremity of the egg, and then commences the development of the parts of the insect, which eventually inclose the mass just mentioned. It is this last yellow- ish mass which furnishes the materials for the next generation. All this, it should be remembered, is effected without the aid of any distinct reproductive organs. There is no ovary or oviduct, but the embryos are developed in the cavity of the abdomen, and discharged through a genital opening merely. In view of the fact that the viviparous aphides are sexless. Dr. Burnett re- garded their mode of reproduction as belonging to the gemmipa- rous type. Viewed in this way, the different broods cannot be looked upon as so many generations ; but on the contrary, the whole suite, from the first to the last, that is, till the production 69 of a winged Aphis constitutes but a single generation. This ex- planation by a species of budding seems far more satisfactory than that which supposes that either cells or nuclei of the first individual are transmitted by successive inclusions to the last. As this latter idea cannot be supposed to be the result of direct observation, and as no proof is adduced that identical cells and nuclei really pass from one generation to the other, the whole stands merely as an ingenious theory ; while Dr. Burnett's ex- planation (and this view is not proposed for the first time by him,) is in accordance with direct observation. But, in accepting his view, we are compelled to admit the hypothesis, that the ger- minating force imparted to the first ova is transmitted to the suc- cessive broods without the aid of spermatozoa. " On the microscopic appearances presented in the intestinal discharges and muscular fibres of a patient who died of the epi- demic cholera.^^ " Tissue and its retrograde metamorphosis.^' " On the Geology and other points connected with the natural history of Florida.''' " Considerations on a change of climate hy northern invalids^ a7id on the climate of Aikin^ S. C." " Considerations of some of the relations of climate to tuber- cular disease.^'' To these should be added his various critical notices of recent scientific publications in Silliman's Journal, which, in view of the short time he occupied the position of associate editor, were quite voluminous, and serve to give us a good idea of his powers of analysis and discussion. There is no one of his productions, which embodies more of the results of his labors, than the prize dissertation, consisting of two hundred closely printed octavo pages, presented to the American Medical Association in the year 1851, and entitled " The Cell, its physiology, pathology and philosophy, as deduced from original observations ; to which is added its history and criticism. ' Natura in minimis maxima est."* " To those who are acquainted with modern physiology, it will be seen at once that he had selected a great subject, one which even the most accomplished minds might approach with distrust. 70 The nucleated cell ! that minute organic structure which the unaided eye cannot discern, yet constituting the first stage of every living being, the seat of so many of the complex pheno- mena of animal and organic life, and the agent by which even the mind itself retains its grasp and exerts its influence upon the living structures with which it is associated. In entering upon so difficult a subject as this, it was not expected, nor is there any reason to suppose that he himself expected, that he should not lay himself open to criticism. The ablest living histologist, KoUiker, in speaking of the subject of the development of tissue, uses the following language : " Not only does histology not possess a single law, but the materials at hand from which such could be deduced are as yet relatively so scanty, that not even any consi- derable number of general propositions appear well founded." As laws and general propositions were among the especial objects of Dr. Burnett's researches, it will be seen at once that he has entered boldly into a contested field. But it is to follow him in his labors, and not to hold up to criticism his results, that we have at present to do. His subject is discussed under the following heads : 1st. Cell-genesis, under which he treats of the origin of cells, and advocates a peculiar mode of development, which he claims as original with himself, and the result of his own observations. 2d. Cell physiology, or healthy function. 3d. Cell pathology, or diseased function. 4th. Cell philosophy , or 1st, the relations of cells to the teleo- logical view of organization ; 2d, the direct agency of cells in the production and manifestation of nervous power, the intellect- ual processes, &c. The general results of his studies of cell life and cell genesis are in his own words as follows : '^ The great outstanding fact which appears before us as the result of these studies is, that there is fundamental unity of organization. This we have seen to consist in elementary particles, which in both animals and plants are formed upon a common plan. It was the opinion of Schwann and Schleiden, who truly originated this view, that this plan consisted in the precixislence of a solid fundamental body, (the nucleus) around which is formed a membrane ultimately 71 expanding and constituting the cell. It has been one of my objects to show, that this is not of universal application, by an attempt to demonstrate another mode of cell formation, which is that the fundamental idea of a cell is a simple vesicle, and that the nucleated cell is simply one cell containing another within its walls. With Schwann the nucleus is exogenous and germina- tive — with me the nucleus is endogenous and reproductive. " The two conclusions of the studies of cell life are then, 1st. The existence of an elementary particle having an invaria- ble unity of expression, the cell. 2d. The universality of the application of this particle for the formation of organized parts, the tissues. "^"^ In studying cells in relation to pathology, he regards this last as an erring physiology, and concludes, that, both as to their genesis and general aspect as cells, those which belong to abnor- mal cannot be distinguished from those belonging to normal con- ditions of life. The genetic and general relations of cells in physiology and pathology are therefore the same. Their differ- ence does not relate to structure, but to their destiny. Physio- logical cells must be considered teleologically, but pathological ones have no ulterior object. Each of the different heads of his dissertation he discusses with great ability, and gives ample evidence that he is not only familiar with the scientific labors of others, but that he is per- fectly at home in the different departments of investigation which his essay involves. If it be allowable to express an opinion of its merits in general terms, it may be truly said that it gives evidence of wonderful zeal and industry in research, of acute powers of observation, and of great readiness in perceiving general relationships. It is in connection with this latter faculty that he seems the most liable to error. He appears to have par- taken something of the spirit of Oken, and to have given way at times to the suggestions of the imagination, instead of subjecting himself to the severe mandates of reason, and the rigid rules of induction. This is naturally the fault of youth, and for which scientific minds, at the present time, with their tendencies to hasty generalization, may be justly said to be in part responsible. But in one who combined industry, a desire for truth, and an 72 almost unlimited patience in observation, it might have been fairly anticipated that, sooner or later, the better and safer quali- ties of the mind would have eclipsed all others. While constantly active as an observer. Dr. Burnett found time to engage in another service which occupied some of the latest hours of his life, and the non-completion of which was a source of anxiety to him in his last moments. This was the translation from the German, of the Comparative Anatomy of Siebold and Stannius. All who are familiar with the published volume, will not fail to see in it another proof of his industrious habits as exhibited not in the translation merely, (itself in this case no ordinary labor) but in the numerous additions to science which, scattered far and wide through scientific journals, have been brought together, and in the contributions he himself has made from his own stores of accumulated observations. The last scientific investigation to which his time was devoted was into the natural history of the Orange insect^ which is so destructive to the orange trees of Florida. The habits of this insect he had studied during his last winter's residence in Florida, and had prepared a memoir in reference to it for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, but his ill health prevented his attending their recent meeting. Such is an imperfect sketch of the scientific labors of our late associate. It only remains to consider his life from another point of view, in regard to its moral aspect. Of this I do not feel jus- tified in treating at length, as my relations to him were not suffi- ciently intimate to speak from personal observation ; but from all I can learn from his associates, from his fellow-students and his more intimate friends, he was a kind and affectionate son and brother, one who enjoyed to an unusual degree home and all its associations ; he was a man of a truly benevolent heart, into which irreverent thoughts seemed to gain no admission, or from which they certainly obtained no expression. In all of his stu- dies of nature, he seems to have had a pervading perception of God in his works, and often in eloquent words gives expression to his feelings, when some new manifestation of divine wisdom was uncovered to his inquiring mind. Dr. Burnett's zeal and devotion could not fail to awaken a 73 warm interest wherever he went, among those with whom he associated. He became acquainted with the leading naturalists of the country, and obtained from them and others, willing aid and counsel, as well as respect for his great acquirements. To them he always felt warm feelings of gratitude. But there was one, to whom, more than all others, he was especially grateful, a friend and relative, who at an early period, perceived the indica- tions of uncommon promise for the future, and who with kind heart and benevolent purpose aided and encourged him in all his undertakings. He had religious faith and religious hope. To a speculative mind like his, it seemed almost a matter of necessity that the momentous questions which the problem of life involved, should sooner or later have been presented for examination and discus- sion, and that before any settled convictions could be reached, they should have found him perplexed and in doubt. Doubts and perplexities in his mind did exist, but eventually they gave way and were replaced by faith and hope, which lightened his burden when, weary and exhausted, he approached the end of life. He had been long accustomed to look upon death and to talk about it as an event that he must meet at an early period. But death, if not imminent, is something that all look forward to calmly and without emotion, and when we speak of it we are not sure that we give utterance to our most solemn feelings and con- victions. But there is one moment when, if ever on earth, the heart, if it opens itself, does so without disguise, if it give utter- ance, does so without reserve ; it is that dread moment when death approaches so near that there is no alternative but to look upon earthly life as finished, its account made up, and when all that remains for the mind to dwell upon, is the dissolution of the body and the realization of another life. A few days before he died, our late associate returned, after a winter's absence, to the home of his family, his bodily health exhausted, his energies prostrate. At first he entertained the hope that as before, rest and quiet might restore him, partially at least, to his usual health, and that he might have yet another opportunity of continuing those labors which he so fondly cherished ; but his fast declining strength, the anxiety of those around him, the announcement of his physician and his own quick perceptions soon told that life 74 was drawing to a close, and that for him the great moment was near. In all this he was calm and serene, conversed on the approaching separation without faltering, gave utterance to expres- sions of deep affection to those who were bound to him by the ties of kin, uttered his prayer for forgiveness, and expressed the solemn conviction, which now rose paramount to every other, that if there yet remained much for him to live for, there was yet far more to die for. On Saturday morning, July 1st, a few days before the completion of his twenty-sixth year, he died. We cannot but sensibly feel, that in his death we have lost an associate of no ordinary talents ; we can point to no other mem- ber of our Society, and to not more than one other naturalist in our country, who has given such proofs of zeal and industry, and who, in so short a life, has accomplished so large an amount of scientific labor. Had he been spared to future years, we cannot but feel the assurance that he would have acquired for himself a far higher place and a still more honorable name in the annals of science. Let us cherish his memory and profit by his example. The following resolutions, prepared at the request of the So- ciety by Prof. Wyman, were unanimously adopted : Resolved^ That the members of the Boston Society of Natural History have learned with deep regret the death of Dr. Waldo Irving Burnett ; that, in his decease, we have lost a most active and zealous associate, and science an ardent, disinterested, and productive laborer. Resolved^ That to the family of our late associate, we would offer our deep sympathy for their affliction, in the loss which they have sustained by the early death of one, with whose memory is associated so much of honorable devotion and noble self- sacrifice. On motion of Dr. S. L.Abbot, it was voted, that Prof. Wyman be requested to prepare a copy of the Notice and Resolutions for publication in the Proceedings of this Society and Silli- man's Journal ; also voted, that out of respect to the memory of the deceased, the Society do now adjourn. 75 August 2, 1854. Dr. D. H. Storer, Vice-President, in the Chair. The Chairman read a letter from Dr. WilHam O. Ayres, of San Francisco. Dr. Ayres states that a species of Leuciscus, is not unfrequently found in the markets of that city weighing twenty-five or thirty pounds. The following items, relating to one of the huge trees of California, derived from Dr. Bigelow, of San Francisco, were also furnished by Dr. Ayres : " The tree lies on the ground, hav- ing fallen many years since. From the base to the point where it is broken off, it is found to he three hundred and ten feet ; all beyond this was burned, probably by the Indians, but fragments lie scattered along to the distance of a hundred and fifty feet, and from the size of these fragments, Dr. Bigelow feels confident the tree must have been at least five hundred feet high. At the base it is, by estimation, one hundred and ten feet in circumfer- ence, and at the end of the three hundred and ten feet men- tioned above, it is by measurement forty feet in circumference. This is almost as much beyond, in size, the great tree which has attracted so much notice, as that is beyond trees of common size." The Chairman also presented the following communica- tion from Dr. Ayres : ON A METHOD OF PREVENTING THE RAVAGES OF THE " SHIP- WORM." A plan for the preservation of submerged timber from the attacks of the " Worm," has been devised by Mr. James G. Swan, formerly of Boston, and now of Shoal Water Bay, W. T. He claims that it is both cheap and effectual ; and having been ap- pointed by the California Academy of Natural Sciences to inves- tigate the matter, I wish to present to you the conclusions reached by us. We find that a marine railway to which it was applied, remains at the end of eighteen months perfectly sound, while timber by its side, of the same species of wood, has 76 within that period twice required renewal, having been fairly "riddled" by the Teredo. We could find no reason to doubt that the protection was entirely due to the preparation recom- mended by Mr. Swan. It is simply the application of a mixture of Asphaltum (one hundred parts,) sulphur (forty parts,) and arsenic (twenty parts,) used as a paint ; the asphaltum being melted, the other materials stirred in, and the whole applied hot, with a common brush ; the wood must of course be dry. If this proves to be as effectual as the trial here seems to pro- mise, the value of the discovery can scarcely be overrated^ Cannot the Society draw to it the attention of those interested, and thus secure for it a thorough testing ? Mr. Swan's first experiments were made at Charlestown, Mass., about ten years since, and he claims that they were equally suc- cessful there, but he made no efforts then to publish his results. Dr. Kneeland exhibited to the Society three skulls of American Indians, presented inl the name of Dr. Josiah C. Nott, of Mobile, a Corresponding Member, viz. : the skulls of an Osage Chief from Arkansas, a Creek Chief from Georgia, and a Choctaw youth from the Alabama River, a few miles above Mobile. Besides their value as authentic specimens of the above tribes, these crania are interesting as coming from three points far dis- tant from each other, and yet showing the same characteristic Indian conformation ; adding to the proofs, if any are necessary, of Dr. Morton's views, that the American nations form one great family, having the same physical conformation, and differing from all the other great human families. The Osage skull is quite typical of the Indian conformation ; having a low, receding forehead, prominent vertex, and flattened occiput : a short antero-posterior diameter, a wide interparietal diameter, and a narrow frontal diameter — large quadrangular orbits ; prominent nasal bones (differing in this respect from the Mongolian skull) ; high and broad cheek bones ; large nasal opening ; strong upper jaw, and deep palatine fossa caused by its 77 downward elongation. The general shape is quadrangular ; the character of the bone heavy and ivory-like ; the smooth space on each side occupied by the temporal muscle, both in this and the Creek skull, seems more than usually prolonged backwards, indi- cating a corresponding size and power in this muscle, which may possibly be characteristic of the race ; all the muscular attach- ments are uncommonly well marked. The Creek skull is one of very fine proportions, and indicates a brain superior to that of ordinary individuals. The forehead is broad and high, the vertex prominent, and the occiput flat; in other respects it comes near the usual Indian type. From age, the bones are less dense and strong than in the Osage skull ; the absorption of the alveolar processes detracts from the Indian appearance of the jaw, and gives the face a more vertical facial angle ; the nasal bones are uncommonly prominent, and show marks of disease, apparently from a cut ; in ma^j places the sutures are entirely obliterated. This is evidently tne skull represented in Figs. 302 and 303, p. 442, of Nott and Gliddon's " Types of Mankind^; " a Chief who died while a prisoner, near Mobile, in 1837. The young Choctaw skull, as far as the shape and proportions of the cranium are concerned, might well pass for Caucasian ; but the width between the eyes, the quadrangular orbits, the high cheek bones, the prominent jaw, and especially the deep palatine fossa, betray the lower type which in this specimen would not be recognized from a retreating forehead, prominent vertex, or flat occiput ; it resembles more a female than a male skull. There is a depression at the posterior third of the sagittal suture, no occipital protuberance, a fine hamular process, a remarkable de- velopment of the vaginal process on both sides, and of the bony processes generally. The measurements of these skulls were as follows : Hor. Periph. 19.5 iu. 20.4 1S.7 The examination of the first two skulls shows a narrowness in the frontal portion of the skull corresponding to the seat of the Capac. Long. Par. Front Vert. I. M. I. M. Oc. Front. Int. .D- D. D. D. Arch. Line. Arch. cub. in. Osage. 79i 6.6 in 5.7 in. 4.3 in. 5.2 in. 14.8 in. 4 75 in. 13.75 in. Ckeek. 92 6.9 5.7 4.6 5.4 15.5 4.75 14.4 Choctaw. 66^ 6.5 5.1 4. 4.75 12.5 4.1 13. 78 intellectual faculties, and a great width in the parietal portion, corresponding to the phrenological organs of caution, secretive- ness, destructiveness, &c., or the animal propensities ; indicating a weak intellect and a strong animal propensity in the American Indian compared with the white races. This difference in the relative size of different portions of the brain is represented, in a somewhat exaggerated form however, in plates 353 and 354, (p. 464) of Nott and Gliddon's " Types of Mankind." A line drawn through the auditory meatus upwards shows that the greater part of the brain is anterior, indicating the compara- tively feeble development of the social and domestic atTections. In the African, most of the brain is posterior to this line ; in the Mongolian, it is about equally divided. The third series of measurements is of little value in determin- ing the characters of the Indian skull ; the subject of them was not an adult, and had not reached the age when the brain has com- pleted its development, which is about the age of 16 years ; the period of second dentition had been about completed, indicating an age not authorized by the size and shape of the skull. [It is not stated by the donor whether the individual was a woman or a half-breed, either of which would explain some of the peculiari- ties.] The thanks of the Society were voted to Dr. Nott for his donation of valuable crania. Dr. Durkee called the attention of the Society to a col- lection of insects, principally Acari and other parasites, about 600 in number, prepared by the late Dr. Burnett. He stated that these specimens are mostly mounted on glass slides for the microscope, and the collection is apparently in good order, and contains many new and undescribed species, a portion of them from England and France, the whole col- lection being very valuable. On motion of Mr. J. M. Barnard, a committee of three, consisting of Drs. Durkee, Abbot, and Gould, was appoint- ed to purchase these insects at a cost of not over fifty dol- lars, or to obtain a refusal of them for the Society. 79 Mr. Barnard, from the Committee to whom was referred the letter of Prof. Baird, of the Smithsonian Institution, re- ported, that the Committee recommend to the Society to appropriate the sum of ^300 for the purposes mentioned in the letter of Prof. Baird. After some debate upon this subject, the report of the Committee was referred to the Council. Mr. Samuel L. Fletcher, of Cambridge, was elected Re- sident Member. August 16, 1854. Dr. Charles T. Jackson, Vice-President, in the Chair. Extracts from a letter of Prof. L. P. Yandell, of Louis- ville, Ky., to Dr. J. B. S. Jackson, thanking the Society for his election as Corresponding Member, and offering to contri- bute Geological specimens, were read to the Society. Mr. Whittemore called attention to the large number of glow worms now to be found in the neighborhood of Mil- ton, and asked if they were a new species. Prof. Wyman remarked that he had seen, some years ago, at West Cambridge, glow worms of peculiar character, with luminous spots upon each segment. September 6th, 1854. Dr. C. T. Jackson, Vice-President, in the Chair. Dr. Durkee, for the Committee appointed to purchase the collection of Acari and other insects belonging to the 80 estate of Dr. Burnett, reported that the purchase had been made at a cost exceeding, by ten dollars, the sum appropri- ated. The report was accepted, and the purchase ratified. Dr. Durkee exhibited the collection to the Society, and was requested to take charge of it. September 20, 1854. The President in the Chair. Prof. Jeffries Wyman gave an account of some observa- tions on the development of Anableps Gronovii, a vivipa- rous fish from Surinam. He described the external conditions of development of fishes in general, as manifest in the oviparous and viviparous species. The latter are divided into two groups ; the first including those species in which the egg enters the oviduct before the development of the embryo begins ; the second includes all such as have a gestation almost wholly ovarian. In the former group are found Spinax, Carcharias, Torpedo and other Plagiostomes ; in the second, Anableps, Poecilia, Blennius, and Embiotoca. Prof. Wyman had examined the ovarian eggs of Anableps, and found them surrounded, after they had acquired a certain size, by a transparent space limited by thickened stroma which formed a distinct closed sac. The egg was free in this sac, as the mam- miferous ovum is in the Graafian vesicle. The youngest embryos examined were less than four fifths of an inch in length, and had the yelk-bag attached ; this last was covered with papillae, arranged in a linear series, but which were not vascular as stated by Valenciennes. Another series of foetuses were more than an inch in length, and resembled the preceding, except that the eye had begun to assume the pecu- liarity of the adult, viz., the dumb-bell-shaped pupil. 81 Other foeluses from a third fish were two and a quarter inches in length, about one fourth the length of the parent. The yelk-bag had disappeared, but the abdomen still presented a fissure, or linear umbilicus, extending from between the pectoral fins to near the anus, separating the ventral fins from each other. These last foetuses had escaped from their ovarian sacs, and were contained in the oviduct, which was very much enlarged. The cornea had become divided as in the adult. It was obvious from comparison, that the older foetuses consisted of a larger mass than that of the younger ones with the yelk-sac. In other words, the fostuses had grown at the expense of other materials than those contained in the yelk. This additional nou- rishment could only be derived from the fluids secreted from the vessels of the parent into the cavity of the embryo-sac, and their subsequent absorption by the foetus. Such a mode of nutrition exists in Torpedo, Embiotoca, and Blenny. Referring to some allusions in Prof. Wy man's paper, in rela- tion to the mode of development of EmbiotGCoidce, Mr. Charles Girard said he had recently examined several genera and species of that remarkable group of fish, and, were his observations not to appear soon in print,* he should feel more at liberty to enlarge upon that subject. Within the body of the species to which he gave the name of Embiotoca lineata, he found young, three inches in total length and one inch in depth, exhibiting a struc- ture of the dorsal and anal fins, similar to what is said to exist in Rhacochilus toxotes ; f the posterior margin of the cau- dal being truncated, whilst it is more or less crescent-shaped in the adult. An elongated jet black spot was also observed towards the base of the anterior portion of the soft part of the dorsal fin. In Holconotus rhodoterus, as many as sixteen young were de- tected, being about an inch or a little less in total length. The vitelline abdominal sac was still present, leading to the inference that they had but recently escaped from the egg-shell. Their general form was slender and elongated ; the head being rounded anteriorly and deeper than the body, and the snout much less * Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. of Philad. Vol. VII. August, 1854. t Amer. Journ. of Sc. Second Series. Vol. XVII. 1854, p. 387. PROCEEDINGS B. S. N, H. — VOL. V. 6 DECEMBER, 1854, 82 prominent than in the adult. The ventral fins were more de- veloped than in the parent ; the caudal was rounded off, its cen- tral rays being the longest. The soft portion of the dorsal and of the anal, proved likewise proportionally higher than in the adult, and extended posteriorly to the very base of the caudal, perhaps beyond that region. Among the zoological features of the family of EmhiotocoidcE^ a marked ventral area had been spoken of as one of the most characteristic. Mr. Girard said that in several members of that group which he had examined, that character was not found. He, nevertheless, wished it to be understood that he did not under- value the researches of others upon that ichthyic group, simply giving here the result of his own investigations.' The family of Emhiotocoidce^ Mr. Girard further remarked, seem to have representatives in the fresh — as well as in the salt — waters of California, according to recent accounts,* in which several genera are characterized and given as inhabitants of the Sacramento River. A letter from Sir John Richardson to the President, on some points in the osteology of the Mastodon and Fossil Elephant, v^^as read to the Society. It inclosed a page from the " Zoology of the Herald," now in course of publication in London, with the following comments: — At page 102, it is stated that the scapula of the Mastodon does not exhibit the remarkable depression which characterizes the fragmentary shoulder-bones found at Swan River. Since I have (through the kindness of the author) had an opportunity of con- sulting Dr. Warren's excellent work on the Mastodon giganteus^f I have discovered this assertion to be erroneous ; a depression in the same part of the shoulder-blade of that species being noticed in the text by that gentleman, and figured in his large plate. The probability therefore is, that the Swan River bones belonged to the Mastodon gigantens, and that the range of that species * Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. of Philad. VII. July, 1854. t Description of the Mastodon f/iyanieiis, by John C. Warren, ]\I. D. Boston, 1852. 