PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

VOL. I. 1841-'42-'43.

PHILADELPHIA;

PRINTED FOR THE ACADEMY

Bj Merrihew & Thompson, 7 Carter's Alley.

1843.

INDEX TO VOLUME I .

Abert, Col. J. J., donations to library
from, 4. G8. 152. 267.

Alger, Francis, don. to lib., 106.

Allen, Dr. Nathan, don. to lib., 127.

American Philosophical Soc, don. of
Transactions of, 6. 134. 163. 227.
266.

Do. do. don. of Pro-

ceedings of, 65. 123. 143. 171. 205.
234. 266- 295. 312.

Annales des Mines, 50. 91. 152. 163.
203. 227. 235. 274. 291. 311.

Anthony, J. G., don. to museum, 56.
105.235; written communications
from, 165. 251.

Arrhenius, Joh. P., don. to lib., 91.

Arrott, Dr. Colin, don.tomus.,38. 105.

Ashmead, S. B., don. to lib., 17 ; to
mus., 71. 84. 202. 245. 312.

Ashmead, C. C, don. to mus. 275.

Asjatic Society of Bengal, don. of
Journal of, 3. 65. 150. 167.

Audubon & Bachman, descriptions of
new species of N. American Quad-
rupeds, 92. 152 ; don. to lib. from,
165.

Avogardo, Cav. Amedeo, don. to lib.,
294.

Bailey, Prof., on fossil foraminifera in
the calcareous marl from the creta-
ceous formation on the Upper Mis-
souri, and on silicified wood found
near Frederickburg, Va., 75 ; don.
to lib., 134.

Baird, Messrs. Wm. M. & S. F., on
two new species of Tyrannula from
Cumberland county, Penna., 283 ;
don. to mus., 289.

Baker, H. F., don. to mus., 26. 117.
305.

Barratt, Dr., don. to lib. 274.

Beasley, Dr. Morris, don. to mus., 200.

Beasley, Thomas, don. to mus., 245.

Beck,L. C.j don. to mus., 8; to lib., 27.

Beck, Paul, Jr., don. to lib., 21. 53.

Bell, J. G., don. to mus., 141 ; remarks

on Fuligula minor, 141.
Bellardi, Louis, don. to lib., 203.
Biddle, Mrs. Wm., don. to mus., 287.
Bidlack, B. Aidcn, don. to lib., 186.
Binney, Dr. Amos, don. to mus., 26.
Birds, don. of, by a club of members,

179.
Blainville, M. de, don. to lib., 14.
Blaikie, George D., don to lib., 143.
Blanding, Dr. Wm., don. to mus., 20.

26. 38. 40. 44. 53. 105. 117. 148.

155. 164. 183. 188. 281. 315; on

the great fecundity of the striped

bass, 39.
Bonaparte, C. L., don. to lib., 92.
Booth, J. C, don. to lib., 63.
Boston Society of Natural History,

don. to lib., 44; of its Journal, 72.

127. 158. 234 ; of its Proceedings,

313.
Botanical Society of Edinburg, don. to

lib., 4 1.
Botanical Committee, Reports from,

46. 206. 228.
Botanical Society of London, don. of

Proceedings, 118.
Brano, Joseph, don. to mus., 147 ; to

lib., 14S.
Breck, Samuel, don. to lib., 319.
Bridges, Dr. R., on infusoria found in

stagnant water, 169; on some Indian

relics, 269.
Brown, Dr. Benjamin B., don. to mus.,

212. 267.
Browne, Peter A., don. to lib., 186.

213 ; to mus., 202. 220. 222. 281 ;

written communications from, 187.

197. 203. 213. 221. 282.
Buckland, Rev. Prof., don. to lib., 201.
Burrough, Dr. M., don. to mus., 131.

233.
By-Laws, alterations of, 241. 262.

Cadwallader, Mrs. George, don. to
mus., 17.

47!

•<r*>

IV.

INDEX.

Calcutta Journal of Nat. History, don.

of to lib., 72. 317.
Carpenter, Geo. W., don. to mus., 179.
Carson, Dr. J., don. to mus., 120.139.

265. 281.
Cassin, John, don. to mus., 213. 214.
22G. 233. 219. 255. 270. 275. 281.
312.315; on the Cicada septende-
cim, 279.
Chaloner, Dr. A. D., don. to lib., 14.
72; to mus., 158; on rhombic for-
mations in anthracite coal, 4 ; on an
ore of galena from Mexico, 14 ; on
some new discoveries in Central
America, by Stevens & Catherwood,
168 ; on a supposed Trilobite from
Pottsville, Pa., 193; on some fossil
bones from Missouri, 321.
Chester Co. Cabinet of Nat. History,

don. of report of, 179.
Cicada septendecim, extracts from mi-
nutes in reference to, 277.
Clapp, Dr. A.,onthegeologicalequiva-
lents of the vicinity of New Albany,
Indiana, 18, 177.
Clay, Joseph A., on some magnesian
minerals from Europe, 39. 193; don.
to mus., 189.
Clay, J. Randolph, don. to mus., 189.
Coates, Dr. B. H., on some larvae in
wheat stalks, 45. 54. 57; on the use
of the sutures of the cranium, 69; on
infusoria of stagnant pools, 169; on
the natural alliances of the genus
Cecidomyia, 191; don. to lib., 63.
Coates, Josiah L., don. to mus., 209.

293.
Codwise, James, don. to mus., 265.
Collins, Isaac, don. to lib., 150.
Committee appointed to draft queries

to Egyptian Soc. at Cairo, 173.
Committees, Scientific, for 1842, 146,
do. do. 1843,211.

Committee to determine the nomen-
clature of the N. American Naiades,
224.
Commonwealth of Penn., don. to lib.

of laws of, 120.
Conrad, T. A., don. to mus., 106.208;
description of three new American
species of Unio, 19; on new species
of fossil shells from Tertiary of
Maryland, 28 ; on the Silurian and
Devonian systems of the U. S., &c,
142, 143 ; on a new genus, and new

Miocene and Eocene fossils of U. S.,
305 ; on a new genus of Trilobites,
and new species of Silurian and Ter-
tiary fossilSjWith observations on the
Trentonlimestone,andthe lead bear-
ing limestone of Wisconsin, 323.
Conyngham,Redmond,don.to lib., 276.
Correspondents elected :

Alger, Francis, of Boston, 48.
Arago, M., of Paris, 243.
Bailey, Prof. J. W., West Point, 24.
Baird, Spencer F., of Carlisle, Pa.,

206.
Balfour, J. Hutton, M. D., of Glas-
gow, 162.
Brewer, T. M., of Boston, 76.
Charlesworth, Edward, of London,

48.
Conyngham, Redmond, of Pa., 231.
Couper, J. Hamilton,of Georgia, 206.
Denny, Henry, of Leeds, England,

231.
Dickson, S. Henry, M.D., of Charles-
ton, S. C, 246.
Dufour, M. Leon, of Paris, 178.
Durbin, Rev. J. P., of Carlisle, Pa.,

24.
French, B. F., of New Orleans, 243.
Galiotti, M. Henry, of Brussels, 206.
Giraud, Jacob P., of New York, 24 1 .
Gliddon, George R., of Cairo, Egypt,

138.
Gould, John, F.L.S. of London, 243.
Graham, Major J. D., U. S. A., 24.
Hall, Prof. James, of Albany, N. Y.

341.
Henry, Prof. Joseph, of Princeton,

N. J., 280.
Herbert, Rev. Wm., of Manchester,

England, 286.
Hodgson, Wm. B., of Savannah,

Georgia, 319.
Hubbard, Oliver P., M. D., of New

Hampshire, 23.
Humboldt, Baron Alexander, 243.
Johnson, Westley, M. D., of Li-
beria, W. Africa, 60.
Johnston, Geo., M. D., of Berwick

upon Tweed. 60.
Johnston, Prof. John, of Middle-
town, Conn., 319.
Kesteloot, Prof., of Ghent, 255.
Lepsius, Dr., of Berlin, 290.
Lettsom, Wm. G., British Legation
at Washington, 246.

INDEX.

Lindley, Prof. John, of London, 76.
Locke, John, M. D., of Ohio, 23.
Longchamps, M. Ed. de. Selys, of

Leige, 185.
Markoe, Francis, Jr. of Washington,

76.
Mason, Owen, of Rhode Island, 60.
Melsheimer, Dr. Fred'k, of Dover,

Pa. 319.
Mighels, Dr. J. W., of Portland,

Maine, 317.
Nicollet, J. N., of Washington, 198.
Norman, Benj. M., of New Orleans,

280.
Norwood, Dr., of Madison, Ind.,

231.
Ombrosi, James, of Florence, 273.
Percival, J. G., of New Haven, 290.
Phillips, Prof. John, of York, Eng.,

243.
Pouchet, Prof. F. A., of Rouen, 231.
Redfield, Wm. C, of N. York, 23.
Saul, James, of New Orleans, 24.
Sedgwick, Rev. Adam, of London,

290.
Silliman, Benj., Jr., of New Haven,

24.
Sowerby, Geo. B., of London, 76.
Stephens, John L., of N. York, 280.
Strain, Isaac G., U. S. N., 280.
Tappan, Hon. Benj., of Ohio, 206.
Van Cleve, John, of Dayton, Ohio,

341.
Warder, J. A., of Cincinnati, 198.
Warren, J. C, M. D., of Boston, 19S.
Corson, Dr. Hiram, don. to mus., 181.
Couper, J. Hamilton, don. to mus.,
185. 189 ; descriptions of the strata
in which were found fossil bones and
shells from the Brunswick canal,
216.
Couthouy, Jos. P., don. to lib., 163.
Coxe, Dr. J. Redman, don. to lib., 148.
Cozzens, Issachar, don. to lib., 267.
Craige, Dr. Wm. T., don. to mus.,

175. 179. 202.
Cramer, Charles, don. to lib., 50.
Curtis, John, don. to lib., 17. 18.
Curtis, Dr. Josiah, don. to mus., 209.

Darlington, Wm., M. D., don. to lib.,

6. 288.
De Beaumont, M. Elie, don. to lib.,

223.
Demestre, A., don. to mus., 235.
Denny, Henry, don. to lib., 208. 287.

Dilwyn, L. W., don. to lib., 40.
Dobson, Judah, don. to lib., 123.
D'Orbigny, M. Alcide,{don.to lib., 92.
Drake, Dr. Daniel, don. to lib., 234.
Draper, Edmund, don. to mus., 71. 77.
Ducatel, J. F., don. to lib., 9. 173.
Duclos, M., don. to lib., 120.
Dundas, James, don. to mus., 289.
Diubin, Rev. J. P., don. to mus., 219.

Elwyn, Dj. A. L., don. to lib., 17; to
mus., 312 ; on oil from Indian corn,
266.

Emerson, Dr. G., don. to lib., 282.

Engelmann,Dr. George, don. to mus.,
0. 199. 218.

Field, George, don. to lib., 218.
Fisher, Thomas, don. to lib., 163.
Fischer, G. de Waldheim, don. to lib.,

111. 214. 316.
Fitton, Dr., don to lib., 294.
Forchey, Prof., don. to mus., 292.
Foster, Wm. A., don. to mus., 17.
French, B. F., don. to mus., 233.
Furness, Mrs. Wm., don. to mus., 173.
Fussell, Dr. Edwin, don. to mus., 267.

Galiotti, M. Henry, don. to lib., 200,
201.

Gambel, Wm., don. to mus., 2; de-
scriptions of new and rare Birds
from Rocky mountains and Califor-
nia, 259.

Gardom, George, don. to mus., 150.

Gesner, Dr. Abraham, don. to mus.,
80 ; to lib., 158.

Gibbons, Wm. P., don. to lib., 27.

Giraud, Dr. Jacob P., Jr., don. to lib.,
120.

Gliddon, Geo. R.. don. to mus., 171.
173. 320 ; on Boulder formations in
Egypt, 172; on Cicada septendecim,
279 ; communication from, respect-
ing the geological queries addressed
by Academy to the Egyptian Soc.
at Cairo, 286 ; written communica-
tion from, 288.

Goddard, Dr. Paul B., don. to mus.,
13. 154. 209. 315; to lib., 40; on the
Missourium Kochii, 115; on an im-
provement in the Daguerrotype, 158,
on infusoria of stagnant pools, 172
on an inflated lung of an Emys, 183
on the Cicada septendecim, 27S.

VI.

INDEX.

Godon, Dr. Victor, don. to mus., 208.

214.
Goheen, Dr. S.M.E., don. tomus.,293.
Gould, Dr. A. A., don. to lib., 72. 321.
Graff. Frederick, Jr., don. to lib., 186.
Graham, Major J. D., don. to lib., 4.

245. 254.
Gray, Dr. Asa, don. to mus., 132 ; to

Lib., 235.

Haldeman, S. S., don. to lib., 27. 56.
92. 134. 148. 150. 190. 194. 207.
224. 274. 282 ; to mus., 105. 123.
141. 148. 186. 199 ; on new species
of Cyclas and of Cypris, 53 ; on
some facts in Ornithology, 54 ; de-
scription of two new fresh water
shells, 78 ; on a new species of Cy-
clas,103 ; on some Unios, 104 ; on a
genus of Dolphins, 127; on two new
species of Perca, 141 ; on new spe-
cies of Unionidye, 143; description of
a new species of Cyclops, and two
new species of Tubifex, 152; on two
new species of Cypris, 166; on
changes of nomenclature in Natural
History, 170. 18S. 190; description
of two new species of Entomostraca,
and two Hydrachnae, 184 ; of a new
Cypris, 184; of two new Hydrachnae,
and one Daphnia, 196 ; on some In-
dian relics, 269 ; catalogue of Cara-
bideous Coleoptera of S. E. Penn.,
and descriptions of new species of
N. American Coleoptera. 295.
Hallowell, Dr. E., don. to lib., 40; to
mus., 63. 207 ; description of a new
species of Chamoeleon, 111 ; of a new
genus of Serpents from Africa, 164.
Hembel, William, don. to mus,, 2 IS;
to lib., 183. 205.

■ portrait of, donation by a club

Houghton, Dr. D. don. to lib., 5. 9.

Illustrations of Ornithology, don. of by
a club of members, 27.

Imperial Soc. of Naturalists of Mos-
cow, don. of Bulletin of, 152. 214.
293, 294. 316.

Imperial Mineralog. Soc. of St. Peters-
burg, don. of Transactions of, 255.
294.

of members, 81

Herbert, Rev. Wm., don. to lib.,2S2.

Histoire Nat.de. l'ilc de Cuba, don. of.
by a club of members, 91. 118. 194.
203. 215.

Historical Soc. of Penn., don. of me-
moirs of, 63.

Hobson, Wm. L., don. to mus., 199.

Horlie, James T., don. to lib., 120.

Hodgkin, Dr. Thomas, don. to lib., 5.

Holbrook, Dr., don., to mus., 105. 18 \.

Horner, Dr. Wm., and Dr. I. Hays,
don. to lib,, 50,

Jackson, Dr. C. T., don. to lib., 7; to

mus., 6. 117. 159.
Jay, Dr. J. C, don. to lib., 27; to

mus., 25. 105. 226. 320.
Johnson, Dr., don. to mus., 26.
Johnson, Prof. Walter R.,don. to lib.,
5. 123. 205. 215. 234; to mus., 40.
72. 77. 8J. 117 ; on the tendency of
anthracite coal to assume crystalline
forms, 7; on the mechanical struc-
ture of coal, 9; analysis of coal from
Chili, 21 ; on the magnetic pheno-
mena attending congelation of cast
iron, 33; on the relation between the
coal of South Wales and some Penn-
sylvania anthracites, 4;) ; on the at-
mospheric phenomena attending ex-
tensive conflagrations, 45 ; on some
specimens of crystallized anthracite
and bituminous coals, 73 ; on some
anthracite from Rhode Island, 118;
on an apparatus for illustrating phe-
nomena of the rotation of fluids, 121;
on an apparatus illustrating the laws
of chemical combination, &c, 127 ;
on spontaneous combustion of bitu-
minous coal, 140; results of some
experiments of the magnetism of
wrought iron bars broken by tensile
force, 144 ; analysis of some anthra-
cite and bituminous coals from Eu-
rope and the U. S., 156 , on the de-
termination of copper in analysis,
187 ; on a method for applying the
galvanometer for testing sheathing
copper after exposure to the action
of sea-water, 210; analysis of natural
coke from Virginia, 223; on a new
species of sugar from New Holland,
244; on an apparatus for testing
tenacity of sheathing copper, 246.

Kendall, W. R., don. to mus., 209.
Kilvington, Robert, don. to mus., 289.
320.

INDEX.

Vll.

Lafon, Dr. Thomas, don. to mus., 265.
Land, Capt. John, don. to mus., 44,

117, 274.
Lawson, Alexander, don. to mus., 117.
Lea, Isaac, communication from,215;

don. to lib., 289.
Lea, Henry C, don. to lib., 316.
Leib, Dr. George C, don. to mus., 3. 8.

110. Ill ; on the nictitating mem-
brane of the eye, 2; on the nest and

eggs of Fulica Americana, and Anas

discors, 121; on an error in Dr. Gi-

raud's work, 140.
Lessig, J. A., don. to mus., 267.
Letters from :

Anthony, J. G., 57. 251.

Baird, Spencer F., 64. 210.

Balfour, Dr. J. H., 201.

Beck, Dr. T. R., 134.

Bellardi, Louis, 203.

Blanding, Dr. Wm., 123.

Bourne, Wm. O., 322.

Brewer, T. M. 106.

Clapp, Dr. A., 175.

Cogswell, Rev. Wm., 135.

Conyngham, Redmond, 236.

Cramer, Henry, 320.

Del Rio, Prof., 57.

Denny, Henry, 208. 287.

Dickson, Dr. S. H., 256.

Dixwell, Dr. E. S., 213.

Durbin, Rev. J. P., 44.

Engelman, Dr. Geo., 2. 174. 207.

French, B. F., 252.

Fussell, Dr. Edwin, 136.

Galiotti, M. Henry, 194.

Giraud,Dr. J. P., 121.

Gliddon, George P., 168.

Goheen, Dr. S^ M. E., 2. 5-1. 292.

Graham, Major J. D., 68. 215.

Gray, Prof.,319.

Harris, Dr. T. W., 149. 312.

Hubbard, Oliver P., 133.

Johnston, Prof. F. W., 244.

Johnson, Dr., 210.

Kinberg, J. G. H., 244.

Lettsom, Wm. G.,275.

Lindley, Prof. John, 179.

Locke, Prof. John, 24. 174. 186.244.
316.

Longchamps, M. de, 168.

Maclure, Alexander, 2.

Markoe, Francis, Jr., 2. 78.

Mason, Owen, 68.

Michellotti, Giovanni, 203.

Moore, Wm. E., 266.
Newman, Wm. D., 80.
Nicollet, J. N., 205.
Norwood, Dr. J. G., 275.
Piddington, Henry, 7. 207.227. 318.
Powell, Wm. Byrd, 235.
Ravenel, Dr. Edmund, 210. 221.

234.
Redrield, Wm. C, 44.
Say, Mrs. Lucy W., 158.
Sedgwick, Rev. Adam, 321.
Silliman, Benj., Jr., 50.
Stephens, John L., 313.
Tartini, Ferdinando, 80.
Tamnau, Dr. Fred., Jr., 118. 171.
Vaughan, Wm., 168. 209.
Von Martius, Dr. C, 201.
Warder, Prof. J. A., 219.
Williams, L. W., 7.
Letters from Societies :

American Philosoph. Soc, 123. 139.

159. 213. 221. 244. 257. 282.

295.
Boston Society of Nat. History, 139.

213. 234.
Imperial Academy of Naturalists of

Russia, 214. 275. 293.
Linnean Soc. of London, 210, 268.
London Botanical Soc, 257. 292.
New York Lyceum of Nat. History,

219. 256.
Royal Acad, of Sciences of France,

224. 227. 252. 287. 295.
Royal Academyof Sciences at Stock-
holm, 252.
Royal Academyof Sciences of Turin

288. 295.
Zoological Soc. of London, 276. 291.
Linnean Soc. of London, don. of

Transactions of, 171. 209. 311.
Littlefield, T. L., don. to mus., 218.
Locke, Prof. John, don. to mus., 174;
observations on Cryptolithus tesse-
latus, 236.
Longchamps, M. de, don. to lib., 167.
Lowry, Philip, Jr. don. to mus., 315.

Maclure, Alexander, don. to lib., 163.
Maclure, Wm., Estate of, don. to lib.,

6. 71.
McCrea, Dr. James, don. to mus.. 79.
McFarland, Rev. J. H., don. to mus.