83 must be extended northwards in Rupert's Land to the fifty-second parallel of latitude, while the provisional geographical designa- tion of Elephas Rupertianus must be expunged. The depression in question was most likely designed to afford a firmer attachment to the central fasciculi of the infraspinatus muscle ; and a similar one, though not so sharply defined, exists in the scapula of an Indian fossil elephant from the Seewalik hills, deposited by Dr. Falconer in the British Museum and Has- lar Hospital, the parts in question being in them smooth and convex. The error of my former notice above alluded to, arose from an inspection of Mr. Koch's skeleton of the Mastodon now in the British Museum, whose shoulder-bones exhibit no such de- pression. Neither is this character visible in two other scapulae purchased by the same institution from Mr. Koch as bones of the Mastodon; all the four scapulae having merely some roughness, but no hollow in that part of the infra-spinal surface. From this fact, one might be led to conclude that the concavity in question is merely an individual peculiarity, and does not occur generally in the species ; but it is rare to meet a mere osteological variety so perfectly alike in form in the two limbs as it is in our Swan River scapulse, and, as we presume it to be, in both shoulder- blades of Dr. Warren's Newburgh Mastodon ; for had it been otherwise, that accurate observer would have mentioned it. And the matter admits of another explanation. Mr. Koch's skeleton, when first brought from America for exhibition in this country, had its parts not only misplaced, but composed of the bones of more than one individual, there being at least five vertebrae too many in the spine. It may therefore be, that the two scapulse now forming part of the skeleton of the British Museum Mastodon, and the two detached ones, are in reality bones of the American fossil Elephant, of which a cra- nium of great size was purchased by the Museum from Mr. Koch. Dr. Warren has shown that the Mastodon giganteus and the great fossil Elephant were coeval (op. cit, p. 142) ; and Mr. Koch may have dug up the remains of both animals from the same deposit. Not the least doubt rests on the authenticity of every part of Dr, 84 Warren's skeleton of the Mastodon, — the account of its disco- very and disinterment being quite cleat. The Swan River scapulce belonged to an individual of inter- mediate size, between the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Mastodon and Dr. Warren's. The President observed that it would be very satisfactory, if it could be well established that a depression exists in the infra-spinal surface of the scapula of the Mastodon and not in that of the Elephant. This he had found to be the case with the Mastodons here, and on this account Sir John Richardson transfers the Elephas Rupertianus to the Mas- todon. Prof. Jeffries Wyman stated that the " Impression of a doubtful sixth toe in some Batrachian footprints," spoken of by President Hitchcock, might be explained by the presence of a tubercle which exists upon the inside of the great toe in this class of animals. Cuvier speaks of a tubercle in this position supported by a single bone. Prof. Wyman has seen in several skeletons, prepared by Mr. Fletcher of the Scientific School of Cambridge, this tubercle supported by a chain of three bones. It is doubtful if these bones are to be considered as true phalanges ; they are more probably, as Cuvier suggests with regard to the single bone, tarsal bones out of place. Mr. Girard remarked that many Batrachians have two tubercles, one on the great and one on the little toe, so that two supernumerary impressions might in some instances be made. The President exhibited a small slab from Turner's Falls, bearing upon its upper surface ripple-marks of two different characters, evidently made at different times, and impressions of a doubtful nature. The President, in a late visit to the Connecticut Valley, had obtained from Mr. Field many fine 85 specimens of fossils, and had been shown by him a mag- nificent surface of rock, half the size of the library-room of the Society, completely covered with impressions. This rock, however, was in situ, and it was considered impossible to remove the surface in a single piece. Mr. Field has suc- ceeded the late Mr. Marsh in this work, and is much inte- rested in the discovery of fossil impressions. He is disposed to perfect himself in science, and will soon be enabled to turn to good account the discoveries he may make. Mr. White presented specimens of erratic rocks bearing fossils, from Mt. Katahdin, Me. Dr. C. T. Jackson remarked that they were of Silurian origin. The south shore of Lake Superior is covered with erratic rocks containing fossils, and this had led to error in studying the geology of Lake Superior. Prof. Wyman said he had seen on the coast of Labrador, considerably above the sea, fossils in erratic rocks of Silu- rian origin. Dr. Durkee called attention to a number of valuable works, recently purchased for the Society from the estate of the late Dr. W. L Burnett. Dr. Storer presented the third number of his work on the Fishes of Massachusetts. Dr. Storer had received, since the last meeting, a large shark, (Carcharias Atwoodi,) seven feet in length, from Capt. Atwood of Provincetown. It has been figured and described. Mr. S. D. Shaw, of East Bridgewater, was elected a Resident Member. 86 DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM. August 2d. Thi-ee crania of American Indians ; by Dr. Josiah C. Nott, of Mo- bile, Ala. A specimen of Chameleo tigris and several birds eggs ;' by Mr. N. H. Bishop. August 16th. Two petrified eggs from the guano of the Chincha Islands ; by Capt. J. B. Hildreth. A model, in wood, of the Giant's Causeway; by Mr. Henry B. Stanwood. Eggs of Natica heros, from Great Point Light House, Nantucket; by Mr. Frederick Vinton. A bundle of roots of peculiar form, developed inside of a pump-log ; by Mr. Furst. September 6th. Nest of Tanagra rvbrci^ and a specimen of Copper ore from Coquimbo ; by Mr. N. H. Bishop. September 20th. Specimens of erratic rocks bearing fossils, from Mt. Katahdin, Maine ; by Mr. White. Baltimore Oriole, Yphantes Baltimore, egg of the do- mestic goose, and eggs of the Chameleon ; by ^Ir. N. H. Bishop. BOOKS RECEIVED DURING THE QUARTER ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1854. Report of th€ Commissioner of Patents for 1853. Part I. Arts and Manu- Axctures. 8vo. Washington, 1854. From Hon. S. H. Walley. Transactions of the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. 1852. Vol. 2d. Madison, 1853. From J. A. Laplmm. Recherches sur les Roches globuleuses. Par M. Delesse. 4to. Pamph. From the Autho7\ Legislative Reports on the Geology of the State of New York. 1838 - 40. 8vo. Pamph. Albany. From E. C Bech. Catalogue of the Lyceum of Natural History of Williams College. 8vo. Pamph.- Williamstown, Mass. From the Lyceum. Notice of the Types of IMankind. By John Bachman, D. D. 8vo. Pamph- Charleston, 1854. From the Author. Report of the Trustees of the Free Public Library of the City of New Bed- ford. 8vo. 1853 - 4. New Bedford. From T. A. Greene. Descriptions of new Reptiles from California. By Edward Hallowell, ^I. D. 8vo. Pamph. Philadelphia, 1854. Descriptions of new species of Reptiles inhabiting North America. By the Same. 8vo. Pamph. Philadelphia, 1854. On a new genus and two new species of African Serpents. By the Same. 8vo. Pamph. 1854. From the Author. A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. By Henry D. Thoreau. [12mo. Boston, 1849. Walden; or Life in the Woods. By the Same. 12mo. Boston, 1854. Fro7n the Authoi\ Report on the New Water-works of Montreal. 8vo. Pamph. Montreal, 1854. 87 Keport ou the Sewerage of ^lontreal. By C. M. Tate. 8vo. Pamph. ]\Iont real. 1854. Twenty-sixth Annual Report of the Natural History Society of Monti-eal. 12mo. Pamph. Montreal, 1854. From L. 11. Latour. New York Journal of Medicine. New Series. Vol. XIII. Xos. 1, 2. New York, 1854. American Journal of Science and Arts. Vol. X\nn. Nos. 52, 53. New- Haven, 1854. Farmer's Companion. Vol. IV. Nos. 1, 2, 3. Detroit, 1854. New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal. Edited by Bennet Dowler, M. D. Vol. XI. No. 1. July, 1854. Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. Vol. VI. 4to. Washington, 1854. Report of Special Committee of Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Insti- tution. 8vo. Pamph. Washington, 1854. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. VI. No. 51 ; Janu- ary to June, 1854. 8vo. Philadelphia. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Vol. VII . No. 3. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1854. Memoires de la Societe de Physique et d' Histoire Naturelle de Geneve. Tome XIU. 4to. Geneve. Bulletin de la Soci^t^ Geologique de France. Tome X. FeuiUes 23-28. (4 Avril— 16Mai, 1853.) 8vo. Paris. Bulletin de la Soci^td de Geographic. 4rieme s^rie. Tome VII. 8vo. Paris, 1854. Received in Exchange. Genera of Recent Mollusca, arranged according to their Organization. By H. and A. Adams. Part XHI. 8vo. London, 1854. Zeitschrift flir Malakozoologie. Herausgegeben von K. T. Menke, M. D., and L. Pfeiflfer. Nos. 10 - 12. 8vo. 1853. Malakozoologische Blatter fiir 1854. Als Forsetzung der Zeitschrift fiir Mala- kozoologie. Herausgegeben von denselben. 8vo. pp. 1 - 80. Exchange with H. Cuming. Systema Saurinarum. Exposuit Chr. Godofredus Nees ab Esenbeck. Dr. 8vo. Berolini, 1836. Ferns of Jamaica. By James McFadyer, M. D. 8vo. London, 1837. Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Vol. XIV. Nos. 79, 80. London, 1854. Cyclopoedia of Anatomy and Physiology. Part 44. June, 1854. 8vo. Lou- don, pp. 33 - 160. From the Courtis Fund. Recherches sur la Structure Intime du Pouraon de 1' Homme et les principaux IMammif^res. Par M. Rossignol. 4to. Pamph. Bruxelles. 1846. Histoire Generale et Particuli^re des Anomalies de 1' Organization chez l' Hom- me et les Animaux. Par M. Isidore Geoffi-oy Saint-Hilaire. 8vo. 3 Tomes avec Atlas. Paris, 1832. Chemistry of Vegetable and Animal Physiology. By G. J. Miiller. Ti'aus- lated by Dr. P. F. H. Fromberg. With Introduction and Notes by J. F. W. Johns- ton. 8vo. London, 1849. Beitrage zur Mikroscopischen Anatomie und Physiologie des Ganglien-Ner- 88 vensystems des Menschen und der Wirbelthiere. Von Carl Axman. 8vo. Pamph. Berlin, 1853. Cours de Physiologic fait a la Faculte de Medecine de Paris. Par P. Berard. Vols. 2, 3. Svo. Paris, 1848. Manuel de Physiologie. Par J. Mueller. 2 Tomes. 8vo. Paris, 1851. Introduction to Modern Classification of liisects. By J. B. Westwood. 2 vols. Svo. London, 1839. Owen on Parthenogenesis. 8vo. London, 1849. Practical Treatise on the Use of the Microscope. By John Quekett. Svo. London, 1848. Monographia Anoplurorum Britannise. By Henry Denny. Svo. London, 1842. Rudolph Wagner's Icones Physiologicse. Erlaiiterungstafeln zur Physiologie und Entwickelungsgeschichte. VoUstandig n§u Bearbeitet und Herausgegeben von Alex. Ecker. 4to. Leipzig. Pamph. 1852. Purchased from the Library of Dr. W. 1. Burnett. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 6th edition. Vols. 1-5. 4to. Boston, 1854. Works of Fisher Ames. Edited by his son, Seth Ames. 2 vols. Svo. Boston, 1854. Sketches of the Lives and Judicial Services of the Chief Justices of the Su- preme Court of the United States. By G. V. Santvoord. Svo. New York. Lives of the Queens of Scotland. By Agnes Strickland. Vol. IV. 12mo. New York, 1854. History of Russia. By Walter K. Kelley. 12mo. Vol. I. London, 1854. History of the Jesuits. By G. B. Nicolini. 12mo. London, 1854. History of ^lagic. By Joseph Ennemoser. From the German, by William Howitt. 2 vols. 12mo. London, 1854. Journey to Central Africa. By Bayard Taylor. 12mo. New York, 1854. Deposited by the Republican Institution. October 4, 1854. The President in the Chair. In the absence of the Recording Secretary, Dr. Abbot was chosen Secretary pro tern. Arenicola natalis, Girard. Mr. Charles Girard stated that, as early as 1849, he had found the genus Arenicola amongst the Annelids of Chelsea beach. During one of his most recent rambles there, on the fifth of Sep- 89 tember last, he again met with several specimens, about six inches long, being somewhat smaller than those with which he first became acquainted of that genus. They were greenish brown anteriorly, and brownish green posteriorly ; provided with thirteen pairs of branchial tufts, the anterior and posterior ones being less developed than those in the middle of the series. Six pairs of rudimentary podal appendages were to be observed in front of the foremost branchise ; the caudal region slender, and constituting about two fifths of the entire length, and composed of from forty-five to forty-seven rings, narrowest posteriorly ; its surface covered with roundish granules of a warty appearance, from near its origin to its lip. The body, properly so called, and the cephalic region, were smooth, the latter exhibiting an irreg- ular meshwork of lines, visible to the naked eye. Proboscis granular. Dorsal region marked by a conspicuous smooth line, which, upon the cephalic region, subdivides into a left and right branch, uniting again anteriorly. The name of Arenicola natalis is proposed to distinguish henceforth this species. Its affinities are with A. piscatorum, having the same number of podal append- ages and gills. The cephalic region, however, instead of being so decidedly club-shaped as in the latter, is rather tapering, as well as the caudal region. The reticulation of its anterior region, and the dorsal line alluded to above, will serve as specific fea- tures. Mr. Girard said he had also found on Chelsea beach a speci- men* of Placohranchus, about a quarter of an inch long, rather stout, blunt anteriorly, and tapering posteriorly, and of a deep greenish hue. He regretted that, on being carried home, the animal died, and thus a more complete description of it he could not now furnish. He would affix to it the name of Placobranchus simplex, being the first species of the coast of the United States to which a name had been applied, and he would avail himself of another opportunity for a critical examination of its specific characters. Mr. Girard further remarked that while at Cambridge, he came across a specimen of Storeria Dekayi, the abdominal region of which presented a hue very similar to that of Storeria occipito- maculata ; it was salmon-colored throughout, a little lighter under 90 the throat and head. The sides of the body were reddish-brown, whilst the middle or dorsal region exhibited a dusky or grayish band, extending from the head to the tip of the tail, and mar- gined with a blackish-brown line, in the midst of which the first series of black spots ran, disappearing, however, upon the tail. The lateral series of spots was not conspicuous, and was only visible distinctly during the act of respiration. Prof. Wyman remarked that it had probably been frequently noticed by members of the Society, that, at the present season of the year, the common housefly may be frequently seen hanging dead from the ceiling or attached to any surface on which it may be lying, by a filamentous white substance ; and that a white powder, in greater or less quantity, is frequently seen dotted over the neighboring surface. On examining this substance, he had found the insect to have fallen a victim to a parasitic plant grow- ing upon its surface. The white powder proved to be the spores of the parasite. The whole interior of the fly was found to be filled with a similar plant, and probably, from the diflerent way in which it develops itself, of a different species from that on the surface. The internal parasite starts from a spore, and grows by elongation from one or both sides of a sphere, this latter remaining in the middle or at one end. Prof. Wyman exhibited magnified drawings of these parasites, as they appear under the microscope, in their various stages of development. Prof. Wyman also exhibited a dried preparation of the vocal apparatus of the Howling Monkey of South America. This apparatus has before been described, and consists, in the main, of the same parts as in man, with the addition of a new muscle, now for the first time mentioned, and a peculiar structure of the hyoid bone ; the whole apparatus being enormously magnified, and much larger than in man. The muscle not heretofore no- ticed is a Costo-thyroid, outside of the Slerno-thyroid muscle, and entirely distinct from it. The President again called the attention of the Society to an inexplicable impression on the Sandstone slab, bearing ripple- marks, which he had exhibited at the previous meeting. He exhibited, in connection with it, several impressions of fossil fish, 91 vegetables, &c., but no resemblance could be traced between them sufficient to account for the impression in question. He stated that he had recently received from the same locality, Turner's Falls, a large slab, bearing very distinct impressions of Coniferne. The Committee appointed to nominate candidates for the vacant curatorships, reported — that it is inexpedient at present to fill those offices. The report was accepted. October 18, 1854. The President in the Chair. The President gave a brief history of the Zeuglodon, exhibited a specimen of the teeth, and monographs upon this subject by Koch, Carus, and Miiller. The first speci- men of Zeuglodon was brought before the public by Dr. Koch several years since, and exhibited under the name of Hydrarchos, in New York and Boston. This specimen was represented by Dr. Koch to be comparatively perfect, and to contain the bones of one animal only ; but Prof. Wyman detected falsifications or mistakes in several portions of the skeleton, and satisfied himself that the bones belonged to different individuals. This specimen was sold to the king of Prussia for a large sum, (in the neighborhood of fifteen or twenty thousand dollars,) and is now in his possession. Prof. Carus considered it a veritable specimen, and pub- lished his monograph upon it as such. A second skeleton of the Zeuglodon is now in Boston, and belongs to the President of this Society. It is about seventy feet long, and numbers about forty vertebrae, many of them quite perfect. There is a good portion of the cranium and lower jaw, a perfect os humeri, etc. 92 A third skeleton, the most remarkable of all, is repre- sented by Dr. Koch to have been the second found by him. This specimen, which measured one hundred and twenty feet, and had a very perfect head, was carried from this country to Dresden, and afterwards exhibited in Breslau and Vienna. In connection with this subject, the President exhibited Pontoppidan's figure of the Sea-serpent, and observed that he believed in the existence of such an animal, that there were many well-authenticated facts in favor of its existence, and that very possibly the Zeuglodon and the Sea-serpent are anatomically similar. Dr. C. T. Jackson communicated some chemical re- searches, which he had recently made on the composition of the scales of the Gar-pike. He slated that he had discovered fluorine as one of their com- ponents, and had etched glass with the fluo-hydric acid, elimi- nated from the ashes of the scales by the action of sulphuric acid. The analysis was yet incomplete, but he would state that the scales contain 45.2 per cent, of animal matter, destructible by heat, and that the mineral matters consist of phosphate of lime, fluoride of calcium, and phosphate of magnesia, with some carbonate of lime. The proportion of lime, in 100 grains of the ashes, was 45.1 per cent., and of magnesia 8.8 per cent., while the phosphoric acid, already separated in this preliminary or qualitative analysis, was 29.96 per cent. A complete analysis will soon be finished, and reported to this Society. He remarked that the search for fluorine was suggested by an idea communicated to him by Mr. C. Girard, that the scales of fishes were "supposed to be anatomically homologous with the enamel of teeth," an idea that now is sustained by chemical analogy. Dr. J. B. S. Jackson exhibited the leaves and pods of the 93 ' Castor-oil plant, (Ricinus communis,) raised this season in Dorchester, from seeds brought from the West. A letter was read from Mr. Charles Girard, asking ex- changes for Sir William Jardine, of specimens of Fossil Footprints of America, for those of Annandale, Scotland, figured in the work of Sir William, on the " Ichnology of Annandale." Referred to the former Committee on the Greenfield Fossils. The Corresponding Secretary announced the reception of the following letters, viz : — From Thure Kumlein of Wisconsin, Rev. A. C. Barry of Wisconsin, and Prof. L. P. Yandell of Louisville, ac- knowledging the reception of diplomas as Corresponding Members. From the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- delphia, Smithsonian Institution, and from L. A. H. Latour of Montreal, acknowledging the receipt of the Proceedings of the Society. From the Regents of the University of New York, presenting the Octavo Geological Reports of that State, and acknowledging the receipt of the Proceedings. From the California Academy of Natural Sciences, present- ing the Proceedings of that Society, and requesting an inter- change of publications. From the Natural History Society of Williams College, acknowledging a donation of books, &c., and from S. W. Woodhouse, presenting the Report of theZuni Expedition. November 1, 1854. The President in the Chair. Present also by invitation, T. S. Hunt, Esq., of the Geo- logical Commission of Canada. 94 The Secretary read a letter from Dr. William O. Ayres, of San Francisco, to Dr. Storer, offering to the Society a description of Californian Fishes, the commencement of a series which he hopes to continue. He remarked, that " a very large proportion of the fishes of California are, without doubt, as yet undescribed ; many of them present a singular grouping of characters, and a thorough examination will probably result in numerous mo- difications of what have been deemed established generic divisions, extending some and limiting others. My own researches are already sufficient to indicate this." NEW SPECIES OF CALIFORNIAN FISHES, BY WILLIAM O. AYEES, M. D. In our markets, we find fishes constantly offered for sale, in great numbers, under the names of Rock Fish and Rock Cod. They bear always a high price, and constitute one very import- ant item in the sum total of our fisheries, and of course in the resources of the State. They are taken in rocky localities along the coast and in the Bay of San Francisco, and the title — Rock Fish — applies to them very well. One more inappro- priate, on the contrary, than that of Rock Cod, could scarcely have been selected, inasmuch as they are very widely removed from the family in which the Codfishes are classed. Four dis- tinct species of them we have already detected here, all belong- ing to the genus Sehastes ; three of these are believed to be new. We were not previously aware of the existence of more than one species of this genus {S. Norvegicus^Cuw.) in the United Slates — it is the Hemdurgan of the Massachusetts Bay fishermen. Two of our species are very closely allied to each other; a de- scription is accordingly given of the one which appears most nearly typical (S. nehulosus) ; and of the other (S. ruber), the points of specific distinction from nehulosus alone are needed. Sebastes paucispinis, Ayres. Length five and a half inches ; depth one inch and one tenth ; 95 length of head one inch and seven tenths, being a trifle less than one third the total length. Form elongated, much compressed. Scales very small, covering all parts of the fish except the fins, the throat, and the space anterior to the eyes. Spines of the head, not largely developed. The preoperculum has about five, distinct, flat, sharp ; the largest about a line in length. The operculum has two, distinct but small ; the mem- branous part projects slightly beyond them. The suborbital, on its anterior inferior border has three or four, quite small. The other parts of the head have none, except that a slender incon- spicuous ridge along the border of each parietal bone is free at its tip. A very small spine at the summit of the humeral cinc- ture. , The loioer jaw is longer than the upper, and projects beyond it in such a manner that when the mouth is closed it prolongs the line of the dorsal aspect of the head. The line of closure of the mouth is very oblique upwards; the gape large, so that the point of the maxillary lies beyond the middle of the eye. Teeth fine, crowded, and even, in the lower jaw, on the inter- maxillaries, the vomer, the palatine bones, and the pharyngeals; those on each superior pharyngeal are in three patches. Lateral line following nearly the curve of the back. The spinous part of the dorsal^ arising above the opercular angle, is an inch and a half in length ; the rays increase in height to the fourth, which measures eleven twentieths of an inch, as do the two succeeding, and thence the height decreases ; the last ray seems to constitute rather a part of the soft dorsal, it is higher than the one preceding. The soft portion of the dorsal is an inch in length, half an inch in height; height diminishing posteriorly. Anal about coterminal with the dorsal, rounded, six tenths of an inch in length ; height equal to the length. Pectorals rounded, one fourth of an inch in length, nine tenths in height, destitute of any thickened membrane, the four lower rays simple. Ventrals even with the pectorals, three fourths of an inch in height. Caudal somewhat concave, three fourths of an inch in height. 96 D. 13-13; A. 3-7; V. 1-6; P. 15; C. 12. Color plain reddish-brown above, lighter beneath. Sebastes nebulosus, Ayres. My description is drawn from a specimen thirteen inches in length, weighing two pounds and a half, which may be deemed about their average size. Form compressed ; head large, four inches in length ; greatest depth an inch anterior to the opercular angle, being there equal to the length of the head ; body tapering thence to the tail ; width of the head two inches and three fourths, width decreasing poste- riorly. Scales covering the body, operculum, preoperculum, suboper- culum, suborbitals, and top of the head to the anterior border of the orbit. Head spinous ;^ a row of five spines forming a crest on each side of the head, viz : a nasal spine, one at the anterior superior border of the orbit, one on the summit of the orbit half an inch in length, one posterior to the orbit three tenths of an inch in length, one posterior to this and nearer the median line, eight tenths of an inch in length ; the last three are horizontal, and are merely strong ridges with a free spinous apex; the preoperculum is bordered with (commonly) five flat spines about two tenths of an inch in height ; the opercular bone ends in two flat, strong, free spines, the upper one being a fourth of an inch in length; the membranous operculum projects about four tenths of an inch beyond these ; the suboperculum term.inates posteriorly in a con- cealed spine; even the anterior suborbital shows on its inferior border an indication of spinous points ; the bones of the humeral cincture exhibit three well-marked spines. Eyes an inch in longitudinal diameter. Nostrils immediately anterior to the eyes, the anterior orifice having a membranous prolongation of its posterior border, two tenths of an inch in height. Teeth fine, and crowded in the lower jaw, on the intermaxilla- ries, the vomer, the palatine bones, and the superior and inferior pharyngeals ; those on the superior pharyngeals are in three patches on each side. 97 Lateral line nearly straight. . Dorsal fin arising a little anterior to the opercular angle ; the spinous .portion is four inches and a half in length, the spines stout and strong, increasing in length from the first, which is only six tenths of an inch, to the fourth, which is two inches high, the height diminishing thence posteriorly; the soft portion of the fin is two and a half inches in length, rounded, an inch and a half in height. The anterior portion of the spinous part of the fin presents a beautiful serrated appearance, from the fact that the membrane is attached to the anterior border of each spine at some distance from the summit. The anal fin, terminating two inches from the caudal, is an inch and three fourths in length, which is not quite equal to the height of the soft rays. Pectorals rounded, two inches and a half in height, three fourths of an inch in length ; the inferior rays are thickened, undivided, free at their tips. Ventrals a little posterior to the pectorals, rounded, two and one fourth inches in height. Caudal slightly rounded, an inch and a half in height, three inches wide when expanded. Small scales extend far up on all the fins. Branchial rays, seven. D. 13-13; A. 3-8; V. 1-5; P. 7-10; C. 11. In co?or, this fish is finely mottled with dusky yellow and dark brown ; on the fins the latter hue predominates, and the lighter mottlings have rather a bluish aspect. Sebastes ruber, Ayres. This species is very closely allied to S. nehulosus, but may be thus distinguished. S, ruber has the crests of the orbits scarcely elevated above the surface of the head ; in nehulosus they are very prominent, forming quite a deep furrow between them ; — ruber has a pair of small flat spines on the top of the head not found in ncbulosus ; they are before, and a little within the last pair mentioned in that species; — ruber has all the spines less strongly developed than nebulosus ; — in ruber the thickness and bulk of the head, as compared with the entire fish, are decidedly proceedings B. S. N. H. vol. v. 7 FEBRUARY, 1855. 98 less than in nehulosus ; — riiher has the anterior inferior border of the operculum serrated ; in nehulosus it is plain ; — ruber is of a bright red color, nearly uniform, except that it grows lighter beneath ; nehulosus is clouded, as described ; — ruber grows to a greater size, often weighing ten to twelve pounds ; nehulosus sel- dom exceeds four pounds. Sebastes ruber, var. parvus, Ayres. This is distinguished from the typical form, by having the head more depressed, with the top more flattened, the spines of the head more slender, the lower jaw longer, the body more compressed, and the color dark brown ; it is also always of small size, seldom exceeding half a pound in weight. This will probably yet require to be separated from ruber, as a distinct species. It is exceedingly abundant here. S. ruber is closely allied to S. Norvegicus, Cuv. It is, how- ever, distinct by the proportions of the fins, the length of the lower jaw, the size of the head and development of its spines, and the form of the tail. Sebastes variabilis, Cuv. Under this name I place a species of Rock Fish, which is not uncommon in the markets, of a plain blackish-brown color, lighter beneath, with no spines on the top of the head, except occasionally a slight indication of a nasal spine, with the edge of the suborbitars nearly smooth, and having a weight of one to two pounds. Cuvier's specimens were derived from the Aleutian Islands, and the only transcript of his description in my posses- sion is so brief, as to render it a little uncertain whether our fish is identical with his ; it may yet prove distinct. The fin-ray for- mula agrees closely. Of the Rock Fish which have been here described, S. ruber is the most abundant, and the most important commercially ; it is consumed in large quantities daily, and is, like the others, an excellent fish. S. nehulosus is less numerous, though still quite common. S. variabilis cannot be considered common, and of S. paucispinis I have seen but a few specimens. 