8. 139.
McKnight, Mr., don. to mus., 226.

VIII.

INDEX.

Mantell, Gideon, M. D., don. to lib.

14. 167.
Markoe, Francis, Jr. , don. tolib. 2. 106
Marsh, Benj. V., don. to mus., 281.
Massey, Miss Anna, don. to mus., 292.
Mather, W. W., don. to lib., 5. 9.
Members elected :

Allen, Nathan, M. D., 23.

Ashmead, S. B., Jr., 243.

Browne, Peter A., 23.

Cassin, John, 211.

Curtis, Josiah, M. D., 280.

Davis,' Charles, M. D., 162.

Ellett, Charles, Jr., 166.

Gambel, Wm., 290.

Hare, Clark, 138.

Hiester, Dr. Joseph P., 319.

Jackson, Isaac R., 76.

Kane, ElishaK., M. D., 243.

Keyser, Daniel, 341.

Kilvington, Robert, 263.

King, Hon. Edward, 255.

King, Charles R., M. D., 280.

Poulson, Charles, Jr., 23.

Rice, Willard M., 231.

Say, Mrs. Lucy W., 116.

Stephens, Horatio S., 273.

Stewart, Thomas S., 319.

Wetherill, Samuel, 319.

Michellotti, Giovanni, don. to lib., 202

Mitchell, Dr. J. K., don. to mus., 222.

Moricand, Stephano, don. to lib., 288.

Morris, Miss M. A., observations on
the development of the Hessian Fly,
66.

Morton, Dr. S. G., don. to lib., 4, 5. 9.
14. 17. 21. 38. 56. 63. 158. 165.
207. 234. 235. 248. 267. 268. 293.
316, 317 ; to mus., 20. 26. 105. 141.
] 13. 152. 151. 202. 233 ; on a mode
of ascertaining the internal capacity
of the human cranium, 7 ; on the
ancient Egyptian Ibis, 15 ; on the
ancient Peruvians, 35; on some crania
from Mexico, 50; on the use of the
sutures of the cranium, 68; descrip-
tions of some new fossil shells from
the cretaceous deposits of the U. S.,
106 ; on an Albino raccoon, 121 ; on
the so-called pigmy raceof the Valley
of the Mississippi, 125; descriptions
of two new fosil shells from the
lower cretaceous strata of New
Jersey, 132; results of measure-
ments of forty-five adult negro

crania, 135; remarks on a human
skeleton from Yucatan, 203.
Murchison, Roderick Impey, don. to
lib., 276.

National Institute at Washington, don.

of Bulletin of, 9. 181; circular from,

266.
Needles, Edward, don. to mus., 44.
Nicklin, Philip H.,don. to mus., 199.
Nicollet, J. N., don. to mus., 6. 274.
Norman, Benj. M., don. to mus., 315.
Northern Acad, of Arts and Sciences,

communication from, 266; don. to

lib., 209. 294. 317.

Officers for 1841, 1; for 1842, 137; for
1843, 230; for 1844, 341.

Owen, Richard, don. to lib., 254.

Owen, Dr. D. D., don. to mus., 265.
270; on some fossil trees from New
Harmony, Indiana, 270 ; on some
charts and drawings illustrating the
geology of the Western States, 272.

Parsons, Usher, M. D., don. to lib.,
132. 253.

Passerini, Carlo, don. to lib., 65.

Peirce, Jacob, don. to mus., 212.

Pennock, Dr. C. W., don. to mus., 315.

Pevcival, James G., don. to lib., 282.

Percival, Miss, don. to mus., 289.

Perritt, Captain, don. to mus., 173.

Phillips, John S., don. to lib., 56. 68.
267. 272 ; to mus., 13. 53. 56 ; de-
scription of two new American spe-
cies of helix, 27 ; on atmospheric
phenomena attending great confla-
grations, 46; memorandum of dates
of publication of papers in the early
numbers of the Journal of the Aca-
demy, 57 ; on the nomenclature of
Natural Science, 85 ; correction of
an error in his description of a Helix,
133.

Pickering, Dr. Charleston, to lib.,91.

Piddington, Henry, don. to lib., 6.
167^207. 317, 318.

Pierpont, Mr., don. to mus., 105.

Pouchet, Prof. F. A., don. to lib., 218.

Poulson, C. A., don. to mus., 120.

Preston, Mrs., don. to mus., 44.

Quadrupeds and Birds, donation of, by
a club of members, 170.

INDEX.

IX.

Quinby, J. B., on the mineral re-
sources and physical geography of
the eastern ridges of the Andes, 82;
on the spontaneous combustion of
bituminous coal, 121.

Ravenel, Dr. Edmund, don. to mus.,
131; descriptions of two new fossil
scutellas from S. Carolina, 81.

Read, James, don. to mus., 26. 265.

Recording Secretary, Report for 1842,
234; for 1843, 335.

Redfield, Wm. C, don. to lib., 165.
218. 316.

Regents of University of New York,
don. of reports of, 167. 266.

Reports of Committees on papers; by
Messrs. Audubon and Bachman, 160;
by the Messrs. Baird, 283; by P. A.
Browne, 197. 225. 258; by Dr.
Clapp, 177; by Dr. Coates, 191; by
Mr. Conrad, 47. 145. 305.318; by
J. Hamilton Couper, 216; by W.
Gambel, 258; by S. S. Haldeman,
145. 153. 160. 166. 176. 184. 196.
295. 313; by Dr. Hallowell, 165;
by Prof. Johnson, 157 : by Prof.
Locke, 196; by Dr. G. C. Leib, 160;
by Dr. Morton, 153. 157 ; by Mr.
Phililps, 89; by Dr. Ravenel, 89; by
Mr. Speakman, 89 ; by Dr. Zant-
zinger, 184.

Report of Committee on Mr. Say's
portrait, 39.

Do. do. appointed to draw

up a list of members and correspon-
dents, 60.

Do. do. of returns of a

subscription for erecting cases in
the Hall, 175.

Do. do. to draft queries to

Messrs. Audubon and Harris, 254.
Do. Zoological Committee on

the Entomological collection, 160.

Reptiles, donation of, by members, 61.

Resolutions, of thanks to Dr. G. C.
Leib, 4; on Dr. Morton's memoir of
Wm. Maclure, 47. 49; of thanks to
Mrs. Lucy W. Say, 64; on the occa-
sion of the decease of John Vaughan,
Esq., 140; on the receipt of Mr. Ma-
clure's subscription to the Academy,
151; by Committee on Proceedings,
185; to present M. de Longchamps
with certain vols, of Journal A.N.S.,

193; of thanks to P. A. Browne,
195; to present Dr. Von Martius
with the publications of the Acad-
emy, 201, appointing a Committee
to determine the nomenclature of
the N. American Naiades, 224 ; of
thanks to G. W. Carpenter, 230.
340; to present to Northern Acad,
of Arts and Sciences certain vols,
of Journal A. N. S., 253; to present
8th vol. of do., to Naval Lyceum,
257; to present to M.Moricand an
entire copy of do , 288; to present to
Harvard University certain vols, of
do., 312; to present to C. L. Bona-
parte certain vols, of do., 313; to
present an entire copy of do. to
Imperial Mineralog. Soc. of Russia,
320; of thanks to the Recording
Secretary, 340.

De Rivero, Mariano Eduardo, don. to
lib., 91.

Rogers, Prof. H. D., don. to lib., 253;
on rhombs in Anthracite coal, 7; on
the geological age of the coal forma-
tion of Richmond, Va., 142 ; on
Earthquakes, 181 ; on Posidonomia
minuta, 250 ; on the statigraphical
features of the Environs of St.
Petersburg, 256.

Rogers, Prof. Wm. B., don. to mus.,
194. 249.

Royal Acad, of Sciences of Turin, don.
of memoirs of, 294.

Ruffin, Edmund, don. to lib., 291.

Rulon, J. W., don. to mus., 123. 171.

Ruschenberger, Dr., don. to lib., 14.
38. 65. 72. 148; to mus., 52. 71.

Ryan, Thomas, don. to lib., 72.

Saul, James, don. to mus., 6; to lib., 6.
Say, Mrs. Lucy W., don. to mus., 52.

227; to lib., 63. 72. 257; elected life

member, 146.
Short, Prof. C. W., don. to mus., 189.
Silliman's Journal, don. of, to lib., 3.

65. 118. 143. 163. 190. 214. 235.

266. 287. 313.
Simmons, Mr., don to mus., 159.
Smith, Daniel B. don. to lib., 214.
Southwick, G. W., don. to lib., 132.
Spackman, Dr. G., don. to mus., 111.
Speakman, John, on the nature of heat

and light, 73.
Strain, J. G., don. to mus., 287. 289.
Stratton, T., don. to lib., 134.

INDEX.

Tamnau, Dr. Frederick, written com-
munication from, 171.

Tanner, B. H., don. to mus., 26.

Taylor, R. C, don. to lib., 134 ; to
mus., 212.

Taylor, Stephen, Jr., don. to mus. ,320.

Thurmenn, J., don. to lib., 134.

Townsend, J. K., don. to mus. 3.

Torrey, Dr. John, don. to lib., 5.

Troost, Dr. Gerard, don. to lib., 14.
50; to mus., 56.

Twigg, Wm. Aug., don. to mus., 26.
131.

Twigg, Charles, don. to mus., 139.181.

Vanuxem, Lardner, don. to lib., 50.
Vaux, Wm. S., don. to lib., 78 ; to

mus., 123. 220. 289. 292.
Von Martius, Dr. C, don., to lib.,

200. 274.

Walker, Dr. Wm., don. to mus, 227.
Watson, J. Frampton, don. to mus., 4.

8. 202.
Watson, Dr. Gavin, don. to mus., 189.

233. 255. 289.
Wheatley, Chas. M., don. to mus.,

235.
Wikstrom, Af. Joh. Em., don. to lib.,

80.
Williams, L. W., don. to mus., 6.
Woodhouse, S. W. don. to mus., 205.
Wyroan, Dr. Jeffries, don. to lib., 319.

Zantzinger, Dr. W. S., don. to lib., 21;
written communication from, 164.

Zoological Society of London, don. of
Transactions of, 106. 212; of Pro-
ceedings of, 149. 212. 291; of re-
ports of, 212. 275.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.
Vol. I. MARCH AND APRIL, 1841. No. 1

LIST OF OFFICERS FOR 1S41.

PRESIDENT.

William Hembel.

VICE PRESIDENTS.

John Price Wetherill,
Samuel George Morton, M.D.

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY.

Robert Bridges, M.D.

RECORDING SECRETARY.

A. Denman Chaloner, M.D.

LIBRARIAN.

Alfred L. Elwyn, M.D.

TREASURER.

George W. Carpenter.

CURATORS.

William S. Vanx,
John S. Phillips,
Robert Pearsall,
George C. Leib, M.D.

AUDITORS.

William S. Vanx,
A. D. Chaloner, M.D.
Robert Pearsall.

COMMITTEE OF PUBLICATION.

Alfred L. Elwyn, M.D.
William S. Vaux,
Joseph Carson, M.D.
Edward Hallo well, M.D.
John Simmons.

2 [March, 1841.

STATED MEETING, March 2.
Vice President Morton, in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Picns Nuttalii, (Audubon,) California.
Icterus tricolor, (Audubon,) California.
Podiceps cornutus (young female,) and a box of Insects from
China.— From Mr. W. Gambel.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Philosophy of Plants, by Decandolle and Sprengel. Pur-
chased by order of the Academy.
Discourse on the Objects and Importance of the National
Institution for the promotion of Science, established at
Washington, 1S40. By Joel R. Poinsett, Secretary of
War. — From Mr. Francis Markoe, Jr.
Written Communications. — Dr. Morton read a letter
dated Monrovia, Africa, December 20, 1840, from Dr. S. M.
E. Goheen, acknowledging the reception of his notice of
election as correspondent of the Academy.

Also a letter from Alexander Maclure, Esq., dated New
Harmony, Indiana, February ISth, 1841, stating the recep-
tion by Dr. D. D. Owen and himself of their notices of elec-
tion as corresponding members.

The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from Mr.
Francis Markoe, Jr., accompanying the Discourse of Mr.
Poinsett, and the Constitution and By-laws of the National
Institution, presented this evening ; and expressing a wish
for the co-operation of the Academy in the objects of the Na-
tional Institution. Also a letter from Dr. George Engelman,
dated St. Louis, Missouri, February 13th, 1841, acknow-
ledging the reception of his notice of election as a correspon-
dent of the Academy.

Verbal Communications. — Dr. George C. Leib made
some remarks upon the "construction of the nictitating
membrane of the Eye," and exhibited specimens obtained

March, 1841.] 3

from the eyes of the Falco lagopus: he also communicated
the fact, that the bird lived at least an hour after it had re-
ceived a shot through the ventricles of the heart, allowing the
escape of blood; which fact was certain from the kind of
shot perforating the heart being of that size used at the first
fire only; the bird being brought to the ground by a subse-
quent discharge.

Dr. -Goddard also made some remarks upon the anatomy
of this membrane, and the uses to which it is adapted.

STATED MEETING, March 9.
Mr. Lukens in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Thalassidroma Wilsonii, Stormy Petrel, from the Pacific
Ocean. — From Mr. J. K. Townsend.

A series of beautifully mounted water-birds, with the case
containing them, was presented by Dr. George C. Leib ;
viz.: Anas clypeata ; Anas domestica; Anas acuta; Anas
Americana, (males,) from New Jersey ; Anas discors, (fe-
male) Pennsylvania; Anas crecca, (male and female) New
Jersey; Fuligula omllissima, (male and female) Massachu-
setts; Fuligula rubida, (young male) Pennsylvania; Fuli-
gula valisneria, Fuligula albeola, Fuligula glacialis, Fuli-
gula marila, Anas stepera, Fuligula clangula, Uria Brunni-
chii, Larus argentatus and Fuligula farina, (males) all
from New Jersey.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Six Nos. (91 to 96) of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of
Bengal, for 1S39 — July to December. — From the Society.

American Journal of Science and Arts, conducted by Benja-
min Silliman, M. D. L.L.D., &c. &c, aided by Benjamin
Silliman, Jr. A. M., Vol. XL. No. 1. January, 1841. — In
exchange for the Journal of the Academy.

Report of the Commissioners for the exploration and survey
of the North-eastern Boundary. Printed by order of the

4 [March, 1841.

26th Congress, Washington, D. C, February 9, 1S41. —
From Major Graham, U. S. Topog. Eng.
Five copies of the Constitution and By-laws of the National
Institution for the Promotion of Science, established at
Washington, May, 1840. — From Col. J. J. Abert, U. S.
Top. Eng.

Verbal Communications. — Dr. Chaloner stated that Col.
Abert, of Washington, had in his cabinet a specimen of An-
thracite Coal, in the rhombic form, of unusual size, which
had been obtained from France, and appears to sustain the
mineral origin of coal.

Prof. W. R. Johnson remarked that he had in his collec-
tion specimens of Anthracite Coal in the forms of rhombs and
cubes.

Business by Special Resolution. — Prof. Johnson offered
the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted:
Resolved, that the thanks of the Academy be presented
to Dr. George C. Leib,for the elegant and valuable collection
of specimens in Ornithology, together with the accompanying
case, which have been this evening presented to the Society.

o STATED MEETING, March 16.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A collection of Fossils — seven specimens — from the Desert of
Atacama, south of Peru, with three specimens of rocks
from the adjacent islands, and another from the summit of
the Andes. The fossils appear to belong to the Newer
Pliocene, and consist of shells which are identical with ex-
isting species, and especially the Pecten purpuratus. — Pre-
sented by J. Frampton Watson, Esq.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Dissertations relating to the Antiquities, Arts and Sciences of
Asia. By Sir William Jones and others. Svo. 1792. —
Presented by Dr. Morton.

March, 1841.] 5

A memoir iof the Life and Character of the late Joseph Par-
rish, M. D., read before the Medical Society of Philadel-
phia, October 23, 1840, by George B. Wood, M. D.— From
Dr. Morton.

Reports of the Special Agent of the Lead Mines, relative to
the sale or future management of the Mineral Lands of the
United States. Printed by order of the 26th Congress.
Washington, January 23, 1831. — From Dr. Morton.

The First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Ohio,
by W. W. Mather. — From the Author.

Verbal Communications. — Professor Johnson made some
remarks in relation to the specimens presented by Mr. J. F.
Watson this evening; and stated that Mr. Watson had count-
ed parts of forty skeletons of fossil whales, in the desert of
Atacama, two miles south of Los Lobos ; some of the ver-
tebrae being from twelve to eighteen inches in diameter.

STATED MEETING, March 23.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Annual Report of the State" Geologist of Michigan, 1840, by

Dr. D. Houghton. — From the Author.
Discovery of Vauquelinite, a rare ore of Chromium, in the

United States : also an account of some genera and species

of North American Plants, by J. Torrey, M. D. — From the

Author.

Elements of Conchology; or the natural history of Shells,
by Thos. Brown. — From Dr. Morton.

On the morbid anatomy of the mucous and serous mem-
branes, by Thomas Hodgkin, M. D., 8vo. London, 1840.
Vol. I. — From the Author.

Report of the survey and exploration of the Coal and Ore
lands of the Alleghany Coal Company, in Somerset county,
Pennsylvania, by W. R. Johnson, A. M. — From the Author

6 [April. 1841.

STATED MEETING, April 6.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Twenty-eight geological specimens and organic remains
from Little Rock, Arkansas — From Dr. Engelman, of St.
Louis.

A fine specimen of Red pipe stone from Coteau de Prairie,
Sioux county. — From J. N. Nicollet, Esq.

Ten specimens of Minerals from Leiperville, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania. — From Mr. L. W. Williams.

Masonite, (new mineral) from Natic Valley, Rhode Island.
New red sandstone, with Gypsum, Tobique river, New
Brunswick. Chlorophyllite, (new mineral) Unity, New
Hampshire. Copper Pyrites and Tremolite, from a copper
mine at Warner, New Hampshire. Tertiary fossil shells,
from Westbrook, Maine, viz. : Astarte castanea, Saxicava
distorta, Nuclea Portlandica, Nuclea Jacksonii, (Gould) :
and a fossil tooth from the tertiary clay of Gardiner,
Maine. — Presented by Dr. Chas. T. Jackson.

A specimen of the Mason Spider, with its nests ; from the
south of France. — Presented by Jas. Saul, Esq. of New
Orleans.

donations to library.

A Second Memoir on the Laws of Storms in India. By Henry

Piddington, Calcutta, 1840. — From the Author.
Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, Vol.

VIII. Part II. (New Series.) — From the Society.
Voyage de F. Hornemann dans 1' Afrique Septentrionale, Svo,

Paris, ISO 3.— From the late Wm. Maclure, Esq. '
Ornithologie du Gard, et des Pays circonvoisins, par J.

Crespon, Svo. Nismes, 1S40. — From James Saul, Esq.
A Discourse on the Natural History of the Plants called

Graminese by W. Darlington, M. D. — From the Author.
Third Annual Report of the Geology of Maine, 1837, by Dr.

Chas. T. Jackson. — From the Author.

April, 1841.] 7

Second Annual Report of the geology of the public lands

belonging to Maine and Massachusetts, by Dr. Chas. T.

Jackson. — From the Author.
Report on the agricultural and geological survey of the

State of Rhode Island, by Dr. Chas. T. Jackson, 1S39. —

From the Author.
Systema Regni Animalis, by John Christopher Exleben ; et

Prodromus Mammalium et Avium. — Purchased by order

of the Academy.

Written Communications. — The Corresponding Sec-
retary read a letter from Henry Piddington, Esq., dated Cal-
cutta, July 26th, 1S40, in relation to the works presented by
him this evening : also a letter from Mr. L. W. Williams of
Leiperville, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, in regard to
the minerals presented by him this evening, and a proposed
exchange of specimens.

Verbal Communications. — Professor Johnson made some
remarks in relation to the apparent tendency of Anthracite
coal to assume crystalline forms ; and exhibited a specimen
of the rhombic form.

Professor H. D. Rogers observed, that in his explora-
tions of the coal formations of Pennsylvania, he found he
could trace this tendency to three mechanical causes, viz :
1st. to planes of deposition ; 2dly. to transverse planes or
joints ; 3dly. to faults.

By special permission, Prof. Johnson in the chair,
Dr. S. G. Morton made some observations on a mode of ascer-
taining the internal capacity of the human cranium, by means of
the tin tube and graduated rod, as described by him in Crania
Americana, page 283.

The materia] hitherto used by Dr. Morton for the purpose of
filling the crania, was white pepper seed, which was selected on
account of its spherical form, and the general uniformity in the size
of the grains ; in these respects, however, there is sufficient diversity
to occasion considerable variation in the results of several succes-
sive measurements of the same head, especially when taken by

-.-..

.ft -*►•-*

8 [April, 1841.

different persons. This variation was sometimes not less than
three or four cubic inches ; making it desirable to use some other
bodies in place of the pepper seeds. Dr. Morton then tried leaden
shot of the size called BB., measuring § of an inch in diameter ;
which being perfectly smooth and spherical, of uniform size, and
therefore not liable, like the seeds, to variations from packing, were
found to answer the purpose in every particular. In using the shot,
it is necessary to fill the skull completely, by shaking it, and by
pressing the shot down with the finger and the end of the funnel
introduced into the foramen magnum, until all the cavities and
sinuosities are filled. When this is accomplished, the shot being
transferred to the tube, will give the capacity of the cranium in
cubic inches, and with so much accuracy, that in six successive
measurements of the same skull, the results did not vary more than
half a cubic inch ; a degree of accuracy which has not been at-
tained by any former method. An experiment with the apparatus
was then made, in the presence of the members, which corroborated
the statements already made. Dr. Morton informed the Society,
that he was now engaged in ascertaining by these means, the ca-
pacity of the cranium, as indicative of the size of the brain, in the
different races of men, and will report the results for publication in
the proceedings of the Academy.

STATED MEETING, Apkil 13.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A specimen of Mountain Leather, from New Brunswick, N.
Jersey. — From Dr. L. C. Beck.

Five specimens of Belemnites Americanus; three of Terebra-
tula Sayi ; seven fossil bones ; the tooth of a Crocodile ; two
Shark's vertebras, from the green sand formation of New
Egypt, in N. Jersey. — From the Rev. James McFarland.

Two splendid specimens of the Phasianus Argus, (male and
female,) from India. — From Dr. George C. Leib.

A branch of the Auracaria Chilensis, from Chili. — From Mr.
J. Frampton Watson,

Apiul, 1841.] 9

donations to library.
Journal of the Asiatic Society, (Nos. 16, 17, 18,) for 1840.—

From Dr. Morton.
First Memoir on Porcelain Earths, by Alexander Brongniart.

— From Dr. Morton.
View of the soil and climate of the United States, by C. F.

Volney. Svo. Philadelphia, 1S04. — From Dr. Morton.
Bulletin of the National Institution. Washington, 1840. —

From the Institution.
Annual Report of the Geology of Maryland, for 1840, by J.

F. Ducatel. — from the Author.
Geological Survey of Michigan, for 1S39 and 1840, by Dr.

D. Houghton. — From the Author.
First and Second Annual Reports of the Geological Survey
of Ohio, for 183S, by W. W. Mather. — From the Author.

Professor Johnson offered some observations on the me-
chanical structure of Coal, with evidences of the contempo-
raneous origin of its various kinds.

The question of the identity and contemporaneousness of the
two great divisions of the coal measures of Pennsylvania, has
sometimes occupied the attention of geologists. A similar question
is occasionally agitated in Europe, in reference to the Anthracite
and Bituminous coal fields of that quarter of the world.

Among the arguments in favour of the contemporaneous deposi-
tion of the coal in the two regions, those which are derived from
the similarity of the accompanying measures or members of the
coal series in the two regions, and the resemblance or identity of
the fossil organic remains accompanying the coal in both cases, are
not the least weighty. The presence of large bodies of carbonate
of iron interposed among the coal beds in both coal districts, is an
analogous circumstance strongly corroborative of the opinion that
both varieties of coal were produced under circumstances at least
strongly resembling each other.

Another circumstance favourable to the supposed similarity of
circumstances which accompanied the deposition of anthracite and
bituminous coal, is the resemblance in mechanical structure of the
two kinds. This may, at the first enunciation, seem somewhat

2

i\

10 April, 1841.]

startling ; especially since the terms heavy, hard and tough, are
generally applied to the one, and light, soft and friable or tender, to
the other. It is nevertheless true, that strong mechanical resem-
blances exist ; and the more minutely we examine the two varieties,
the more shall we be impressed with the conviction of the import-
ance of the resemblance.

In the first place, the coal of all coal measures has a series of
partings parallel to the floor or bottom of the bed on which it rests,
and to the cover or roofing under which it lies. These are as dis-
tinct in inclined and vertical beds as in those which still remain
horizontal.

In the second place, the connection between the coal and its under-
lying slate, as well as with its top slate, is so definite and well under-
stood, that it serves to determine the true original position of coal
beds, which have been so far disturbed as to be turned nearly up-
side down ; of which examples are not wanting. These character-
istics are found in beds of both kinds of coal.

In the third place, there is most commonly a fracture or division
of the coal in some direction (which, for the same bed, is gene-
rally continuous,) and nearly at right angles to the planes of de-
position.

Fourth, a third series of divisions by vertical planes, called cross
partings, inclined to the last mentioned. This system of planes is
not always continuous throughout the bed, but varies in the differ-
ent plies.

The principal vertical divisions are known to miners by the
names of "cleats" or " slines," and sometimes by that of "grains."
The direction in which these run, seems to determine the manner
of working out the coal ; for in attempting to separate large masses
from their natural position by means of wedges, it is only in the
direction of the cleats that the separation can take place. In in-
clined beds, from which the coal is to be extracted by a slope or
rail-road laid down on the floor of the bed, it is a great convenience
to have the cleat lie in a direction diametrically across that of the
slope, or in conformity with the strike of the bed ; for then in run-
ning a drift from the bottom of the slope horizontally along the bed,
and afterwards carrying the workings upward, the cleat will always
face the miner, and he will be enabled to obtain heavy falls of coal
by undermining and wedging down.

April, 1841.] 11

In most bituminous coals, and in not a few anthracites, the
"cleavage of the laminae," or what I have chosen to call surfaces
of deposition, are sufficiently distinct, and afford ready partings to
separate masses into small pieces. In some of the harder anthra-
cites, however, these surfaces are nearly obliterated, being dis-
tinguishable only by different shades of black. The actual cleava-
ges of the coal, in such instances, seldom take place along the sur-
face of deposition ; but on igniting the specimen, we may generally
obtain partings in those natural seams. I exhibit an example in
coal of Hazleton.

The regular slines also, in anthracite, are sometimes so far ob-
literated as to be only developed by strong heat or partial combus-
tion. They are then shown by the thin, white, shining lamina? of
earthy matter, which mark two opposite sides of a lump of half
burnt coal.

The absolute direction of the cleat is very various. At the Lau-
rel Hill mines, in Hazle creek valley, it is believed to be about
north 80° east.

In some beds of coal which I discovered and examined on the
West Branch of the Susquehanna, it is due east and west by com-
pass.

In the Middleton mine coal, in the Northerly part of England, it
is from N. 20° West to N. 32° W.

The second, or " short cleat," in opposition to the " long cleat,"
which extends for great distances, is the cross parting already
spoken of, and not unfrequently runs perpendicularly to the direc-
tions of both the " cleavage of the lamina? and to the long cleat."
This is seen both in bituminous coals and anthracites.

Another circumstance to which I would refer, as indicative of the
similarity of origin and correspondence in character, between bi-
tuminous coals and anthracites, is the correspondence of the two,
in respect to the composition of the ashes of the two kinds. Silica,
alumina, oxide of iron, with small amounts of lime, magnesia, and
occasionally of oxide of manganese, are the ingredients of the ashes
of both the kinds of coal. The proportions vary, not only in the
different kinds of coal, but also in the several plies of the same bed,
both in the bituminous and anthracite districts. In the anthracite,
the diversity of composition is marked by the colour of the different
streaks after partial incineration.

12 [April, 1S41-

Another resemblance between the two kinds is that in the an-
thracite beds, spaces partially vacant are found to contain masses,
with a puffy aspect on the exterior, so strongly resembling coke,
that it might be difficult at the first glance to distinguish a fragment
of it from a piece of artificial coke. Natural coke is also found in
connection with beds of bituminous coal, especially where the latter
are in close proximity with primitive strata — as in the mines of
Virginia.

When coal contains a large proportion of earthy matter, and is
deposited in thin lamince, it will, in the state of anthracite, be found
to part with great difficulty in the direction of the surfaces of depo-
sition. It will then be seen to give fractures, developing a multi-
tude of small conchoidal surfaces, This is by the miners termed
bony coal ; and that it well deserves its name may be evinced by
its actually being so hard as sometimes to strike fire with steel.

Coal occasionally assumes the appearance of well defined rhombic
prisms and octaedra, occasionally with striated surfaces, in which
cases, though the cleavages be difficult and obscure, they are never-
theless practicable.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. MAY, 1S41. No. 2.

STATED MEETING, May 4, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A collection of Marine, Fresh-water, and Land Shells. From
Mr. J. S. Phillips, viz.:

Unio planilateris, U. viridis, Cardium lima, C. costatum, C.
flavum, Tellina, (3 species.) Solen diphos, Solen, (2 species.)
Cytherea mallaccensis, C. excavata, C. impar, Venus, (2
species.) Crassatella striata, Chama — , Pecten pesfelis,
Hinnites Poulsoni, Modiolus — , Isocardia Molktiana, Cucul-
Irea auriculifera, Area tortuosa, Cancellaria cancellata
Strombus fasciatus, Voluta scapha? Cassis coarctata, C
Massenre, Pleurotoma tenedo, P. marmorata, Trochus con
chyliophorus, C. indicus, Scalaria raricosta, Marginella —
Murex tenuispina, Fusus turricula, Conus imperialis, C
miles, Cyprsea picta, C. rufa, C. pulchella, Terebra Africana
Nerita luteostoma ? Argonauta hians.

The following species of Land Shells were presented by
Dr. Goddard:

Carocolla spinifera, Helecina orbiculata, Helix jejuna ? H.
appressa, H. concava.

14 [May, 1841.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Atlantic Journal and Friend of Knowledge. By C. S. Rafin-
esque. 8vo. Philada. 1832. — From Dr. Morton.

Transactions of the Maryland Academy of Science and
Literature. Vol. I. part 1, 8vo. Baltimore, 1S37. — From
the same.

Histoire des Vegetaux Fossiles, &c. Par M. Adolphe Brong-
niart. 4to. Paris, Nos. 5, 6 and 7. — From the same.

On the Bones of Birds discovered in the strata of Tilgate
Forest. By G. Mantell, M. D. 4to.— From the Author.

Third, Fourth, and Fifth General Reports on the Geology of
Tennessee. By G. Troosl, M. D. Svo. — From the Author.

Lettre sur le poulpe de l'Argonaute. Par M. de Blainville.
4to. Paris, 1S37. — From the Author.

Lettre sur la Generation des Insects. Par M. V. Audouin.
Svo. Paris, 1824. — From Dr. Morton.

Description of the Missourium, or Missouri Leviathan. By
Albert Koch. 12mo. 1841. — From Dr. Chaloner.

Anatomie des Coquilles Polythalmes siphonees recentes. Par
M. de Blainville. 4to. — From the Author.

Historia de la Conquista de Mexico, Poblacion y Progresos
de la America Septentrional : Escriviala don Antonio de
Solis y Rivadeneyra. 4to. Madrid, 1776. — From Dr.
Ruschenberger.

Verbal Communications. — Dr. Chaloner stated some facts
contained in a letter to him from Prof. Andreas del Rio, of
Mexico, in relation to an ore of Galena, containing ten per
cent, of Cadmium ; of which letter a translation will shortly
be presented to the Society.

May, 1S41.] 15

Dr. Morton (Professor Johnson taking the chair) exhibited
the embalmed body of an Egyptian Ibis, Ibis religiosa, which
was unwrapped by him in the Hall of the Academy, on the
10th of April, in the presence of many members and others.

This specimen was one of several sent to Dr. Morton by
George R. Gliddon, Esq., United States Consul at Cairo. It
was obtained at Saccara, and is probably two thousand five hun-
dred years old. The bird was enveloped in nearly one hundred
and fifty folds of the usual linen mummy-cloth, and was found to
be in perfect preservation; the head being extended downwards
between the legs, and the latter drawn up, with the toes pointing
outward: the feathers were generally uninjured, retaining much
of their original colour ; and it may be confidently asserted, that
this is one of the most perfect examples of the art of bird-embalm-
ing which has ever been submitted to the inspection of natu-
ralists.

The Ibis, [Ibis religiosa,) as a sacred bird, was fed and wor-
shipped in the Egyptian temples ; yet it is difficult to imagine in
what way they were obtained in such vast numbers as are now
found embalmed in the pyramids of Saccara. For example,
Pococke, who travelled in Egypt upwards of a century since,
expressed a fear that the embalmed Ibis would soon become
extinct, in consequence of the daily and wanton destruction of
the jars in which they are embalmed ; and yet travellers of our
own times assure us, after all this protracted devastation, that
thousands of these relics remain undisturbed in the pyramids.

The motive for worshipping the Ibis has been variously ex-
plained ; but the true cause was, no doubt, the appearance of this
bird (which is a native of Abyssinia) during the inundation of the
Nile, and its departure to the south on the subsidence of the
water; for the Egyptians rendered homage to every thing which
was connected with a phenomenon on which depended all their
hopes of health, plenty, and happiness.

Dr. Morton adverted again to the fact, mentioned at a former
meeting, that on first opening one of these Ibis-jars, the wrappings,
which were beautifully adjusted, were almost, if not entirely
colourless; but that in a short time they assumed the dark brown
colour which the bitumen usually imparts to the mummy-cloth.

16 [May, 1841.

Prof. Johnson suggested that the exterior wrappings might not
have heen originally saturated with bitumen, but that they had
been applied while clean to the mummy wrapped in the interior
saturated folds ; and that by slow, insensible transmission, the
clean folds had, with the volatilized bituminous matter, become in
a manner photogenic, and capable of being turned yellow by the
influence of light as soon as the jars were opened. He con-
ceived this explanation of the phenomenon by the known agency
of light on resinous and bituminous substances, more satisfactory
than that which had been previously offered, and which ascribed
it to the mere presence of air admitted on opening the jar. He
suggested that the latter explanation Avouid have had more plau-
sibility if the jar had really been hermetically sealed, and air
tight; which,- from its texture, being that of coarse unglazed
earthenware, and particularly from the covering of its mouth
being a still more coarse unburnt mortar, could not be presumed
to be the fact.

Dr. Goddard admitted the action of light, in explaining the
phenomenon in question ; but as he supposed the cloth to have
been originally of a yellow or brownish colour, such as it assumes
on being removed from the jar, he considered the presence of
bitumen not necessary to the change. He cited, in illustration,
the Cartoons of Raphael, which, having faded in a moderately
lighted room, were subsequently restored to their original colours
by exposure to the sun's rays.

Some further observations ensued on the action of light, and
its effects in bleaching resins.

May, 1841.] 17

STATED MEETING, May 11, 1841.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A gigantic Spondylns, from the Indian Ocean. — From Wm.
A. Foster, Esq.

Fringilla — , from South America. — From Mrs. George Cad-
wallader.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

First Report of the Geological Survey of the Province of New-
Brunswick. By Abram Gesner, M. D. 8vo. 1839. — From
Mr. Ashmead.

New Dispensatory. By Nicholas Culpepper. 12mo. Lon-
don, 1653.— From Dr. Morton.

History of the Expedition under the command of Captains
Lewis and Clarke to the sources of the Missouri, and thence
to the Pacific Ocean. By Paul Allen, Esq. 2 vols., 8vo.
Dublin, 1S17.— From Dr. Elwyn.

The same work, 4to., London, 1814. — From several Members
of the Academy.

Three Years travel through the interior parts of North Ame-
rica, for more than 5000 miles. By Capt. Jonathan Carver,
Svo. Philada. 17S4.— From Dr. Morton.

A Guide to the arrangement of British Insects; being a Cata-
logue of the named species hitherto discovered in Great
Britain. 2d edit. By John Curtis, Esq., F.L.S. 12mo.
London, 1837.— From the Author.

Character and description of a new genus of the Family Me-
lolonthidae. By John Curtis, Esq., F.L.S. 4to. London,
1835.— From the Author. ^.

Pi*** ^ '

H Any

18 [Mat, 1841.

Description of the Insects brought home by Commander James
Clarke Ross, R. N. By John Curtis, Esq., F. L. S. 4to.
From the Author.

Written Communications. — A communication was read
from Dr. A. Clapp, of New Albany, Indiana, in reference to
the Geological equivalents of that vicinity, as compared by him
with those described in the Silurian System of Murchison.

" The following fossils, which characterize the Wenlock Lime-
stone of Murchison, I have found in the Limestone of the Falls of
the Ohio: Favosites spongites, Retepora prisca. Acervularia
Baltica, Astrea ananas? Cyathophyllum turbinatum, Syringipora
reticulata, Calymene bufo.

"I have also observed, at the same place, the following group
of Wenlock fossils, which, however, are not characteristic of the
Limestone of the Falls : Catenipora escharoides, Syringipora
bifurcata, Stomatapora concentrica, Favosites C4othlandica,
Turbinalapsis bina, Strophomena euglypha? Atrypa prisca.
To Avhich I may add the following fossils of Goldfuss, which are
not found in the Wenlock Limestone, and some of them not even
in Wales: Cyathophyllum ceratites, C. vermiculare, and C.
helianthoides, Stomatopora polymorpha, Favosites polymorpha,
and F. basallica, Gorgonia infundibuliformis? the last being more
common in the latter formations. (Ludlow.) Besides the preced-
ing species, I have many Polyparia, and some shells of the Falls
Limestone yet undetermined. In the Limestone and Marls of
Madison and Hanover, in Indiana, I have identified two other
species belonging to the Wenlock shale, viz.: Terebratula
spherica? and Orthocera eccentrics.

The middle and lower strata of the Blue Limestone and Marls
at Cincinnati, and the lowest at Madison and Hanover, appear to
be equivalents of the Caradoc Group of Murchison, and contain
the following fossils: Orthis callactis, Calymene punctata, C.
Blumenbachii, Triarthus Beckii, Isotelus — , Pentacrinit.es prisca,
(Goldf.) This formation has very few Polyparia, but many
shells, which are different from any described by Goldfuss or
Murchison.

" The black bituminous slate that overlies the limestone at the

May, 1841.] 19

foot of the Falls, and is found in many parts of the western coun-
try, is probably the equivalent of the Marcellus Shale of New
York. This is an excellent landmark, as there is no other for-
mation in the west that can be easily mistaken for it. The situation
of this slate at the Falls has been misunderstood in some instances,
and described as underlying, or beneath the limestone.

"The dividing line between the upper and lower Silurian
groups, (Wenlock Shale and Caradoc rocks,) appears to have no
distinct lithological demarcation in our western formations; yet
this line will probably be found to occur in the upper series of
the Cincinnati and Madison Blue Limestones and Marls."

Mr. T. A. Conrad submitted a description of three new
species of Unio, from the rivers of the United States, viz.:

1. Unio perplicatus. — Obtusely subovate, very ventricose; rather
thick, with about 12 oblique, profound plica?, those behind the
umbo recurved ; ligament margin greatly elevated ; posterior
superior margin slightly concave, oblique, extremity truncated ;
epidermis blackish-brown, apex erobed ; within tinged with
purple; cardinal teeth direct, prominent, sulcated. (Length
2.4; height 1.3; diameter 1.9.)

This species is most nearly related to U. costatus, (Raf.) but
differs in being far more ventricose, and has very prominent urn-
bones, which are just the reverse in the costatus. The diameter
through the umbonial slope is profound.

2. U. nodiferus. — Obtusely subovate, ventricose, moderately
thick; surface with a few nodules about the middle of the
valves, and smaller ones near the ligament margin ; a slight,
not very wide, furrow extends from beak to base; posterior
margin approaching to a regular curve; beaks eroded; within
white ; cardinal teeth robust, prominent, direct, and profoundly
sulcated in old shells; epidermis chestnut-brown. (Length
2.1, 1.8; height 1.1, 1; diameter 1.6, 1.4.)

Approaches U. prasinus, but differs in being proportionally
longer, more convex, in having a brown epidermis, narrower
anterior side, and oblique posterior margin.

20 [May, 1841.

3. U. paralellus. — Oblong1, sub-rhomboidal, convex, moderately

thick, slightly contracted from beak to base ; hinge and basal

margins parallel, nearly rectilinear; posterior margin oblique;

extremity obtusely rounded; epidermis dark olive-brown;

within white; cardinal teeth oblique, double in each valve ;

cardinal area under the beaks almost obliterated. (Length

3.7; height 1.1; diameter 1.8.)