99 Centkarchus maculosus, Ayres. This species is very common in our markets, where it is sold under the name of Perch, as are also several of the viviparous fishes. It is brought from the waters of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, and is one of our most esteemed fishes. The spe- cimen from which my description is taken is of about the average size ; it is eight and three quarters inches in length. Form oval, compressed ; greatest height two inches and nine tenths, just behind the pectorals. Back arched ; forehead slightly concave ; length of the head equal to the height of the body. Scales large and firm, covering all parts except the fins, the top of the head, the throat, and the space anterior to the eyes. The posterior angle of the operculum is rounded and furrowed, presenting the appearance somewhat of a large scale ; the edges of the preoperculum, interoperculum, suboperculum, scapular bone, and anterior suborbital are also finely denticulated. Lateral line nearly concurrent with the back ; number of scales in its course about forty-two. Teeth fine, even, and crowded in the lower jaw, on the inter- maxillaries, the vomer, palatine bones, and pharyngeals. The dorsal fin arises a very little posterior to the opercular angle. The spinous portion is two inches and one fourth in length, arched, highest at about the eighth ray, (three fourths of an inch,) the first rays very short ; the last spinous ray seems to constitute rather a part of the succeeding soft portion of the fin, and is higher than the rays preceding it. The soft part of the dorsal is rounded, one inch and one eighth in both length and height. The anal is coterminal with the dorsal. The spinous portion is eight tenths of an inch in length, the spines increasing in length to the last, which is nine tenths of an inch high. The soft part of the fin is an inch in length, the height being a little greater. The spines of both anal and dorsal are stout and strong, those of the anal especially. Pectorals rounded, an inch and a half in height. Ventrals fan-shaped, an inch and one tenth in height. Caudal slightly concave, an inch and three tenths high. 100 D. 13-1] ; A. 6-10; V. 1-5; P. 15; C. 16. Color, when dead, dark grayish brown on the upper parts, be- coming lighter beneath, with large, irregular, dark blotches on the sides, extending both above and below the lateral line. The fins resemble in color the part of the body on which they are situated ; the living fish I have not had an opportunity of seeing. The only Centrarclius with which this need be compared is the ceneus, Le S. The resemblance here is indeed close, and 9nacu- losus may without doubt be considered the representative in our Pacific region of ceneus in the Eastern. The Californian fish may be distinguished by the more arched dorsal outline, (that of the forehead being, on the contrary, concave,) by the greater height of the spinous portion of the dorsal fin, as compared with the soft rays of the same fin, by the difference in position of the origin of the anal fin, by the form of the opercular angle, and by the colors. In one or two points this species fails to comply with the defi- nitions of the genus Centrarclius, as hitherto given. And we may here remark that our researches have already proceeded far enough to show that a complete investigation of Californian ichthyology will probably result in numerous modifications of established genera, extending perhaps the limits of some, while those of others will be narrowed. MoRRHUA Californica, Ayrcs. The Tomcod, as this species is called by our fishermen, is without doubt closely allied to Morrhua pruinosa, Mitch., the Tomcod and Frostfish of our Atlantic coasts, and may be deemed its representative here. It differs from it, however, in form, in the relative proportions of the head, in the position and size of the fins, &c. A description, touching the points in which it is distinguished from pruinosa is therefore all that is needed. The specimen employed is seven inches in length ; about their average size. The length of the head is one fourth of the total length ; in pruinosa it is only about one sixth. The protrusion of the abdomen is much less, as compared with 101 the bulk of the body posterior to it, the vertical diameter at the origin of the third dorsal being two thirds of the greatest depth, while in pruinosa it is only one half. The first dorsal is one inch in height, three fourths of an inch in length, acutely triangular, the first ray longest. The second dorsal^ separated from the first by an interval of one fourth of an inch, is one inch in length, seven tenths of an inch in height. The third dorsal, distant half an inch from the second, is nine tenths of an inch in length, three fourths of an inch in height. The first anal,, originating opposite the termination of the first dorsal, is one inch and a half in length, which is just double the hpight. The second anal^ one fourth of an inch from the first, equals the last dorsal in length, and is coterminal with it ; it is half an inch high. The pectorals are more pointed than in pruinosa. The ventrals^ corresponding in situation, are nine tenths of an inch in height, first and second rays free at tip, second longest. Caudal nearly even. The lateral line, arching somewhat above the pectoral, does not assume a straight course till nearly opposite the end of the second dorsal. Color commonly plain greenish-brown above, lighter on the sides, silvery beneath ; irides silvery. D. 12-16-18; A. 23- 20; P. 20 ; V. 6; C. 26, with about eleven short ones. M. Californica is abundant in the Bay of San Francisco, and along the coast. Labrus pulcher, Ayres. This species, one of the finest of our fishes, makes its appear- ance in the markets about the first of August, and continues in season till near the close of February. They are sold by the fishermen, under the name of Blackfish, and are also not unfre- quently called Sheepshead. Specimens are often seen weighing eight to ten pounds. My description is taken from one sixteen and a half inches in length, weighing two pounds and a half. 102 Form very similar to that of Tautoga Americana. Greatest depth one fourth the total length. Length of the head, five inches and one fourth. Forehead protuberant, especially in large indi* viduals, from an accumulation of fat immediately above the eyes. Lips thick, loose, and fleshy. Teeth on the intermaxillaries and in the lower jaw alike, con- sisting externally of a single row, stout and conical, of which the two anterior pairs are much larger than the others, and project forward ; within this external row is a band of blunt, rounded teeth, not arranged in regular rows, scarcely projecting above the membranes. No teeth on the palatine bones or the vomer. Teeth on the pharyngeals, merely flat tessellated tubercles ; on the inferior pharyngeal, a few of the anterior ones are distinct, conical. Edges of the operculum and preoperculum destitute of spines or serrations. Scales deeply imbedded, not conspicuous, elong- ated, subquadrangular, covering the body, the operculum, the preoperculum, and the suboperculum ; extending but slightly on the vertical fins. The rays of all the fins are enveloped in a thickened, partially opaque, membrane. The spinous portion of the dorsal fin is four inches and four tenths in length ; the spines are stout and strong, and each one is continued by a fleshy prolongation, one to two fifths of an inch in extent, thus making the height of this portion of the fin about an inch and a fourth. The membranous portion is two inches and one fourth in length, rounded, two inches and one fourih in height of the central rays. The anal fin, coterminal with the dorsal, is two and three fourths inches in length, two and a half inches in height. The pectorals are nine tenths of an inch in length, two inches and three fourths in height. The ventrals, a little posterior to the pectorals, are four tenths of an inch in length, two inches and one fourth in height. The caudal^ slightly concave, is two inches and a half in height of the external rays, four inches in breadth when ex- panded. 103 D. 12-10; A. 3-12; P. 18; V. 1-5; C. 14. In color^ this fish is commonly of a dark blackish-brown, fighter beneath, with the chin nearly white. In many specimens, a broad vertical red band encircles the body, from the angle of the operculum half way to the caudal fin ; this character, how- ever, is not constant. Lahrus pulcher is not taken in our immediate vicinity. Those sold in our markets are brought chiefly from near San Diego, and I am not able to learn that the species is found north of Point Concepcion. Indeed, there is reason to believe that that Cape will be shown, by future observation, to indicate a sort of barrier in our maritime Fauna, separating *he north from the south. This species is somewhat closely allied to Tautoga Americana, (of which it may perhaps be deemed the Pacific representative,) though the arrangement of the teeth, and the scaly surface of the operculum and preoperculum, will not allow it to be included in the same genus. It is distinguished from Laclinolaiinus by the structure of the pharyngeal teeth, and from Cossyphus by the scaling of the fins, and the smoothness of the preoperculum. The following communication from Dr. Ayres, on the American Hydras, was also presented. At the first November meeting of the Society, in 1850, (Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist,, Vol. iii, page 354,) Prof. Agassiz gave spe- cific names to two species of Hydra found in the vicinity of Boston. He accompanied the names, however, with no descrip- tions, basing them simply on the assumption that but two Ameri- can species existed, one brown and one green, corresponding to two European types. In California,! have found another brown Hydra, quite distinct from the one so common in New England. The name carnea, proposed by Prof. Agassiz, has therefore no means of identification, except our local knowledge of the animal for which it was intended. But rather than introduce new names, we will retain those mentioned by him, through restricting their application. Our American Hydras, therefore, as at present dis- covered, are three. 1. H. gracilis, Agass. Very small, of a bright green, closely 104 allied to H. viridis, but much more extensible. Found in the eastern part of Massachusetts, probably in other parts of the East- ern States. • 2. H. carnea.) Agass. Larger than the gracilis^ of a light reddish brown color, allied to H.fusca, but having the tentacula shorter. Found in Massachusetts and Connecticut very abund- antly ; much more common than the last. 3. H. tenuis, Ayres. About the size of the carnea, which it resembles in color, and to which it is allied, but from which it differs in the same point and to about the same degree as carnea differs i^romfusca ; the tentacula are much less developed, hav- ing not more than about half the size of those of carnea. In micro- scopic structure it resembles carnea as closely as that does^wsca. It is found very abundantly near San Francisco, Cal. Whether we shall yet detect, on the Pacific side of the moun- tains, a green species to represent H. gracilis, or perhaps others entirely distinct, is left for future research. Dr. Durkee exhibited, under the microscope, the rostrum or sting of the common Mosquito, (Culex pipiens.) Dr. Durkee remarked that one of the most remarkable features in the anatomy of the mosquito is, that the parts which consti- tute the mouth are elongated so as to form a beak extendino; hori- zontally like that of some birds. The beak or sting is about half the length of the body, and to the unassisted eye appears to be very simple in its structure. When examined with the micro- scope, however, it is found to be composed of seven different parts, which are comparatively stout on one edge. These parts vary in length, and can be separated from each other without much difficulty. They are broad at the upper part, where they are united to the head, and they gradually taper to a point. One of the parts is a tubular canal or groove, in which the others are lodged when the proboscis is not in use. Dr. Durkee stated that he had not been able to find any appearance of teeth, except on the two longest pieces ; in these he had found them near the tip. The two longest pieces, also, are marked by transverse lines, extending from one edge to the other, throughout their whole length. 105 Mr. T. S. Hunt, upon being introduced to the Society by Dr. Bacon, made some remarks upon the continuation of the metamorphic rocks of the New England Stales, into Canada East ; upon the composition of Dolomites, the differ- ent theories of their formation, &c., and gave his own theory of their production. The President, from the Committee appointed to consider the proposal of exchange of geological specimens, with Sir William Jardine, of Scotland, reported, that after consulta- tion with Mr. Bouve, they had concluded that it was inex- dedient to make such exchange at present. The President remarked that some time since he had stated that, though a matter of great doubt, he thought it probable that, at some time, the impressions of insects and their tracks would be found in solid rock. Since making that observation, he had received several small slabs, upon which are tracks, apparently, if not really made by insects, 'which resemble the tracks of the cricket, cockroach, or beetle. Upon several specimens, these tracks are of the same width and general appearance ; and the individual foot prints, if they may be so considered, are alike in all the specimens. These specimens were from the banks of the Connecticut. One of the slabs likewise presented an im- pression very much like that of a spider's body and extremi- ties. Mr. Bouve said that he had seen tracks of the cricket upon the sand of the sea shore, of similar appearance to the impressions in question. Messrs. Samuel S. Wilson and George H. Marden were elected Resident Members. 106 November 18, 1854. The President in the Chair. Dr. Diirkee read a paper on the structure and habits of the Culex pipiens, or Mosquito. Speaking of the mandibu- lar apparatus, he remarked : " Upon the two mandibles, as described by Westwood, I have succeeded in bringing out the teeth at the tip. There are ten on each mandible or jaw. The jaws have also transverse lines, ex- tending from one edge to the other, throughout their who'le length. These markings are extremely delicate, and look not unlike the teeth of a sickle, and are not found on any of the other pieces, which appear to be perfectly smooth, and terminate in an ex- tremely sharp point. The two flat, button-like bodies, at the extremity of the lower lip, are united to the latter by means of a joint." Dr. Durkee had verified the observation of Cuvier and other naturalists, that the male Mosquito does not suck blood, not being furnished with an apparatus for the pur- pose. He had also followed out the process of reproduc- tion in these insects, in all its details, confirming the obser- vations heretofore made. The unusual abundance of these insects in the city of Boston, during the past summer, and their unusual scarcity in the surrounding country, he ascribed to the better opportunity afforded in the city for their multi- plication, in the numerous wells and cisterns in disuse from the supply of Cochituate water, while in the open country the prolonged drought had dried up their usual breeding places. Mr. James A. Dupee presented a large and handsome specimen of Native Copper, from Huron Mine, Portage Lake, Lake Superior, in the name of Messrs. Dupee and Perkins. He observed, that it had been a question whether the deposits in this place were in veins or pockets. The 107 great width of the deposits had caused many intelhgent miners to question whether they would hold out ; but now they have sunk several hundred feet, and the mineral is still found. This specimen was taken from a vein twenty feet in width. Dr. Brewer presented a specimen of Bituminous Shale (called coal) from the city of Lawrence, Kanzas. Upon analysis by Mr. F. B. Storer, it was found to contain 65 per cent, of carbon, 30 per cent, of inorganic matter, and the remainder water, &c. Though not particularly valuable, it burns, and deserves the name of coal. Dr. Brewer also reported upon a Fossil Egg, from the Chincha Islands, referred to him for examination. He sup- posed it to be the egg of a Penguin, though it cannot be determined with certainty. It was petrified by long exposure to guano. December 6, 1854. The President in the Chair. The Secretary read a letter from Sir John Richardson to the President, correcting a statement which he had made, with regard to the presence of a head of an American Fossil Elephant in the British Museum. He stated that he could find no large or complete cranium of a Mammoth of Ameri- can origin, but that there is a very considerable fragment of the alveolar process of the upper jaw, containing a very large tooth, little worn. A mandibular molar and two other smaller molar teeth accompany it. They purport to come from San Felipe, Texas, and to have been described in the 108 American Journal of Science and Arts, for March, 1846, by Prof. Carpenter ; but no elephant remains are there de- scribed, though other fossils from the same locality are noticed. The President remarked that he was surprised when Sir John originally made the statement alluded to, because efforts had been made to find the cranium of the Mammoth in America without success. The structure of the summit of the cranium is much more cellular in the Mammoth than in any other species of Elephant or in the Mastodon, and for this reason it is much more liable to decay. Portions of the lower jaw and teeth of the Mammoth have been found in America, but no cranium. The President exhibited a cast of the head of the great Spelaean Bear. This fossil bear was discovered a iew years ago in caverns in Germany, and afterwards in England and in Belgium, near Liege. Bones of other animals, and even of men, have been found with them, and it has been a ques- tion if the human bones were fossil or recent. The greater number of naturalists now believe them to be of comparatively modern origin. The skull of the Spelaean bear is much longer, in proportion to its width, than the skull of the living American species, from the State of Maine, with which the specimen was compared. Its teeth are not so fully deve- loped, and there are found, in the space between the molars and cuspidati, no premolars ; whereas, in the other species, there are one and sometimes two premolars. Hence it may be inferred that the Cave bear lived probably on vegetable rather than animal food. Dr. Gould presented '• A Paper on the Orange Insect,^' drawn up from Notes made by the late Dr. W. I. Burnett. Dr. Gould observed, that during the winter of 1853-4, the last which Dr. Burnett spent in Florida, our laniented associate 109 undertook, among other researches, to investigate the structure and natural history of the Orange Insect. This is a minute insect of the Coccus tribe, which, within a few years, has so invaded the orange groves, as almost totally to destroy them. The essay commenced by him was left in a very imperfect state; and it is conjectured that he had prepared other materials so as to illustrate his paper with delineations in detail, but which are either in other hands or have been lost. For the execution of his purpose. Dr. Burnett visited a place called Mandarin, formerly of considerable wealth, where, it is said, twenty vessels might at once be sometimes seen loading, but now in ruins. In 1837-8 Mr. Robertson carried to that place, from New York, two small orange trees, about two feet in height, bearing fruit about the size of an egg, with the insect upon them. The first year it was not known what they were ; but in thsee years they had spread over the whole point. The annual yield at this time was about 1,500,000 oranges, worth about 810 a thousand. The orange growers reported that the orange insect would spread, during July and August, to the prickly ash. Dr. Burnett did not observe this, but noticed the same insect on the lemon. The insect has eight segments, besides the triangular head piece. The females are from ^-V to ^-V of an inch in length. They usu- ally contain from 8 to 15 eggs, the development of which con- tinues all winter. The males are from ^V to 7j\j- of an inch in length, and are winged. The wings lie over each other horizon- tally on the back, when at rest. They are two only, but behind them are halteres, consisting of a single joint, with a process curved like a shepherd's crook. The wings consist, as usual, of flattened cells. The legs have the middle pair shortest ; tarsus one-jointed ; abdomen rounded, (eight-jointed) with a teat-like process at the end, from which extends a long style, composed of two semi-canals. The mouth and oral apparatus is rudimentary, though the antennse are ten-jointed and highly developed. The internal organs of nutrition are deficient or rudimentary, in this respect, corresponding with the oral parts. The eyes are four, two on each side ; the eye proper is oval, situated laterally, and consisting of a solid body, y-^o^ of an inch in diameter, perfectly 110 structureless, imbedded in a dark red pigment, and covered with a thin cornea. The accessory eyes are anterior and lateral from the others, and of the same structure. The young, when excluded, are not fully formed, but remain under the shield of the mother, until developed, and able to crawl away ; but as she may move along during oviposition, the embryos may be found behind or around her. The fact that one side of a leaf is frequently found covered with the scales of males almost exclusively, would seem to favor the idea that they are produced as a distinct brood ; and another fact also, that among a hundred specimens, old and young, examined during the winter, almost all were females; and when, by chance, one male was found, others were certain to be near. ^Dr. Gould presented the following communication from Mr. William Stimpson : — ON SOME REMARKABLE MARINE INVERTEBRATA INHABITING THE SHORES OF SOUTH CAROLINA. BY WILLIAM STIMPSON. Actinia producta, Stimpson.; The low, sandy, and muddy shores of the Carolinas, are inha- bited, in conjunction with a multitude of other animals of various classes, by a peculiar family of Aclinoid Polyps^ adapted, by their structure, to live in such apparently unfavorable localities. They are, like other species of the genus, attached to some object, such as a stone or shell, but this object is buried in the mud or sand often to considerable depth ; and the cylindrical body of the animal, capable of great elongation, can thus either reach the surface of the mud and expand its tentacula, in search of food, or retire within it for protection. It is usually thus concealed during the retreat of the tide. On our coasts there are many species which have such habits, the most remarkable of which is that here described. It is about three inches long, and three fourths of an inch wide, in a contracted state, when it usually presents constrictions, more or less marked and varying in posi- tion, as in Holothuria. Its base is often attached eight or ten inches below the surface of the mud, and it must therefore have the power of elongation to this extent, when it is of a lengthened Ill clavate form. Its color is a transparent yellowish-green. It has twenty equidistant longitudinal strise or folds, indicating the parti- tions within, which meet at a point on the base of the animal, where there is no well-defined disk of attachment, but a globular, inflated appearance, as in Edivardsia, On the anterior third of the body, the longitudinal folds arc more prominent, and each studded with a row of small elevated papillae, which are numer- ous and closely arranged. These papillce are largest toward the anterior extremity, and gradually diminish in size posteriorly, disappearing at about the middle. The tentacula are twenty in number, corresponding to the folds of the body, and are short, stout, enlarged and rounded at their extremities, which are covered with white dots. Five of these tentacula usually stand erect, the remaining ones curving over and alternating by threes with the erect ones. The animal retracts its tentacula very slowly when disturbed. This species is found on the flats near Fort Johnson, S. C, near low water mark, in considerable numbers. Its position is indicated after the tide has retired, by little cracks on the surface of the mud, which radiate from a small central hole. Lepton longipes, Stimpson. The genus Lepton has already been noticed on our shores, a species from Florida having been described by Mr. Conrad. The specimens found have almost invariably been single valves, cast up on the beach, and such have been often seen on the shores of South Caroliaa. In March, 1852, Lieut. Kurtz and myself had the pleasure of discovering several animals of this genus alive, and of ascertaining its station. It lives in sand or mud, on the flats, near low water mark, at the depth of a foot below the sur- face, and generally occupies the holes of marine worms and fossorial Crustacea. This species, from the great length of its foot, may be styled L. longipes. Considering the confined nature of the places it inhabits, we are at once surprised by the activity it exhibits, and the high development of its organs. With its peculiar foot, when ex- panded, it can creep like a gasleropod, and when thus progress- ing, with its two long anterior cirri or tentacles waving in ad- vance, it strongly recalls that higher order of moUusks. 112 The shell is half an inch in length, sublriangular, but some- what rounded, slightly compressed, smooth and polished, broad anteriorly, and sloping at the posterior dorsal margin ; the beaks elevated, and the lower margin nearly straight. The animal is everywhere white, nearly transparent. The mantle expands much beyond the margin of the shell, and is open in front, with undulated but unfringed margins. The anterior tentacles are two in number, simple and somewhat longer than the shell. A single ong posterior cirrus arises from the mantle on the dorsal surface, and is kept in continual motion like the anterior ones. The foot is a large, powerful organ, and may be expanded to a length equalling twice that of the shell. The margins of its sole are smooth, and it can be expanded, both horizontally and vertically. Posteriorly, it has a conical process or heel, which bears an opaque byssal gland at its extremity, secreting a glutinous sub- stance, by which this portion of the foot adheres to external objects. There is no true byssus, although this adhesive sub- stance maybe slightly drawn out; but, on the other hand, the pedal process itself may be so extended as to form a mere thread, several times the length of the shell ; and I have often seen the animal, when at rest, suspended in this singular way. This species was found at Fort Johnson, in Charleston Harbor, and has since been ascertained to exist on many parts of the coast in that neighborhood. Ancistropus sanguineus, Stimpson. The animal now to be described is one of the numerous exam- ples of the family Gephyrea of Quatrefages, which occur on our Southern coast. It appears to be by no means an uncommon form, as I have seen examples of the same genus from Florida and the West Indies, and the species called Syrinx papillosus in Forbes's *' British Starfishes " is probably closely allied to it ; but it seems to have as yet received no generic appellation, although its distinctive characters are well-marked. It is allied to Echiurus in its anatomy and in possessing the anterior hooks, but differs from that genus by the absence of posterior seta?, and of the proboscidiform anterior extremity. This species inhabits holes in the mud near low water mark, often at the depth of two feet below the surface. Its form when 113 taken is that of an elongated cylindrical sac, bent like a siphon ; but it soon commences contracting violently at various points, after the manner of the Holoihuricp^ and frequently destroys itself by rupturing the integument near the middle of the body. It is four inches in length, and two fifths of an inch in diameter. Its color is blood red, and it is everywhere covered with prominent fleshy papillce, between which are often distributed minute, wart- like rugosities. A depressed line runs along the middle of the ventral surface, throughout its length. The mouth, situated at the anterior extremity, is slightly protractile, in the form of a membranous cup or short tube, and is surrounded by three or four narrow concentric rings. The papillae in the vicinity of the mouth also show a tendency to circular arrangement, but further than this there are no indications of annulation upon the surface of the animal. On the ventral surface, near the anterior extremity, two slight prominences, one on each side of the median line, bear the slender flattened hooks, which arise from their muscular sheaths, precisely as in Echiurus. The intestine terminates pos- teriorly in an anal pouch or cloaca, and the branchial caeca empty into this pouch, instead of into the intestine above it. In other particulars the internal structure is much like that of Echiurus, as described by Quatrefages,* except that, in my specimens, only two generative sacs could be made out, which opened externallv just behind the hook-pouches. For this animal I propose the generic name Ancistropus, with the following character : — Corpus elongatum, utriculare, cylindricum, papillosum ; unci- nis duobus anticis instructum. Proboscis nulla. Os simplex, ter- minate, in tubulum membranaceum protractile. Anus in extremi- late corporis caudali locatus. Thalassema Americanum, Stimpson. The body of this species is short and thick, cylindrical ante- riorly, and globosely rounded behind. The color is blood red, but becomes whitish posteriorly ; ten narrow, longitudinal, whitish bands are conspicuous in the living animal, and the body is often covered with minute white dots. The surface is nearly smooth, * Voy. en Sicile, ii., 226. PROCEEPINQS B. S, N. H. VOL. V. 8 FEBRUARY, 1855. 114 but when contracted the body is covered with transverse wrinkles, composed of minute rugosities, which are much the largest toward the posterior extremity. On the ventral surface there is a longi- tudinal, depressed line along the middle. A pair of small, slen- der hooks, usually retracted within their sheaths, are found close together, below, anteriorly, one on each side of the median line. The produced labium, or spoon-shaped oral process, which makes this genus so remarkable, is largely developed, and half as long as the body, even when contracted ; but it can be extended to two or three times this length, and proportionally increased in breadth. It then resembles a broad curving membrane, of a transparent whitish color, with undulating margins and a somewhat pointed extremity. Its edge is distinct and transparent, giving it the appearance of being surrounded by a marginal vessel. Its cur- vature, and undulating sides, are caused by the central portions being less extensible than the other parts. This organ is kept in constant motion, and its concave or lower surface is often applied to the surface of other bodies, like the foot of a gasteropod. It is easily detached from the body, and in that condition retains its vitality for some time. When found separate it might easily be mistaken for some strange Planaria. The length of this singular animal was two inches, including the labium; the greatest breadth of the body, half an inch. It forms its holes in indurated ferruginous sand, about six inches below the surface, in the third subregion of the littoral zone. Specimens occurred at Fort Johnson, in Charleston Harbor, in March, 1852. Arenicola cristata, Stimpson. The species here described was found by Lieut. Kurtz and myself on the shore of Maurice's Island, inside of Pelican Point, at the entrance of Charleston Harbor. It is a large and fine worm, probably the largest of its genus, as it grows to a length of sixteen inches, with a thickness of one inch. It is rather surprising that so large an animal should have been overlooked, especially as it is not uncommon in the localities where it occurs. It is the second species of the genus occurring on our coast, for A. piscatorum is now known to be an inhabitant of Massachusetts Bay. 115 The body is divided into about twenty-four principal rings {segment a) ^ the first seventeen of which are distinguished by as many narrow, elevated, circular ridges, more strongly marked above than below. Before the first of these ridges there are three secondary rings (annuU) ; between the first and second there are also three; between the second and third, and the re- maining ridges there are four, or rarely five. The ridges of the first six rings bear on each side of the back a small pencil of setse, consisting of two flattened brushes, of which the anterior is much shorter than the posterior. These pencils gradually increase in size posteriorly, and each is placed in a membranous sheath, which is retractile. ' The uncinate setae are placed in an elongated row on the side of the ridge beneath the sheath of the superior ones. The ridges of the next eleven rings bear not only the setae of two kinds, .but also the branchial tufts, which are largest on the middle rings, and very small on the first, — increasing in size posteriorly. These branchiae are highly contractile, and when expanded, extend in the form of a semicircle from a cavity on the inner side of, and posterior to, the pencil of setse. Their semi circular base consists, in the larger tufts, of about twenty main tubes joining each other laterally ; these tubes then diverge and give off branches, the chief of which are alternate on the sides of the main trunk. The branching is then continued indefinitely. The posterior rings of the body are not so distinctly marked with ridges as the anterior ones, and bear neither setse nor branchiae ; but they usually present a variable number of short, thick, cutaneous processes, of the same color as the body. The thickness of the body is nearly the same throughout, there being no anterior enlargement, as is seen in the European species. The proboscis is short, covered with small papillae, which have their abrupt sides presented outward or backward, and are arranged in very regular longitudinal rows, about twenty-four in number. The color of the animal is a rich, dark green, of vari- ous shades, often approaching to brown on the middle of the body. A dark-colored median line extends along the ventral surface. The circular ridges are of a light brown color; the setae of a bright golden hue; the branchiae, dark crimson; and the pro- boscis, reddish-brown. 116 It occurred in the third and fourth subregions of the littoral zone, living in holes in the hard sand, which it had excavated to a length of two feet. These holes were exactly adapted in width to the thickness of the animal, and were not furnished with a lining of any kind. They extended obliquely downward, being at first perpendicular, but curving so as to become almost horizon- tal ; the lower extremity was about one foot below the surface. The locality where they were found was not exposed to the action of breakers, but was within the harbor, so that a slight deposit of mud covered the sand in which they lived. All the specimens were found in their holes, with the anterior extremity downward, and when taken, were trying to escape by digging still further into the sand, which is effected by continued rapid evolutions of the proboscis. The specimens, when handled, gave out a greenish coloring matter, which stains the skin in such a manner that it cannot be removed for many days. During the latter part of March, we frequently observed in and about the holes of these worms, great quantities of a soft, transparent jelly, filled with minute brownish specks, which proved to be eggs. AcoETEs LUPiNA, Stimpsou. The species of the genus Acoetes are remarkable for their great size, and also for inhabiting tubes, contrary to the general habits of the Aphroditacece ; — the members of this family, with the ex- ception here noticed, being better fitted for a wandering life, than Annelides of any other order, except the AmphinomiacecE. The species here described is distinguished from its congeners, by the smallness of its scales, and does not yield to them in point of size, being often two feet and a half in length. It may be de- scribed as follows : — Body vermiform, thick, flattened below, and somewhat convex above. Head very small, with two large pedunculated eyes, and five tentacles, three of which, above the eyes, are short, and two, below the eyes, long and tapering. Proboscis surrounded, at its extremity, with a margin of fleshy teeth, forming an upper and a lower row, the middle process in each row being larger than the others. Maxillee four in number, forming a superior and an in- 117 ferior pair, those of each pair so joined as to form, apparently, a single jaw, denticulated along its margins, with two strong teeth in front ; these jaws move vertically upon each other, as in verte- brates. The first pair of feet bears scales ; the second pair, cirri ; the third and fourth pairs, scales ; after which the feet through- out the body bear, alternately, cirri and scales. The cirri are short, thick, and pointed. The scales are so small as to leave the middle of the back, one third of its width, bare ; they over- lap each other slightly, in the same direction as in the genus Lepidonote, and not as in A. Pleei. Both the cirrigerous and squamiferous pinnse have one or more additional tubercular or cirriform processes on the dorsal surface. The pinnse, or feet, are not separated into dorsal and ventral rami ; the setse being all set in a single thick lobe, in front of which,* above, arises a smaller, compressed, non-setiferous lobe. The setse are of three kinds: first, a few simple capillaries; next, a cluster of strong, broad setse, shaped at the end like a chopping-knife ; lastly, and inferiorly, a plume of long, slender setse, thickened and inversely barbed near their extremities. The inferior cirrus is as long as the superior one, but more slender. Color, reddish-brown, with a crimson median line on the inferior surface; setse golden; cirri vermilion ; scales light brown, punctate with black, and with bright sulphur-yellow margins. The specimen described is two feet in length, and seven eighths of an inch in breadth. It inhabits a blackish tube, of a tough, glutinous structure, very thick, and composed of several layers, the exterior of which are very much mixed with mud. This tube is found in the sand or mud, descending into it perpendicularly, for a depth equalling the length of the animal. Its extremity does not project above the surface, where a small aperture only is observable. Its diameter is much greater than the thickness of the worm, which is thus enabled to turn end' for end in it. It was thus frequently captured with its head downward, and its tail at the aperture of the tube, and it would seem to assume this position whenever disturbed. In taking its prey, it does not wholly leave its tube, but suddenly darts out its anterior extremity, seizing with its powerful jaws the small Crustacea and soft mollusca upon which it feeds. It was found at low-water mark, on the flats in Charles- ton Harbor. 118 Dr. Gould also read extracts from a letter from Mr. Stimpson, describing interviews which he had recently had, in Australia, with distinguished naturalists, MacLeay and Macgillivray among others; and a letter from Mr. Sylvanus Hanley, of London, requesting an interchange of publica- tions with the Society. Mr. Hanley's letter was referred to the Publishing Committee. Dr. Cabot read a paper on a specimen of " Wild Hybrid Duck,'^ propagated between the Clangida Americana, (Whistler, or Golden-Eye,) and the Mergus cucullatus, (Hooded Merganser,) of which the following is an ab- stract : — This specimen was shot in the neighborhood of Scarborough, Me., by Mr. Caleb Loring, Jr., in May last, and exhibited to the Society in June, by Dr. Cabot. Mr. Loring, in his '• shooting journal," says, the bird came in alone, passed his decoys, and a small flock of Whistlers, and alighted alone, on a part of the feeding-ground usually occupied by the Whistlers. In diving, the duck went down perpendicularly, like the Whistler, and not like the Mergus, which dives obliquely, and comes up at a dis- tance from the place where it goes down. The supposed hybrid, which was evidently approaching adult age, resembles the Mer- gus most in the feathers and dermal parts, and the Clangula in the hard parts. Dr. Cabot showed that the hybrid resembles the Mergus, in the shape and directions of the serrations projecting above the edge of the bill; in the terminal ungues on the lower and upper man- dible; in the relative position and form of the nasal opening ; in the relative length of the bill ; in the form of the head and crest; and in the color of the plumage of the head. It resembles the Clangula in having a curved, instead of a straight edge, to the upper mandible ; in the prolongation of the serrations below the edge of the lower mandible, and above the edge of the upper, approaching the sifting apparatus of the Clangula, and differing from the simple toothed form in the Mergus. It partakes about equally of both parents, in the width of the bill and in that of the tongue, though approaching rather more to the Clangula in 119 the length of the oesophagus and proventriculus, and in the dimensions of the stonnach, vitelline remnant, and trachea. The tympanum of the Clangula sends two bony plates up on the front and back of the trachea, rendering it perfectly inflexible to the distance of an inch ; this does not exist at all in the Mergus, and only to the extent of a quarter of an inch in the hybrid. The tracheal dilatation is about an inch long in the Mergus, two inches in the Clangula, one and a half inches in the hybrid. In the Mergus, it becomes flat when stretched, and dqes not become elongated more than any other part of the trachea ; in the Clan- gula, owing to the oblique arrangement of the rings, its long and transverse diameter are both increased ; in the hybrid, its poste- rior surface is somewhat flat, and it is not elongated more than any other part of the trachea. The posterior surface of this part, in the Mergus, is membranous, and soft ; in the Clangula and hybrid, the rings of the dilaiation are firmer throughout their circumference than those of the trachea elsewhere. Rings of the dilatation in the Mergus, 15, very much flattened, and extend- ing only half around the circumference ; in the Clangula, 19, firm, almost bony, complete ; in the hybrid, 14, not so firm, and somewhat flattened posteriorly. The last half inch of the trachea in the Mergus, has a pent-house ridge, forming an acute angle on its anterior aspect, which is wanting in the Clangula, and present, in a slight degree, in the hybrid. Left bronchus in the Clangula, y\ of an inch across ; in the hybrid, -^^ ; in the Mer- gus, y\ ; the left being the larger in the two former, and the right in the latter. The middle and outer toe of the hybrid are the longest ; the Mergus has the middle the longest, and the Clan- gula the outer. It resembles the Mergus in the markings of the secondaries of the wings, and those on the flank ; in the com- mencing appearance of the dark half collar, between the neck and shoulder, extending round toward the median line of the breast ; in the descent of the dark feathers low down upon the neck ; in the slight appearance of the white coloration of the wing coverts ; in having eighteen, instead of sixteen tail feathers, as in the Clangula ; in the size and proportions of the scapula; and in the size and arrangement of the scales of the tarsus. It resembles the Clangula in the size and proportions of the sternum, 120 furcula, clavicle, occiput, pelvis, and femur ; in short, of all the bones except the scapula. Dr. Cabot, in conclusion, stated, that if this bird is to be named as a distinct species, from these characters, and from the pecu- liarities and measurements of the viscera also, he would call it Clangula mergiformis. The testes of the specimen had been examined under the microscope, by Prof. J. Wyman and himself, but although much swollen, being half an inch in length, no spermatic particles could be found. Dr. Charles T. Jackson exhibited some chlorophyj, or the green coloring matter of plants, which he had obtained from the Cochituate water. Dr. Jackson also gave the following result of an analysis of AUophane, from Tennessee : water, 37.7 ; alumina, 41.0; silica, 19.8; lime, 00.5; magnesia, 00.2. This mineral is essentially, as will be seen, a hydrated silicate of alumina. Traces of phosphoric acid are likewise found in it. Remarks were made by Drs. Gould, Abbot, and Durkee, upon the vegetable forms, principally Diatomaceae, seen with the microscope in Cochituate water. The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from Dr. James Lewis, of Mohawk, N. Y., dated Nov. 15th, 1854, accompanying a paper on Cyclas, Lymnea, &c., from which the following is an extract : — " In addition to what I have observed respecting the variations of certain Lymnece, I might say, that the effects of locality, tem- perature, and other things, on the forms of shells, seem to he equally apparent in other shells. I have found that all those shells which abound equally in the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River at this place, have local peculiarities, by which I can de- termine at a glance, almost, which of the two localities a certain number of shells may have been taken from. 121 " I have had my attention called to a peculiar form of the Alasmodon marginata^ Say, from Ohio, (known as A, truncaLa^ Say,) by a remark in a letter from one of my correspondents, who says, that ' Mr. Lea is of the opinion, that this truncata is the female.^ The same shells are found here in the Mohawk River, and are all about one form, without any appearance of the trun- cation or shortening of the posterior, often seen in shells from Ohio. Having examined the animals as well as the shells, I am prepared to say, that the female differs from the male in form, only in being a very little more inflated. A careful examination of some Ohio shells, very much truncated, leads me to the con- clusion that the shortening is incident to the shell only in certain localities, where the currents bear along substances that, coming in contact with the edges of the valves of the shell, break them down ; and the result is, the growth of the shell is retarded at that point, and the efforts of the animal are directed to the renewal of the broken portion, while the growth of the shell proceeds regu- larly in those portions which are concealed in the mud, in which the animal partially buries itself. An inspection and comparison of the two forms of the shell will show the correctness of the above views. " I have been anxious for some time to ascertain whether those shells known as Lymnea reflexa, and L. ujnhrosa, are confined to any particular geological sections, and, if so, what is the na- ture of those sections, or regions ? I have some suspicion, that they are not specifically diflierent from those shells we call Z. elodes ; but as I have no localities furnishing these shells, I am not able to arrive at any conclusions. Physa. " In comparing shells known as P. elongata. Say, from Massa- chusetts, New York, Ohio, and Michigan, I think I discover cer- tain differences which may have escaped observation heretofore. The shells from Michigan have a suture somewhat flattened, like the suture of P. ancillaria, Say, while those from Massa- chusetts and New York have a very deeply impressed suture, ahd are smaller, &c., d:c. " If a further examination and comparison of these shells 122 should reveal a specific difference, I would suggest, for the east- ern shells, the name P. elongatinay remarks on cyclas and lymnea. by dr. james lewis. Cyclas. The genus Cyclas may be divided into three groups, having the following distinguishing features : — First Group. Shells robust and somewhat ponderous ; sur- face usually marked with strong ridges, which, in some species, assume a very regular development on the beaks, or embryonic portion of the shell ; epidermis rather coarse, and often of a dark color, though this feature is liable to considerable change in the same species. Examples. C. similis, C. solidula^ C.fuscala, C. distorta, &c. Second Group. Shells less robust, but moderately firm ; sur- face generally smooth, though the lines of growth are usually somewhat conspicuous ; valves usually inflated ; epidermis finer than in the preceding group, and often marked by zones of strongly contrasting.colors. Examples. C. elegans^ C. occidentalism C. cardissa, &c. Third Group. Shells thin and fragile, and often translucent ; beaks usually elevated above the hinge margin, in a conspicuous manner, and surrounded by the embryonic portion of the shell, which is distinctly separated from the rest of the shell, by a deeply indented line ; surface of the shell very smooth, and the lines of growth frequently so fine as not to be easily distinguished ; epidermis fine, and sometimes zoned by delicate shades, but not often by strongly contrasting colors. Examples. C. transversa, C. partumeia, C. securis, &c. Lymnea. In an article on Lymnea, that I presented to the Society a few months since, some remarks were offered, showing the spe- cific identity of two forms of Lymnea found in contiguous local- iiies. The forms previously alluded to are, first, a variety recognized as one of the forms of L. catascopium^ Say ; second, a variety which some of my correspondents recognize as L. emarginata, Say. 123 Since identifying these forms as nnere local varieties of one species,'my attention has been drawn to another local modifica- tion of the shells I am induced to regard as a variety of L. catas- copium^ to explain which, requires an allusion to the localities in which the shells are found. These shells, having the form of L. caf.ascopiu7n, abound in the Erie Canal, at Mohawk, Herkimer Co. N. Y. From the canal, many other contiguous waters, (pools, ditches, and creeks,) derive many of the shells that abound in them ; and more especially is this shown at certain places where the waste waters from the canal find their way into small shallow streams, either through waste gates, or over the sides of aqueducts, that have their sides no higher than the greatest fulness of the canal requires. Into a small stream, known as Fulmer's Creek, (Mohawk, N. Y.) considerable waste water from the canal is discharged, bearing along small chips and bits of flood wood, having upon them the germs, or young of Pliysa^ Lymnea, &c., and these find a resting-place at various spots along the shallow portions of the stream, and, under the modification of a very difl^ereni locality, assume a very different form of growth from what may be ob- served in the locality where they originated. (It may be well to remark, that in that part of the creek above the canal, there are no shells of any kind, while below, they are somewhat numerous.) In comparing the two forms of shells found in the canal and creek, the following characters will be found most conspicuous. In the canal, the shells have but a {g\\ whorls, and those rapidly enlarged ; the aperture about as long as the spire ; the shells somewhat ponderous, but less so than may be observed in L. ca- iascopium in more favorable localities. In the creek, the shells assume the elongated spire and increased number of whorls observable in L. elodes ; the aperture, instead of being about equal to the length of the spire, is frequently about one third the length of the whole shell, sometimes a little less ; and generally, those shells found in .the creek, are such as would at once be considered L. elodes^ though there are a great number of forms to be found intermediate to the two forms most remote. The eflTect of locality, in addition to the modification of form, is also to change the color of the shell ; those in the canal, when cleaned 124 of the dark pigment usually found on them, beina; of a light yel- lowish horn color, not remarkably translucent, except in the less ponderous shells; while those found in the creek are of a darker color, the surface somewhat modified by longitudinal bands, of a light brown color, inclining to purple ; the shells be- come also more translucent. The inference from these observations is, that those shells known by the names of L. catascopium^ L. emarginata, and L. elodes, are modifications of one type or species, in which we discover the influence of locality, temperature, &c., in varying the method of develcpment. Dr. Shaw exhibited a specimen of Bituminous Coal, from the Straitsville mines, Perry Co. Ohio. These mines have been recently opened, and it is proposed id introduce the coal to the Eastern market. It is estimated that it can be delivered in New York at seven dollars per ton. It con- tains only about two per cent, of inorganic matter. About forty per cent, of gas can be obtained from it, of good illuminating power, the residuary coke being also of good quality, and the process, at least when tried on a small scale, free from caking. A horizontal shaft, twelve feet square, has already been opened two hundred feet in one vein, and without reaching either the top or the bottom of the vein. Cannel coal, and several ores of iron, are found in the same neighborhood. The Corresponding Secretary read letters from the Verein zu Beforderung des Gartenbaueszu Berlin, dated Sept. 25th, 1854, proposing an exchange of publications ; Societe Roy- ale des Sciences de Liege, dated July 8th, 1854, presenting a volume of its Memoirs, &c. ; from the Same, — from the American Philosophical Society, dated Oct. 20th, 1854, — and the Royal Society of Sciences at Gottingen, dated July 2d, 1854, acknowledging the reception of publications of this Society ; K. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien, dated 125 July 7th, 1854 ; K. Bayerische Akademie der Wissen- schaften, dated July 30th, 1854, asking that missing plates of the Society's Journal may be supplied to them ; K. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien, dated March 11th, July 18th, and August 10th, 1854, presenting its publica- tions. Prof. B. Jaeger, of Providence, present by invitation, made a few remarks, and presented a copy of his work on the '' Life of North American Insects." The thanks of the Society were voted for the gift. The Committee appointed to nominate officers for the two vacant Curatorships, reported, — That they nominate Dr. J. Nelson Borland to fill the Curatorship of Herpetology ; and Dr. Borland was accordingly elected. Mr. Roswell Field, of Greenfield, and Pvev. P. H. Green- leaf, of Madison, Indiana, were elected Corresponding Mem- bers, and jMessrs. Charles L. Andrews, and L. M. Sargent, Jr., of Boston, P^^esident Members. Becemher 20, 1854. The President in the Chair. Prof. J-. Wyman referred to the commonly received ex- planation of the manner in which birds retain their position in roosting. Bovelli attributed the bending of the toes to the mechanical action of the salient angles, over which the flexor tendons passed. Prof. Wyman thought this gave, at best, but a partial explanation ; for, while roosting, the body requires to be accurately balanced, since, at every act of respiration, the centre of gravity must necessarily be changed, 126 and the requisite adaptations can be effected by muscular action only. In those Waders which roost on one leg, the balancing of the body becomes a matter of still greater nicety; and in these, too, the tibia is not flexed upon the tarsus, therefore the tension of the tendons, as stated by Bovelli, would not be effectually produced. In bending the leg of a dead bird, the toes do not adapt themselves to the surfaces on which they rest. He thought the explanation must be found in reflex muscular action, an explanation which had been suggested to him by Dr. S. Cabot. A letter was read from Mr. Roswell Field, of Greenfield, Mass., thanking the Society for his election as Correspond- ing Member. Dr. A. A. Gould presented the~result of an examination of some deep dredgings off the coast of Georgia and Florida, by the officers of the Coast Survey, as follows : — Svvainson, (in Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopedia, 1840,) indicates the genus Pedicularia for some small patellifbrm shells, of an irregular outline, conforming to the bits of coral from which they were taken. He describes them '' as, in general, oval, without a distinct apex, with a callous, prominent rim, placed on one side only of the inner surface." His specimens were from Sicily, and he calls them Pedicularia Sicula. Mr. J. E. Gray, com- menting upon it, (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1846, p. 428,) says the same thing was described by Philippi, under the name of Thyreus paradoxus. Mr. Gray, from an examination of a dried animal, considers it allied to Concholepas, which. the shell, though so small, greatly resembles. We liave now specimens obtained off the coast of Georgia, from the extraordinary depth of 400 fathoms, in company with two or three other minute shells. It is evidently a species of Swainson's genus, and ena- bles us to give more fully the characters of the genus. The apex, though somewhat obtuse, is well marked, very much like that of Condwlejms on the left side, at the upper third. It is well indicated in this species by the delicate radiating lines of 127 the surface, departing from it, and rendering the whole exterior minutely and beautifully cancellated. The shelf on the left, or coiumeliar side is not simply a partition, as in Crepidula or Navi- cella^ but a true columella, and if broken transversely across, shows an entire volution of the shell around it. At the upper termination of this columella is always found a small notch or canal, and at the anterior extremity is a shallow canal as in Con- cliolepas. In short, its structure and habit seem to be those of the shell well known as Purpura monodoiita, Quoy, or P. madre- porarum^ and which Dr. Gould refers to the genus LeptoconcJius, (Mollusca of Exploring Expedition.) Whatever may be the true genus, Dr. Gould thinks these two shells are clearly allied. Until further light, however, he would prefer to have it retain- ed under Svvainson's genus, and called Pedicularia decussata. Shell small, solid, irregular, in general elongated oval, with a prominent obtuse apex on the upper third of the left side, inclin- ing laterally. Surface finely decussated with concentric or radi- ating lines; outer lip thickened, and somewhat revolute ; inner lip sharp, straight, with a submarginal groove. Length, ^ inch. Breadth, ^ inch. Dr. Gould also communicated a description of several new species of land and fresh-water shells, as follows: — NEW SPECIES OF LAND AND FRESH-WATER SHELLS FROM WEST- ERN (n.) AMERICA. Helix ^ruginosa. Testa globoso-conica, solidula, umbilicata, indentata et minutissime granulata, coloribus rufo-olivaceis et flavis variegata et fascia fusca cincta ; anfractibus 7 convexis : apertura rotundato-ovata ; labro reflexo, incarnate ; fauce livida. Diam. If poll. ; axis f a -^^ poll. Brought from San Francisco by Dr. Bigelow. Has the general form and coloring of H. Townsendiana^ Lea, and the aperture of H. tudiculata, Binney. The former has a dif- ferent aperture, revolving strioe, and is destitute of a band ; the latter is not umbilicated ; and neither have a granulated surface. Helix infumata. Testa magna, discoidea, biconvexa, ad 128 peripheriam obtuse carinata, late umbilicata, supra infumata et rugis minutis obliquis asperata, infra nigerrima, nitida et minutis- sime granulata ; anfr. 6^ convexiusculis : apertura rhomboidea ; labro rufo, basi reflexiusculo ; fauce sericea, lilacina, prope la- brum fuscescente. Diatn. 1^; axis ^ poll. Brought frojn San Francisco by Dr. Bigelow. Has about tlie form and color of H. plicata, Born, without its complicated aperture. It might at first be mistaken for H. Nut- tallii, Lea, but is distinguished by its lenticular form, smoky black color, and its peculiar rasp-like and granulated surface. PiiYSA BULLATA. Testa magna, ovato-ventricosa, tenuis, fra- gilis, lucida, cornea : spira elevata, acuta; anfr. 6, ultimo inflato; sutura bene impressa : apertura late ovata, f long, testes ade- quans ; labro tenui, rufo submarginato ; columella valde flexu- osa, callo induta. Long. 1 poll. ; lat. ^§ ad ^^ poll. Found in Oregon, by Dr. J. G. Cooper. Distinguished by its large size, inflated form, and delicate structure ; sometimes the form Is somewhat cylindrical. It accords most nearly with Haldeman's pi. 3, fig. 9, which was given him as P. Sayi, Tappan. It is much more delicate, and less polished than P. heterostrojjJia, Say, and the aperture is less elongated. Physa humerosa. Testa subrhomboidea, solidula, polita, albida : spira acuta ; anfrac. 5 tabulatis : apertura 4 ad | long, testa; adequans, postice rotundata ; labro expanse ; columella vix plicata, callosa, fere perforata. Long. ^ ad -/g- poll. ; lat. f poll. Found by Dr. Thomas H. Webb, and by W. P. Blake, in the Colorado Desert and at Pecos River. The broadly tabulated whorls, with the acute, elevated spire, and foldless pillar clearly distinguish this species. It is like P. tahulata^ Gould, and the variety figured by Haldeman, as P. ancillaria, (fig. 7,) which he regards as a monstrosity ; the deep suture and simple columella distinguish it from that species. Physa virgata. Testa modica, solidula, glabra, elongato- ovata, cinerea olivaceo longitudinaliler virgata : spira elevata, acuta ; anfrac. 4-5 bene discretis : apertura lunata, f longitud. 129 testSB adequans ; columella modice plicata, valde callosa ; fauci- bus luteo-rufescentibus. Long, f ; lat. ^ poll. Found by Dr. T. H. Webb, in the River Gila, and near San Diego. Quite remarkable, as being the only species yet known which has variegated coloration. The stripes are found on some part of every shell, and many are prettily ornamented throughout. In size and proportions, it may be compared with P. microstoma, Haldeman. Planorbis ammon. Testa magna, discoidea, subconica, sub- tiliter striata ; latere sinistro late et profunde concavo, anfractus quaiuor obtuse carinatos exhibente ; latere dextro concavo, anfr. duos cum dimidio rotundatos monstrante : apertura ovato-trian- gularis, interdum utroque valde expansa : axis | ad 1 poll.; diam. :^ ad ^ poll. Found by Dr. T. H. Webb, in the Cienaga Grande, or Colo- rado Low Desert, and also by Mr. W. P. Blake. The specimens differ greatly in size, and in the development of the aperture ; but all agree in the peculiar slope of the outer volution, giving them a conical or dome-shaped form when lying on the left side. Fully developed specimens are much like P. corpulentus, Say, but the shape of the volution and aperture differ, and the striae are less coarse, and more like P. glabraius, Say. Planorbis gracilentus. Testa discoidea, compressa, albida, concinne striata ; latere dextro planulato ; latere sinistro modice concavo ; utrinque, anfrac. 4 rotundatis, anfr. externo ad periph- eriam obtuse angulato: apertura perobliqua, rotundato-ovalis. Axis I poll. ; diam. ^ poll. Found by Dr. T. H. Webb, in the great Colorado Desert low lands. No North American species, of equal size, can be compared whh this well marked, wheel-shaped species. Very small speci- mens are like large specimens of P. deflectics, Say. A species from the Nile is very similar. Amnicola protea. Testa, elongata, gracilis, variabilis ; anfr. PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H, VOL. V. 9 MARCH, 18^5. 130 7-8 rotundatis, profunde discretis, simplicibus vel liris volventi- bus et costis longitudinalibus varie ornatis et clathratis : apertura ovata ; labro continue, simplici, anfractum penultimum vix atti- gente. Long, (exempli maximi) -^^ ; lat. -j^ poll. From the Colorado Desert (Gran Jornada) Dr. T. H. Webb ; W. P. Blake. Peculiar from its large size, and slender form, though differing greatly in its relative proportions. It differs from all others, in being variously sculptured with revolving ridges and longitudinal folds, like most Melanire. Amnicola longinqua. Testa parva, elongato-ovata, glabra ; apice obtuso ; anfract. 5 rotundatis ; sutura profunda : apertura elliptica, postice rotundata ; columella valde arcuata, sub-per- forata. Long. ^ ; lat. yV poll. Found in the Colorado Desert (Cienaga Grande) by W. P. Blake. In form, it is much like A. Cincinnatiensis, Hald., or like A. galbana, or like miniature specimens of Faludina ponder osa. It has a bleached or chalky color, probably from exposure, like the other species found on the Cienaga Grande ; a region which is immersed a portion of the time, and dry the remainder, and was once, apparently, an extensive marsh, or shallow lake. Dr. Gould observed that certain modes of sculpture of shells obtain in certain regions of the globe, and often serve to a practised eye to determine their locality. The Helices here described have the indented surface so usual in Cali- fornia and Oregon species. DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM. October 4th, A specimen of Gold Ore, from Bridgewater, Vt., and a speci- men of Lead Ore; by Rev, Theodore Pai-ker, Several joints of the Basaltic columns of the Giant's Causeway; by Mr. Henry B. Stanwood. A mass of Quartz Crystals ; by Mr. C, R. Thayer. October 18th, A specimen of Short-eared Owl; by Mr. Thomas H. Hinckley, of Milton. A specimen of Cannelton Coal, and a specimen of Coral from San Juan d'Ulloa; by Mr. T, J. Whittemore. November 1st, A specimen of rock, bearing dendiitic markings, from Dor- 131 Chester, Mass., near Neponset Eiver; by Mr. Edward Wigglesworth. Specimens of Millet, purporting to have been produced from ancient Egyptian seed ; by Mr. James W. Paige. November 15th. A specimen of Native Copper from Huron Mine, Portage Lake, Lake Superior; by Mr. James A. Dupee. A specimen of Bituminous Shale, from the city of Lawrence, Kansas ; by Dr. T. M. Brewer. December 6th. Specimens of Esox reticulatus, from Charles Eiver ; carefully prepared and presented by Mr. Charles J. Sprague. December 20th. Bones of a young Tiger; by Dr. J. C. Warren. Skins of Accipiter Coqperi., Cooper's Hawk ; Hypoiriorchis columbarius, Pigeon Hawk ; Otocoris alpestris^ Shore Lark; Mniotilta virens, Black-throated green Warbler, and Reguliis calendula^ Jiuhj-CYoyvned Wren; by Mr. Thure Kuralien. Eggs of Gallinula cMoropus, common American Gallinule ; Podilymbus Carolmensis, Pied- billed Grebe ; Tetrao ciqndo, Pinnated Grouse ; Pterocycmea discors, Blue- winged Teal ; EydroclieUdon fssipes, American Black Tern; and the nest of Icterus xanthoceplialus^ Yellow-headed Blackbird ; by the same. Skins of Columba palumbiis, Ring Pigeon ; Pica caudata, Magpie ; Accipiter nisus, Sparrow Hawk ; Ennqjhasfos eryth-oi-Jiynchos, Red-billed Toucan; by Dr. F. J. Bumstead. Otus Wilsonius^ Long-eared Owl; Lanius septentrioncdis, Northern Shrike; Accipiter fuscvs, Slate-colored Hawk, 2 specimens; Bolickonyx orizivora, Bohol'ink; Rallus Virginianus, Virginia Rail; Gullinago Wilsonii^ Common American Snipe; by Mr. Emanuel Samuels. Specimens of Stigmaria jicoides, Sigillaria, and Ccdamites, from Cumberland, N. S. ; by Mr. W. W. Greenough. BOOKS RECEIVED DURING THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1B54. Descriptions of New Fishes collected by Dr. A. L. Heennan. By Charles Girard. 8vo. Pamp^. Philadelphia, 1854. From the AiitJior. History of the Fishes of Massachusetts. By D. H. Storer. 4to. pp. 91-130. Boston, 1854. From the Author. Report of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey, for 1852. 