Some' conchologists may consider this to be a variety of U.
purpureus, (Say,) and as but one specimen has been received, I
cannot judge of the amount of difference which will obtain be-
tween the two species. I think the purpureus has never yet
been found nearly so far south-west as Louisiana; certainly,
after a long examination of the waters of Alabama, I was unable
to find it. The paralellus differs from purpureus in having a
white interior, in the obliteration of the cardinal area, in the regular
convexity of the valves, and in having a much larger accessory
muscular impression.

These three species are in the collection of the Academy: they
were sent from Jackson, in Louisiana.

STATED MEETING, May 18, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Helix Blandingiana ; St. Johns, Liberia. Area senilis ; same

locality. — From Dr. Wm. Blanding.
Fossil Aspergillum, from the Newer Pliocene of Palermo, in

Sicily : and Lutraria petrosa, (Conrad) from Vance's Ferry,

S. Carolina. — From Dr. Morton.

May, 1841.] 21

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Account of Voyages for making Discoveries in the Southern
Hemisphere. By John Hawkesworth, L.L.D. 2 vols.
Svo. Dublin, 1775. — From Dr. Morton.

Pharmacopoeia Officinalis Rrittanica. By Richard Stocker.
Svo. London, IS 10.

An Experimental Examination of the Pharmacopoeia Lon-
donensis. By Richard Phillips. Svo. London, 1S11. —
From Dr. Morton.

An Inquiry into the accordance of war with the principles of
Christianity. By Jonathan Dymond, with notes by Thomas
Smith Grimke. 12mo. Philada. 1832. — From Paul Beck,
Jr., Esq., per Dr. Goddard.

Portfolio Chiensis ; or a Collection of Chinese State Papers,
with a translation, and notes, by J. Lewis Shuck. Svo.
Macao, 1S40. — From the same.

Life Tables, founded upon the discovery of a numerical law,
regulating the existence of every human being. By T. R.
Edmonds, B. A. Svo. London, 1832. — From Dr. Morton.

Medical and Physical Memoirs, with an inquiry into the
nature of the Pestilential Epidemics of the United States.
By Charles Caldwell, M. D. Svo. Philada. 1811.— From
Dr. Zantzinger.

Written Communications. — Professor Johnson submitted
an examination and analysis of Coal found in the Province
of Arauco, coast of Chili, 30 miles south of Bio Bio river.

The sample of coal, of which the following is a description?
was collected by Mr. J. F. Watson, of this city.

22 [May, 1S41.

In exterior appearance it is nearly related to many of the
richest bituminous coals of this country and of Europe.

It is moderately compact ; thin shining lamina? are seen parallel
to the bed or plane of super position, but the greater part of the
mass is of a dull or pitchy black colour.

Its horizontal or depository surfaces are rather uneven ; vertical
sections in some p^rts smooth, in others, irregular; very little
indication of reediness is perceived. Portions of "clod" or vege-
table charcoal are occasionally met with.

Its specific gravity is 1.324.
At a temperature of 300° Fah. it loses of water 2.2 per ct.

Coked at a bright red heat it gives off of volatile

matter, burning with a brilliant flame, 27.8 "

It contains of carbon, not volatile by simple heat, 67.62 "
And when fully incinerated, leaves of reddish grey

ashes 2.33 "

100.

On being quickly exposed to a full red heat it becomes com-
pletely fused, and the original form and structure are entirely
lost. The coke accordingly belongs to that class which has
received the designation of "highly bituminous coal coke."

Carbon, Vol. matter. Ashes.

In composition this coal bears a strong
analogy to the Staffordshire Wed-
nesbury coal, which gives (Berthier) 67.5 30. 2.5

Clyde, near Glasgow, (also examined

by Berthier) 64.4 31.0 4.6

Karthaus, (analysed by VV. R. John-
son) 68.1

Vartey, 'three-quarter coal,' (Mushet) 67.9

Blandare Meadow coal, and at Pont-y-

Pool, (Mushet) 66.84

Risea,Big Vein, South Wales (Mushet) 68.016

Phelps vein, at Mynydyswdyn do. 68.00

28.8

5.1

29.6

2.5

29.16

3.0

29.15

2.834

30.00

2.00

May, 1841 ] 23

Carbon. Vol. matter. Ashes.

Dee Bank, near Holywell, (Mushet) 66.348 31.60 2.054

Porkgate, main coal, Yorkshire, do. 67.145 30.730 2.125
Northumberland, Tyne Works,

(Berthier) 67.500 30.00 2.50
Kidsgrove, North Staffordshire, seven

feet coal, (Mushet) 67.905 30.47 1.625
Green hole shaft, James river, Va.

(Geolog. Survey) 67.83 30.17 2.00

MEETING OF BUSINESS, May 25, 1841.

Vice President Wetherill in the Chair.

After various preparatory business, the Society proceeded
to ballot for Members and Correspondents, when the follow-
ing gentlemen were elected Resident Members:

Nathan Allen, M. D.
Charles Poulson, Jr. Esq.
Peter A. Browne, Esq.

The following Corresponding Members were also duly
elected:

William C. Redfield, Esq., of New York.

Oliver P. Hubbard, M. D., of Dartmouth College, New

Hampshire.
John Locke, M. D., of Cincinnati, Ohio.

24 [Mat, 1841.

J. W. Bailey, Esq., of the Military Academy of West Point.

Kev. J. P. Durbiri, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Major James D. Graham, U. S. Topographical Engineers.

Benjamin Silliman, Jr., Esq., New Haven.

James Saul, Esq., New Orleans.

op*?

R»r* -*•-«• V\^l

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.
Vol. I. JUNE, 1841. No. 3.

ORDINARY MEETING, June 1, 1841.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM.

A collection of Shells, embracing the following species, was
presented by D. J. C Jay, of New York, through Mr. Phillips,
viz :

Mactra similis? Cytherea chione, C. maculata, C. tigerina,
Venus pullastra, V. rugosa, V. decussata, and two other
species, Cyprina islandica, Artemis elegans, Capsa levi-
gata, Cardium muricatum, Anadonta anatina, Unio limo-
sus, Solen — , Mytilus — , Haliotis (2 species,) Bulla
zeylanica, Patella cochlear, P. monopis, P. oculus, P.
granatina, and 7 other species, Fissurella — , Helix — ,
Bulimus hsemastomus, B. taunaysii, Ampullacera avellana,
Ampullaria — , Neritina granulosa, Nerita — , Turbo
coronatus, T. radiatus, T. argyrostomus, T. concavus,
Trochus Cookii, and two other species, Pyrula Dussumieri,
Triton spengleri, T. succinctum, and one other species,
5

20 [June, 1841.

Ranella argus, R. bufonia, and one other species ; Murex
brandaris, Turbinella capitellum, Strombus lentiginosus,
S. Tankervillii, S. pugilis, Cerithium ebeninum, Purpura
consul, P. haustrum, P. heemastoma, P. hippocastanum,
P. succincta, P. ligata, Concholepas peruvianus, Bucci-
num moniliferum, Voluta elongata, Conus arenatus.

Struthiolaria nodulosa. — From Mr. B. H. Tanner.

Helix dentifera, H. subglobosa, H. intertexta, H. limatula,
H. minuscula, H. multidentata, H. egena. H. electrina,
and a nondescript Planorbis. — From Dr. Amos Binney of
Boston.

Elaps fulvius, S. Carolina. — From Mr. James Read.

Jantliina communis, with the animal, Sigaretus perspectivus,
also with the animal. Three species of Linnean cancer;
and a collection of fishes from the Gulf of Mexico. — From
Mr. F. H. Baker.

Achatina zebra. Venus tripla, and a Pholas, from Africa. —
From Dr. Wm. Blanding.

Scorpio, Rana, two gigantic beetles, and other insects and
reptiles, from Western Africa. — Presented by Dr. Johnson
of Liberia.

Three antique Mexican Idols, formed of baked clay. Presented
by Wm. Augustus Twigg, Esq. Also from the same gentle-
man, a Syngnathus from the Gulf of Mexico.

Dr. Morton deposited casts, in plaster, of the six skulls of an-
cient Peruvians obtained and brought to Europe by Mr.
Pentland.

Mr. Robert Pearsall presented seventeen additional chairs for
the use of the members.

DONATIONS TO THE LIBRARY.

Monograph of the Limniades, or Fresh water Univalve Shells

June, 1841.] 27

of the United States. By S. S. Haldeman. 8vo. Philad.
1841. No. 2. From the Author.

Stirpium rariorum minusque cognitarum in Sicilia sponte pro-
venientium descriptiones, nonnullis iconibus auctas. Auctore
Antonio Bivona Bomardi. 8vo. Panormi, 1813. From
Mr. Haldeman.

Report on the Geological Survey of New York, for 1840.

From Dr. L. C. Beck.
The Floral Magazine and Botanical Repository, 4to. Philad.

Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 5. From Mr. W. P. Gibbons.
Catalogue of Shells, arranged according to the Lamarkian

system, together with descriptions of new or rare species,

contained in the collection of J. C. Jay, M. D. 4to. New

York, 1839. 2 copies. From the Author.

Illustrations of Ornithology. By Sir William Jardine, and
Prideaux John Selby. 3 vols. 4to. Edinburgh. Presented
by Messrs. Poulson, Hembell, Elwyn, Wetherill, Vaux,
Ashmead and Morton.

Written Communications. — Mr. J. S. Phillips read descrip-
tions of two new American species of the genus Helix : viz.

Helix Bidentifera. — Testa convexa, depressa, corneo-lutea ; regu-
lariter et tenuiter striata, striis longitudinalibus, obliquis ; umbi-
licata, apertura compressa ; labro subreflexo, duobus dentibus
albis, rotundis, parvulis, in margine inferiore, instructo.

Shell much depressed, rather thin, epidermis yellowish horn colour
shining ; whorls six, rounded, with very numerous, raised, oblique
striae ; suture strongly impressed ; aperture compressed, con-
tracted by a groove behind the outer lip ; outer lip moderately
reflected ; within the edge of the aperture on the lower portion,
two fine rounded white teeth, one near the umbilicus, the other
nearly equidistant from the extremities of the outer lip ; umbili-
cus round, of moderate diameter, not encroached on by the outer
lip, well defined and deep ; base rounded, more convex than the

28 [JUNE, 1841.

upper surface, transverse diameter 2-5 of an inch, height 1-6 of
an inch. Brought from North Carolina by Mr. T. Nuttall.

This shell differs from all the known American Helices, in the
character of the two minute, well defined teeth on the outer lip,
while it is without a trace of a tooth on the pillar lip.
Helix lasmodon. Testa subelevata, centiculata, crassiuscula, urn-
bilicata, substriata ; apertura compressa ; labro acuto, uno vel
duobus dentibus lamellosis ; base rotundato ; colore albo corneo.
Shell moderately elevated, lenticular; rather thick; epidermispale
whitish horn colour, smooth, shining ; whorls eight, very faintly
and obliquely striated ; suture indistinct ; aperture compressed,
within a broad calcerous deposit, and one or two lameller teeth
following the direction of the whorls ; lip acute ; umbilicus mod-
erately large, rounded and deep ; base regularly rounded into the
umbilicus. Transverse diameter 7-20, height 3-20 of an inch.
Brought from Alabama by Dr. W. Blanding.

This shell resembles no other American species but H. suppressa
Say, and H. gularis Say, and from these it differs decidedly in the
well defined and deep umbilicus ; it differs from H. Epistilium, in the
smaller size, greater number of whorls, large umbilicus and lentic-
ular form.

Mr. T. A. Conrad read a paper descriptive of twenty-six
new species of Fossil shells, discovered by him in the Medial
Tertiary deposits of Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, viz. :

Venus.

Venus latilirata. — Trigonal, convex depressed, ribs concentric,
about 5 or 6 in number, flattened, reflected, irregular, one of
them generally very wide ; ribs irregularly sulcated on the pos-
terior slope ; inner margin finely crenulated. Smaller than V.
alveata, and with broader, less prominent ribs, which do not
diminish in size on the posterior margin.

Cytherea.
Cytherea subnasuta. — Trigonal, thin, ventricose ; anterior side nar-

June, 1841.] 29

rowed, slightly produced and subangulated at the extremity ;
surface with rather prominent concentric wrinkles ; posterior
margin obliquely arched ; beaks distant from anterior extremity,
and not nearly central; length 1 1-8 inch. Allied to C.
Sayana, but is proportionally longer, less ventricose, narrower,
and more produced anteriorly.

LUCINA.

Lucina Foremani. — Orbicular, ventricose, moderately thick ; sur-
face with irregular shallow grooves, and rather distant prominent,
striae, with intermediate fine, concentric lines ; posterior margin
subtruncated obliquely outwards ; beaks prominent, not central ;
hinge edentulous. Length 11-2 inch. Named in honour of a
zealous scientific young gentleman of Baltimore, Dr. E. Fore-
man.

L. subplanata. — Lentiform, convex, depressed, with prominent
acute equal concentric striae ; beaks central ; cardinal teeth
prominent. Length 3-4 inch. Very rare.

Cardium.

Cardium leptopleura. — Subtrigonal, ventricose; ribs about 31,
prominent, distant, angular, carinated ; umbo prominent, oblique ;
lateral teeth very prominent ; inner margin widely and deeply
crenate. Length 2 1-4 inches. Height 2 inches.

ASTARTE.

Astarte varians. — Trigonal, compressed, posterior side, cuneiform,
extremity acutely rounded ; umbo flattened, sulcated. Length
1 1-4 inch.

Var. A. Proportionally shorter, more convex, with numerous
concentric furrows.

Allied to A. perplana, but has a much deeper lunule, more
oblique teeth, narrower, and more produced posteriorly.

A. exaltata. — Obovate acute, convex ; umbo sulcated ; apex very
prominent ; lunule elongated and profound. Height and length
equal, 5-8 inch.

30 [June, 1841.

Lima.

Lima papyria. — Obliquely obovate, thin and fragile, inflated ; with
prominent radiating lines, distant towards the anterior margin ;
anterior margin angulated at base of the ear, truncated or slightly
concave below, and abruptly rounded where it joins the basal
margin ; ears small. Height 7-8 inch ; length 3-4 inch.

Arca.

Area subrostrata. — Ovate ; profoundly ventricose ; ribs about 30,
little prominent, flat, longitudinally sulcated ; posterior side pro-
duced, cuneiform ; rounded at the extremity ; hinge linear in the
middle, teeth obsolete, except towards the extremities ; within
slightly sulcated ; crenulations of the margin sulcated in the
middle. Length 2 inches.

&

Pleurotoma.

Pleurotoma Marylandica. — Fusiform, with spiral wrinkled lines ;
upper half of whorls of the spine concave, the lower convex, and
with oblique ribs. Length 2 1-2 inches.

P. bellacrenata.— Fusiform ; whorls much contracted below the
middle, with obsolete spiral lines, and crenate above the suture
and on the shoulder of body whirl; body whirl with five or six
strong spiral striae, and an intermediate fine line ; back finely
striated. Length 11-8 inch.

Trochus.

Trochus peralveatus. — Volutions 5 or 6, with each a deep groove
near the base ; space below the suture profoundly and widely
channelled ; upper margin of whirls acutely carinated ; base with
5 profound grooves. Length 1 5-8 inch.

SCALARIA.

Scalaria pachypleura. — Turritted ; shortjin proportion to its width ;
volutions 6 or 7, rapidly diminishing in size ; ribs very thick,
prominent, reflected, terminating above in prominent angles.
Length 5-8 inch.

June, 1841.] 31

Solarium.

Solarium trilineatum. — Depressed, conical ; whirls with obsolete
spiral lines, and fine transverse striae, an impressed line below the
suture ; whirls carinated at base; suture deeply impressed ; pe-
riphery carinated, and margined above and beneath by a carinated
line ; umbilicus profound, crenate on the margin, and with a
submarginal impressed line, striae radiating from the umbilicus,
becoming obsolete towards the periphery. Width 1-2 inch.

Infundibulum.

Infundibulum perarmatum. — Trochiform ; whirls convex, armed
with numerous erect foliated spines. Width 1 3-8 inch.

Allied to I. trochiformis, Lam. but is less variable in form, and
has larger spines.

FlSSURELLA.

Fissurella Marylandica. — Elevated, with numerous striae, alter-
nated in size and minutely granulated by fine crowded concentric
lines crossing them ; foramen large, regularly oval. Length 1
inch.

Closely allied to F. Griscomi, but is readily distinguished by
a much larger foramen, finer concentric lines, in not being late-
rally compressed, &c.

Dispot^ga.

Dispotaea ramosa. — Suborbicular, with broad prominent ribs, and
radiating, ramose, wrinkled and highly ornamental striae ; mar-
gin profoundly indented by the projecting ribs. Width 1 3-8 inch.
This species has been confounded with D. costata, but the
ramose lines give it a very distinctive character. Occurs on
James River, Virginia.

Cancellaria.

Cancellaria biplicifera. — Turretted, with thick longitudinal ribs,
and spiral rather distant impressed lines ; on the body whirl an
occasional intermediate fine line ; space below the suture widely
and deeply channelled; shoulder coronated ; umbilicus small ;
columella concave, and with two plaits. Length 11-2 inch.

32 [June, 1811.

C. engonata. — Short fusiform, with strong spiral prominent lines ;
and numerous longitudinal costae, not so distinct as the transverse
lines; spire scalariform, volutions, 4 ; columella with 3 plaits,
the middle one very oblique ; submargin of labium with promi-
nent transverse lines. Length 3-8 inch.

BoNELLIA.

Bonellia lineata. — Subulate, polished, with obsolete spiral lines,
distinctly visible only on the body whirl ; a spiral line margins
the suture at base of each volution, causing the suture to appear
profound ; this line is continued on the middle of the body whirl.
Very distinct from B. terebellata,* the deeply impressed suture
and smaller umbilicus distinguish it at a glance.

TuRRITELLA.

Turritella indenta. — Subulate, whirls about 15, contracted or in-
dented above the middle, and with obsolete spiral striae ; suture
profound, the lower margin obtusely carinated by the indenta-
tion ; the upper margin also subcarinated ; basal margin acutely
angulated ; base flat or slightly concave. Length 2 inches.

T. exaltata. — Subulute, profoundly elongated ; whirls convex, with
spiral striae ; base of each with a slight groove, and carinated
line which margins the suture ; waived longitudinal rugae robust.
Obtained only in fragments, but the spire tapers so gradually,
that the shell must have attained between 3 and 4 inches in
length by 1-2 inch in breadth.

T. perlaqueata. — Subulate, whirls convex at base, longitudinally
ribbed or fluted, with very fine spiral striae, most profound towards
the base of the large volution. Length rather more than 1-2 an
inch.

Marginella.

Marginella perexigua — Very small, obtusely ovate ; labrum pro-
foundly thickened, the margin minutely crenulated ; labium with
4 plaits ; spire depressed ; volutions concealed.

A small species, very much like a Cyprasa in form. Length
1-8 inch.

* Bulimus tcrcballatus, Lam.

Jttne, 1841.] 33

Polyparia

Astrea.

Astrea Marylandica.— Incrusting, very thin ; cells, unequal, sub-
pentagonal, margin acute and prominent ; radiating lamellae dis-
tant, about 12 in number.

Frequently incrusting the Pecten Madisonius on James river,
Virginia.

A. bella Incrusting, thick ; cells unequal ; pentagonal, rays nu-
merous, minutely and beautifully denticulated ; frequently alter-
nated in length. Near Newbern, N. C.

Lower Tertiary Fossils.

Cardium.

Cardium Nicolletti. — Cordate, ventricose, polished, with crowded
minute, impressed radiating lines ; beaks central ; summits very
prominent ; posterior margin nearly direct, slightly emarginate ;
posterior slope with larger striae than the disk, and muricated
with radiating rows of approximate, rather obtuse, slender and
prominent tubercles. Length 2 1-2 inches. Height the same.
For this splendid Cardium, I am indebted to my distinguished
friend J. N. Nicollet. It was found in green clay at 50 feet in
height on the right bank of the Washita river, Monroe county,
Louisiana.

Fusus.

Fusus pachyleurus. — Fusiform, thick, with spiral striae not very
distinct ; whirls of the spine concave above, convex, and with
obtuse ribs below, except upon the lower whirl which is entire ;
body whirl also destitute of ribs, abruptly rounded or subangu-
lated at base, ventricose ; beak long, thick, straight ; labium
widely reflected; channel contracted. Length 2 1-2 inches.

Presented by Mr. Nicollet : it is from the Lower Tertiary of
Alabama.

Professor Johnson made some remarks on the magnetic
phenomena attending the congealing of cast-iron.
6

34 [June, 1841.

To observe the time and degree of rapidity of resuming the mag-
netic power by a mass of melted iron, a bed was formed about 3 or
3 1-2 feet in length, 5 inches deep, and of the usual form for cast-
ing pig iron ; rounding at the bottom and 4 or 5 inches broad at
the top. The length of this bed was nearly in the direction of the
magnetic meridian.