4to. Washing- ton, 1853. From A. D. Bache. Report of Special Committee of the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Bvo. Pamph. Washington, 1854. From Eon. S. R Walley. The Same. From the Smithsonian Institution. Archiv fur Naturgeschichte. Gegriiudet von A. F. A. Wiegmann. Fortgesetzt von W. F. Erichson. Herausgegeben von Dr. F. H. Troschel. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1852-4. From Dr. F. K Troschel. Archives de Physiologic de Therapeutique et d'Hygiene. Sous la dkection de M. Bouchardat. No. 1. Janvier. 1854. 8vo. Paris. Froiyi the Author. Auffindung von Quecksilber in der Luneburgischen Diluvial Formation. Mitgetheilt von T. Fr. L. Hausmann. 8vo. Pamph. From the Author. On Signer Carlo Matteucci's Letter to H. B. Jones, Editor of Dr. Du Bois Rey- mond's Researches in Animal Electricity. By Emile du Bois Reymond. 8vo. Pamph. London. From the Author. Illustrations of the Birds of Cahfornia, Texas, Oregon, British and Russian America. Bv John Cassin. No. 7. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1854. From the Autho)'. 132 Life of North American Insects. By Prof. B. Jaeger, assisted by H. C. Pres- ton. 8vo. Providence, 1854. From the Author. Weo;weiser fiir die Besucher des K. Botanischen Gartens in Miinclien. Von Dr. C. Fr. Fh, von Martins. 12mo. Miinclien, 1852. From the Author. XJeber das Klima von Mlinchen. 4to. Pampli. 1851. Von Carl M. Kuhn. From, the Author. History of the Kine Pox. Svo. Pamph. 1800. From Dr. A. L. Tirrell. Eeport of an Expedition down the Zuni and Colorado Rivers. By Capt. L. Sitgreaves. Svo. Washington, 1854. From Hon. Charles Sumner. Report of City Surveyor of Montreal. Svo. Pamph. 1853. Annual Report of the Treasurer of the City of Montreal. 4to. Pamph. 1854. From L. A. H. Latour. Report on the Coast Survey during 1852. 4to. Washington. Statistical View of the United States. By J. D. B. DeBow. Svo. Washington, 1854. From Eon. William Appleton. Report of the Astronomer Royal, to the Board of Visitors. 4to. Pamph. London, 1854. Regulations of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. 4to. Pamph. London, 1852. From the Smithsonian Institution. Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Vol. XIV. No. 81, Sept. 1854.; No. 82, Oct. 1854; No. 83, Nov. 1854. Le9ons sur les Phdnom^nes Physiques des Corps Vivants. Par C. Matteucci. 12mo. Paris, 1847. From the Courtis Fund. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. Vol, X. Part 3. August, 1854. Svo. London. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Svo. Vol. VII. Nos. 4, 5. , New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal. Vol. XL No. 2, for Sept. 1854; No. 3, for Nov. 1854. Proceedings of the California Academy of Natural Sciences. Vol. I. pp. 1 - 10. Svo. San Francisco. American Journal of Science and Arts. No. 54, for November, 1854. Svo. New Haven. Michigan Farmer. Edited by R. F. Johnstone. Svo. Nos. 10, 11, and 12. Vol. Xn. Detroit, 1854. New York Journal of Medicine and the Collateral Sciences. No. 69. Nov. 1854. New York. M^moires de la Socidtd Royale des Sciences de Liege. Tome 9i^me. Svo. Li^ge, 1854. Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akadeibie der Wissenschaften zu Wien. Band XII. January- April, 1854. Also Band XL, No. 10, for December, 1853. Denkschriften der K. Akademie der Wissenschaften. Band VII. 4to. Wien, 1854. Verhandlungen des Vereins zur Befdrderung des Gartenbaues in den Koniglichen Preussichen Staaten. I. -XII. Svo. 1353-4. Berlin. Erst Sacularfeier der Koniglichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Gottin- gen am 29 sten November, 1854. 4to. Pamph. Gottingen, 1864. 133 Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. Vol. IX. Parts 1-3. 4to. Cambridge, 1851 - 3. Gelehrte Anzeigen. Herausgegeben von Mitgliedern der K. Bayer. Akademie der Wissenschaften. XXXVIII. Miinchen, 1854. Received in Exchange. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 4to. Vol. 6. Boston, 1854. History of the United States. By George Bancroft. Vol. VI. 8vo. Boston, 1854. Deposited by the Republican Institution. January 3, 1855. The President in the Chair. The President presented to the Society, a copy of his recently pubhshed volume, entitled, "Genealogy of War- ren." The following communication was received, and read, from Mr. I. A. Lapham, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin : ON THE NUMBER OF TEETH OF THE MASTODON GIGANTEUS. BY I. A. LAPHAM, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN. Much interest was imparted to the Annual Exhibition of the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, for 1854, by a fragment of the lower jaw bone of the extinct Mastodon giganteus, found buried six feet deep in the ground, at a place known as Terre Coupee, Michigan, by Mr. A. H. Taylor. It was the right ramus, and a small portion of the extremity of the left, with three teeth, the anterior one much worn, especially on the exterior side. Its entire length is 26 inches ; its height and thickness is 6J inches, measured opposite the space between the last two teeth. The posterior elevated portions of the jaw are broken off; and also the pointed extremity, where no traces are to be seen, either of the small tusks that belong here, or of their cavities. The line of the teeth has something of a spiral direction, the posterior being directed obliquely inwards, the middle one more nearly parallel with the general direction of the bone, while the ante- rior tooth has a slightly outward direction. 134 The anterior tooth consists of six mastoid processes, forming three transverse ridges, interrupted by a central depression ; but the three inner processes are worn off obliquely, and the outer half of the tooth is worn down to the base of the eminences. Where the enamel is worn off, the dentine or bony matter within, constituting the main body of the tooth, is covered with a black, very hard, horny layer ; the hardness of this thin coating aids the mastication of food, and materially retards the detrition. This tooth is 4.2 inches long, measured over the inner row of cusps, and 3.8 inches over the outer row ; its breadth anteriorly is 3 inches, posteriorly 2.8 inches ; its circumference 14 inches. There are two fangs, but the posterior one appears to be made up by the union of two. The tooth is loose, easily removed from its place in the alveola, and the extremities of the fangs are much abraded ; the bone appears to be filling the socket from below, so that this tooth is clearly deciduous, and would soon have been shed. The next or middle tooth in the specimen exhibited, is the larg- est and most prominent of the three, the length being 6.8 inches, breadth 3.6 inches, circumference 19 inches. It has four ridges, or eight cusps, and the rudiment of another ridge on the posterior end. The three inner cusps are most worn, the anterior inner one having entirely disappeared. This tooth is pressed closely against the anterior tooth, as if crowding it forward, while it stands entirely separate from the one behind. It is loose, but cannot be removed from the socket. The posterior tooth is evidently in a growing condition. It has four transverse ridges, each divided, in the usual manner, into two cusps ; the last ridge is nearly hid beneath the bone, not having yet fully crowded itself out. The two anterior cusps are by far the largest and most elevated ; and the tooth is much the . largest and broadest in front. This tooth is but very little worn, and only on the two anterior prominences. Its breadth over the anterior cusps is 3.6 inches ; over the last exposed cusps, 2.9 inches ; its length is about 6 inches, though this, and the circum- ference cannot be accurately measured, on account of the con- cealment of the posterior extremity. The aperture below the middle process of the front tooth is 135 ovate, 1.1 inches long and f of an inch high ; the posterior side being the smaller. The aperture near the anterior extremity of the jaw, has a subquadrangular form, a little more than half an inch long, and a little less than half an inch in height. The portion of the left branch of the jaw remaining, extends back to the origin of the first tooth, exhibiting the broad, smooth channel, or groove, occupied by the tongue. The abrupt deflec- tion of this groove anteriorly, and the want of a beak, or prolong- ation of the bone in front, excludes this fragment from the Mas- todon longirostris ; and the proportionate breadth of the teeth, as clearly indicates that it does not belong to the Mastodon angusti- dens. I therefore conclude that the specimen belongs to the M. giganteus. On referring to works on the Mastodon giganteus, I find it stated, that there are six molar teeth in each branch of the jaws. These teeth are produced at different times, those in front being shed, while others are forming behind. Of these teeth the Jlfth * corresponds with the first, in the specimen before me. This indicates an animal of considerable age, having already shed four teeth on each side of each jaw, or sixteen teeth in all. The middle tooth in the specimen, corresponds with that of the sixth and last, as described by Dr. Warren, so that the posterior tooth is one not before observed in any of the bones heretofore found. If we admit that the teeth advance as the animal increases in age, those in front being shed, while others are formed in the posterior portion of the jaw, I see no good reason why this pro- cess may not be continued indefinitely, and the ultimate number of teeth be regulated by the age and healthful condition of the individual. In this view of the subject, there are no permanent molars. Disease or death may arrest the process of dentition, at any stage of its progression ; and there may be instances, where the last formed tooth is considerably advanced, without the form- ation of others behind. Such animals would soon become tooth- less. Other individuals, of more vigorous growth, may be sup- * As described in " The Mastodon giganteus of North America," by John C. Warren, M. D. Boston, 1852. p. 68. I am indebted to the liberality of the au- thor, for a copy of this^superb and truly excellent work. 136 posed to attain the seventh, or, in extreme cases, even a greater number of teeth, without the least change in the laws that govern this process. Cuvier states the number of molar teeth, in the Mastodon giganteus, as four in each branch of each jaw ; * the formula being : Incisive, f ; Canine, § ; Molar, |. The late Dr. Godman, of Philadelphia, discovered two addi- tional tusks in the lower jaw of the male ; t so that his statement of the dental system would be. Incisive, J ; Canine, § ; Molar, f . Dr. Hays, of the same place, discovered a fifth | molar tooth in each branch of the jaws, or Incisive, f ; Canine, % ; Molar, |g. He suggested the probability of the existence of a sixth molar ; and Dr. Warren § informs us, that subsequent discoveries have confirmed this suggestion ; the teeth known to him being, Incisive, f ; Canine, J; Molar, |f. He further informs us, that numerous specimens support the opinion, that the number of molar teeth is twenty-four, and no more. But it has been very clearly shov^n above, that, at least in one case, there was one more molar tooth, being the seventh, and that the system, as now determined, is as follows : Incisive, f ; Canine, % ; Molar, ||. Mr. Charles Stodder read sonfie extracts from an article in the American Journal of Science and Arts, Vol. XIX. p. 55, (taken from the Comptes Rendus, June 2, 1854,) entitled, " Report to the Academy of Sciences, Paris, on the Researches relative to Earthquakes, of M. Alexis Per- rey ; by the Commission M M. Liouville, Lame, and Elie de Beaumont, reporter." * Ossemens Fossilcs. Tome I. 1821. t Tr. Am. Phil. Soc. New Ser. III. p. 478. 1830. t Tr. Am. Phil. Soc. New Ser. IV. p. 317. 1831. (j The Mastodon, &c. p. 66. 1852. 137 *' The Academy has charged us with reporting on a memoir, presented March 21st, 1853, by M. Alexis Perrey, Professor in the Faculty of Sciences, at Dijon, On the Relations ivhich may exist beticeen the Frequency of Earthquakes and the Age of the Moon, and on a nole presented the 2d of January, On the Fre- quency of Earthquakes relatively to the times of the Moon^s fassing the meridian. " If, as is now generally supposed, the interior of the earth is in a liquid or pasty state, through heat, and if the globe has, for its solid part, only a crust comparatively very thin, the interior liquid mass must tend to yield, like the surface waters, to the attractive forces exerted by the sun and moon, and there must be a tendency to expansion in the direction of the radius vectors of these two bodies; but this tendency encounters resistance in the rigidity of the crust, which is the occasion of fractures and shocks. The intensity of this cause varies, like that for the tides of the ocean, with the relative position of the sun and moon, and consequently with the age of the moon ; and it should also be noted, that as the ocean's tides rise and fall twice in a lunar day, at periods dependent on the moon's passing the meridian, so in the internal fluid of the globe, there should be two changes a day, the time varying with the same cause. " Without entering now into more details, it will be easily con- ceived, that if the mobility of the internal mass of the globe plays a part in the production of Earthquakes, there must be some dependence, admitting of study, between the occurrence of an Earthquake and the circumstances which influence the action of the moon on the whole globe, or on any place or portion of it; that is, the angular distance with the sun, its actual distance from the earth, and its distance from the meridian of the place; or, in other terms, the age of the moon, the lime of perihelion, and the hour of the lunar day. " These considerations, which have not escaped M. Perrey, have, beyond doubt, inspired the idea of the twofold work which we have been charged to examine ; and they have obtained for the views, the interested attention of M. Arago and many other men of science. They have involved on the part of the author, the determination of the precise date and period of the moon, 138 for each Earthquake on record, and even for each shock of which Earthquakes may consist — a work of vast labor. " M. Perrey has tabulated all the Earthquakes recorded since 1801, and 'by discussing the catalogues which he has formed, shows by three ways, independent of one another, the influence of the course of the moon on the production of Earthquakes,' viz : — 1st. " That the frequency augments on the syzygies." 2d. " That the frequency augments in the vicinity of the moon's perigee, and diminishes towards the apogee." 3d. " That the shocks of Earthquakes are more numerous when the moon is near the meridian, than when 90 degrees from it." But in each of these results, he finds some " minor " and some " large anomalies." Some years since, Mr. Stodder read before this Society a paper on the Changes of the Surface of the Earth, In this paper he proposed the hypothesis, that the centrifugal force of the diurnal rotation of the earth, acting on the fluid interior mass (if such is the condition of the interior) of the earth, was the cause of Earth- quakes, and that if there has been any change in the position of the poles of the earth, that the centrifugal force, which gives the earth its spheroidal form, in changing the form of the earth to correspond with the new position of the poles, is sufficient to account for all the geological phenomena of the fracturing of strata, elevation of mountain chains, &c. ; and that no other cause has yet been assigned, that is adequate to such effects. This paper, he supposed, has failed to convince any geologist of the soundness of the arguments it presented, and had probably been forgotten by those who heard it. For himself, he had, as yet, seen no reason to change his views, as then set forth ; the pro- gress of geological science, investigation, and discovery, had produced no new arguments against the hypothesis, and he had met with nothing of essential importance in its favor, to be added to the original reasoning, until he saw the article from which he read the above extracts. The fundamental idea of the hypothesis of Mr. Stodder and that of M. Perrey is the same, viz : that the mobility of the internal mass of the globe plays a part in the 139 production of Earthquakes. Each assigns a different cause, it is true, for the motion of the fluid, but both causes exist, and must exist together. If there be a tidal movement of the fluid interior, as M. Perrey appears to have established, there may also be a centrifugal movement ; each may be capable of break- ing the solid crust of the globe, or, in other words, of causing Earthquakes. Mr. Stodder suggested, that the anomalies, which M. Perrey found, were caused by the centrifugal force, and not by the tidal force. Dr. Charles T. Jackson remarked, that if the sun and moon exerted a tidal action upon the fluid matters of the interior of the globe, as they do upon the ocean waters, that it ought to be mani- fested by the rising and falling of the liquid lavas of volcanoes, especially in those great volcanic openings in the Sandwich Islands. If this were true, it would give more probability to M. Perrey's hypothesis, as explained by Mr. Stodder. He would ask Dr. Charles Pickering, who was familiar with these volcanoes, whether, at Kilauea, or at any of the other craters in those vol- canic islands, any regular periodicity was observable in the rising and falling of the liquid lavas, and, if so, whether they corre- spond to the times of the moon's phases ? Dr. Pickering replied that he was not aware of any regular periods of elevation and subsidence of these lavas. He was under the impression that they were quite irregular. Prof. William B. Rogers said, that he had been greatly inter- ested in reading the Report of M. Perrey's researches, and was pleased to see them brought to the attention of the Society. Referring to the suggestion of Dr. Jackson, as to the value of observations at Kilauea, in evidence of the tidal motion of the fluid interior of the globe, he remarked, that while there was much ingenuity in the idea of thus converting the insular vol- canic mountain into a vast tide gauge for measuring the move- ments of the fluid nucleus of the globe, we have no right to an- ticipate any obvious correspondence between the fluctuations of level in the liquid of the crater, and the tidal movements beneath the earth's crust. Supposing a connection to exist, the channels must be variable and tortuous, and often probably connected with cavities containing gas and vapor, and having numerous and 140 changing outlets. From this would arise great and variable resist- ances, retarding, diverting, and even arresting the movement pro- pagated from below, just as when the ocean tides are transmitted through narrow and ramifying passages, or when they reach open spaces through different channels and in opposite phases, we find the tidal phenomena greatly modified, and sometimes even entirely destroyed. Recurring to M. Perrey's researches. Prof. Rogers remarked, that the results, if confirmed by a fuller induction, would be of the utmost importance to geological theory : first, by setting at rest any doubts that may exist as to the igneous fluidity of the interior of the globe ; and secondly, by demonstrating the great thinness of the earth's crust, which alone could make it sensitive to the tidal movements of the molten mass beneath. Such tenuity of the crust had long since been urged by Prof. H. D. Rogers and himself, as inferable from the arched and folded structure of mountain chains, as well as from the wavelike motion in earth- quakes ; but geologists are still far from being agreed on this, and the allied points relating to internal heat. Even the general fact of an increasing temperature, as we descend below the sur- face, although leading directly to the inference of an intense heat within the earth, has not been accepted by all, as proving the existence of 3l fluid nucleus, and among those who admit the latter conclusion as demonstrated, there are many who contend that the solid crust, instead of being some thirty miles, cannot be less than eight hundred miles in thickness. This last estimate of the thickness of the earth's crust, de- duced by Prof. Hopkins, of Cambridge, Eng., from mathematical considerations connected with the precession of the equinoxes, had apparently been accepted by Sir Charles Lyell as a basis of geological argument, but Prof. Rogers looked upon it as belong- ing to a class of inferences, which are more of the nature of ingenious mathematical exercises on physical problems, than expressions of the facts or laws of nature. Such problems often involve mechanical conditions, too various and complex to be amenable even to the most profound analysis ; so that, to bring them within his grasp, the mathematician is compelled to resort to simplifying hypotheses, and in doing so, 141 departs, often greatly, and to an unknown extent, from the actual physical conditions of the problem. Prof. Rogers maintained that conclusions so derived, however true as logical deductions from the premises, are not to be received as demonstrated phy- sical facts. Should the correspondence of Earthquake pheno- mena with those of the tides, be confirmed by further compari- sons, to which M. Perrey has been invited by the French Academy of Sciences, it would furnish a proof of the igneous fluidity of the interior of the globe, and of the yielding thinness of its inclosing shell, too conclusive to be weakened by any calcula- tions deduced from hypothetical data. Prof. Rogers then alluded to the late experiments of Hopkins and Fairbairn, to determine the influence of pressure upon the melting point of solids. As we know that pressure augments the temperature necessary to vaporize liquids, it has become a ques- tion of interest, bearing upon the internal fluidity of the globe, to ascertain if it has a like efl^ect upon the temperature at which solid bodies become fluid. According to Hopkins and Fairbairn, such an effect actually occurs with spermaceti, wax, sulphur, and stearine, but has not yet been detected in certain other very fusi- ble solids experimented upon. Should it prove to be a general law, applicable also to mineral masses, which is yet far from being demonstrated, we should have to admit a higher internal temperature than would otherwise be needed to maintain the interior in a fused state; but this addition would, most probably, form but a small fraction of the whole temperature. In regard to the influence of centrifugal force in causing earth- quakes, Prof. Rogers remarked, that such effect could only arise from a variation of the centrifugal force, and therefore of the earth's velocity of rotation. But the uniformity of this rotation is so nearly perfect, that a change amounting to even a fraction of a second in a day, would be too startling an occurrence to escape astronomers. Hence, any variations of centrifugal force that may arise must be comprised within extremely narrow limits. Even at the equator, where this force is greatest, its proportion to gravity is very small, and when we consider that any admissi- ble fluctuation of its intensity must be a very minute fraction of the whole force, and hardly more than an infinitesimal part of 142 the force of gravity, the effect of such change, even at the equator, must be regarded as entirely inadequate to those exten- sive movements, and permanent changes of level, attending earthquakes. Dr. Jackson thought, that if there were regular periods in the ris- ing and subsiding of lavas, even though not corresponding in times with tidal movements, it might possibly be imputed to attractions of the heavenly bodies, as the theory of M. Perrey seemed lo re- quire ; for if the operation of the attraction of the sun and moon acted as a dynamical force sufficient to produce Earthquake phe- nomena, by its influence on the liquid lava beneath the earth's crust, it ought to be adequate to produce an outpouring of lavas from the open vents of volcanoes, especially in those having such very fluid lava as that of Kilauea. Dr. Jackson also remarked, that the gradual transportation of earthy matters from elevated lands into the ocean bed, must, in a more gradual, and, perhaps, imperceptible manner, continually disturb the balance of our spheroid of revolution, requiring the compensating force of elevatory movements to counteract this disturbance of the equilibrium. That when the difference of level had become sufficiently altered to be adequate to overcome the resistance of the earth's crust, a paroxysmal elevation might take place, and land be suddenly elevated, with all the pheno- mena of an earthquake, as happened in Chili in 1834. Mr. Bouve, Dr. Jackson, and Prof. Rogers expressed the wish that Mr. Stodder would bring his essay again before the Society, that this subject might be more fully discussed. Dr. Bryant stated that he saw, the first of January, at Cohasset, Mass., Sylvicola coronata, Yellow-crowned War- bler, and S. parus, Hemlock Warbler. He had never before seen them, in this region, later than the middle of November. Dr. Phineas M. Crane, of East Boston, and Mr. Samuel H. Scudder, of Boston, were chosen Resident Members. 143 January 17, 1855. The President in the Chair. The Committee appointed to revise the By-Laws of the Society, reported : — " That they herewith present a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws, in which are embodied all the alterations which have been made from time to time, so as to exhibit our code as it now exists. "They have seen no occasion to introduce any new provis- ions, nor any, except a few verbal, alterations, and marks of punctuation, to render the import of the By-Laws more clear. " They recommend that the Constitution and By-Laws, as they now stand, be printed at the close of the current volume of the Journal." On motion of the Cabinet Keeper, the report of the Committee was accepted. The Committee having in charge the subject of a New Building for the uses of the Society, reported : — That it would be useless to attempt, at this time, in the face of such a general depreciation of property as now prevails, the procuring of the requisite funds for carrying out the purpose of securing a more commodious edifice. They have, therefore, con- fined their attention to gathering suitable plans, and hints for plans, for the desired museum. For this purpose they have opened correspondence with gentlemen in Europe, and sought information of others at home ; and they are particularly happy to state, that they have secured the attention to this matter of a young Boston architect, now pursuing his studies in Europe. They think the information to be obtained in this manner, will be very valuable at a future day, when the Society shall have found means wherewith to build. The report of the Committee was accepted, and is on file. 144 Dr. A. A. Hayes and Dr. John Bacon communicated the result of some researches upon Cochiluate Water, and upon the oily matter and Crustacea contained therein. Dr. Hayes described the experiments, by which he had demon- strated, early in November last, the presence of an Oily Substance diffused through the water, to which is due its peculiar odor and fishy flavor. The oil thus obtained, was evidently of animal nature. It was of a light yellow color, presenting both oleic and stearic acids. Its specific gravity was the same as that of lard oil. Alcohol dissolved it without residue. A solution of car- bonate of soda saponified it when warm. With sulphuric acid, it blackened, and chlorine changed its color to dark brown. It assumed a solid state at SO'^ or 90^* F. Treated with carbonate of soda, when the soap was decomposed, an odor resembling that from adipocire (a fatty substance resulting from decompos- ing animal bodies) was generally perceptible. Specimens of the oil, in different states of purity were exhibited, and the matter afi'ording it, in various stages of decay, was ofl^ered for exami- nation. This matter, which was collected upon cotton filters, being found by Dr. Hayes to consist of minute animals, many of them alive, and easily distinguished with the aid of a magni- fying lens, or even with the unassisted eye, he placed some in the hands of Dr. Bacon for microscopic examination. Dr. Bacon at once detected the source of the oil, and the nature of the animals from which it is derived. He found them to be minute CrMS/acea?zs, containing the oil in form of globules, which can be easily seen through their transparent shells. By means of ether, he removed the oil from the bodies of these animals, whilst in the field of the microscope, thus viewing the whole process. Dr. Bacon has even gone further than this. He col- lected upon a cotton filter, from a few gallons of water, a large quantity of the Crustacea, washed them so as to free them per- fectly from all other substances, and then placed them in dis- tilled water. After a short time, they communicated to the distilled water the odor and taste of the impure lake water, and upon the death of the animals, the oil was diffused through the water so as to render it greasy to simple ocular inspection. 145 At the time the impurity of the water was first noticed, Dr. Bacon had observed the large amount of oil in these Crustacea, though, at that period, the animals were very probably not so abundant as at present, and he had suggested this as a possible cause of the difficulty. It being determined, then, from chemical and microscopical evidence, that the impurity of the Cochituate water is owing to the presence of the Crustacea, Dr. Hayes made some remarks, of a practical nature, in relation to a remedy for the evil. It is well known, that in lakes and other waters, all living animal and vegetable forms exist in a definite relation to each other. If the fish be withdrawn, vegetation, and the smaller forms of animal life become predominant. If, by any means, the food of the living inhabitants be increased, one or more species rapidly mul- tiply. In Lake Cochituate, the great increase which has taken place in the food of the Crustacea, has led to an excessive multipli- cation of the species ; probably, a change in their ordinary habits has been induced by the presence of oily food (like the remains of fish) in the water, which, as scavengers, they select. Dr. Hayes proposes, that fish, of all the species found in the New England Lakes, be introduced into Lake Cochituate and the Reservoir at Brookline, so as to stock them fully, and that these waters be protected, by legislative action, from the visits of anglers at all times. These oily crustaceans, which are the food of fish, will then be reduced to their natural proportion, and the water become clear and pure. While the impurities exist, it is prudent for families to use for drinking, and if possible, for cooking, only such water as has been passed through a filter. Even coarse, temporary resorts of this kind, will remove much that is offensive, while the better filters completely purify the water. The Corresponding Secretary announced the reception of the following letters, viz : — From the Cambridge Philosophical Society, (Cambridge, Eng.) presenting its Transactions, Vol. IX., Parts I., II., III. ; — from the Regents of the University of the State of New York, dated PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. VOL. V. 10 MARCH, 1855. 