A compass needle 3 inches long was placed near the northern
end of the bed, but a little to the east, and about 5 inches short of
the extremity ; another needle about 7-8 of an inch long, was placed
symetrically to the west side of the bed, and about the same dis-
tance from its southern extremity. Thus a line joining the centres
of the needles, would pass over the centre of the pig bed, and be
about nine or ten inches shorter than the latter.

The needles having come to rest, and their positions been noted,
the bed was filled with melted iron. A slight derangement of the
needles occurred while the ladle was near, during the pouring of
the metal ; but they soon recovered their previous position, as
soon as the ladle had been removed.

They were then carefully watched in order to detect the first
movements which should occur after the solidifying of the pig.

At the end of 20 minutes the metal being cooled down to a heat
which made it barely red in daylight, the first movements were
detected, slow and scarcely perceptible, but increasing in rapidity so
that at the end of two minutes, the divergency amounted to 8° ; in
4 minutes it had extended to 20°, the pig being nearly black ; and
in 20 minutes more, the divergency had attained its maximum of
22° from the original position. As the influence of the earth's
magnetism converted the northerly part of the pig into a north
pole, it of course repelled the north pole of the needle placed near
it, and attracted the south. The reverse taking place at the oppo-
site end of the pig, the north end was there attracted and the south
repelled. To ascertain whether any degree of permanent magnetic
force would be retained by the pig, it was thrown from its bed and
caused to make one-fourth of a revolution horizontally, so as to
bring its longest diameter into the magnetic east and west. In
this, position it exerted no power on the needle brought near either

June, 1841.] 3f>

extremity, but on reversing its position in the bed the end which
had before been a north pole was made a south one ; and vice versa .

Dr. Morton made some remarks on the Ancient Peruvians ;
that extraordinary people who preceded the Inca race, and
whose monuments show a remarkable advance in civilization
at a very early epoch.

" In my work on American skulls (Crania Americana,) I have
expressed the opinion that the heads of the ancient Peruvians were
naturally very much elongated ; and that they differed in this
respect from those of the Inca Peruvians, and other surrounding
nations ; and having given this opinion at a meeting of the Acade-
my prior to the publication of my work, I take this occasion to
renounce it.

In the American Journal of Science, for March, 1840, I have
already, in a brief note, adverted to this change of opinion ; and I
now repeat my matured conclusions in connection with positive
facts, derived from the work of a distinguished traveller and natu-
ralist, M. Alcide D'Orbigny.

This gentleman not only visited the elevated table-land of the
Andes, which was once inhabited by the ancient Peruvians, but he
remained a long time in that interesting region, and has collected
numerous facts in relation to the people themselves.

1. The descendants of the ancient Peruvians yet inhabit the land
of their ancestors, and bear the name of Aymaras, which was pro-
bably their primitive designation.

2. The modern Aymaras resemble the surrounding Quichua or
Peruvian nations, in colour, figure, features, expression, shape of
the head, (which they have ceased to mould into artificial forms,)
and in fact in every thing that relates to physical conformation and
social customs ; their languages differ, but even here there is a
resemblance which proves a common origin.

3. On examining the tombs of the ancient Aymaras, in the envi-
rons of the lake Titicaca, M. D'Orbigny remarked that those which
contained the compressed and elongated skulls, contained also a

36 [June, 1841.

greater number that were not flattened ; whence he infers that the
deformity was not natural, or characteristic of the nation, but the
result of mechanical compression.

4. It was also remarked that those skulls which were flattened
were uniformly those of men, while the heads of the women always
retained the natural shape, — the squared or spheroidal form which is
characteristic of the American race, and especially of the Peruvians.

5. The most elongated heads were found in the largest and finest
tombs ; showing that the deformity was a mark of distinction among
these people.

6. The researches of M. D'Orbigny confirm the statements
made at distant intervals of time by Pedro de Cieza, Garcilaso de
la Vega, and Mr. Pentland, and prove conclusively, what I have
never doubted, that these people were the architects of their own
tombs and temples ; and not, as some suppose, intruders who had
usurped the civilization, and appropriated the ingenuity of an ante-
cedent and more intellectual race.

M. D'Orbigny found temples from 100 to 200 metres in length,
facing the east, and ornamented with rows of angular columns ;
enormous gateways made of a single mass of rock, and covered
with bas reliefs ; colossal statues of basalt ; and large square tombs,
wholly above ground, and in such numbers that they are compared
to towns and villages.

My published observations go to show that the internal capacity
of the cranium, as indicative of the size of the brain, is nearly the
same in the ancient and modern Peruvians, viz. about seventy-five
cubic inches, a smallness of size which is without a parallel among
existing nations, excepting only the Hindoos.

M. D'Orbigny even supposes the ancient Peruvians to have been
the lineal progenitors of the Inca family; a question which is not
led Supposing this to be the fact, we may inquire how it
happens that the Incas should have so entirely abandoned the prac-
tice of distorting the cranium ; especially as this, among the Ayma-
ras, was an aristocratic privilege ?

I was at first at a loss to imagine how this singular elongation of
the head was effected ; for when pressure is applied to a spheroidal

June, 1841.]

37

head, as in the instance of the Chenouks and other tribes of the
Columbia river, the skull expands laterally in proportion as it is
depressed above ; whereas, in these people, the head is narrow
from the face to the occiput. It seems probable that this con-
formation was produced by placing splints or compresses on each
side of the head- from the cheek bones to the parietal protube-
rances, and another on the forehead, and confining them by rotary
bandages. In this way the face, in the process of growth, would
be protruded in front, and the head elongated backwards; while the
skull, in all other directions, could expand comparatively little.
These remarks will be more readily understood by reference to
the annexed outlines, which are taken from a cast of one of the
skulls obtained by Mr. Pentland.

Dr. Goddard suggested that the deformity observable in this
series of crania, might have been produced by the action of rotary
bandages alone, without the use of splints or compresses. Dr.
Morton admitted the possibility of this result in some of the heads,
but thought that in others there was satisfactory evidence of the
use of the splint or compress, especially on the os frontis.

38 [June, 1841.

Dr. Morton exhibited, in further illustration, six casts of heads
and three skulls of these people, all of which present the elongated
form in question. For further details Dr. Morton referred to his
Crania Americana, and to the beautiful and instructive work of M.
D'Orbigny, entitled " L'Homme Americain, considere sous ses
rapports physiologiques et moraux." These works were at the
same time placed on the table for inspection and comparison.

STATED MEETING, June 8.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Two mounted specimens of Tetrao coturnix, from the vi-
cinity of Naples. — From Dr. C. Arrott, through Dr. Wat-
son.

Chelonura Serpentina, or Snapper, from Fox river, Wisconsin ;
and Emys insculpta from Woodbury, New Jersey ; both
mounted specimens. Presented by Dr. Blanding.

DONATIONS TO THE LIBRARY.

Notes on the United States of North America, during a Phre-
nological vist in 1839-40. By George Combe. 2 vols. 8vo.
Philad. 1841.— From Dr. Morton.

Essayo Cronologico, para la Historia General de la Florida ;
desde el ano de 1512, que descubie la Florida, Juan Ponce

June, 1841.] 39

de Leon, hasta el de 1722. Escrito por Don Gabriel de Car-
denas. 4to. Madrid, 1723. — From Dr. Ruschenberger.

Verbal Communications. — Mr. Clay remarked that on ex-
amining a series of magnesian minerals recently received by
him from Europe, he finds that four species which are describ-
ed as new, and perhaps a fifth, exist in the United States,
but do not appear to have been hitherto recognised by our
mineralogists. These species are Agalmatolite, Kerolite, Pic-
rosmine, Picrolite and Metaxite. (Breithaupt.) Mr. Clay thinks
that all these minerals (of which, however, he regards the
two last as doubtful species,) except Picrosmine, are found in
Chester and Delaware counties, Pennsylvania. Mr. Clay pro-
poses to investigate this subject more in detail.

Dr. Blanding mentioned some facts in relation to the sur-
prising fecundity of the striped Bass, Labrax lineatus. He
obtained one of these fish which weighed 65£ lbs. and the
roes 4 lb. 6 oz. 2 dr. He found one hundred of the eggs to
weigh a grain and a half; and although one end of the con-
taining membrane had been ruptured, whereby some hundreds
were lost, the whole number of eggs must have been at least
2,248,000.

NEW BUSINESS.

The committee appointed at a former meeting to wait on
Mr. Rembrandt Peale in reference to a portrait of the late
Mr. Thomas Say, ordered by the society, reported that the
same was now completed, and would shortly be suspended in
the Hall of the Academy.

40 [June, 1841.

STATED MEETING, June 15,1841.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO THE LIBRARY.

Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 21 vols. 4to. — From Dr. God-
dard.

Essai sur les Refractions Astronomiques dans la zone torride.
Par A. de Humboldt. 4to Paris, 1808.— From Dr. Hallo-
well.

Review of the References to the Hortus Malabaricus of
Henry Van Rheede van Draakenstein. By L. W. Dillwyn.
8vo. Swansea, 1839. — From the author.

DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM.

Rhastezite and large Dodecaedral Garnets, from Lincoln
county, N. Carolina. — From Dr. Blanding.

Mineral Charcoal, from the Nesquehoning mine, in contact
with Anthracite; and magnetic iron ore with adhering
gangue, obtained three miles from Rockaway, Morris
county, N. Jersey. — From. Prof. Johnson.

Written Communications. — Professor Johnson submitted
the result of his experiments " On the relation between the
coal of South Wales and that of some Pennsylvania anthra-
cites."

Having received some time since a number of samples of the
coals used by Mr. Crane at the Yniscedwyn iron works in South
Wales, some pains have been taken to trace the relation of that
mineral to some of the many varieties of anthracite found in Penn-
sylvania. It was the first step in this inquiry to mark the relation

June, 1841.] 41

by external characters. These in the Welsh coal are, 1st. A struc-
ture often lamellated, and tending to separate on the surfaces of
deposition, owing to the quantity of carbonaceous clod which occu-
pies the dull seams between the bright plies of coal.

2d. The abundance and width of the reeds constituting the char-
coal deposits.

3d. The shining and polished surfaces occasionally presenting
themselves to view at some of the natural partings.

4th. The purplish tints of metallic oxide often observable on the
surfaces of fracture.

5th. The general colour is deep black, and either dull or shining
according as the ply which is examined belongs to the coal proper,
or to the carbonaceous clod partings of the seams.

The next circumstance worthy of attention in tracing the relation
of coals, is their specific gravity; and this in the Welsh anthracite
is from 1.336 to 1.372, not greater than that of many bituminous
coals.

The next circumstance worthy of attention is the quantity of
volatile matter, and this by the mean of two trials is 9.18 per cent.;
that on the anthracite containing most clod is 10.7, and that of the
more compact variety is 7.66 per cent.

Mr. Mushet makes it from 6.66 to 7.80 in the coals of the same
locality. Mr. Frazer analyzed a sample of the same coal, and
found 7.60 of volatile matter, 86.6 of carbon, and 5.08 of ashes.

The quantity of earthy matter in the Iniscedwyn anthracite,
according to the mean of 3 analyses of Mr. Mushet, is 3.578 per
cent. Adopting this for the proportion in the sample which yielded
10.7 per cent, of volatile matter, we have the solid carbon = 85.722
per cent, and in the other 88.762.

Among the Pennsylvania anthracite, that which according to the
observations of Prof. Johnson approximates most nearly to the
Inyscedwyn coal, is the coal of Lyken's valley, situated in the
northwestern fork of the southern coal field. This coal has all the
exterior characters of the Welsh anthracite ; containing in many
samples a large portion of carbonaceous clod, with well marked

7

42 [June, 1841.

vegetable impressions; and in colour, structure, and varieties of sur-
face, the two coals might readily be taken the one for the other.
Of nine samples analyzed by Prof. Johnson, the lowest specific
gravity was found to be 1.374, the highest 1.416, and the mean
1.390. The mean amount of volatile matter was found to be 8.067,
the highest being 11.854 per cent. ; the mean proportion of earthy
matter and metallic oxides is 4.46 ; and that of the fixed carbon
87.472 per cent.

From these data we derive the following comparisons.

Sp. Gr. Vol. mat. Carbon. Ashes

Inyscedwyn, lighter variety, 1.336 10.7 85.722 3.578

Do. heavier, 1.372 7.66 88.762 3.578

Mean of two, . = 1.354 9.18 87.242 3.578

Ly ken's valley, . 1.390 8.067 87.472 4.460

In distilling the Welsh anthracite, the first portion of gas which
comes over, burns with a pale blue flame, like that of carbonic
oxide, which is succeeded at a certain point of temperature by a
sudden outburst of carburetted hydrogen, burning with a bright
flame and some smoke, a quantity of bituminous matter being at
the same time evolved ; sufficient in one instance to close up the
narrow beak of the retort employed in the distillation. The coke
is perfectly anthracitous, and the angles of the fragments entirely
sharp and well defined.

The gaseous matter of the Lyken's valley anthracite also burns
with a brilliant flame, but no violent explosive development of it
was remarked.

Professor Johnson made some remarks on the recent appli-
cation of Anthracite, to the smelting of the magnetic, iron ores
of New Jersey.

This has been effected at Stanhope, on the line of the Morris
canal, 38 miles north-east of Easton, at which one furnace is now

June, 1841.] 43

in action ; another is nearly completed, a third is partly finished,
and the foundations of a fourth are prepared.

The ore used at those furnaces is mined at Irondale, 7 miles
eastward of the works, on the line of the canal, and is found to
yield in practice 65 per cent, of pig metal of a lively grey colour,
soft, and easily wrought, though not remarkably tough. The an-
thracite hitherto used is that from the Lehigh, chiefly from the
middle coal pit, and according to their experience hitherto, a decid-
ed preference is given to the Beaver Meadow coal. The hot blast
is employed at a temperature of 600 degrees and upwards. The
quantity of coal required within the furnace to make one ton of
iron is 22 cwt. ; that for heating the blast, about 4 cwt. The air is
delivered to the furnace under a pressure of 3 lbs. to the square
inch. The amount of blast furnished by the engine is 4071 cubic
feet per minute ; which as the furnace makes 8 tons per day, gives
a little more than 25 tons of air urged through the bellows for every
ton of iron produced. But the air heating ovens are supposed to
receive about one tenth of this amountv and nearly an equal portion
is believed to be wasted through apertures in the tubes leading to
the engines. If this estimate be correct, the quantity of blast
actually delivered to the furnace will be 20 tons per ton of pig
metal produced ; a quantity corresponding with what has been
found necessary both from theory and from experience in other
anthracite furnaces.

44 [June, 1841.

STATED MEETING, June 22, 1841.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO THE LIBRARY.

Address delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Boston Society
of Natural History, May 5, 1841, by J. C. Teschemacher.
— From the Society.

Flora of North America, arranged according to the Natural
System. By John Torrey and Asa Gray. 8vo. New
York 1841.

Third Annual Report of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh.
Session 1838-39. Edinburgh, 1841. — From the Society.

DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM.

Pleurotoma Australis, Solarium La3vigatum, Cyclostoma ,

and Trochus obeliscus. — From Capt. Land.

Monoceros lugubris. — From Mrs. Preston.

Fissurella ., Patella, two species, Tellina , Sanguin-

olaria — , Scutella digitata, S. dentata, from Liberia. — Pre-
sented by Dr. Blanding. The same gentleman also presented
two specimens of Jerbillus canadensis, a Mus and a Sorex
from Indiana.

Fossil crab, (Cancer, Lin.) in indurated sand, from the lower
beds of the Cretaceous formation of New Jersey. Found at
Little Egg Harbour, and presented by Mr. Edward Needles.

Written Communications. — The Corresponding Secretary
read a letter from Wm. C. Redfield, Esq., acknowledging the
receipt of a letter announcing his election as a corresponding
member. A letter of similar import was also read from Dr.
J. P. Durbin, of Dickinson college.

June, 1841.] 45

Verbal Communications. — Dr. B. H. Coates stated, that out
of about 20 stalks of bearded wheat, which he had recently
examined in Moyamensing, and which were selected as not
having been able to develop their seeds, the greater part pre-
senting the appearance called smut, he found all but two to
have the aspect of having been stung by insects, in the first or
second joint, generally the first. In all but four, the resem-
blance of a sting appeared to penetrate the cavity of the straw,
and the inside had the appeara nee of having been eroded, with a
perforation extending to the outside. Opposite to two of these,
on the outside, and under the sheaths of the first and second
joints, he found puparia, resembling those of the familiar Ceci-
domyia of Say. One of these was empty ; and the separa-
tion of the leaf sheath from the stalk, with a black streak,
pointed out a route by which the animal could have escaped.
These cases last enumerated corresponded with the verbal
communications of Miss M. A. Morris.

On the outside of another basal stipule of wheat, he found
two quiescent animal bodies, whitish, with dark spots, having
much of the general appearance of what is considered by Mr.
Say, the larva of the Cecidomyia. One of them in 24 hours
became of a pale brown and shrivelled ; and in two days more
developed a dipterous fly, which farmers said they should
have classed among the common destroyers of the wheat,
and which was exactly of the size of Say's figure, measuring
3-20ths of an inch in length ; but was of a paler colour, and
had setaceous antennse. Its general aspect resembled that of
a tipulide fly. After a partial inspection by a gentleman who
had bestowed much labour on Entomology, the impression was
received that it did not belong to the genus Cecidomyia; and
the specimen is kept for accurate examination.

Professor Johnson drew the attention of the society to the
atmospheric phenomena attendant on extensive conflagration ;
and stated on the authority of Dr. H. King of Washington

46 [June, 1841.

city, that the burning of the prairies in Wisconsin and Mis-
souri, is frequently, and almost immediately followed by rain.
This observation had been confirmed to Dr. King by other
observers ; and in the western country it had become a popu-
lar impression that a prairie-fire was the forerunner of rain.

Dr. Coates had met with a statement in Nichols's History
of Leicestershire, which bore on the same question; viz. that
in the reism of one of the Stuarts, orders were sent to a sheriff
of Staffordshire to discontinue the burning of Ferns during a
Royal progress, because the operation was usually followed by
rain.

Mr. Phillips adverted to the memorable hail-storm which
occurred immediately after the last great fire at Constantino-
ple ; the fact being fully authenticated by Mr. Walsh and
Commodore Porter. That rain is common in South America
after the burning of the Pampas, is familiar to meteorologists ;
and the attention of the members is especially solicited to this
inquiry, in order that a more extended series of facts may be
collected and compared.

MEETING OF BUSINESS, June 29, 1841.
Vice President Wetherill in the Chair.

REPORTS.

The Corresponding Secretary read his report for the last
month, which was adopted.

The Botanical Committee made the following report,
which was ordered to be printed in the Society's proceedings.

June, 1841.] 47

Hall of Academy, June 22d, 1840. — The Botanical com-
mittee having examined the collection of plants lately presented
to the Academy by Wm. Hembel, Esq., (being that portion of
the Herbarium of the late Prof. C. S. Rafinesque containing
the specimens from which the descriptions in his Medical
Flora have been made, together with other valuable European
and Oriental plants,) respectfully state, that they have found
them in good condition, and have accordingly proceeded to
incorporate them with the Herbarium of the Academy. They
suggest therefore that the thanks of the Society be presented
to Mr. Hembel for the same.

On behalf of the Committee,

R. Bridges,

W. S. Zantzinger,

G. Watson.

The Botanical committee reported that the portion of the
Society's Herbarium placed in the hands of Drs. Torrey and
Gray, of N. Y., for arrangement, has been returned, not only
in good order, but much improved by the addition of notes,
in the form of names, with references to the Flora of North
America, by Messrs. Torrey and Gray.

The committee on Mr. Conrad's paper on " New Species of
Medial Tertiary and other Fossils of the United States," re-
ported in favour of publication.

Dr. Morton announced that, agreeably to appointment, he
had prepared a Memoir of William Maclure, Esq., late Presi-
dent of the Academy ; whereupon it was on motion,

Resolved, That Dr. Morton be requested to read the said
Memoir on Thursday evening next, July 1, at 8 o'clock ; and
that the scientific bodies of the city be invited to attend.

Resolved, That the Memoir be read in the Hall of the
Academy, and that a committee be appointed to make the
necessary arrangements.

48 [June, 1841.

The following members constitute the committee : — Dr.
Goddard, Dr. Elwyn and Mr. Phillips.

The Society then proceeded to ballot for Corresponding
Members, when the following gentlemen were duly elected :

Edward Charlesworth, Esq., of London.
Francis Alger, Esq., of Boston, Massachusetts.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.
Vol. I. JULY, 1841. No. 4.

SPECIAL MEETING, July 1.

William Hembel Esq., President, in the Chair.

Pursuant to appointment at the last meeting, Dr. Morton
read " A Memoir of William Maclure, Esq., late President of
the Academy ;" whereupon, on motion of Prof. Johnson, it was
unanimously

Resolved, That the members of this Academy have listened
with deep interest and entire satisfaction to the discourse which
has just been pronounced.

Resolved, That the thanks of the Academy be presented to
Dr. Samuel George Morton for the able, faithful and eloquent
memoir of our late lamented President, William Maclure, this
evening read to the society ; and that he be requested to fur-
nish a copy of the same for publication.

Resolved, That Prof. Walter R. Johnson, John Price Weth-
erill, Esq. and Dr. Robert Bridges, be a committee to commu-
nicate to Dr. Morton the foregoing resolutions.
8

50 [July, 1841.

STATED MEETING, July 6, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO THE LIBRARY.

Fifth Geological Report of the State of Tennessee. By G.
Troost, M. D. 8vo. From the Author.

Documents relating to the Geological Survey of New York.
(No. 150.) 8vo. 1841. From Mr. Vanuxem.

Etwas uber die Natur-Wunder in Nord America. Von Charles
Cramer. 8vo. St. Petersburg, 1841. From the Author.

Description of an entire Head and other bones of the Masto-
don. By W. E. Horner, M.D., and I. Hays, M.D. 4to.
Philad. 1841. From the Authors.

Annales des Mines. Tome X VII. Received in exchange.

The Silurian System ; from the Edinburgh Review ; April,
1841. From the Author. (Anon.)

Written Communications. — The Corresponding Secretary
read a letter from Mr. Benjamin Silliman, Jr., acknowledging
the receipt of a letter announcing his election as a correspond-
ing member.

Verbal Communications. — Dr. Morton (Prof. Johnson taking
the chair,) made the following communication.

" I submit to the inspection of the members eight skulls of the
ancient Mexican race, for six of which 1 am indebted to Don J.
Gomez de la Cortina, and for the other two to Dr. John P. Macartney
of the city of Mexico. All these crania have been received since
the publication of my Crania Americana.

The skulls are of the following nations.
1. Otomies. — Four in number, with the high vertex, flat occiput,

July, 1841.] 51

great lateral diameter and broad faces, characteristic of the
American race. The Ottomies preceded the Tolticas, and were
the least cultivated of the demi-civilized nations of Anahuac.
The lam-est of these heads gives 92 cubic inches of internal
capacity ; the smallest, that of a female, only 67.

2. Chechemecan. — A single skull, of 83 cubic inches of internal
capacity. This nation followed the Toltecas in the possession of
Mexico in the 11th century of our era. They were nomades
and hunters, but rapidly acquired the arts and civilization of their
predecessors.

3. Tlascalan. — A single cranium. These people formed one of
the seven tribes who established themselves in Mexico during the
Chechemecan monarchy, and are renowned in history for their
warlike exploits. They are well known to have rendered Cortez
essential aid in taking the city of Mexico. This skull gives an
internal capacity of 84 cubic inches, and like the others of this
series, is remarkable for its diameter between the parietal bones.

It is worthy of remark that the average internal capacity of these
six authentic Mexican skulls, is precisely what I have accorded to
these people in my Crania Americana, viz. seventy-nine cubic
inches. The mean of the facial angle also accords with my previous
measurements, and gives 75°.

All these heads were obtained from tumuli or mounds, within the
territories of the nations whose names they bear, so as to leave no
doubt in the mind of the distinguished gentleman from whom I
received them, of their having pertained to individuals of those
nations.

The two remaining crania are supposed to be those of Aztecks,
who also belonged to the confederacy of the seven tribes, but were
the last to take possession. These were the people who subse-
quently obtained the supreme power, and under the name of Aztecs
or Mexicans, governed the country at the epoch of the Spanish inva-
sion, a. d. 1521. The Aztecks were a brave and intelligent people,
but remarkable for bloody rites, both in their warlike and religious
observances. They were less cultivated than the Toltecas, but

52 [July, 1841.

much more so than the surrounding barbarous tribes ; and appear,
in fact, to have been the connecting link between the two. The
largest of these heads gives 85 cubic inches of internal capacity ;
the smallest 77 ; the medium being 80 cubic inches. The configu-
ration of these heads is on the same model as the preceding series,
and the mean facial angle differs but a single degree.

Whoever will be at the pains to compare this series of skulls
with those from the barbarous tribes, will, I think, agree that the
facts thus derived from organic characters, corroborate the position
I have long maintained, that all the American nations, excepting
the polar tribes, are of one race and one species, but of two great
families, which resemble each other in physical but differ in intel-
lectual character."

STATED MEETING, July, 13, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

The following species of shells were presented by Mrs. L.
W. Say, through Mr. Phillips, viz:

Melania nupera, M. subglobosa, M. isogona, M. exilis,
M. undulata, M. annigera, M. conica, M. acuta. An-
culotus concolor, A. costatus, A. Kirklandianus, A. cari-
natus, Physa Sayii. Very fine specimens, chiefly from the
Wabash.

Chiton . new species ? from Chapman's Island, Pacific

Ocean. — From Dr. Ruschenberger.

July, 1841.] 53

Fusus lignarius. Trochus pharaonius, T. corallinus. Cyprea
arenosa, Conus mitratus. — From Mr. J. S. Phillips.

Kinixis denticulata ; (Hallowell) the Land Tortoise of Li-
beria.— From Dr. William Blanding.

DONATIONS TO THE LIBRARY.

Planches du Voyage dans la Basse et la Haute Egypte; Par
M. Denon. Folio. From Paul Beck, Esq.

Written Communications. — The following paper was read
from Mr. S. S. Haldeman :

Descriptions of four species of Cyclas, three of which belong to
the subgenus Pisidium : and two species of Cypris.

C. elevata. — Shell orbicular, cardinal tooth prominent, lamellar
teeth thick ; beaks elevated ; color brownish olive. Length 0.55,
height 0.50 in.

P. abruptum. — Shell olivaceous or chesnut, ovate ; beaks nearly
terminal, whence the outline slopes rather abruptly towards the
ventral margin. Length 7.5, height 6. diam. 4.5 millim. Hab.
Elk river, Maryland. The Rev. J. H. McFarland.

Obs. — Resembles P. amnicum, but the beaks are much more
nearly terminal.

P. diaphanum. — Shell ovate ; elongated, much inflated, texture thin ;
beaks considerably removed from the centre. Color pale ochra-
ceous. Length 5. height 3.5, diam. 2.5 millim. Hab. Brazil?

P. abditum. — Shell small, light ochraceous, ovate, rather elevated,

ventricose ; beaks in contract. Length 4. height 3. diam. 2.

millim. Hab. springs in Lancaster Co. Pennsylvania.
Cypris agilis. — Light ochraceous, height rather more than half the

length, base subrectilinear, height Ts-j millim.

Hab. ditches in Lancaster county Pa. (a)
Cypris simplex. — Light ochraceous, elongated,

nearly straight, both ends nearly alike; height

0.346 millim. Hab. springs in Lancaster

county Pennsylvania.(i)

54 [July, 1841.

A letter was read from Dr. Goheen, dated Monrovia, Africa,
April, 8, 1841. Dr. Goheen gives some interesting facts in
reference to the natural history of this region, and suggests the
importance of sending competent naturalists to explore its
numberless and extraordinary productions.

A letter was also read from Professor John Locke, of Cin-
cinnati, Ohio, in answer to the announcement of his election
as a corresponding member.

Verbal Communications. — Mr. S. S. Haldeman communi-
cated the following facts in Ornithology.

1. Falco peregrinus. — It is asserted in the works on American
Ornithology, that this bird builds its nest on trees, and not
in the clefts of rocks, as in Europe. So far as my observa-
tions have gone, this remark is incorrect, inasmuch as they
build in the cliffs which border the Susquehanna. This
species remains in Pennsylvania ten or eleven months of the
year.

2. Quiscalus versicolor. — Mr. Swainsonin the " Menageries,"
(p. 298 of the Cabinet Cyclopaedia.) describes the female of
this bird as a new species, under the name of Q. purpuratus.
I have shot the male and female together, carefully com-
pared them with his descriptions, and confidently assert, that
they belong to one and the same species.

3. Anser hyperboreus. — I have known but a single individual
of this species to occur on this part of the Susquehanna river,
(50 miles above tide water.) Wilson states that it is found
on the Delaware.

4. Cygnus Americanus. — Many flocks visited this part of the
Susquehanna about 15 years ago, during a continuance of
foggy weather, but they have not since appeared.

Dr. Coates exhibited specimens of larva? from the hollow of
the straw of wheat, in the upper joint, obtained from a locality
near Germantown, in which they were stated to be numerous.

July, 1841.] 55

No pupa) were observed by the collectors of these specimens
in the same plants, other than those of the common appearance
ascribed to Say's insect, and near the roots. None other were
found in the present straw, after a careful examination.

Other remarks were made, on the probability of several ani-
mals, not all yet identified, infesting the wheat in Pennsylva-
nia; on the beauty, learning and careful preparation of Mr. E.C.
Herrick's recent memoir ; on some interesting observations of
that gentleman ; on the effects of climate in varying the kinds
and diversity of destructive insects ; and on the influence
exerted by the age of the plant over the selection of a point of
deposit for eggs.

Dr. Coates in addition to a former verbal communication,
had observed the following.

Larvae apparently similar to those above mentioned, in
Blockley.

A body nearly the size of Say's pupa, of a pure, homo-
geneous straw colour, immersed in a depression of the
straw, beneath a pupa of the appearance of Say's, and
having, lower down than either of them, a round perfora-
tion extending into the hollow of the straw, with this cavity
eroded on the inside ; all from the third joint. This body
subsequently assumed markings, having the appearance of
the separation of a head, cases for antennae, and other
organization. Though this appearance of development took
place, and the subject was kept from June 23d to July 9th, no
fly had as yet been produced.

A very active larva, supposed to be of a lepidopterous ani-
mal, ll-20ths of an inch long, colour reddish black, with three
yellow streaks throughout its whole length, three anterior feet
clawed, and it is believed some of the posterior ; the animal
imperfectly observed from a wish to leave it but little disturbed.
Found in Blockley, June 23d, in the hollow of a wheat straw;
a round hole through which it could have entered, penetrating
the cell in which it was feeding, and also the leaf-sheath with-

56 [July, 1841.

out ; preferred its own cell to a fresh one ; devoured a part
which was quite dry ; about July 4th or 5th, closed the open-
ing of its cell with a mixture of dust of straw and a cement,
and besmeared it throughout great part of its extent with a
black substance ; remained quiescent and apparently feeble till
July 7th ; and between the 7th and 9th escaped, leaving a hole
of sufficient size for its passage in the paper cover of a bottle,
and no visible skin in its former abode.

STATED MEETING, July 20, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Monograph of the Lymniades of North America. By S. Steh-
man Haldeman. 8vo. 1841. — From the author.

History of British Zoophytes. By George Johnston, M. D.
8vo. Edinburgh, 1838.— From Dr. Morton.

DONATIONS TO CABINET.

A series of fourteen specimens of Unio quadrulus, showing the
growth of the shell at different ages. (Variety lachrymo-
sus, Lea.) U. lens, six specimens. U. siliquoideus, five spe-
cimens. Anodonta pavonia, three specimens. All in re-
markable perfection. — From Mr. J. G. Anthony, of Cincin-
nati, through Mr. Phillips.

Io spinosus, Tennessee. — From Dr. Troost.

Conus princeps, and three specimens of Helix Sayi, (Binney,)
from Mr. J. S. Phillips.

July, 1841.] 57

Written Communications. — A letter was read from Mr. J.
G. Anthony, in reference to the shells presented by him this
evening, with a proffer of further services.

A letter was also read from Prof. Del Rio, of the city of
Mexico, enclosing a communication from Mr. Joseph Mur-
guitro, describing a new mode of mining and blasting rocks.
Referred to a committee consisting of Messrs. Chaloner,
Booth and Lukins.

Dr. B. H. Coates stated that Miss Morris had seen a Tipu-
lide fly in the act of placing her eggs on or in a grain of
wheat. This fly and these eggs she had in good preservation.
On comparing it with Le Sueur's drawing, she could see no
difference, except that the antennae were not quite so long, and
that the small nerves of the wings were more clearly defined
and strongly marked. She had also found a flaxseed pupa in
the cavity of the straw, with no hole, crack or visible mark
where the larva could have entered. This pupa she has exa-
mined with a microscope, and she can detect no difference in
it from that on the outside. This too she has carefully pre-
served.

These important facts and specimens may, in the conviction
of Miss M., either prove her previous views correct, or that
there are two species of this destructive pest.

Mr. Phillips submitted the following memorandum, which
was read and ordered to be printed in the Society's proceed-
ings.

In consequence of inquiries from different persons of the date of
publication of the papers in the early volumes of the journal of this
Institution, I have searched for the numbers as published with
their original envelopes, bearing the date of the month of publica-
tion, and have been so successful as to find a complete series. As
the covers of the numbers are thrown aside by the binder, and very
few sets of the journal remain in their original form, I have pre-
pared a list of the dates, in order that naturalists may be at no loss
9

58

[July, 1841.

in future to determine the claim of originality to descriptions of
species, by the rule now most generally admitted, viz. priority of the
date of publication.

The date of publication of the monthly issues of the first volume
are printed in and bound up with the text.

VOL.

II.

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The remainder of the Journal is published in half volumes.

60 [July, 1841.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, July 27, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.

The Corresponding Secretary read a report of his proceed-
ings during the past month ; which was adopted.

The Committee appointed at the last meeting for business
to prepare a corrected list of Members and Correspondents,
reported that they had accomplished said duty; whereupon
250 copies of the list were ordered to be printed.

After various other business, the society proceeded to ballot
on the nominations of the last meeting of business, whereupon
the following gentlemen were duly elected Corresponding
Members :

Owen Williams, Esq., of Providence, Rhode Island.
George Johnston, M. D., of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Westley Johnson, M. D., of Liberia, in Western Africa.

NOTE.

In the list of Officers printed on the first page of the " Proceed-
ings," the name of the Treasurer of the Academy, George W. Car-
penter, has been inadvertently omitted.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. AUGUST, 1841. No. 5.

STATED MEETING, August 3, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO CABINET.

69 species of Reptiles, chiefly from Europe and Northern
Africa, presented by Messrs. Hembel, Johnson, Hallo well and
Morton, but chiefly by the first named gentleman, viz.:

1. Testudo Mauritanica.

2. Cistuda Europaea.

3. Kinosternon scorpioides.

4. Iguana tuberculata.

5. Platydactylus thecadactylus.

6. Platydactylus fascicularis.

7. Hemidactylus Mabouia.

8. Hemidactylus maculatus.

9. Spheriodactylus porphyreus.

10. Anolis punctatus.

11. Proctotretus Chilensis.

12. Proctotretus tenuis.

13. Agama muricata.

14. Agama spinosa.

9

62

[August, 1S41.

15. Bronchocela cristatella.

16. Calotes versicolor.

17. Calotes ophiomachus.

18. Calotes jubatus.

19. Ecphimotes tovquatus.

20. Polychrus marmoratus.

21. Ameiva vulgaris.

22. Ameiva Aubenii.

23. Lacerta viridis.

24. Lacerta mural is.

25. Lacerta stirpium.

26. Lacerta ocellata.

27. Lacerta taurica.

28. Eremias rubro-punctatus.

29. Cnemidophorus.

30. Cnemidophorus lemniscatus.

31. Sphenops frenatus.

32. Gongylus (Scincus) ocellatus.

33. Gongylus (Scincus) Bojeti.

34. Plestiodon Aldrovandi (Scincus.)

35. Eumeces Spixii.

36. Eumeces Mabouia.

37. Ablepharis Peronii.

38. Zonurus cordylus.

39. Acontias meleagris.

40. Calamaria acutiventris.

41. Psammophis sibilans.

42. Psammophis moliniger.

43. Lycodon hebe.

44. Coronella Merremii.

45. Coronella austriaca.

46. Coronella cobella.

47. Coronella rhombeata.

48. Herpetodrys fuscus.

49. Coluber viridi-flavus.

50. Coluber pantherinus.

51. Coluber quinconiatus.

52. Coluber viperinus.

53. Coluber constrictor.

54. Tropidonotus natrix.

55. Tropidonotus stolatus.

56. Tropidonotus saurita.

57. Tropidonotus schistosus.

58. Tropidonotus fasciatus.

59. Tropidonotus bipunctatus.

60. Vipera berus.

August, 1841.] 63

61.

Vipera arietans.

62.

Trigonocephalus cenchris.

63.

Naia haje,

64.

Elaps lacteus.

65.

Rana esculenta.

66.

Bufo variabilis.

67.

Bufo scaber.

68.

Bufo calamita.

69.

Hyla lateralis.

A species of Remora, from the Atlantic Ocean. From Dr.
Hallo well.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

A description of Recent Shells, arranged according to the

Linnean method, with particular attention to the synonomy.

By Lewis Weston Dillwyn, F. R. S. Svo. 2 vols. Lon-
don, IS 17. From Dr. Morton.
Remarks on the present state of the evidence in regard to the

Hessian Fly. By B. H. Coates, M. D. 12mo. 1S41.

From the Author.
Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Vol. IV.,

Pt. 1. From the Society.
Memoir of the Geological Survey of the State of Delaware.

By James C. Booth, A. M. Svo. Philad., 1841. From

the Author.

Mrs. L. W. Say presented, through Mr. Phillips, all the cop-
per-plates (6S in number} and the remainder of the printed
text and impressions of the plates of Say's American Con-
chology, viz.:

2 complete sets, one for the library and one for sale or
exchange.

No. 1, 12 copies with col'd plates.

No. 2, 1 1 do. do. do. do. 4 copies without plates.

No. 3, 62 do. do. do. do. 36 do. do. do.

64. [August, 1841.

No. 4, 72 copies with col'd plates. 70 copies without plates.

No. 5, 81 do. do. do. do. 12 do. do. do.

No. 6, 75 do. do. do.
No. 7, 2 do.

Also about 25 coloured impressions from S (each) of the
plates belonging to No. 6.

And about 200 coloured impressions from 7 (each) of the
plates belonging to No. 7.

Mrs. Say desires that the proceeds of this work, whether by
sale or exchange, may be appropriated mainly to the exten-
sion of the Academy's Library in this department of science.

The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from Mr. John
Pennington, Secretary of the Historical Society of Pennsyl-
vania, accompanying the volume of the Society 's Memoirs
presented this evening.

A letter was also read from Mr. Spencer F. Baird, of Car-
lisle, Pa., in relation to some objects of Natural History
brought from Arkansas, for the Academy, by Lieut. Carlton,
U. S. A.

Dr. Morton read another letter from Mr. Baird, in reference
to the habits of the Emys geographica, as observed in the
vicinity of Carlisle, in this state.

A letter was read from Dr. Elwyn, announcing that the
collection of Fossils belonging to the proprietor of the Hotel
at Trenton Falls, New York, was offered for sale, and sug-
gesting the propriety of some action of the Academy thereon.

NEW BUSINESS.

On motion of Mr. Phillips, Resolved, that the Committee on
the Proceedings be authorised to carry into effect the donation
of Say's American Conchology, received this evening from
Mrs. L. W. Say.

Unanimously Resolved, That the thanks of the Society be

August, 1841.] G5

tendered to Mrs. Say for her liberal donation of the edition
of Say's American Conchology, presented to the Academy
this evening.

STATED MEETING, August 10, 1S41.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Osservazioni sulla larve, ninfe, e abitudini della Scolia fiavi-
frons, del Carlo Passerini. 4to. Pisa, 1S40. From the
Author. '

American Journal of Science and Arts, Vol. xli., No. 1.
July, 1S40. From the Editors.

Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Nos. 19, 20, 21,
(New Series.) From the Editors.

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, for May
and June, 1841. From the Society.

First Book of Natural History, (Physiology and Animal
Mechanism.) From the French, by W. S. W. Ruschen-
berger, M. D. Philad. 12mo. 1S41. From the Translator.

A Voyage Round the World, including an Embassy to Mus-
cat and Siam, in 1835, 1S36 and 1837. By W. S. W.
Ruschenberger, M. D. Philad. Svo. 1838. From the
Author.

Three Years in the Pacific; including notices of Brazil, Chili,
Bolivia, and Peru. By an Officer of the U. S. Navy, (W.
S. W. Ruschenberger, M. D.) Svo. Philad. 1S34. From

« the Author.

60 [August, 1841.