146 Dec. 18th, 1854, acknowledging the donation of the Proceedings of this Society, Vol. V., pp. 16 to 80 inclusive; — from the Naturhistorischer Verein der Preussichen Rheinlande und West- phalens, dated Bonn, Oct. 30th, 1854, acknowledging the dona- tion of the Boston Journal of Natural History, Vol. VI, Nos. 1, 2, 3, and Proceedings, Vol. IV. pp. 1 -384 ; — from the Bibli- othekariat der K. Bayer. Akademie der Wissenschaften, dated Munich, July 30th, 1854, presenting its own and other publica- tions, requesting that deficiencies in its copies of this Society's publications may be made up to it, and asking for duplicate copies of publications presented hereafter; — from the Societe de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Geneve, dated November 9th, 1854, requesting a continuance of the exchange of publica- tions with that Society, which has been interrupted for some time past; — from W. H. B. Thomas, Esq., of Philadelphia, dated Nov. 28th, 1854, proposing an exchange of books, &c. The letter from the Bavarian Academy, at Munich, was referred to the Publishing Committee, with authority to act in the premises. Dr. A. A. Hayes presented specimens of the famous Cannel Coal, from Torbanehill, Scotland, known as the Boghead Gas Coal ; also a specimen of Cannel Coal from the Straitsville Mines, in Ohio. He remarked that it is one of the most bituminous of Cannels. In fracturing it, it often breaks into large rectangular masses, so that it has been quarried for building purposes. Its exterior is brown, sometimes yellowish, and it resembles somewhat trap rock. February 7, 1855. The President in the Chair. The President exhibited the portion of a lower jaw of a Mastodon giganteusy containing a supernumerary tooth, 147 referred to at previous meetings of the Society, and made the following communication : — The Society may recollect that, two or three meetings since, I made a statement on a case of supernumerary tooth in the Mastodon giganteus ; and, at the last meeting but one, I laid be- fore the Society a communication on the subject from my friend, Mr. Lapham, of Milwaukee, which has been already published. This very curious anomaly is now in my possession, and I have the pleasure of laying it before the Society for their inspection and opinion. When this jaw was received by me, I readily distinguished the characters of the fifth tooth, and also of the sixth. Behind the latter, were seen the first two ridges, and part of a third protrud- ing through the bone, and behind these were indications of other portions of the tooth, which could not be examined. In order to fully display the concealed part, I determined to remove a suffi- cient portion of the bone to expose the body and the fangs of this tooth. This was done, not without reluctance, as it might have disturbed and loosened the additional tooth, and obscured its relations. It was, however, happily accomplished without altering the connection to surrounding parts, and after the oper- ation the tooth remained secure in its situation, and capable of being only slightly moved. A horizontal incision, six inches long, was made opposite the roots of the tooth, on the inner side of the jaw ; this was joined at its anterior extremity by another incision, about four inches long, also by a similar one at the posterior. Then, by a chisel introduced in a vertical direction, between the maxillary ridge and the tooth, the alveolar process was cut oflT, though not without much labor and difficulty. When the bone was removed, the very extensive alveolar cavities, and the large, long, curved fangs, with the great dimensions of this concealed tooth, were exposed. The number of teeth belonging to the Mastodon giganteus was for some time undetermined. In my publication on the M. giganteus^ I have shown that, by the labors of Cuvier, Hays, and others, this number has been established to be twenty- four, i. e. six on each side of each jaw, excluding the tusks, 148 which are considered as incisor teeth. Of these, there are in the upper jaw two abortive, which perish in their sockets, and two which attain a great size. In the male, also, there are two tusks in the lower jaw, one of which usually perishes before the adult age, and the other attains a length of about twelve inches, or one foot. As the number of the teeth and their character determine the importance of any supposed extra tooth, it is necessary to settle this point, and show it distinctly, which we are happily able to do by two specimens. The teeth of the Mastodon are so large and heavy, that the whole number can never be developed^ nor exhibited in the same jaw at the same time. They are naturally and necessarily divided into two sets, primary and secondary. The primary teeth on each side of each jaw are three in number, and are shown in a specimen of a jaw of a calf-masto- don. The first of these is very small, and its crown has two ridges. The second is somewhat larger, and has two ridges and a half; it is generally said to have but two ; it will be perfectly obvious to you, that it has more nearly three than two, thus approximating the M. angustidens and longirostris, in which this tooth has three ridges. The third tooth is larger than the second, and has three crown ridges. These three teeth consti- tute the first series, the primary, or milk-teeth. The second series, or permanent molars, so called, though they are not all entitled to this epithet, are three in number. The first of these has three ridges, like the last named, but differs from it in being larger. The second tooth in the series is still larger than the first, and contains the same number of ridges. The third tooth in the second series is larger than the preceding, contains four ridges and a talon, or heel ; in the lower jaw, occa- sionally, it has five ridges. This completes the entire set of one side of one jaw, and shows us, in the whole, in the two jaws, twenty-four teeth. This is the greatest number which has ever been known to anatomists ; neither Cuvier, De Blainville, Hays, nor any other anatomist, has seen an instance of any additional tooth in the Mastodon giganteus. Professor Owen, in regard to the M. angustidens^ and Dr. Kaup, in regard to the M. longirostris, have shown, that there is in the upper jaw a small vertical tooth, 149 which takes the place of the second milk molar. No such tooth is seen in the upper, nor in the lower jaw of M. giganteus, and this tooth is entirely different in situation, form, and anatom- ical relations from the other teeth, either of the primary or per- manent series. Some anatomists have thought, that the Elephant might have a greater number of teeth than twenty-four, if it lived long enough, but this has not yet happened within the knowledge of scientific men, and we are therefore obliged to content our- selves with twenty-four in the elephant, as in the Mastodon. Mr. Corse, in his paper on the elephant, in the Transactions of the Koyal Society for 1799, gives a plate, reprCvSenting a seventh tooth, and behind this is a cavity, which he thinks might have contained an eighth ; but Professor Owen remarks upon it, that if a tooth had existed, there would have been some remains of the calcified plates ; and neither does he express his belief in the existence of a seventh tooth. The specimen before you is an exception to the general law. We find behind the sixth tooth, or ultimate molar, another tooth similar to the sixth, about equal in size, and having the same con- figuration ; it has four ridges and a talon in the crown. The four ridges are each divided into two cusps or points, in both the sixth and seventh teeth. The talon has, in the seventh tooth, three points, which, in the sixth, are less distinctly marked. The fangs of this seventh tooth are very long, and are curved to a considerable degree ; there are two fangs supporting the first ridge ; there are also two supporting the second ridge, and these are curved backwards ; the others, belonging to the two posterior ridges and talon, are united in one common mass. The cusps of the ridges in the seventh tooth are not worn, except that on the anterior and outer part of the tooth ; in truth, the other cusps do not appear to have been fairly developed, and, of course, could not have been in use, and, therefore, are not worn. This tooth is situated nearly in a line with the sixth, and there is not that de- gree of irregularity which is generally found in regard to the undeveloped sixth tooth. This shows, that this tooth was on the point of coming into action with all its attributes. The sixth tooth had already done some work ; the two anterior cusps are much worn ; those of the second and third ridges moderately 150 worn, and those of the fourth ridge very little. Both the sixth and seventh teeth were slightly movable in their sockets. The tooth in front of the sixth deserves your attention, because it presents the characters of the fifth tooth perfectly well marked, and also because it is undergoing the process of exclusion, and is ready to fall from its socket. This fifth tooth is very much worn ; the cusps on the side, have, in a great degree, disappeared, and instead of their irregularities, a smooth, lustrous surface appears. So much was this tooth worn, that an absorption of its fangs has already taken place, so that it is readily removable from its socket, and exhibits a beautiful illustration of the pro- cess which nature adopts in order to discharge the useless and worn-out teeth. A portion of the anterior fang of this tooth remains in its socket, corresponding with the fang of the tooth, though both had their asperities removed by absorption. The jaw in front of this shows no trace of the fourth, or any other tooth. The cavities of the three milk-teeth are entirely filled, and a sharp ridge exists in their place ; the same is true of the fourth tooth. So that, of the six original teeth, four have disappeared, and two remain ; and to the two latter is added the supernumerary. The anterior extremity of the left side, which alone remains, presents the same appearances ; the three milk molars, and the first permanent molar have disappeared, and a portion of the socket of the fifth tooth only is visible. The jaw is pointed and wedge-like, and exhibits no appearance of a mandibular tusk. I hope to have the opinion of the Society on the character of this tooth. It is a new case in Mastodon giganteus^ and we have to consider, whether it is a lusus naturce, such as is found some- times to occur in the human body ; or whether it is an instance of the power of the system to develop a new tooth in extreme age, as in the case of the elephant spoken of by Corse ; or whether it is the result of a law established by nature for the development of additional teeth to a certain definite amount. Dr. A. A. Hayes read the following communication, on the Saline Incrustations of the " Mauvaises Terres" of Kansas : — 151 Last autumn, I received a parcel of " efflorescences," from the soil of the Desert, between the head waters of the Missouri River, bordering on the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains, from Lieut. Grover, U. S. A., who conducted a party engaged in a reconnoissance of that region. The earth of many square miles of surface is covered by a gray saline frosting, which exists so abundantly, that vegetation does not appear, and the features of sterility are so widely displayed, as to constitute a true desert. Chemical analysis proved the efflorescence to be sulphate of soda, with minute traces of sulphate of lime, and common salt, mixed with fine sand, to which the gray color was due ; no other saline compound was present. The sulphate of soda was nearly anhydrous, being in fact Thenardite, but evidently formed from a hydrous salt by dessication. No distinct crystals were included in the specimen received. The occurrence of this salt, as an abundant exudation from the soil, is interesting in a mineralogical view ; and its presence, under the form of an efflorescence, illustrates the physical law, in accordance with which saline waters rise through the soil, and in evaporating from the surface, leave their saline parts at that point, thus forming deserts. It has been long known to me, that the water of the Missouri River contains sulphate of soda, and the presence of this salt in the water occasions a change in the composition of the water of the Mississippi River, after these waters become mixed, below St. Louis. The water of the upper Mississippi contains a large amount of organic matter, of a kind which, in changing its composition, out of contact with air, attracts oxygen powerfully, and will de- compose oxidized bodies. The dark color of the buried silt is due to the presence of sulphuret of iron, formed from the oxide of iron of an ochreous clay, reduced and rendered a sulphide of iron, by the presence of sulphates of soda and lime in the water. So abundant is this organic matter, that the silt of the Missis- sippi water, after having been kept ten years, has the power of decomposing alkaline sulphates, and forming sulphide of iron 152 with the sulphur of the sulphate, while the soda in presence of carbonate of lime and carbonic acid is eliminated as a sesqui- or bicarbonate, of soda. Below St. Louis, the turbid water of the Mississippi contains, as its characteristic salt, the bicarbonate of soda ; and its sus- pended matter being deposited by rest, we always find in the clear water this alkaline salt, constituting a large part of the whole saline matter. I have been able to trace the steps of the pro- duction of the bicarbonate of soda from the sulphate of soda, by the silt of this river in my vessels. The sulphide of iron, also produced at the same time, oxidizes in free air, becoming oxide of iron and free sulphur. Sulphates are not the final result of the oxidation of basic sulphides usually. The clay-colored cliffs and banks of the Mississippi exhibit the oxidized state of the small portion of iron oxide, one of its constituents, while the dark, and even black, color of the buried mass beneath the surface, is due to the reduced, and generally sulphuretted, state of the iron ; a condition caused by the changing organic matter. Until the dis- covery of the existence of sulphate of soda in the soil washed by the tributaries of the Mississippi, its origin in the water was a subject of doubt, and in this connection the new fact becomes important. Regarding the immense body of water discharged by the Mississippi, as a diluted solution of bicarbonate of soda, which falls into a warm ocean containing lime salts, easily decomposed by the soda salts, we have chemical action on an extended scale. The result of this action must be some form or forms of carbon- ate of lime, fitted either for the habitations of shell-building fish, or for consolidating calcareous rocks. Returning to the first exhibition of chemical change, we see the influence of the minute quantity of organic matter, dissolved in the water — a constituent so small in weight that it has been generally neglected in the analysis of waters — and yet, under favorable circumstances, becoming a sufficient cause in bound- ing a coast line with cliffs, or even producing a rock formation. Prof. William B. Rogers remarked upon the interesting bear- ings of the communication read by Dr. Hayes. The fact of the entire deoxidation of sulphuric acid, on the great scale in 153 nature was, he said, well exemplified in the tertiary clays and sands of extensive districts in the marl region of Maryland and Virginia. Some of these deposits contain, even now, so much free or only partially neutralized sulphuric acid as to impart to the mass a strong acid flavor and reaction. The shells originally imbedded in them having been entirely removed by the solvent action of the acid, have left in the clay and sand innumerable hollow casts, beautifully impressed with the external markings of the fossils, while the sulphate of lime formed by this reaction has been accumulated often in large groups of selenite crystals in the lower and comparatively impervious layers. In many cases, the residuary sulphuric acid, in the presence of much dif- fused organic matter, has been wholly deprived of its oxygen, and reduced to the condition of sulphur, so that, over wide areas, these ancient, and now effete marl beds, exhale a sulphurous odor, and yield a sensible amount of sulphur when exposed to heat in a close vessel. Prof. Rogers then referred to the acid and alkaline springs of th^ate formations of the Appalachian belt, as depending on the development and reactions of sulphuric acid. The former class of springs, always containing an excess of this acid, along with earthy and other sulphates, were observed to originate in belts of slaty rock, containing no carbonate of lime, either dif- fused or in the shape of interpolated layers. The latter issued from slates rendered more or less calcareous by the presence of fossil shells and plates of limestone. The sulphuric acid evolved by the oxidation of the iron pyrites abounding in both these vari- eties of slate remained, in the former case, in part uncarbonized, and was carried off by the waters of the so called Alum Springs; but in the calcareous slates the effect was different. Here, re- acting with the carbonate of lime, it became neutralized, and, at the same time, set free an immense amount of carbonic acid. This agent, favored probably by pressure due to the depth, as well as by relative quantity, dissolved out a portion of the car- bonates of lime and magnesia of the slates, and by reacting on the salts of soda, always present, formed the carbonate of that base. The percolating water thus became impregnated with earthy and alkaline carbonates, and with an unusual amount of 154 silica, due to liie solvent action of the latter, and in this way, as he conceived, were formed the well known alkaline springs of these slate regions. Dr. Cabot, in reply to a question of the President, as to the present distribution of Pinnated Grouse, (Tetrao cupido,) stated, that he had never known of but one specimen having been shot in Massachusetts, and that was on Cape Cod, where it might have flown from Martha's Vineyard or Nashawena. The Pinnated Grouse inhabits Martha's Vineyard, and the island of Nashawena, Long Island, certain portions of New Jersey, Dela- ware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania ; the barrens of Kentucky, and the plains and prairies of some of the Western States. It is said also to be found upon an island on the coast of Maine, an assertion the truth of which is doubted by Dr. Cabot. The other species of grouse in the New England States, are the Canada Grouse, ( Tetrao Canadensis^) and the Willow Grouse, (Lagopus alius.) The Canada Grouse is common in Maine, the northern parts of the White Mountains, and in Northern \er' mont. From Northern Vermont to Iowa and Minnesota, they are not to be found. They inhabit these States, but between Iowa and Minnesota and the Rocky Mountains, again they do not exist. The Willow Grouse inhabits the northern parts of Maine. The Rufl!ed Grouse, ( Tetrao umhellus,) is the Partridge of the Eastern States. It is described as a true Grouse by Audubon, but should properly be considered as a Bonasia. The flesh of Bonasia is white ; that of true Grouse is dark. Dr. Hayes presented a series of specimens of Coal and Iron Ore, from Straitsville, Ohio. The deposits are situated in the immediate neighborhood of each other, and can readily be w^orked together. It is.janticipated that they can be furnished in Boston, at market prices, less than those ruling at present. 155 February 21, 1855. The President in the Chair. Extracts from a letter from Mr. Roswell Field, of Gill, Mass., to Dr. H. I. Bowditch, were read to the Society. Mr. Field informs the Society, that he has lately quarried a sandstone slab, which he considers the most valuable one yet obtained, having upon it about two hundred foot-prints, and five or six tracks. Dr. Bryant called the attention of the Society to the present condition of the Entomological Collection, and the want of a Curator for this department. Expressing a will- ingness to take charge of the collection for the present, he was requested by a vote to do so. Mr. C. J. Sprague read the following paper on Ranun- culus micranthus (Crowfoot ; Buttercup) : — The Ranunculus micranthus, of Nuttall, belongs to the western border of the Mississippi, and probably extends to the Pacific ; as Torrey and Gray describe, doubtfully, a Californian variety. It has been found also near Lake Superior ; but this was, I believe, its eastern linnit, until I discovered it growing plentifully on a rocky, shady, springy, wooded hill in Melrose, about seven miles fronn Boston. At first sight, it would be mistaken for R. abor- tivus, for which, indeed, I first collected it ; but on a closer exam- ination it presents certain differences. The radical leaves of ahortivus are cordate-reniform in outline, with a deep sinus, and a regularly crenate border ; those of micranthus are rhombic- ovate, truncate at base, with large and irregular lobate serratures. They are generally entire in ahortivus, although they are some- times three-lobed, and even ternately parted ; in micranthus, X\\\s division is very common, and almost constant. The leaves of the latter are also more numerous and more clustered, the divis- ions of the stem leaves narrowier, and the whole plant is of a 156 more slender, diffuse, and pliant habit. The principal distinc- tion, however, is the thin, soft hair which clothes it all over ; while abortivus is invariably smooth. The micranthus grows at Melrose in dense tufts, of a dozen or fifteen stems with inter- laced, fibrous roots, but entirely distinct. The stems branch more commonly from the base than in abortivus, which is apt to send up a single stem, branching above. The smaller specimens of abortivus most nearly resemble micranthus, though the leaves are then apt to be all entire. The occurrence of this species in such abundance in one little spot on our Atlantic border, the only locality known, except the Lake Superior one, east of the Mississippi, is very interesting. It suggests the idea that, after all, the micranthus may be merely a variety of abortivus^ which is common all over the country, de- veloping itself more extensively at the West. The points in which they differ are certainly those in which plants are most likely to vary. The division of leaves is by no means a certain specific difference. No characteristic is more variable. The outer cover- ing of plants varies exceedingly with soil and exposure ; so much so, that many varieties, now included under one species, were originally described as distinct on this account. The Lake Supe- rior specimen of this Ranunculus is intermediate in this respect, having but little hair, and also entire leaves, with the lobate ser- ratures peculiar to micranthus. The only thing which gives particular weight to this covering, as a specific, character, in this instance, is that the Melrose plants grow in just that locality "which would cause its disappearance rather than its growth. Mr. Nuttall says : " distinguished from JR. abortivus^ which it much resembles, by the constant hairiness of the stem, calyx, and petioles, as well as by the very different form of the primary leaves." The hairiness does certainly exist as a distinction, but certain leaves of abortivus are as deeply cut as those of mz- cranthus ; and so far as outline goes, these might constantly be exchanged without altering to the eye the general appearance of the plants. I should wish to examine a greater number of speci- mens from different localities, to decide conclusively whether or not they are radically distinct species. At any rate, they ap- proach each other so nearly in certain forms, as to require careful examination. 157 Prof. Jeffries Wyman made some remarks on the Foetal Zygcenttj (Hammer-headed Shark,) presented at the pre- ceding meeting by the Secretary. The specimen is six and a half inches long. It has the gen- eral fornn and appearance of the adult, except that the outline of the head is less regular. All the fins are well formed ; between the pectoral fins is the remnant of the pedicle of the vitelline sac. This specimen (the history of which is not known) was probably taken from the oviduct, as the external branchial fringes which exist, in the early periods, in all plagiostomes, are still persistent. An opening was made into the abdomen, but the parts were not in condition for minute dissection ; no trace of an in- ternal portion of the vitellus was found. No teeth are devel- oped, but there exists, both in the upper and lower jaw, a deep dental groove. Prof. Wyman also gave an account of some observations vi'hich he had recently made on Hybernating Insects. He had examined chrysalids of the common Mud Wasp, a species of Pelopceiis, and found that they were not frozen during the coldest weather. On the morning of February 7th, when the thermometer had been - 18° F. and had risen to about -8° F., they were still unfrozen, and when removed from their pupa cases, made obvious muscular motions. The pupa preserved its usual transparency and flexibility ; when crushed upon the surface upon which they rested, the fluids of the body instantly became opaque and were congealed. The question naturally presents itself, as to the source of the heat which enables them to preserve their temperature, when exposed to so low a degree of cold. The non-conductors by which they are surrounded, consist of a casing of mud, and within this a tightly woven, but thin, silky cocoon. It would seem that so small a body, exposed to cold so intense, must have an internal source of heat. Prof. Wyman had also examined the eggs of the Moth of the Canker- worm, and found their contents unfrozen. Dr. A. A. Hayes read an extract from a letter of Dr. C. F. Winslow, of San Francisco, on Earthquakes. 158 Dr. Winslow had recently spent a short time in investigating the geology of Acapuico, Mexico, and the earthquake pheno- mena, of which that place is peculiarly the focus. He states that he found, in accordance with his previous theory, that the shocks were more numerous there as winter approaches, and during December and January. The earth passes its perihelion about the last day of December. His theory is, that an increas- ing condensation of the matter of the globe, and its contraction as it approaches the sun, augments necessarily the tension of the fluid mass embraced within its crystalline or consolidated crust. A repulsive action necessarily ensues between the molecules of the molten mass, and the mobility of this mass so acts, here and there, as to rupture the crust and allow the melted earth to insin- uate itself between strata, or vertically through the entire crust, in the form of dykes, or to be forced out of volcanic openings. Dr. Winslow bases his hypothesis upon the following data: The increasing weight of the atmosphere, from September to January ; the increasing rapidity of the pendulum during the same time; the autumnal increase of water in springs, wells, and rivers, independently of rain ; the increasing frequency and violence of earthquake and volcanic phenomena during autumn and winter. The President remarked, that at the last meeting of the So- ciety, in connection with the subject of a supernumerary tooth of the Mastodon, he had stated, that it was the commonly received opinion that supernumerary teeth are not rare in man. Since that time he had examined the subject further, but had not been able to find on record, any well-authenticated cases of human supernumerary teeth. Hunter says, very distinctly, that no such teeth exist, and nothing satisfactory is to be found in Owen or Bell upon the subject. A French author of a work on odontology, says he saw a woman, after her first and second set of teeth had fallen, cut four new incisors; but the author says these were not supernumerary teeth, but belonged to the second set, having never previously been cut. Boyer says there are no instances of human supernumerary teeth. Corse, who wrote on the teeth of elephants, and who had great opportunities of study in India, 159 says, elephants have sometimes a seventh and eighth tooth, or two supernumerary teeth, in each half of each jaw. But Corse is not very clear as to his terms, especially as to the term ridge ; so that what he considers the seventh and eighth teeth, may be the fifth and sixth. Dr. N. C. Keep stated that he had seen a number of supernu- merary teeth in man. In several instances, he had seen duplicate lateral incisors on one side ; he recollected three cases, where both the natural teeth and the duplicates corresponded well with the laterals of the other side, though the duplicates did not match so perfectly as the others. He had seen a case of two cuspidati or eye teeth on one side. Most of the extra teeth which he had seen, were located in the forward part of the jaw, in or near the portion occupied by the milk teeth. His impression was, that he had seen an extra biscuspis, but he was quite certain that he had not seen an extra molar. Most of the supernumerary teeth he had seen were irregular and unsightly ; they were frequently con- ical. He had recently seen a case, where two teeth had come between and on a line with the central incisors ; in other cases, they had protruded from the alveolar arch or bony palate behind the front teeth. Three cases of the union of two teeth had come under his observation. In one, the two central incisors of the upper jaw, milk teeth, were fused into one ; in another, a central and a lateral incisor were united ; in a third, two laterals, one of which was supernumerary, were united. He had known many cases of delayed teeth being cut late in life, and he mentioned a case occurring within the past year, where a canine tooth had been cut by a person over fifty years of age. In another case, a lady, from thirty-five to forty years of age, cut two canine teeth of natural appearance, which, he satisfied himself, were delayed teeth. In answer to an inquiry, Dr. Keep replied, that in cases of so- called double teeth extending completely around the jaw, as far as he had observed, the double point or edge had been produced by attrition of the antagonizing teeth. He also remarked, that he had casts, showing the entire absence of the second dentition in adults, which he should be happy to show to the Society. 160 Prof. Wyman stated that in a skull of a Troglodytes Gorilla^ which he had examined some time since, there was a supernu- merary tooth behind the third molar or wisdom tooth. This fourth molar had not quite pierced the bone, but was on the point of doing so. He also stated that he had in his possession a cat's skull, with ^ supernumerary permanent molar in the lower jaw. There are instances on record of all the teeth being united by the roots. Plutarch says, that Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, had a set of teeth in this condition. Dr. J. N. Borland remarked, that he had been acquainted with two brothers, one of whom had never cut a tooth, and the other only three, imperfectly developed. They were scrofulous, and one of them died at the age of 25 or 26. The Curator of Conchology stated, that he had recently prepared and labelled for the Cabinet, 22 species of shells, from Southwick and Westfield, Mass. ; 20 species of Fresh Water American Shells ; 256 species of Land and Fresh Water Shells, from Europe. A flask of water from a well in Dorchester, containing a variety of animalcules and worms, was referred to Drs. Durkee and Bacon for report. March 7, 1855. The President in the Chair. A letter was read from Mr. Roswell Field, of Greenfield, addressed to the President, giving some description of the sandstone slab recently discovered by him. The letter was accompanied with a plan of the slab, and the impressions upon it. Mr. Field states, that there are about 130 sets of tracks, or 260 impressions, generally very perfect, but in 161 some the fore foot is wanting. The tracks, he thinks, are batrachian, but whether all were made by batrachians of the same species is doubtful. Dr. Charles T. Jackson presented a copy of the Report of the Cochituate Water Board, and said, that as he was not present at a former meeting of the Society, when Dr. A. A. Hayes made a communication upon the Impurity of the Cochituate Water, he would avail himself of the present opportunity to make a few remarks upon the subject ; which he proceeded to do as follows : — In presenting to the Society a copy of the Report of the Cochituate Water Board, containing the Reports of Prof. Horsford and myself, on the composition of the water of the lake and of that delivered by the aqueducts in Boston, I would take the opportunity of recording my dissent from the views presented to this Society on this subject by my friends Dr. A. A. Hayes and Dr. John Bacon. From careful analyses, and researches made by myself, I am convinced that the taste and odor of Cochituate water are not due to the presence of oil of fishes, either in a separate state or in the bodies of Cyclopean crustaceans^ but are due to decompos- ing vegetable matters, such as the mucilage and albuminous matters of plants, as indicated by the presence of the associated chlorophyl and myrica wax and oil contained in it. 1st. The specific gravity of oil of fishes is such, that it would float on the surface of water, and be seen as a film on its sur- face ; while, in fact, we find the matter containing the oil in the deep waters of the lake, and not on the surface. 2d. The oil which is extracted from the myrica wax found in the water, is soluble in alcohol, whereas fish oil is not soluble in it. So far as the properties of oil extracted from Cochituate water are known, it is identical with the oil which alcohol dissolves from myrica or bayberry wax, which is generally found as a glazing on green leaves and twigs of most plants. 3d. That the taste and odor are not due to the presence of Cyclops, would appear from the fact, that while the crustaceans PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. VOL. V. 11 APRIL, 1855. 162 were most abundant, the water had no bad taste or odor, and when the waters were most strongly flavored, the cydopeans were very rarely found, they not being then in season. By direct experiment, I could not produce the peculiar smell and taste of the Cochituate water when I mingled a large num- ber of cydopeans in pure, distilled water ; nor could others, whom I requested to taste of it, discover any such taste, as it has been alleged they would give to distilled water. It is true, that when a very large mass of the living crustaceans is put into a very small quantity of water, and is allowed to become putrid, they give the odor of putridity to the water; but this is not a fair crucial experiment, and the experiment fails to produce results identical with the well-known cucumber taste. The minute quantity of oil which these crustaceans contain, and which, I doubt not, they generally contain, is not a sufficient cause for the flavoring of the great quantity of water contained in Cochituate Lake. There has no proof yet been presented, that this oil is fish oil, or any animal oil, but its chemical proper- ties will ally it more closely with the oils known to exist with the wax of green foliage. There cannot be a doubt of the fact, that, from some cause, there has been a larger portion of recent vegetable matter intro- duced into the waters of Cochituate Lake, for the presence of chlorophyl has not been before noticed in the water. Dr. Hayes admits the presence of "a neutral body which re- sembles mucilage from gum,''^ and of " a gelatinous mass " suffi- cient to close the meshes of cotton cloth. This I believe to be mucilaginous and albuminous matters in a state of decay or change, the change ultimately resulting in the formation of crenic acid. It is well known, that water into which a bouquet of flowers has been placed, for even a few minutes, becomes charged with mucilaginous and albuminous matters, so that it becomes putrid, and has a bad odor and taste. We know, also, that a similar bad taste and odor is communicated to water that stands for some time in a new wooden pump, or in casks, and that this flavor and odor disappear by spontaneous changes, and confervas appear in 163 the purified water. This is the precise change we observed in Cochituate water. I object to the notion that this rich green chlorophyl (a spe- cimen of which Dr. Jackson exhibited) is the result of mixtures of different colored oils from cyclopeans ! Such a result is impossible I Berzelius, in his Traite, tome VI. p. 504-5, French ed., 1850, states, that the sp. gr. of myrica wax is 1.015, which will account for the fact that we find it in the water, near the bottom of the lake. That myrica wax yields oil soluble in alcohol, and that this oil contains oleine and stearine, Berzelius also states, p. 505, " By cold alcohol, we extract oleine from the wax of myrica." " Boiling alcohol dissolves it in small quantity ; the solution, by cooling, deposits stearine.'" " It deposits stearine in small, color- less scales, while the solution of oleine remains colored green by the whitened wax of myrica." Thus, we find myrica wax yields oil to the very solvent em- ployed by Dr. Hayes, and which was also used by me in some of my experiments. Nothing has yet come to prove this oil, found in Cochituate water, to be other than the oil usually found with the wax of myrica, and of green leaves colored by chloro- phyl, which is generally accompanied by this fat vegetable matter, consisting of a mixture of wax and oil. I see no reason to doubt that the oil found in the structure of t^iese cyclopeans came from the same source, and until proofs are presented of its derivation from fishes, I shall adhere to my original opinions. Dr. Bacon observed, that as to the question of the animal or vegetable nature of the oil which Dr. Hayes had found, and which he had himself directly extracted from the bodies of the crustaceS, it should clearly be considered animal. The oil, as seen under the microscope, was not contained in the alimentary canal, but in the tissues external to it, and beneath the carapace. Whatever the original source of the oil might have been, it had become assimilated in the animal, and was analogous to the adipose tissue of other animals. As to the objection that no oil in the lake rises to the surface. Dr. Bacon observed, that the oil 164 might be principally confined to the bodies of the Crustacea ; and that in his experiments with the oil in distilled water, it did not for several days, and then only in small quantity, rise to the surface ; a fact to be explained by its existence only in very minute globules. Dr. A. A. Gould remarked, that whether it be proved or not, that the present impurities of Cochituate water are owing to the oil of these Crustacea, the fact that those now found in the water contain a large quantity of oil, is a valuable discovery, and should be put upon record. He had been accustomed to exam- ine and delineate these animals for many years, and had never before found oil in them, at least in such quantity as they now contain. Dr. Durkee said there appeared to be some objections to all the theories that had been advanced in explanation of the singu- lar condition of Cochituate Lake during the last five or six months. He thought that scientific observations should extend over a longer period of time than they had as yet embraced. Perhaps years may elapse before a true and complete solution of the phenomena connected with the impurities of the lake will be arrived at. It is not improbable, that the peculiar taste and odor of the water may be due, in part at least, to causes of a geological character. Dr. Durkee read the following report : — The bottle of water sent to the Society, a few days since, by Mr. J. W. Foster, and referred to Drs. Durkee and Bacon for microscopical examination, was taken from a well recently dug, and adjacent to his house on the turnpike, near Centre street, in Dorchester. The well is situated in low ground, and is about eight feet deep, at which depth water flows into it qui^e freely. The quantity sent for examination was eight ounces. In it were found some twenty worms, varying in length from the tenth to the fifth of an inch, all alive, and of one species, and known under the scientific name of Planaria. Two kinds of crusta- ccous animalculai were also found in considerable quantities, viz., the Cyclops and the Cypris, all in an active state, but con- taining neither oily matter nor ova, except two or three of the 165 Cyclops, in which were seen a few small oil globules. No con- fervoid, or other vegetable remains were found. If the specimen of water sent by Mr. Foster, is a fair sample of the contents of his well, it can hardly be considered suf- ficiently pure for culinary purposes. Dr. Gould, in the absence of Dr. Hayes, read the follow- ing " Report on a Specimen of Fossilized Egg, from the Guano Islands, off the coast of Peru, by Dr. Augustus A. Hayes : "— The specimen which is the subject of this report, was referred to Prof. Jeffries Wyman, who had it divided, partly by saw, and partly by fracture. Finding that its further examination belonged to chemical inquiry, he kindly placed it in my hands for exami- nation and description. The form of the original mass was ovoid, the circular outline having been reduced by compression, about one third. Ex- ternally rough, from adhesions, there were smooth parts, from which a thin layer could be removed, which, when cleaned, had the organized structure of egg shell, although partly changed in chemical composition. In the examination of one half of the specimen, fragments of shell were found, crushed into the min- eral occupying the cavity. The color of the mass was nankin- yellow externally, deep yellow and reddish brown within. The compact parts scratched calcareous spar, its general hardness fully equalling that of this mineral. The fracture of the mass exhibited a crystalline structure, most remarkable near the centre, where the yelk may have decomposed. The crystals, in no case distinct, presented an aggregate of flat, plumose prisms, radiating from centres ; these have a marked pearly, or satin-like lustre, and readily divide along natural joints. The odor of the mineral is the same as that of guano, while its taste is saline, leaving a pungent impression. Soluble in water, excepting some sand, lime soap, and remains of shell ; the solu- tion is light yellow in color, and gives, by appropriate tests, the reactions of sulphuric acid, ammonia, and potash, being slightly acid. The chemical analysis of the most pure parts of the crystal- 166 . 1.00 . 51.66 . 38.25 . 1.17 . 1.08 of Lime . . 2.20 . . 4.30 line portion, demonslraled the interesting fact, that this mineral is a double sulphate of ammonia and potash, a compound hitherto unknown as occurring naturally. 100 parts afforded ; — Moisture Sulphate of Potash '* " Ammonia . " " Lime . Phosphate Magnesia Soap of Lime and Carbonate of Lime Ferruginous Sand 99.66 The atomic proportion of sulphate of ammonia for 51.66 sul- phate of potash, is 40.84, and when we dissolve this mineral in water, and allow the impurities to subside, the clear fluid affords crystals in groups, which have this composition. Other parts of the mass contain more sulphate of potash, even so much as 70 per cent., being obviously a mixture. The lustre, and perhaps the plumose form of these crystals, is due to the presence of the other compounds at the moment of their formation. It was found that pure crystals, dissolved in water containing guano, presented the same peculiarity as they assumed the solid form. There are, in this connection, some points which need further elucidation, and for this purpose a portion of the specimen has been retained. The occurrence of salts of potash, instead of soda salts, in the guano of the rainless climates, has been alluded to by chemists, but I have nowhere met with the fact stated, that these guanos, however ammoniacal, and, in consequence, apparently alkaline, are truly always acid in their reactions. Regarding this mineral as affording a beautiful illustration of the withdrawal of a definite compound of soluble salts, from a putrefying mass, through which they were distributed unequally, it becomes connected with the more permanent and perfect forms having earthy constituents. In any system of mineralogy, it will take a place with potash salts, as a double sulphate of potash and ammonia bases. 167 In accordance with the practice of naming such minerals with reference to their origin, I have adopted the name Ooguanolite, for this body. Dr. N. C. Keep exhibited a number of casts in plaster, of supernumerary and abnormal human teeth. These casts were referred to by Dr. Keep in his remarks at the last meeting. A number of Fossils, from Germany, were exhibited to the Society. The owner wishing to dispose of them, they were referred to a committee, consisting of the President and Mr. Bouve. The Corresponding Secretary announced the reception of the following letters, viz : — From the American Philosophical Society, dated January 16, 1855; — from the Geological Society, Dublin, Nov. 8, 1854; — from the Zoological Society, London, Oct. 23, 1854 ; — from the Royal Institution, London, Oct. 13, 1854; — from the Entomo- logical Society, London, Nov. 10, 1854, returning thanks for the donation of the Society's Publications ; — from the Geological Society of London, Nov. 2, 1854, acknowledging the receipt of the Society's Publications ; — and from Mr. Crouch, of Portland, Me., Dec. 28, 1854, offering to sell a collection of the Snakes of Maine. The letter of Mr. Crouch was referred to the Corre- sponding Secretary. A letter was read from Mr. C. J. F. Binney, offering his aid in interesting the agents of the Boston Submarine Wrecking Company, in obtaining specimens of shells, &c., for the cabinet. Referred to Dr. Gould. 168 March 21, 1855. The President in the Chair. The President, from the Committee appointed at the last meeting, to inquire into the expediency of purchasing of Mr. Rosvvell Field, a large slab of Quadrupedal Impressions, reported: — That the slab was found near Connecticut Puver, on the borders of Greenfield, a few- months since. It is somewhat irregular in form, one side being about 6 ft. long; a second, 4 ft. 4 in. ; a third 3 ft. ; a fourth, 6 ft. The slab is a beautiful gray shale ; the impressions upon it number 260, constituting 130 pairs of tracks. The tracks are quadrupedal, and appear to be those of a bratrachian reptile. A portion of the slab accompanied the report, which, taken in connection with the plan, gave an idea of its form, size, thickness, and color, and of the form and size of the impressions. The Committee are of the opinion that this is the most remarkable specimen of quadrupedal impressions which has been obtained in the United States, and as the Society possesses the most remarkable specimen of biped impressions which exists, they are of the opinion that, by some means which the wisdom of the Society may suggest, it may be obtained and added to their collection. The President stated, that Mr. Bouve proposed going to Greenfield, so that it was not advisable to act in the premi- ses until he had made personal examination of the slab. The President stated that he was informed, that Mr. H. H. Gillum, of Portland, Conn., had a collection of fossil impressions of birds and quadrupeds, which he wished to dispose of, as he was obliged to leave the United States. Mr. Gillum was willing also to deposit them in the cabinet of the Society until his return, provided the expenses of 169 transportation were paid. This matter was referred to the committee just named. Prof. Jeffries Wyman exhibited a preparation of the wing of the " Winter," or Pin-tailed Duck, (Anas acuta,) showing a pecuUar arrangement of the bones and ligaments, by which, when the wing is fully extended, all the segments of this ex- tremity are fixed, and retained in position, independently of mus- cular action ; also, when the forearm is flexed on the humerus, the hand is by the same act flexed on the forearm ; or the con- trary when the forearm is extended. The structure of the articulations of the elbow and wrist is such, that during flexion and extension, the radius advances and recedes upon the ulna, carrying with it the upper carpal bone, and this last the hand ; in this way flexion and extension of the bones is effected. The lower carpal bone is attached to the upper by strong ligaments ; consequently, when the upper carpal bone is drawn over the extremity of the ulna as the radius recedes, the lower one is drawn up between the hand and the extremity of the ulna, and acting as a wedge, maintains the hand extended, until it is displaced by the reversed action of the radius. Prof. Wyman found the normal number of the phalanges of the thumb (viz., two) in this species of duck, and also in a Bald Eagle which he had recently dissected ; in each, however, the thumb was terminated by a nail, which, in the eagle, assumed the form of a needle-shaped spine. Dr. A. A. Hayes presented the following communication upon Cochituate Water, in reply to the communication of Dr. C. T. Jackson, presented at the last meeting : — I take this opportunity of presenting to the Society two copies of a paper, by Dr. Bacon and myself, which was read at a meet- ing of the American Academy, January 11th, 1855; and of which an abstract was given to this Society, January 17th. This paper was referred to by Dr. Charles T. Jackson, in a commu- nication made at the last meeting. As both Dr. Bacon and myself have confined ourselves within the limits which observation and experiment have set to research 170 like this, upon the altered condition of Cochituate water, we have learned with surprise that our friend, Dr. Jackson, has expressed his dissent from our conclusions, and, in so doing, has considered ihem in the light of ^' views.''* Presuming that we may have omitted particulars of interest in connection with this subject, we beg the indulgence of the mem- bers while we remark on the grounds of Dr. Jackson's dissent. 1st. On referring to our paper, it will be found, that the oil exists in the bodies of the crustaceans, combined with lime, or lime and ammonia, and that it floats on water after it has been eliminated by acids. The conditions under which it separates spontaneously and attaches itself to other surfaces, are described also. A part of the difficulty met with by Dr. Jackson arises from his taking no notice of the fact stated, that nearly the whole of the oil exists in the altered state of oily acids, and, as is well known, when in this state, it dissolves to small extent in water. 2d. Dr. Jackson states, that " fish oil is not soluble " in alco- hol ! As the fish oils do dissolve even in small quantities of alcohol, and the concurrent statements of all eminent chemists have long since established this fact, any reasoning based on a supposed insolubility of this oil must be fallacious. 3d. The difficulties thrown into the path here, in relation to the abundance of cyclops not producing the odor, are more apparent than real. It is an assumption, that the water has at any time had the present taste, when " the cyclopeans were very rarely found, they not being then in season." In placing so decided a negative on this statement, we rest on our own observations, con- tinued through most of the days since October last. It must be apparent to every one, that if such a statement could be sus- tained, no further suppositions would be necessary, and we are sorry that no evidence is adduced in any way supporting it. In the remarks made on what we deem a crucial experiment, it is evident that our language has been misinterpreted. We have stated, as a result of experiment, that the matter fully removed from a given portion of water, leaving it odorless and tasteless, will, when placed in the same water, give it the original odor and taste in full intensity. As there is no matter concerned in 171 this simple experiment other than the odorous body on the one hand, and the odorless water on the other, it becomes a crucial experiment. The suggestion leading to it, was the simple one which arises in every analytical experiment. Pursuing this experiment further, we have found that the odorous matter thus separated from the water, is almost wholly made up of the bodies of living and dead crustaceans, filled with oil, having the odor of fresh water fish. In repeating this experiment, it is essential that the crustaceans be collected without exposure to violence, and failure to obtain a like result may be referred to a want of attention in this particular. The experiment was many times repeated by us before it was stated, and it has since become an established truth. When, therefore, we find the statement, "I could not produce the peculiar smell and taste when I mingled a large number of living and dead crustaceans in pure, distilled water," we think that very few living crustaceans could have been present, and that the matter was taken after its odor had passed away, which readily occurs. The point that " the minute quan- tity of oil which these crustaceans contain, is not a sufficient cause for the flavoring of the great quantity of the water," .was early entertained by ourselves, and it was only after a suite of experiments, demonstrating the adequacy of the cause, and after careful search had failed to show other influences, that we accepted the results as a fact in science. Thus determined, it cannot be assailed by argument or supposition, and an objection becomes valid, only after it has been shown that the crustaceans, containing oil^ do not give odor and taste to the water. Dr. Jackson, after investigating, arrived at the conclusion that the " wax and vegetable oil came from fermenting foliage." " It is prohahle, therefore, that we may be able to trace the peculiar taste of Cochituate water to some such source." In the first part of Dr. Jackson's paper, we find the expression of his pres- ent belief, " that the taste and odor of Cochituate water " " are due to decomposing vegetable matters, such as the mucilage and albuminous matters of plants, as indicated by the presence of the associated chlorophyl and myrica wax and" oil contained in it." As the statement is also made, that " from careful analysis and researches made by myself, I am convinced," we will look 172 at the analyses. The first is of a sample of water which afford- ed of matter dried at 212° F. 3 ^Vl? grains from an imperial gallon. Therefore, 100.000 parts afforded 4 y^^'^g- parts. Among the constituents, carefully stated, we find no mention of mucilage and albuminous matter — the water was tasteless. The second sample has " the flavor of water in which cucumbers have been soaked, but has not any perceptible odor." This sample afforded 4 Y^jPij grains from 100,000, and among the substances found are chlorophyl, wax, and oil ninety-three one thousandths of one grain ! no mucilage or albuminous matter. This sample was drawn 19 feet below the surface of the lake. Another sample, 49 feet below the surface, " a little more charged with the cucum- ber taste," afforded 4 y^g- grains from 100,000 ; " and was, in all respects, like that obtained at the depth of 39 feet." Another analysis of water, recently from the pipes, showing " an oily film on the surface of the water," afforded 4 -^^^^ of dry sub- stance, but no mucilage or albuminous matter; on the contrary, we have the statement that it consists of " the usual vegetable matters of the water." On another page, it is stated that " the veg^etable matter consists of the usual organic acids of the soil, which are combined with the earthy bases, lime, &c." In vain, therefore, do we look for the mucilage and albuminous matter in the analyses ; but it is a significant fact in this connection, that the cucumber taste, which the analysis started with, nowhere appears in the results. Failing to find in the analyses any support for the conviction expressed, we turn to the " researches." First, it is distinctly asserted, that myrica wax " found in the water " is, with the oil contained in it, and associated chlorophyl, an indication of " mu- cilage and albuminous matter "...." that we find the matters con- taining the oil in the deep waters of the lake." The oil extracted from the Cochituate water " is identical with the oil which alco- hol dissolves from myrica." Then follows a quotation from Ber- zelius, Traite, tome VI. p. 504-5, to prove that myrica wax is heavier than water, " which will account for the fact, that xoefnd it in the water near the bottom of the lake.'*'' " Nothing has yet come to prove this oil found in Cochituate water to be other than the oil usually found with the wax of myrica." 173 We will digress a moment, to allude to Dr. Jackson's quotation from Berzelius, which does not exactly represent ihe meaning of the author, but conveys the impression that " oleine," as known to chemists, exists in myrica wax. While Berzelius states, that *' by cold alcohol we extract the oleine of the wax of the myri- ca," meaning the particular kind of oleine, peculiar to that wax, as one of a class he was describing at page 500, where he states ** that it is probable, also, that the oleine which they contain is not always the oleine of the oleate lipylique." We have entered at some length into the subject of myrica, because the mucilage and albuminous matters are "indicated by the presence " of this body. The only other evidence given of their existence is, that " Dr. Hayes admits the presence of a neu- tral body, which resembles mucilage from gum." We esteem this good authority, and accept the statement as true, although Dr. Jackson's analyses nowhere show the presence of such a body. The "gelatinous mass" mentioned by Dr. Jackson, is shown by the microscope to consist of the bodies of crustaceans. The wax-bearing berries of the Myrica cerifera are lighter than water, and would float on its surface, as is shown by the specimens now exhibited, which are seen floating on water in the vessel before us. They consist of a considerable proportion of woody matter compared with the amount of wax which coats them, and where the wax occurs in the water, the woody matter should be found also. The odor which the wax exhales, closely resembles that of cloves, being very agreeable, and the wax of the ripe berries is often perfectly white. If the wax referred to as the source of the oil " having the properties of oil extracted from Cochituate water," be the myrica wax as described by Ber- zelius, we are met at the outset by the well-known fact that this is a manufactured article ; and we know of no recorded instance of the occurrence of myrica wax, or any body having similar properties, in a natural water. Indeed, the more we examine this view of the subject, the greater the difficulties appear, and we are forced to the conclusion that the analyses and researches do not prove the presence in the water, or the lake, of either the plant, berries, or wax of the Myrica cerifera. Allowing that the analyses in two instances show the presence in the dry matter of 174 a green-colored body, the source of this substance in a clear water must be the minute vegetable organisms suspended in it. It cannot be traced to the coating on the larger aquatic plants, because it can be separated from them by chemical operations only, in which about one hundred parts, by weight, of green plants are required to furnish one of the green wax. Chlorophyl cannot give the peculiar flavor to the water, as it has neither odor nor taste^ and cannot be dissolved in water. If mucilaginous and albuminous matters, in a state of decay, could exist in the water at the freezing point, and be the cause of its odor and taste, it would be impossible to render the water pure by the use of filters of coarse texture, as is every day done. The hundreds of cooks who every day use the stone-ware filters, purify the water by a sponge, which must be daily cleaned, by the removal of the bodies of crustaceans containing oil. No other substance, having taste and odor, is separated from the water in this operation. Very few confervse or other vegetable organisms are found at the present low temperature, while the taste and odor were never more offensive at the localities from which we take the water. The varying intensity of taste and odor, in different parts of the city, and also at different points in the lake, is alone a sufficient refutation of the hypothesis of a vegetable impregnation. The constant circulation due to chang- ing temperature, can have no effect to remove from one portion of the water its dissolved matter and transfer it to another. There has been constant reference to the sudden local changes of laste within the city, which find a probable explanation in the occasional swarming of the crustaceans, which is a matter of observation. Any hypothesis resting upon the presence of an unusual quantity of autumnal leaves in the lake, would be met by the observed fact, that the trees still retain their leaves to an extra- ordinary amount. It would also have the obstacle to overcome, that the taste and odor of the water are the same as are afforded by the oil and crustaceans found in it. We are able to report some further observations, which bear on points of scientific interest. Through the kindness of Prof. William B. Rogers, Dr. Bacon has examined the crustaceans from Fresh Pond, where the water has not been affected, and 175 found them in the normal state ; that is, containing only a small amount of oil. The water of Round Pond, in Haverhill, repre- sented to be affected like the Cochituate, afforded to Prof. Hors- ford, who exhibited them to us, similar crustaceans to those found in the Cochftuate, and, like them, gorged with odorous oiL We have been informed by intelligent persons, who are feed- ing the crustaceans on fat, that they retain their oil, and thrive remarkably ; while experiments now in progress indicate that when fed on flour, they gradually lose their oil. We consider this subject as of scientific interest; and the research thus far continued, has shown us that there are more important points beyond, which are worthy of investigation by this Society. Dr. Jackson objected to the tone and character of Dr. Hayes's rejoinder. He dissented from the statement that the Cyclopean crustaceans give the peculiar taste to the water, for he had faith- fully tried the experiment, and found no such taste as the Cochit- uate water possessed when it had the peculiar cucumber flavor. He said, that Dr. Bacon had stated to the Society, that the oil globules seen in the Crustacea are not in the stomach or alimen- tary canal of those animals, and Dr. Bacon, who was present, assented to this remark of Dr. Jackson. The minute oil globules are part of the natural fatty structure of the Crustacea. Further- more, no proof has ever been presented that this oil has the taste observed in Cochituate water. A fixed oil would remain for any length of time in the water. How, then, does the water become tasteless, on being kept in a demijohn for a few days? The mucilaginous and albuminous matters from plants undergo decay, and change rapidly into crenic acid. How, then, could it be expected, that those matters, in their altered state, could be separated in any other form ? Putrefactive fermentation destroys their peculiar and recognizable qualities : and volatile products, giving an odor extremely fugitive and evanescent, and crenic acid, are the results. Dr. Jackson objected to any partial' statement of his researches, and referred to his entire report. In it will be found, on page 51st, the statement of the presence of " mucilaginous matters," 176 which Dr. Hayes seems to have overlooked. Mucilage of plants contains, also, a portion of albuminous matter, which is also soluble in water, and undergoes speedy putrefactive changes. Dr. Jackson was satisfied that the microscopic crustaceans have nothing to do with the peculiar taste of Cochituate Lake water. They were as abundant when the water had no bad taste as they have ever been since, and when the water again becomes pure, they will undoubtedly be found as abundant as ever. Dr. Jackson read, from the sixth volume of Berzelius's Chemis- try, the following passages, to justify his quotation : — " Par I'alcool froid on retire I'oleine de la cire de myrica. L'alcool bouillant la dissout en petite quantite, et la solution depose, par le refroidissement, de la stearine. L'alcool froid n'en dissout qu' une petite quantite ; mais il ne faut que 4 grains d' alcool bouillant pour la dissoudre ; par le refroidissement il se depose de la stearine en paillettes incolores, tandis que la solution d' oleine reste coloree en vert par de la cire de myrica blanchie." Ber- zelius, Traite de Chimie, tome VI. p. 505. 