Written Communications. — Miss M. A. Morris, of Ger-
mantown, Pennsylvania, through Dr. B. H.Coates, submitted
the following "Observations on the development of the Hes-
sian Fly," dated August 6, IS41.

"Having completed a series of observations on an insect that
has for years destroyed the wheat in the neighbourhood of Phila-
delphia, I now beg leave to lay them before the Academy of
Natural Sciences, with specimens of the insect in all its forms,
from the egg to the perfect fly. To those familiar with Mr. Say's
description, accompanied by Mr. Le Sueur's accurate drawings,
given in the first volume of the Journal of the Academy, no doubt
can arise as to the identity of the male insect now presented with
the Cecidomyia destructor of Mr. Say; but the female differs
materially in colour, her body being entirely black or blackish-
brown ; and the wings are destitute of the hairy fringe so con-
spicuous in the male.

In the months of March, April and May, I have frequently
found the larva? feeding in the centre of the straw, from the root
up to above the last joint. They were then of a pale greenish
white colour, translucent, with an internal visceral green line ;
mandibles of a dark brown colour. At this early period the larva?
have frequently been so small that a magnifying glass has been
necessary to detect them,

In the present year, 1841, my observations were unavoidably
delayed until the first of June ; when I found that the larva? near
the root had left the inside of the straw, and become pupa? on the
outside, under the sheath. On the 20th of June, most of the
puparia were empty; and on agitating the wheat, swarms of flies
rose from off the grain, where they had been resting. I was for-
tunate in obtaining one of these while in the act of depositing her
egg on the grain. Thus interrupted, she placed six on my finger.
Three of these I have glued to the paper near her. When depo-
sited they were of a pale straw colour, and inconspicuous to the
naked eye, unless collected in numbers. On the same day, I found

August, 1841. J G7

larvae in the straw, generally above the last joint. They were
feeding in or near the joint, with their heads always downwards.
The wheat, which had to this time (June 20th) promised an
abundant harvest, began to shrivel ; and a practised eye could
detect, from the appearance of the grain, in which stalk we were
to look for the larvae.

From June 20th to July 10th, the flies continued to deposit their
eggs on the grain ; though on the last mentioned date but few were

DO O ' O

to be met with. By July 12th, the grain in this neighbourhood
was all reaped ; and on that day I had a sheaf of wheat placed in
the library, where I could with more accuracy watch the progress
of the larvae remaining in the straw. They continued to feed for
some days; when they became quiescent, fixed, themselves by
their mandibles in the joint of the straw, and with their heads
downwards, gradually assumed a chesnut brown colour ; the outer
skin becoming the puparium.

From a handful of infested straws placed under a bell glass, I
have the following results. Most have perished ; some have
passed into the pupa state in the centre of the culm ; a few of the
perfect insects I have liberated from the centre of the straw, by
opening a passage for them with my penknife ; and great numbers
have been destroyed by the Geraphion destructor ; two of which
I send with the Cecidomyia.

From the sheaf of wheat I have the following results. Many of
the larvae perished ; some became pupa? without change of situa-
tion ; and the flies continued to rise from the straw until the 31st
of July. Of these I succeeded in catching twenty-six. Five are
Cecidomyias, and the remainder are Geraphion destructor; some
of which are destitute of wings. A small number of pupae are
still to be found in the field in the stubble.

From this series of facts it might be presumed that the history of
this interesting and destructive insect was decided; but the state-
ments of observers whose information and accuracy cannot be ques-
tioned, prove discrepancies in its history that can only be reconciled
by supposing that there are two species under observation. The
species now presented will agree with Mr. Say's statement, that

68 [August, 1841.

" the perfect fly appears early in June, lives but a short time,
deposits its eggs and dies." The remainder of Mr. Say's history
must apply to that species which has been so frequently observed
to deposit its eggs on the leaf."

A letter was read by the Corresponding Secretary from
Major James D. Graham, U. S. A., dated July 30, 1841, ten-
dering his acknowledgments for his election as a correspond-
ing member of the Academy.

STATED MEETING, August 17,lS41.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Gardener's Dictionary. By Philip Miller, F. R. S., F. A. 7th
edition. Fol. London, 1759. From Mr. Phillips.

Report of the Secretary of War in reference to the construc-
tion of the Potomac Aqueduct. Svo. Washington, 1841.
From Col. Abert.

Written Communication. — A lettter was read from Owen
Mason, Esq., of Providence, Rhode Island, acknowledging
his election as corresponding member of the Society.

Dr. Morton (Dr. Coates taking the chair) made some re-
marks on the sutures of the cranium as connected with the
growth of the corresponding bones.

Headverted to the opinion long in vogue, that the chief use of the
sutures was to facilitate the process of parturition ; a theory which
is refuted by the fact that they exist in the skulls of all the ovipar-

August, 1S41.] 60

ous animals as strongly marked as in those of the viviparous
class. That they give a certain increased facility to parturition
is unquestionably true ; but their more uniform function is to sub-
serve the growth of bones, which they do by osseous deposition
at their margins ; hence a suture in the cranium is equivalent to
the surface which intervenes between the shaft and epiphysis of
a long bone. The latter grows in length by deposition at its ex-
tremities, and the epiphysis disappears, like the suture of the
cranium, when the growth of the bone is completed.

Dr. Morton illustrated these views by means of the skull of a
mulatto boy who died when about eighteen years of age. In this
instance the sagittal suture is entirely wanting; in consequence of
which the lateral growth of the cranium has ceased in early in-
fancy, (no doubt when the suture became consolidated,) so that
the diameter between the parietal protuberances is less than 4.5
inches, instead of 5, which is about the negro average. The
squamous sutures, however, are fully open, whence the skull has
continued to expand in the upward direction until it has reached
the full vertical diameter of the negro, viz., 5.5 inches. The co-
ronal suture is also wanting, excepting some traces at its lower or
lateral extremities. The result of this deficiency is seen in the
very inadequate developement of the forehead, which is low and
narrow, but elongated below by means of the various craniofacial
sutures. The lambdoidal suture is complete, thus permitting of
posterior elongation ; and the growth in this direction, together
with the great vertical diameter already mentioned, has allowed
the brain to attain the bulk of seventy-seven cubic inches, or six
or eight inches short of the negro average-

The growth of the brain and that of the skull are of course con-
sentaneous; nor is it probable, that either could be developed
without the sutures : hence there is reason to believe that the
absence of these may be a cause of idiocy, by preventing the
growth of the brain, and thus impairing or destroying its functions.

Dr. Coates inclined to the opinion that, in cases similar to those
presented by Dr. Morton, the disappearance of the sutures was
rather to be regarded as a consequence than a cause ; and took
place, as in old age, because the necessity for further extension of

10

70 [August, 1841.

growth no longer existed, from the final cessation of enlargement
in the brain. Uniting with Dr. Morton in the belief that the office
of the sutures was to permit a more rapid development and
growth of the cranium, by allowing ossification to go on from
several centres at the same time, the bones of the skull, in this
respect, resembling the trunk and epiphyses of a long bone, Dr.
Coates inclined, at the same time, to the double belief that growth
and other changes took place, not at the sutures only, but through-
out the whole extent of a living cranial bone. The parietal bone
of a newly born infant was not mathematically of the same shape
with the central portion of that of an adult. Were the brain, in
one of the cases referred to by Dr. Morton, to acquire, by any
means, a further enlargement, it ought to be presumed, in the
present state of our physiological knowledge, that the bone would
enlarge to a corresponding extent ; and it would be therefore, in-
ferred that the ossification of the sutures would not limit the
growth of the brain.

This view Dr. Coates endeavoured to illustrate by a comparison
with the opinion of Mr. Serres, that the relative and successive
growth of the parts of the brain were a consequence of the relative
size of their arteries during the period of formation ; in regard to
which, he believed, physiologists were much agreed in the con-
clusion that the developement of a portion of the brain and of its
corresponding artery were coetaneous processes ; but that if any
priority in causation were to be allowed, it should be assigned to
the organ ; in consequence of the existence and comparative size
in outline of which, it became necessary, if the ability of the sys-
tem permitted, that a proportionate supply of blood should be
furnished to the part, through a vessel of a suitable size, in order
to aflbrd new materials for enlargement. Primary growth, he
imagined, took place in the interstitial substance, and that the
larger arterial branches, and even the capillaries were rather an
instrument or adjuvant than a cause. The formation of additions
to existing solids would thus resemble that of the primordiaof the
foetus, near which no vessels of the parent are observed, while the
vascular appearances are found to approach the newly organized
individual at a period subsequent to its formation.

August, 1S41.] 71

Dr. Coates called the attention of the Academy to the white-
ness, thinness, and semi-transparency of the specimen exhibited
by Dr. Morton, in all the lines usually exhibiting the sutures. This
he considered, not only as indicating the previous existence of
real sutures, but as corresponding with the views entertained, by
some late comparative anatomists, in regard to the analogy of
parts. He alluded to those who believe the analogous parts in
animal formations to exist to a very great extent indeed, although
composed of very diversified materials, and adapted to very dif-
ferent purposes in the various beings in which they exist.

ORDINARY MEETING, August 24, 1811.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO CABINET.

The Society received from the estate of the late William
Maclure, through the hands of his brother and executor
Alexander Maclure, a five feet Achromatic telescope, 3i
inches in the aperture, with two terrestrial and two celestial
eve-pieces, adjusting screw, &c. It bears the maker's name,
— " Lerebours, Quai de l'Horloge, a Paris."
To the Collection of Shells : Voluta pallida, Conus geogra-
phies, Turbinella craticulata. From Mr. Draper.
Bulimus multicolor (Rang) Brazil ; and a Helix, probably
nondescript, from the Bonin Islands. From Dr. Ruschen-
berger.
To the Mineralogical Collection : Fine specimens of lami-
nated Selenite, lamellar Sulphate of Strontian and Dog-
tooth Spar, from Lockport, N. York. Also, Specular Iron,
two specimens, doubly refracting Spar, and a gigantic
crystal of Calcareous Spar,— a hexaedron with truncated
angles, and weighing 27 lbs.; from Rossie, New York.
Alf presented by Mr. Ashmead.

72 [August, 1841.

Fossiliferous Chert, composed of organic remains ; radiated
nodular Iron Pyrites; Galena and Fossiliferous Limestone,
from the vicinity of Sunbury, Penn. And radiated An-
thracite from Bear-gap Mine, Dauphin County, Penn.
Presented by Prof. Johnson.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Journal of Boston Society of Natural History. Vol. 3, No. 4.
Svo. 1S41. From the Society.

Rpporton the invertebrate Animals of Massachusetts, compris-
ing the Mollusca, Crustacea, Annelidas and Radiata. By
A. A. Gould. Svo. Cambridge, 1841. From the Author.

Account of some Parhelia observed March, 1841. By A. D.
Chaloner, M. D. From the Author.

The New Harmony Disseminator, complete. From Mrs. Say
through Mr. Phillips.

Physiology and Animal Mechanism. From the French by
Dr. Ruschenberger. 2d edit. l2mo. From the Translator.

Calcutta Journal of Natural History. Conducted by John
McClelland. Nos. 1,2,3 and 4. Svo. Calcutta, 1841. From
the Editor.

The following works, which once formed part of the Li-
brary of the Knights of Malta, were presented by Mr. Thomas
Ryan:

R. P. Martini Becani Theologia Scholastica. 2 vols. 12mo.
Paris, 1617 and 1622.

Breve trattato de Cristo,de Emmanuele Santz. 4to. Catania,
1691.

Opere del Nicolo Causino. 12mo. Venizia.

Les Devoirs de l'Homme. Traduit du Latin de Pufendorf,
par Jean Barbeyrac. 12mo. Amsterdam.

Ordinanze Militari. 4to. Malta, 1777.

L'idea del Cavalier, mostrato nellavitadi Agostino Grimaldo.
4to. Messina, 1662.

De Vermaarde Reizen van Ileer Vincent le van Marsilien.

4to. 1654. Amsterdam.
Two Theological MSS. beautifully written, and bound in

Quarto.

August. 1841.] 73

Written Communication. — Mr. Speakman submitted
some views on the nature of Light and Heat ; which commu-
nication was referred to a committee composed of Dr. God-
dard, Mr. Lukens and Dr. Griscom. >

Verbal Communications.

Professor Johnson exhibited several specimens of crystalloid
anthracite and bituminous coal, and stated some of the circum-
stances which seem to determine the assumption by this mineral,
of certain figures, contrary to the assertion of many mineralogists
that it has no definite form.

The forms which anthracite occasionally presents are, 1. Ovoid,
which causes it, in breaking, especially when the fracture takes
place from long exposure to the atmosphere, to fall into spheroidal
masses with salient portions strongly reminding us of truncated
angles in ordinary crystals. This figure has often been observed
in one of the beds of anthracite found on Beaver creek; and a large
specimen furnished by Mr. Jacob Thomas of Beaver Meadow, was
exhibited, showing the truncated borders along the lines of separa-
tion in a very remarkable manner, and also displaying beautiful
iridescent colours. It was remarked that coal affecting this form,
is frequently found to leave a considerable portion of oxide of
iron among its earthy residue; but that the whole of the latter
was not usually a large per centage of the coal.

2. The next definite form mentioned as affected by coal, is a
radiated structure well characterized in several specimens from the
third bed, from the bottom of the formation at Bear-gap, Dauphin
county, Penna. This structure was likewise illustrated in a sample
of Welsh bituminous coal. The radiations generally proceed from
two points at no great distance from each other and forming two
sections of conical surface, unite at certain distances from their
points of departure into a single cylindrical section near the termi-
nation of the rays. The exterior of these radii is of a silky lustre,
striated, and sometimes interrupted by the interposition of frag-
ments of organic remains, in the state of fossil charcoal. Very
large stems are occasionally found with radiated, crystalloid an-
thracite adhering to the opposite sides, the directions of the
striae being on the two sides very nearly the same.

3. The rhombic hexaedron was exhibited in a well marked
specimen of anthracite adhering to its accompanying slate. Few
mineral forms are better defined than this mass of anthracite. The
angles can be determined with the goniometer with tolerable pre-
cision, liable however to the slight uncertainty arising from the
presence of organic bodies, tending to oppose the crystalline ar-
rangement.

74 [August, 1S41.

4. An octahedron with tolerably well-defined faces striated in
different directions on the adjoining sides, was exhibited, and the
circumstance of possessing- a large portion of earthy matter was
noticed, as belonging to many samples of coal which exhibit this
exterior aspect.

The presence of several well marked crystalloid forms being
thus established, Prof. Johnson adverted to the argument which
such forms had been supposed to furnish against the vegetable
origin of coal, and stated that in the very samples under examina-
tion were seen the most incontrovertible evidences of the source
from which not only bituminous coal, but anthracite also had been
derived. In one and the same specimen of the latter, were seen
mineral charcoal, natural coke, and true anthracite, indicating as
well the vegetable origin of all, as the process of formation, by
which the last two had probably been derived from the interme-
diate state of bituminous coal.

In accounting for the supposed impossibility of crystalline struc-
tures being formed out of organic matter, he observed that a dis-
tinction is to be drawn between organic elements and organized
substances, and that the former may often be so proportioned,
when derived by distillation, fermentation or other chemical re-
action from the latter, as to be capable of assuming definite figures.
The production of coal from vegetable bodies is supposed, on all
hands, to have resulted from a slow chemical decomposition of
the latter and the establishment of new orders of affinity between
the original constituent atoms. The carbon as well as the other
materials of vegetables was by this process reduced, at least in
part, to the condition of ultimate molecules, instead of being
merely mechanically divided into small particles. It would there-
fore be capable of obeying any law of movement which either its
own affinities or those of the earthy constituents which had en-
tered into the composition of the vegetables fiom which it had
been derived, might tend to impress. That it is the earthy con-
stituents which determine the forms assumed by coal, seems pro-
bable from the fact that the more earthy residuum of a particular
kind any coal contains, the more prone does it appear to be to
assume a crystalloid structure.

Reference was made, in this connexion, to those cubic, rhombic
and columnar structures which ofien occur in both anthracite and
bituminous coal, and which not unfrequently exhibit to the eye,
especially after partial incineration, the clearest evidence of a ten-
dency among the earthy ingredients to regulate the arrangement
of forms throughout the whole mass. Prof. Johnson also stated
that the result of a considerable number of analyses of the ashes of
coal, appeared to favour the presumption that the two principal con-
stituents, silica and alumina, are in definite proportion to each other,

August, 1841.] • 75

and may therefore have a power of assuming definite forms. The
oxide of iron in the ashes is commonly derived from the decompo-
sition of pyrites, while the lime and magnesia in the coal are pro-
bably in the state of carbonates, unless where the production of
sulphuric acid by the decomposition of the pyrites has converted
the former into gypsum and the latter into epsom salt. From
this latter play of affinities the carbonate of iron would be produ-
ced, and subsequently the sesquioxide, often seen covering the in-
terstices of outcrop coal and forming bog ore in the springs which
proceed from coal seams, the coal in the meantime retaining the
form impressed by the agency of the silicate of alumina, and hav-
ing a portion of its interstices or those of the underlying slates
filled up with crystallized sulphate of lime.

Admitting the justness of this view of the causes which produ-
ced crystalloid forms in coal, we have no more difficulty in ac-
counting for the number of different forms which it occasionally
exhibits than for the analogous variety in regard to other minerals ;
the carbonate of lime, for example, which, as is well known to
mineralogists, takes on a far greater number of distinct forms.

Prof. Bailey stated, that he had recently examined specimens
of Calcareous marl from the cretaceous formation discovered by
J. N. Nicollet, Esq., on the Upper Missouri, above the mouth of
the Sioux river. These specimens proved to contain fossil Fora-
minifera, (Polythalamia of Ehrenberg,) similar to those previ-
ously detected by Prof. Bailey in the calcareous portions of the
same formation in New Jersey and Alabama.

He also mentioned certain silicified wood found near Fredericks-
burg, Va., in the feldsphalhic sandstone, called by Prof. W. B.
Rogers " upper secondary sandstone." This wood is in a pecu-
liar state of preservation, the vegetable matter having been com-
pletely replaced by silica, without any filling up of the cells or
tubes. In consequence of this state of the wood, it is easy to
subject it to microscopic examination without the trouble and ex-
pense of forming polished slices. All that is required is to break
off thin pieces with the point of a knife and moisten them ; they
then show the most delicate markings of the tissue beautifully
preserved. The discs with concentric rings, and other characters
peculiar to Conifera, are so distinctly visible as to leave no doubt,
that this wood which is commonly called in Fredericksburg,
" Petrified hickory," is really fossil pine. In the same formation,
fossil plants of the family Cycadeas, have been detected.

76 [August, IS41.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, August 31, 1841.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Society proceeded to the transaction of private busi-
ness, after which the balloting for members and correspond-
ents took place, when the following gentlemen were an-
nounced as duly elected:

MEMBERS.

Isaac R. Jackson, Esq.

CORRESPONDENTS.

George B. Sowerby, Esq., of London.
Thomas M. Brewer, Esq., of Boston, Mass.
Francis Markoe, Jr., Esq., of Washington City.
John Lindley, Esq., of London.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. SEPTEMBER, 1841. No. 6.

STATED MEETING, September 7, 1841.

i

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO CABINET.

To the Mineralogical Cabinet. — Carbonate Lead, Washington
mine, Davidson county, N. Carolina ; Tetredymite, or Tel-
luric Bismuth Glance, Scharnowitz, Hungary ; and Tita-
niferous Iron. Received by the Curators in exchange.

Anthracite interstratified with charcoal, from Beaver
Meadow, Pennsylvania. — Slate with sulphate of lime,
Bear-gap. — Mineral charcoal with interspersed anthracite,
from Beaver, Luzerne County. — Stigmaria ficoides, Bear-
gap. — Anthracitized fossil wood, Nesquehoning. — Slate,
from bottom of slope No. 5, Beaver Meadow. From Pro-
fessor Johnson.

To the Cabinet of Shells, — Cypraa Tigris, C. Arabica, C. his-
trio, C. Lynx, Turbinella cornigera, Strombus lentigin-
osus, S. auris Dianas, S. pugilis, S. gibberulus, Pterocera
11

78 [September, 1841.

lambis, Terebra maculata, T. vittata, Oliva erythrostoma,
O. ventricosa. — Buccinum papillosum, Murex trequeter,
Ranella argus, Turbo argyrostomus, Cerithium obeliscus,
Trochus californicus, Haliotis Crachcrodii, Meleagrina
margaritifera, Spondylus spathaliferus. Presented by Mr.
Draper.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Laws of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, passed in the session of 1840. 8vo. Harris-
burg, 1840. From Mr. Wm. S. Vaux. (This volume
contains the act exempting the Academy from taxation.)