2d ed. Paris, 1850. Translation. By cold alcohol, we extract oleine from the wax of myrica. Boiling alcohol dissolves it in small quantity, and the solution on cooling deposits stearine. Cold alcohol only dissolves it in small quantity ; but it only requires 4 grains (parts?) of boiling alcohol to dissolve it ; on cooling, it deposits stearine in colorless scales, while the solution of oleine remains colored green by the whitened wax of myrica. Dr. Gould remarked that these investigations relative to Co- chituate water, had a scientific interest quite independent of their bearing on the cause of the offensive taste in the water. A gen- eral inquiry into the geological structure of the Cochituate Basin, and the vegetables, animals, and minerals found in it, in connection with a systematic determination of the organic mat- ters in the water, and its consequent modifications for economi- cal purposes, would be an appropriate one for this Society, and might result in conclusions important both to science and the community. Prof. William B. Rogers thought this a good suggestion, and that it would not have a tendency in the least to reflect upon the 177 elaborate examinations and analyses already made. The plan being also favored by the President, Prof. H. D. Rogers, Prof. Wyman, and others, on motion of Dr. Gould, it was voted, — That a committer of seven be chosen, to be nominated by the Chair at the next meeting, composed of members proficient in Chemistry and the several branches of Natural History, and to be called the " Cochituate Committee," whose duty shall be to make observations in their several departments, for a prolonged period, on the physical constitution of the Cochituate Basin, to cooperate in a general plan, and to report from time to time as they may deem expedient. DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM. January 3d. A specimen of petrified Guano, very rich in Phosphate of Lime; by Dr. C. T. Jackson. Specimens of Picus martius, Great Black Woodpecker; Otus viilffai-is, Long-eared Owl; O.hrachyotus, Short-eared Owl; Gallinula chlo- ropiis, common Gallinule; Scolopax rusiicola, European Woodcock; Tinnunculus alaudaruis, Kestril; and Ortygometra , Rail; by Dr. F. J. Bumstead. A young Boa Constrictor, and a specimen of Botaurus Untiginosus, American Bit- tern ; by Mr. E. Samuels. A specimen of Jlergus serrator, Red-breasted Mergan- ser; by Mr. Caleb Loring, Jr. Mus leticojms, White-footed Mouse ; ArvicolaPennsyl- rnmca, common Field Mouse; Condylura cristata, Star-nosed Mole, and Vesper- tilio noctivagans, Silver-haked Bat ; by Dr. Henry Bryant. A specimen of Fungia tenuis, Coral; by Mi*. Charles L. Andrews. January 17th. Specimens of Cannel Coal, from Torbanehill, Scotland, known as the Boghead Gas Coal; and Cannel Coal, from the Straitsville Mines, Ohio; by Dr. A. A. Hayes. A skeleton of the female Cohaya ajjerea, Guinea Pig; by Mr. Samuels. A collection of Fossils from the cliii's of Pianura, a post-town on the top of the Appennines; by Dr. H. R. Storer. A specimen of Tet^-aodon turgidus, Blowfish ; by Mr. L. Isl. Sargent, Jr. February 7th. A series of specimens of Coal and Iron Ore, from Straitsville, Ohio ; by Dr. A. A. Hayes. A specimen of Zygcena subarcuata, Hammer-headed Shark; by Dr. B. S. Shaw. February' 21st. A specimen of Accipenser brev'wostns, Short-nosed Sturgeon, caught just within Boston harbor; by Dr. Silas Durkee. A specimen of Sebastes Norvegicus, Norway Haddock ; by Jlr. Samuels. A specimen of Bubo Virgin- ianus, Great Horned Owl; by Dr. Samuel Cabot, Jr. A specimen of Sala- mandra venenosa, Violet-colored Salamander; by Mr. George H. Marden. A specimen of E7nys angtdata ; by Mr. C. J. Sprague. A specimen of Emys insculpta, and one of £. picta; by Dr. J. N. Borland. Four Hindoo Skulls; by Dr. Fi-ancis Minot. A specimen of Asbestos, from Chester, Vt. ; by Mr. John G. Long. PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. VOL. V. 12 MAY, 1855. 178 March 7th. Specimens of Piilosomus Senegalensis, Senegal Magpie; Cypselus opus, European Swift ; Picus major, Great Speckled Woodpecker ; Corvus vione- dula, Jackdaw; Otiis ^e^r ire, Little Bustard, (2 specimens); Erytliacha ruhicula, English Kobin; Fringilla cxlebs. Chaffinch; Tardus iliacus, Red-winged Thrush; Xrt?'ws y?/sras, European Black-backed Gull; i?Mieo ?«(/o/«is, Rough-legged Falcon; Philomachus pugnax, Ruff; 3is falcinellus, Bay Ibis ; Accipiter nisus, European Sparrow-hawk ; Garrulus (jlandarius, European Jay'; Recurvirostra avocetta, Avocet ; Phalaropus hyperboreus, Phalarope ; Clirysotis Amazonicus, Yellow- cheeked Parrot; Conurus virescens, Variegated- Winged Parrot; by Dr. F. J. Bumstead. 11 skins of Australian Birds, viz: Ptllnorhynchus holoserictis, Satin Bird; Podiceps gularis, Grebe; CamjJephaga melanops, Caterpillar Catcher; An- thocJicera mellivora, Wattle Bird ; Antlioclicera carunculata, Gill Bird ; Tropidorhyrir- cus cornicidatus, Bald-headed Friar; MelUphaga sencea, White-tufted Honey-Eater; Psophodes crepitans, Coachwhip; ^4caw//(y/s coufZacMta, Australian' Swift; Turdus , Thrush; MelUphaga macidata, Honey-Eater; by Mr. C. J. F. Binney. A collection of several hundred rare and valuable Insects, and other objects, from Burmah; by Mrs. Benjamin. A specimen of Salamandra venenosa, Violet- colored Salamander ; by Mr. C. J. Sprague. BOOKS RECEIVED DURING THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 31, 1855. Genealogy of Warren, with some Historical Sketches. By John C. Warren. 4to. Boston, 1854. From the Author. Sixteenth Triennial Festival of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association. 8vo. Pamph. Boston, 1854. Fro7n the Association. Wardian Cases for Plants, and their applications. By Stephen H. Ward, M. D. 8vo. Pamph. London, 1854. From the Author. Actes de la Society Linn^enne. Livraisons 1-6. 8vo. Paris, 1853-5. From the Society Linncenne. Nineteenth Annual Report of the New York Institution for the Blind. 8vo. Pamph. New York, 1S55. From the Institidion. Rectification of Conrad's Synopsis of the Famil)"- of Naiades of North America. By Isaac Lea. 8vo. Pamph. Philadelphia. From the Author. Report of Cochituate Water Board to the City Council of Boston. 8vo. Pamph. Boston. From Dr. C. T. JacJcson. Illustrations of the Birds of California, Texas, Oregon, British and Russian America. 8vo. No. 8. By John Cassiu. Philadelphia. From the Author. On a Remarkable Change in the Composition, &c., of Water, supplied to the City of Boston, from Lake Cochituate. By A. A. Hayes, M. D. 8vo. Pamph. From the Author. Archives du Mus(!'um d'Histoire Naturelle. Tome VII. Livs. 1, 2. 4to. Paris, 1853 - 4. From the Museum. Six Articles upon the Smithsonian Institution, from the Boston Post. Svo. Pamph. Boston, 1855. From the Editoi\ Address at the Anniversary Meeting of the Royal Geographical Society. By the Earl of EUesmere. 1854. Svo. Pamph. London. 179 Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. VI. No. 52. July to December, 1854. 8vo. Philadelphia. From the Society. Proceedings of the California Academy of Natural Sciences, pp. 7 - 17. Svo. San Francisco, 1855. From the Academy. Victoria Eegia, with account of its Discovery and Introduction into Cultiva- tion. By J. F. Allen. Folio. Boston, 1854. From the Author. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Svo. Vol. VII. Nos. 6 and 7. 1854. From the Academy. Del Trapano-Sega. Memoria di Gaetano Giovanini. 8vo. Pamph. Bo- logna. From the Author. Kepertorio Itahano per la Storia Naturale. Cura J. J. Bianconi. Svo. Pamph. Bononioe, 1853. Fascie 1, 2. From the Author. Notices of the ]\Ieeting of the Members of the Eoyal Institution of Great Britain. Part 4. Svo. Pamph. London, 1854. List of IMembers of ditto, 1854, with Report of Visitors for 1853. Svo. Pamph. London. From the Royal Institution. Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon. By W. S. Herndon and L. Gibbon. Congressional Report. Part 1. Svo. Maps. Washington, 1854. Congressional Globe. Vol. 28. 3 Parts. Also Appendix to ditto. 4to. Wash- ington, 1854. Frcm Em. S. ff. Walley. Synopsis of the Classification of British Palceozoic Rocks. By A. Sedgewick. 4to.' Pamph. 1851. Geologic der Schweiz. Von B. Studer. 12mo. Bern. 1851. Annual Report of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey. Svo. Sketches accompanying the Same. 4to. Washington, 1852. From Prof. H. D. Rogers. Une Derni^re Ascension des Alpes. Par Edouard Desor. Svo. Pamph. Neu- chatel, 1854. Notice sur les Echinides. Par E. Desor. Neuchatel, 1853. 12mo. Pamph. Du Climat des Etats Unis. Par E. Desor. Neuchatel, 1853. 12mo. Pamph. From the Author. Memorie dell' Academia delle Scienze del' Institute di Bologna. Tomes 1-4. 4to. Bologna. Eendiconto deUe Session! dell' Academia delle Scienze, &c. 12mo. Pamph. 1847 - 53. 7 Nos. From the Academia delle Scienze^ ^-c. Saggia di Meteorologia. Da A. Palagi. 4to. Pamph. Bologna. 1850. Sulle Variazioni Electrichi. Nota di A. Palagi. Svo. Pamph. Fivm the Author. Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Nos. S4, 85, 86, 87. Svo. London, 1S54-5. American Almanac for 1855. 12mo. Boston. Die Infusionsthiere auf ihre Entwickelungsgeschichte, untersucht von Dr. Friedrich Stein. 4to. Pamph. Leipzig, 1854. Beitrage zur naheren Kenntniss der Schwimmpolypen (Siphonophoren) von Dr. Carl Gegenbauer. 4to. Pamph. Leipzig, 1854. From the Courtis Fund. 180 Archivfiir Natiirgeschichte. Gegriindet von A. F. A. "Wiegman. Fortgesetzt von W. F. Erichson. III. 1854. 8vo. Berlin. New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal. Vol. XI. No. 4. January, 1855. Michigan Farmer. Vol. XIII. No. 2. Detroit. Silliman's American Journal of Science and Arts. No. 56. March, 1855. New York ]\Iedical Times. No. 6. Vol. IV. March, 1855. New York. New York Journal of Medicine and Collateral Sciences. Vol. XIV. Nos. 1 and 2. March, 1855. New York. Genera of Eecent Mollusca. By Henry and Arthur Adams. Nos. 14-20. 8vo. London, 1854-5. Thesaurus Conchyliorum. By G. B. Sowerby, Jr. Part 2, 1842. Part 15, 1854. 8vo. London. History of British ]\Iollusca and their Shells. By Edward Forbes and Sylva- nus Hanley. Part 32. 8vo. London. Exchancje. Memoirs of Napoleon, his Court and Family. By the Duchess d'Abrantes, (Mad. Junot.) 2 Vols. 8vo. New York, 1855. Notes on Duels and Duelling. By Lorenzo Sabine. 8vo. Boston, 1854. Memoirs of Celebrated Characters. By A. De Lamartine. 2 Vols. 12mo. NcAV York, 1854. EncA'clopffidia Britannica. Vol. VII. 4to. Boston, 1854. Deposited by the Republican Institution. April 4, 1855. The President in the Chair. The President, in accordance with a vote passed at the last meeting, nominated the following gentlemen as mem- bers of the " Cochituate Committee," viz.: — Dr. A. A. Gould, Prof. Wm. B. Rogers, Prof. H. D. Rogers, Dr. C. T. Jackson, Dr. A. A. Hayes, Prof. Jeffries Wyman, Dr. John Bacon. These nominations were confirmed by the Society. Prof. H. D. Rogers then declining to serve upon the Committee, on motion of Dr. Jackson, Dr. Silas Durkee was chosen to fill his place. A letter was read from Rev. P. H. Greenleaf, of Madi- son, Indiana, returning thanks for his election as Corres- ponding Member, and presenting a communication on a 181 great flight of wild pigeons which had come under his observation, from which the following is an extract : — OBSERVATIONS ON THE FLIGHT OF THE AMERICAN PASSENGER PIGEON, AT MADISON, IND., MARCH, ]855. On the afternoon of Friday, March 9, 1855, 1 observed the sky, in distant spots, obscured by singular looking clouds, or patches of clouds, and soon discovered that they were living flocks. At first they were so distant as to be scarcely percepti- ble ; but as they advanced, and became more distinct, the eye was gratified by the view of immense masses of birds^ moving in regular lines of array, in distinct companies, and evidently obeying some strong impulse. The front line moved somewhat lower, as it approached, yet still was high in the air, and formed a flock of more than a mile in length, and from one quarter to one third of a mile in breadth. It covered about one third of the whole visible horizon in its centre, in length, and resembled in its movements a ground swell at sea, or the progress of a great serpent. Its continuity as a line was unbroken, and yet it seemed to have two divisions, with centres slightly advanced, as if about to form the letter V, and having a centre-bird in com- mand of each portion as its leader. The numbers were so great that the sound of their flight was like the roar of a distant water-fall, or the rushing of the wind through the leafless trees ; and as I measured their speed in movement, by comparing it with that of the steamer Jacob Strader, a packet 325 feet long, then moving up the river, it did not seem much to exceed that of the steamer. I was struck with the strong and rapid flight of these little birds against the wind, and as compared with that of migratory birds I had seen in the neighborhood of Boston. They evidently had an object, and were intent upon it. There seemed to be no stragglers ; no lagging behind ; no uncertainty of flight. The wavy motion of the line in various directions, I attributed to the occasional shots from below, or perhaps to the presence of some bird of prey ; but nothing seemed to break the continuity of the line of flight. When scared from their course by the sportsmen, they invariably circled back to the general line, as if 182 obeying some magnetic law; and the course of a disturbed flock would sometimes be like festoons on a line. On inquiry of resi- dents here, I was told they were pigeons proceeding to a rendez- vouz near Vincennes, the shire town of Knox County, Ind., and situated on the east bank of the Wabash, lat. 38^ 42' N. and long. 10^ 28' W., 120 miles S. W. of Indianapolis, 168 W. N. W. from Cincinnati. Their flight, when undisturbed, was evi- dently in that direction. Flock after flock continued to be pass- ing, until 5 o'clock, P. M., when public services at Christ Church obliged me to leave the observation ; but it is said, they continued until nightfall. The next day an occasional flock passed, until a heavy rain drove them to the earth, and then the trees in the neighborhood fairly broke down, it is said, in some cases, from their weight. The rain on Sunday prevented their flight, and the sportsmen were busy ; but on Monday I could not find a single straggler. The specimens brought to town proved the bird to be the " Ectopistes migrator ius,''^ or Passenger Pigeon. Prof. H. D. Rogers exhibited a number of fossil impressions occurring in the red shale, or carboniferous red sandstone, next underlying the anthracite coal measures of Pennsylvania. A portion of them are identical with specimens found some years ago, by Isaac Lea, Esq., of Philadelphia, in the same geological horizon, and by him attributed to Reptilians ; others are from a horizon 1,300 feet lower. These specimens also present a series of impressions, not observed by Mr. Lea in his specimens, con- sisting of the right and left feet, and apparently the fore and hind feet, of a small species. Prof. Rogers had not yet formed defi- nite conclusions as to their nature, but they are obviously Rep- tilian. They occur invariably upon surfaces which appear to have been slimy and exposed to the air ; some show the spots which are attributed to rain drops ; others, trickling water marks and wave marks. The slimy surface is attributed by Prof. Rogers to the finest clayey deposit from the ocean, at different intervals, giving the rock the tendency to scale off* in thin layers. The thickness of the carboniferous red sandstone is estimated by Prof. Rogers at 3,000 feet ; some of these specimens came from a depth of 2,000 feet in that formation, and appear to be the oldest vestiges 183 of reptilian creatures yet found in the palseozoic rocks of America. The position of the footprints discovered by Dr. King is 1,000 or 1,500 feet above the base of the conglomerate, or first member of the coal measures, while these described by Prof. Rogers extend, as has just been stated, some 2,000 feet below that geo- logical horizon. Longitudinal markings, looking like trails, probably of mol- lusca, are often found in these rocks, and were exhibited by Prof. Rogers. The most common of these impressions is about half an inch in breadth, and consists of three separate lines of corru- gations, the central band having the corrugations exceedingly minute. Towards one margin of the trail there is invariably a narrow, sharp groove, two or three inches in length, which runs out by a gentle curve towards the edge of the trail, and another commencing within the margin, and terminating likewise by a slight inflection in advance of the first. These, it was suggested as possible, may have originated from the edge or lip of the shell of the crawling mollusk, grooving the softened mud. After describing, in a general way, the reptilian footprints in the carboniferous red sandstone of Pennsylvania, assigning the positions which they occupy in the formation, Prof. H. D. Rogers proceeded to offer some reflections, showing the bearings of our present knowledge of the footmarks in the ancient strata gene- rally, on certain cardinal doctrines of geology, especially on the theory of a progressive development in the extinct inhabitants of the earth. He called attention to the fact, that associated with the earlier bird tracks, there are none ascribable to quadrupeds, or any mammalian creatures, while in company with those of the earlier reptiles, occur none attributable to birds. The first birds seem to have appeared about the close of the Triassic or dawn of the great Oolitic period of the middle secondary ages, and no mammalian animals have left either their prints or their skeletons in strata of a date so old ; while of neither bird nor mammal is there print or vestige of any kind in the still more ancient de- posits of the carboniferous and yet earlier rocks, in which the tracks and bones of reptiles and fishes, and the trails and shells of mollusks are of frequent occurrence. Such successive disap- pearance of the traces of the higher forms of life with the advance 184 of geological time, is one of the clearest proofs we can have of a progressive elevation in the scale of structure of the races suc- cessively created. The law of successive appearance of the foot- prints, is quite as conclusive as that of the parallel introduction of the actual skeletons and remains of the creatures themselves ; it is perhaps of even more weight, as precluding all discussion upon the differences in degree of deslructibility of the bones or carcases of the several classes of animals which peopled the ancient world. Some of the bird-tracks and reptilian footprints left on the once soft surfaces of the old rocks, are as clear and legible imprints as any impressed yesterday on surfaces of moist mud or sand, by the creatures of corresponding structure. Once buried and sealed up, their preservation has been independent of the lapse of time. This law of a progressive rise in the character of the footprints, like that so generally recognized in regard to the organic remains themselves, distinctly refutes the view urged by Sir Charles Lyell, and some other disciples of the Huttonian theory of the earth's history. Fancying a uni- formity in the series of past changes in the animate and inani- mate world, they contend that the evidence in support of the theory of the progressive development of organic life is incon- clusive, on the ground that the higher forms being inhabitants of the land, we ought not to look for their remains in strata of marine or aqueous origin, but must suppose they were never entombed. But the negative evidence from footprints is of positive force, when it appeals to appearances in the imprinted surfaces of the rocks, which show that they were exposed in a moist state to the air, above the level of the waters, and in situations as accessible to mammalia as to birds, and in the case of the still earlier for- mations, as accessible to both mammalia and birds as to the rep- tiles, which left their tracks in such numbers upon them. Prof. H. D. Eogers also adverted to the superior value of the evidence afforded by such unequivocal shore marks as those of the footprints, and the markings which usually accompany them, over that of the " ripple markings," so generally appealed to by geologists as the signs of the ancient water levels or sea margins of the globe. Explaining, in accordance with the suggestions of Babbage, how these latter may be produced under deep water, 185 by the elastic undulation of the fluid moulding the movable sedi- ments into wave-like grooves and ridges, having the semblance of the ripple transmitted to the bottom of shallow waters by the wind, he showed how easily this appearance in the strata may lead geologists to erroneous inferences as to prolonged subsi- dences of the earth's crust where the phenomenon abounds. The footprints of birds and reptiles on the rocks, give evidence which is less fallacious, for they indicate, without any ambiguity, that they were impressed in marine or tidal strata, while these were yet moist, and were intermittingly exposed, wet, to the air, and covered up. They are, therefore, among our best records of the ancient water levels of the continents. In a discussion which arose, concerning the possible modes in which the small round imprints, usually ascribed to rain drops, may have been produced, Prof. H. D. Rogers threw out the sug- gestion, that they may perhaps have been formed, in certain cases at least, by a sprinkling of spray from waves breaking on a beach. That these so-called rain spots should so usually accompany those surfaces which bear other independent evi- dences of a shore origin, is an argument in favor of this view, while the fact that the insulation or sparseness of the spotting is almost invariably such that only a very light and most transient sprinkling of rain could produce it, militates, he thought, against the rain hypothesis. The objection is all the stronger, too, when we reflect, that in those early periods of the world, the atmos- phere was, from every evidence, more humid than it is at pres- ent, and the rains necessarily, therefore, were heavier. The President observed that he was disposed to consider them the result of rain. The impressions are very generally found, their number is immense, and they are vertical, oblique, single, double, treble, &c., precisely the characters of rain-drop impres- sions in recent clay, in specimens from the Connecticut River, now in his possession. Prof. Wm. B. Rogers remarked, that he had made experiments to determine the effect of raindrops on soft plaster. He found that a slight fall of rain produced a very striking resemblance to the fossil impressions, but that a further action of the shower 186 tended to obliterate the first impressions. If these are to be con- sidered rain drop impressions, it must be assumed that they were caused by a fleeting shower, and not by a continuous rain. Perhaps they were caused by water in the form of spray. Dr. C. T. Jackson thought that they were really impressions of rain drops from a fleeting shower, which had escaped obliter- ation. Prof. Wm. B. Rogers stated that he had recently examined two specimens of lignite, one from the coal-bearing rocks near Rich- mond, Virginia, and another from the New Red Sandstone of North Carolina. He had found, in the comparison of these speci- mens, another fact in confirmation of the view that these two strata are of the same geological age. Dr. C. T. Jackson agreed with Prof. Rogers in this view. The identity of geological age was proved by the identity of the fossil flora of the two regions, and would probably be more fully illustrated by comparison of the fossil fishes and saurians of the two localities. Dr. Jackson remarked, that the sub-heterocercal character of the tails of fishes found in the sandstone and slate of Connecticut River, in New Jersey, Virginia, and North Caro- lina, seemed to give plausibility to the theory of their being more recent than the strata of the coal formation, and of the New Red Sandstone rocks of Europe, and most nearly allied them with the Lias groups of strata of Europe, in which coal of a similar character is found to that now worked in Virginia and North Carolina. Prof. Emmons has found well-preserved bones of Saurian reptiles in the Sandstone of Dan River, North Carolina, and Sauroid fishes and Saurian coprolites abound in those strata. The following letters were read, viz : — From the Societc de Geographic de Paris, Oct. 30, 1854, re- turning thanks for the Publications of the Society, and requesting that volumes 1 to 5 of the Journal may be supplied; — from the Societe d'Histoire Naturclle du departement de la Moselle, returning thanks for those of the Society's publications which 187 had been received, requesting that deficient numbers may be supplied, and promising to send in exchange the Bulletin of that Society, then in course of publication ; — from the Academia delle Scienze dell' Institute di Bologna, May 20, 1854, returning thanks for the Journal, Vols. 1 to 4, and for the Proceedings, 1846 to 1853. The letters of the Geographical Society, and of the Society of the Department of the Moselle, were referred to the Publishing Committee. April 18, 1855. The President in the Chair. The President reminded the Society that the next meet- ing would be the Regular Annual Meeting of the Society, and that in accordance with custom, a Committee should be appointed to nominate officers for the ensuing year. Accordingly, Drs. Durkee, ShurtlefF, and Abbot were ap- pointed a Committee for this purpose. The President stated that he had received from Mr. Field a beautiful and peculiar specimen of Fossil Rain-drops, which he would now exhibit. As this subject had been discussed at the previous meeting, it would not be amiss to point out some of the specimens, which presented the different forms of the rain-drop impressions. He would be able to exhibit four or five different impressions. The first would show the most common form, caused by the rain falling perpendicularly. This was a section of a sphere of various sizes, all regular. A second form was produced when the rain fell obliquely, in consequence of which one edge of the impression was more elevated than the other, and might have an oval shape. 188 A third form was when the impression was very superficial, and at the same lime very large. This appeared to be produced by a heavy drop falling perpendicularly on a thin stratum of shale or sandstone, which, being prevented from penetrating, spread itself superficially ; of this two specimens were exhibited, one belonging to the Society, the other to the President. A fourth kind of impression was shown in the specimen now sent by Mr. Field. Instead of a rounded impression, the drop produced one of an oblong form, from a heavy shower descend- ing obliquely, and turning up the sand or mud in ridges, lik^ small ripple marks. Such was the fact in the specimen exhibited from Mr. Field. . A fifth form, of which many distinct impressions are found, is in relief, caused by the impression being conveyed from the upper surface of one slab to the lower surface of another. Some eminent geologists question whether these impressions are the effect of raindrops, or of some other agent. The princi- pal grounds on which such a question could be based, would be the apparent probability of a subsequent shower obliterating the marks of one which preceded, and thus one shower effacing the traces of another. This difficulty is not a serious one, however, if we suppose, what was probably the fact, that while the greater number of impressions were effaced, some would have the advantage of a long drought to dry and harden. There is another method of explaining the preservation of these marks, without the suppo- sition of a long-continued drought. Some impressions might, from the heat of the sun, harden sufficiently in a few hours, to prevent the adhesion of newly blown sand, which might thus cover and protect instead of effacing them ; so that when the shales or sandstones were split open, the cast of the rain drop would be retained. Such is no doubt the manner in which many fossil impressions have been preserved. The President re- marked that he could not, however, avoid repeating the observa- tion frequently made, that while the earliest and most labored productions of man have disappeared, the slight impressions of rain drops, ripple marks, and delicate zoophytes have come down to us from a remote period. 189 Dr. C. T. Jackson observed, that one of the specimens exhib- ited was especially interesting, as it exhibited the rain drop im- pressions in the tracks of birds' feet. Dr. C. T. Jackson exhibited a specimen of Allanite, a mineral discovered recently in a new locality at Manches- ter, N. H., by Mr. William S. Wilder. It was one of the largest crystals Dr. Jackson had seen. It contained the oxides of cerium, didymium, and lanthanium. Dr. Jackson has an analysis of the mineral in progress. Prof. W. B. Rogers exhibited to the Society, two speci- mens of Lignite, which had been referred to at the pre- ceding meeting ; the one from the Middle Secondary Rocks of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where it had been found by Prof. H. D. Rogers, and the other from the Coal-bearing Rocks of eastern Virginia. These specimens are interesting, not only as examples of the beautiful preservation of woody structure in Lignite, but as affording additional evidence of the close relationship between the groups of strata in which they are respectively found. Both specimens are jet black, and, when broken transversely to the fibre of the wood, present the smooth, conchoidal fracture, and the lustre of anthracite coal. The longitudinal surfaces ex- hibit the structure of the woody stem as perfectly as the finer varieties of silicified wood, and what is chiefly important, the details of structure are the same in both specimens. The most prominent characters under the microscope, are, — 1. The mass consists of elongated cells, with areolar markings, and includes few or no proper ducts. 2. These cells are intersected by thin, medullary plates, com- posed of short cells, with similar, but more scattered markings. 3. The areolae of the elongated cells are arranged in a single, very rarely a double row, on each of the two faces which are parallel to the medullary plates, but are entirely absent from the other faces of the cells. In all these particulars, as well as in the dimensions of the 190 cells, and the size and form of the areola, Prof. Rogers considered the structure of these Lignites as closely agreeing with that of the fossil coniferous wood described and figured by Witham, under the name of Pence Hutlonia and P. Lindhiana. This fossil genus, almost identical in woody structure with the modern pine, was found by Witham to be restricted to rocks of the Oolitic period. Hence the characters of these Lignites, while they furnished a new evidence in favor of the view which Prof. Rogers has heretofore maintained, of the near affinity in time of the so-called New Red Sandstone, or Triassic rocks of this country, and the coal -bearing deposits of eastern Virginia and North Carolina, helped to confirm his conclusion that both these belts belong to a period corresponding to the lower part of the Oolite or Jurassic series of Europe. Prof. Rogers added that these Lignites appear to be identical in structure with that variety of silicified wood, found in the coal-bearing rocks of eastern Vir- ginia, to which he had formerly referred when speaking of the Jurassic age of these deposits. Prof. H. D. Rogers called attention to the numerous and ex- tensive deposits of Lignite reported as occurring in the region of the Upper Missouri, and within and beyond the Rocky Moun- tains, and stated that probably several of the reputed localities of bituminous coal, that, for instance, near Fort Bridger, laid down as a true coal basin, by Capt. Stansbury, are but lignite deposits of a modern geological age. Stress has been laid, by Col. Benton and others, on the occurrence of coal in the Rocky Mountains, in connection with the great question of an eligible railroad line westward to the Pacific ; and there can be no doubt the discovery of true coal fields in the far interior of the con- tinent is a matter of national interest. The wide diffusion of strata of the age of the Carboniferous Limestone lends likelihood to the belief in their existence, but we are greatly in want of scientific evidence. The lignites exhibited this evening, from the rocks of the Oolitic age, of Virginia and Pennsylvania, show us how easily such specimens may be mistaken for true coal, by any but initiated observers. Prof. H. D. Rogers made a brief verbal communication, ill us- 191 trating the geology of the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, and showing the insufficiency of any evidence yet brought in from that region by explorers, as published by Mr. Marcou, for the introduction of a group of rocks of OoUtic or Jurassic age, into the geological map of that geologist, in the district of the Raton Mountains. He inquired of Dr. Jackson, who had inspected Mr. Marcou's specimens, whether any fossils exist to authenticate his views. Dr. Jackson replied, that he had no doubt of the fact, that Mr. Marcou possessed abundant evidence to sustain his views with regard to his geological discoveries among the Rocky Mountains. Dr. Jackson had examined