Written Communications. — A letter was read from Francis
Markoe, Jr. Esq. acknowledging the announcement of his
election as a corresponding member of the Society.

Mr. S. S. Haldeman submited " Descriptions of two new
Freshwater Shells."

Amnicola attenuata. — Shell very long and slender, with six
obliquely revolving, very convex turns, separated by a deep suture ;
aperture small, ovate, with the peritreme level and continuous, as
in Cyclostoma. Length A inch. Hab. a spring in Montgomery
Co. Virginia, connected with Roanoke river.

Obs. — Very like, but more slender than Cyclostoma lapidaria,
Say ; which I refer to this genus, as well as C. Cincinnatiensis,
Lea ; retaining for this species Mr. Anthony's specific name
Sayana, under which appellation the shells were distributed by
this gentleman. This substitution is necessary, because the pre-
viously described Paludina Cincinnatiensis, is an amnicola. Mela-
nia integra, Say, is an amnicola also.

Physa globosa. — Shell globose, translucent, spire very short and
rounded ; aperture very wide, occupying considerably more than
half the entire area of the shell ; fold well marked, whirls three.
Length i inch. Hab. mouth of Nolachucky river, attached to
submerged rocks, in the rapids.

September, 1841.] 79

Obs. — This species is a valuable acquisition to Malacology, as it
enables us to place the genus Ancylus among the Limneans, where
it has hitherto held but a doubtful place. Any one who has exa-
mined the animal of Ancylus, cannot have failed to observe its
similarity to Planorbis ; and some authors assert that it ascends to
the surface of the water to breathe air. This I doubted, because
the species with which I am familiar, inhabit the interior of bivalve
shells, or the surface of stones in rapid water ; whence it is impos-
sible for them to rise to the surface, and regain their previous
position. I hence infer that they breathe water, as well as the
Physa above described, inhabiting as it does, the middle of a river,
in rapids nearly two feet deep at low water, and without objects
rising above the surface. It is highly probable that air-breathing
Ancyli exist; and it is even possible that the same organ may be
adapted to the respiration of both air and water.

Verbal Communications. — Professor Johnson offered some
remarks on the specimens of Anthracite and Fossil charcoal
presented by him this evening. These observations are ne-
cessarily reserved for a future number.

STATED MEETING, September, 14, 1811,
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO CABINET.

Collection of exotic .Birds stuffed and mounted, presented
by Dr. James A. M'Crea, viz. :

Oriolus melanocephalus; Alcedo ispida ; Merops viridis, (2
specimens;) Psittacus Bengalensis; Fringilla Bengalensis;
Alcedo Smyrnensis ; Tanagra rubra ; Muscicapa ruticella ;

80 [September, 1841.

Fringilla cyanea ; Icteria dumieola; Lanius solarius;
Coracius na3via; Sylvia striata; Bucco cyanocollis; Stur-
nus ; Coblepyris .

Fossils from the vicinity of Sunbury, presented by Professor
Johnson, viz. : internal cast of a Productus, and three spe-
cimens of Juglandites, (Parkinson.)

50 specimens of minerals from Nova Scotia, presented by Dr.
Gessner, of St. Johns, New Brunswick, viz. : Stilbite, Thom-
sonite, Laumonite, Oxide of Manganese, Amethyst, Agate,
Mesotype, Jasper, Specular iron, Calcedony, Hematite,
Sulphate of Barytes, Magnetic oxide of iron, Chabasie and
Sulphate of lime.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Stockholm's Flora eller Korrt beskrifning af de vid Stockholm
i vildt tillstand forekommande Vaxter. Af Joh. Em. Wiks-
trom. 8vo. Stockholm, 1840. From the Author.

Report of an Examination of the Bear Valley Coal District in
Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. By Walter R. Johnson,
A.M. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1841. From the Author.

Written Communications. — A letter was read from Mr. W.
D. Newman, Secretary of the U. S. Naval Lyceum at Brook-
lyn, N. Y. returning thanks on the part of the Society for a
copy of the Academy's Journal presented to them.

A communication was also read from the Cav. Ferdinando
Tartini, Secretary of the Italian Scientific Convention, an-
nouncing the third Annual Reunion to take place at Florence
in September of the present year.

A paper was read from Dr. Edmund Ravenel, of Charleston,
South Carolina, in reference to some organic remains of Crus-
tacea, &c. discovered by him in the fossiliferous beds to the
west of that city, viz. :

September, 1841.] 81

"Description of two new species of Fossil Scutella, from
South Carolina, by Edmund Ravenel, M. D.

" Scutella Caroliniana. — Specific character : nearly round ; slight-
ly convex above ; posterior margin truncated ; ambulacra short, ellip-
tical, the two posterior slightly curved and nearly a third longer
than the others ; in a line with each there is an oblong perforation
extending almost to the margin ; between the two posterior ambu-
lacra, there is another perforation, longer than the others, and
more central, at the extremity of which, beneath, near the mouth,
is the vent. Mouth central ; diameter about six inches.

Scutella macrophora. — Specific character : sub-ovate thick ;
margin thick, truncated posteriorily ,° notched slightly opposite the
anterior ambulacrum ; more deeply, opposite the lateral, and still
more so opposite to the posterior ambulacra. Ambulacra elliptical ;
the posterior pair long, and gracefully curved, so as to give room
between them, for a very large irregular perforation, the margin
of which is considerably raised, extending to the centre of the
shell, giving the upper surface a remarkable elevation. The under
surface is flat, rather hollow, particularly near the opening ; mouth
anterior to the centre ; anus distant from the mouth one-fourth of
the space from the mouth to the posterior margin.

Diameter of large specimens nearly four inches.

These fine fossils are found in a calcareous deposite upon my
plantation on Cooper River, in St. Thomas's Parish, about 17 miles
from Charleston.

The limestone is granular, and remarkably adapted to the pur-
poses of calcareous manure.

In digging it out and spreading it on the fields, these fossils are
found in considerable numbers ; the S. macrophora is particularly
abundant and perfect. The S. Caroliniana is also abundant, but
from its size, and the number of openings in it, it is very easily
broken, and is only obtained in fragments. I have only one perfect
specimen and that is not quite 2} inches in diameter.

In examining these fossils in the light, the surface exhibits
bright chrystalline faces ; the material of the shell seems to have
become crystallized, since the destruction of the animal matter.

82 [Setpember, 1841.

It is perhaps remarkable that many of the crustaceous remains
in this deposit are well preserved, while the shells proper are for
the most part decomposed. A few specimens of two or three spe-
cies of Pecten, of one or two Ostrese, a Plicatula and a Balanus,
are occasionally met with, while imperfect casts of numerous spe-
cies are very common."

The calcareous deposit to which the preceding fossils belong, is
the newest cretaceous formation of Dr. Morton, who first described
its relative position and organic remains in his Synopsis, published
in 1834. Dr. M. supposed these beds to be of the same age of the
white chalk of Europe ; they are based on the ferruginous sand
strata in New Jersey, North and South Carolina, Alabama, &c. ;
and the two deposits contain a few fossils which are specifically the
same. In fact, the Eocene or lower tertiary, also embraces some
species of shells identical with those of the newer cretaceous ;
whence the latter beds, like those of the celebrated plateau of Maes-
tricht, may prove, as Dr. Mantell has suggested, to be a link
between the chalk and the tertiary beds, without being contem-
poraneous with either.

Mr. Quinby made some remarks on the mineral resources
and physical geography of that portion of Peru which em-
braces the eastern ridges of the Andes.

He alluded to the treasures which were secreted by the Peru-
vians at the epoch of the Spanish invasion, and which have never
yet been found, notwithstanding the continued search of the inhabi-
tants. But the river Chucabamba possesses natural treasures of great
value, for its sands are auriferous for several leagues above and
below the temple of the sun. The inhabitants procure it by cutting
the wool on sheep skins to half an inch in length, and then sinking
them in the rapids, and at the base of the falls of the river, in which
position the skins with the woolly side up, are suffered to remain
from six to twenty-four hours. They are then carefully removed
from the water, and turned wool side down into a batea or tub
of water ; the gold is thus washed out, and is collected without fur-
ther trouble.

September, 1841.] 83

Mr. Quinby adverted to the celebrated ruins of the Temple of the
Sun at Huanuco viejo, (Tiaguanico*) the Cyclopean fortress, — tbe
walls composed of enormous masses of square and oblong stones of
marble, greenstone and greenstone-porphyry, — all which, with their
bas reliefs and other ornaments, remain in a remarkable state of
preservation. These ruins, as is well known, date beyond the
dynasty of the Incas, to a people, however, of the same race, and
probably of nearly similar political and religious institutions.

Mr. Quinby crossed and recrossed the Andes twenty-four times,
at seven or eight different passes ; twice from Naranjal, (on the
gulf of Guayaquil, one degree and a half south of the equator,) to
the city of Cuanca, the capital of the province of Assuay, a little
south of Chimborazo ; and having spent more than two weeks at
the foot of the Peak of Raura, at least a thousand feet above the
line of perpetual snow, he pronounces it the most sublime spot he
has visited on the Andean range. Besides the Peak of Raura,
which he believes to be at least as high as Chimborazo, there are
innumerable smaller ones rising on the range of the Cordilleras, to
the north and south, having their bases resting on perpetual snow,
and throwing up their snow-clad apices into the pure and attenuated
atmosphere, almost beyond the reach of the Condor itself.

The largest and nearest of these peaks is that of Nueva Potosi,
the base of which approaches within one league of that of Raura ;
and the intervening space is occupied by the lake called also Neuva
Potosi, the surface of which is about 500 feet above the lower
limit of perpetual snow ; and as this line, within the tropics is not
less than 15,500 feet above the level of the ocean, the lake must
consequently have an elevation of 16,000 feet. The water of this
lake makes its escape by a subterranean passage on the western
slope of the Andes, and also gives rise to the river Haura, which
reaches the Pacific at Huacho, the celebrated salinas of the south-
ern hemisphere. Mr. Quinby also described the Lake of Raura,
one league north of that of Potosi, and giving rise to one of the
principal branches of the Amazon. Both of these lakes are the

*See page 36 of these Proceedings.

84 [September, 1841.

frequent receptacles of avalanches of ice and snow from the super-
jacent mountains, presenting the rumbling sound and tremulous
sensation of an earthquake, and forcing vast bodies of water over
the precipice to make their way by the courses of the Amazon to
the Atlantic ocean, a distance of five thousand miles.

STATED MEETING, September 21, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO CABINET.

Mr. Ashmead presented the following specimens for the
geological collection :

Bowlder of secondary limestone, containing many beauti-
fully preserved Cyrtocera, Orthocercc, &c, found on the
northern shore of Lake Ontario.

Asaphus Wetherellii, (Green.)

Platynotus Boltoni, (Conrad.)

Fucoides Harlani, (Conrad.)

Cariocrinus ornatus, (Say,) and the tail of Bumastus Barri-
ensis, (Murchison,) the head of a Platynotus, and several
varieties of Corallines.

Chrystallized fieldspar, from Rossie, New York.

A framed portrait of William Hembel, Esq., president of
the society, painted by Mr. John Neagle, was presented by
the following members : — Charles A. Poulson, Samuel George
Morton, John P. Wetherill, William S. Vaux, George W.
Carpenter, Thomas Fisher, Caspar W. Pennock, Alfred L.
Elwyn, Henry F. Leib, Thomas Nuttall, Judah Dobson,
Lardner Vanuxem, Robert Pearsall, Charles A. Poulson, Jr.,
Charles N. Bancker, Robert Bridges, James C. Booth, Paul B.
Goddard, Joseph Carson, Thomas D. Mutter.

September, 1841.] 85

Mr. J. S. Phillips read the following paper on the Nomen-
clature of Natural Science.

The confusion in the nomenclature of Natural Science, owing to
the number of synonymes with which it is burthened, makes it
desirable that some fixed rule should prevail, by which naturalists
mio-ht determine to whom to credit species, and what names shall
have priority. With a view to call the attention of the Academy
of Natural Sciences to the subject, I have thrown together some of
the opinions and arguments urged by different parties, in the hope
that eventually some definite rule in nomenclature may be generally
adopted.

In determining the right to names of species, the only two points
worth noticing, are, which description was first read before a
society ; or, which was first printed and published.

Now, the arguments that occur to me in favour of priority of
reading, are, that when the author has read his paper, and handed
it over to the society before which he read it, he has done all in
his power ; that it is then taken out of his hands, and he has no
control over the time when it is to be published ; and, that, because
his society, for whatever cause, delays the publication until another
naturalist has published it, it would be unfair that the former
should be deprived of the credit of his investigations, by circum-
stances over which he has no control, and that too, after having
done all that was in his power.

Another reason urged in favour of the first read description is,
that in referring to old descriptions, the date when the paper was
read is precise — the day when read being always one of the meet-
ings of the society, and printed in the journal or transactions with
the date, and therefore absolutely determined ; but the actual day
of publication not always so readily ascertained. In answer
to the first, it may be urged, that if merely reading a paper
secures the species, it will produce indifference as to whether it is
ever published or not ; and naturalists in general will be at a loss
*o know what has been done in the case ; while specimens will
remain unlabelled and unknown, because no one is particularly
interested in publication ; but if priority of publication be the stand-
12

86 [September, 1841.

ard, other naturalists would not be long at a loss to know what has

been done ; and as the rest of the community interested are a vast

majority, their convenience should have great weight in the matter.

And when the meetings are not open to the public, the reading is

still less a point to be depended upon, as the committee to whom

the paper is referred might retain it for months, and in some cases

years, and in the mean time numerous species be added to the

paper through the carelessness or connivance of the committee, a

long time after it was read, and perhaps after another naturalist

had published them ; and thus if the first read be the rule, a great

opportunity for trick and injustice be offered to the unscrupulous.

And even when the meetings are public, the author might borrow

the paper under pretext of verbal alteration or other excuse, and

then interpolate additional species. The same objections in part

hold good against the other argument in favour of the first read

description : the correctness of the date of publication may be

ascertained by all, but it is not so certain that the description of a

species was read on a particular evening.

The arguments in favour of priority of publication are, among
others, that it would be extremely unfair, that a man who has spent
months or years in searching for species abroad, and then perhaps
been at the expense of publishing them himself, should be deprived
of his hard-earned credit, by some one who has merely read a paper
of which the other could have no knowledge ; while, if he had known
that the Fauna or Flora of that district had been collected and des-
cribed, he would have made his researches in another quarter.

Another reason is, that by making mere reading the standard,
all who were not present at the time, or had access to the minutes
of the society, might remain for a long time in ignorance ; especially
as a paper might not be recorded until reported on by the commit-
tee, who might retain it for years when the volumes appeared at
long intervals : even the members of the society who were absent
when the paper was read, would remain at a loss to know whether
any particular species were described or not. In this way the
numerous specimens which are constantly scattered through va-
rious collections would remain a long time undescribed and

September, 1841. J 87

unknown ; as the possessors would be always in doubt, whether
some one else had not previously described them without publish-
ing: and thus the keeping up with the state of any department of
natural history would be impossible, as no one could know what
was doing in more than one or two societies. In the case of
societies holding their meetings with closed doors, the reasoning
applies with still greater force, as none but the members of that
society could have the chance of any knowledge of the matter.

There is also another reason for preferring priority of publica-
tion ; that many naturalists are working away quietly, exploring
sections of country around their places of residence, in remote and
unfrequented parts, who have no access to public institutions, and
whose only means of knowing what is done must be through the
press.

The great number of synonymes with which natural science is
burthened, is in great part owing to the want of a fixed rule in this
matter ; and it would seem that priority of publication would lessen
the evil, more than the rule of having been first read ; as several des-
scriptions might be read within a short time of each other, in
different places, by parties in ignorance of what is doing elsewhere ;
and then their various names be introduced into the nomenclature ;
but when once published, it is every one's business to know what
has been described, as the opportunity is offered to every one to
ascertain ; and if a description be made in voluntary ignorance, it
then could not stand.

And not among the least of the arguments in favour of priority
of publication, is, that of the two parties in the case, the describer,
and the public of naturalists who are to read the description, the
latter, being an immense majority, would find priority of publication
contribute greatly to the interest of science generally, in promoting
early publication, and preventing confusion by synonymy ; and to
individual convenience, in enabling those who choose, to keep close
up with the state of any branch of natural history. Now, as the
descriptions would not be written, if there were to be no readers,
the latter being so important a party in the matter, may take upon
themselves to decide what rule shall obtain in the premises.

88 [Setpember, 1841.

While on the subject of the nomenclature of natural history,
there is an evil which is growing so rapidly as to deserve notice;

That is, the custom when genera are sub-divided, or species
transposed from one genus to another, to credit the old species to
the naturalist who constitutes the new, or even modifies the name of
an old genus ; thus depriving the original describer of his species,
because it is associated with another series of species, or because
the termination of its latin name be altered to suit the altered gender
of the genus. In this way Linneus has been robbed of a large
portion of his labours ; not by Lamarck, for he appears to have
been superior to such littleness ; but by later naturalists, who have
credited the old species of Linnaeus, to Lamarck as an authority
and precedent for their own innovations and appropriations. When
fairly viewed, it can hardly fail to strike every disinterested mind,
that the credit of the original description of a species should remain
with the describer; he described the characters of a group, a spe-
cies, and whether that species belongs to one or another genus, his
description of its character must remain : indeed there is no show
of any attempt to change such description ; and if in the progress
of science, new divisions of genera, or translations of species
from one genus to another be found necessary ; then credit the
generic change to the constitutor of the genus, and the species to
its original describer, thus Planorbis Corneus. Lin. Lam. This,
besides being strictly just to all parties, would have the effect of
preventing useless and absurd modifications, by removing one of
the chief incentives — the having the name of the innovator tacked
to specific names.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, September 28, 1841.

Dr. Goddard, in the Chair.

The corresponding Secretary's report was read and adopted.
The committee on Mr. Haldeman's paper, " Description of

September, 1841.] 89

two new Freshwater Shells," reported in favour of publica-
tion.

The committee on Dr. Ravenel's " Description of two new
fossil species of ScutellaV' reported in favour of publication.

The committee on Mr. Speakman's memoir on Light and
Heat, reported in favour of depositing it in the library of the
Academy.

The committee on Mr. Phillips's communication, read at
the last meeting, on the claim to priority in the description of
new species, submitted a report, which was ordered to be
printed with the proceedings of this meeting.

The committee to whom was referred the consideration of the
views and suggestions of Mr. Phillips concerning the rights of
authors; and of the practice of changing original names to suit new
made nomenclatures, havingcarefully examined these interesting and
important matters, respectfully recommend the publication of Mr.
Phillips's communication in the bulletin of the proceedings of the
Academy ; and further, beg leave to submit to the Academy a few
brief remarks : —

In the opinion of your committee, the establishment of well-
defined, and readily understood principles, as bases of nomencla-
tures, especially as regards the priority of the rights of authors in
the history of nature, is most essential ; not only because it will
have a direct tendency to stimulate labourers in science to profound
investigation and research, and secure to them the harvest they
may achieve, and thence facilitate the acquisition of precise know-
ledge to all ; but it will likewise be eminently conservative of the
integrity and reputation of science itself amongst us.

It appears to your committee to have been conclusively under-
stood by many naturalists, from precedents established in scientific
institutions both in Europe and in this country — by usage, if not by
written law ; that the date of a printed publication, accessible to all,
to men of science as well as to others, announcing new discoveries,

shall fix and determine the right of priority; and hence names and
13

90 [September, 1841.

descriptions thus put forth, are entitled to and should receive the
sanction, and be adopted, throughout the scientific world.

In contradistinction to this, your committee are aware that there
exists an opinion, that an author might claim precedence, from the
time his discoveries were read before a scientific society, and with-
out reference at all to the time of printing or general circulation.
But this seems to your committee, a very uncertain and vague expe-
dient, the source of perpetual embarrassment and confusion; and much
of the retardation of the spread of knowledge maybe attributed to this
cause. Many societies issue their transactions through the press at
long intervals, months, even years, elapse before their discoveries
reach the public : thus, it seems to your committee, manifestly
unjust, that other collaborators should await such tardy enunciations
of scientific knowledge, and so hazard the loss of their labour, and
that too, by acts, even farther removed from their control, than are
the periods, or the means of publication of the transactions of such
societies, from the influence of their own members.

Your committee deem it inexpedient at this time to extend their
observations ; enough, in their opinion, having been adduced to
warrant their conclusion — that the most obvious and rational cri-
terion by which to test the merits of conflicting claims to originality,
is solely, the printed and published testimony.

In relation to that portion of Mr. Phillips's communication,
which alludes to the modifications and changes in the designation of
genera and species made in new nomenclatures, without assigning
credit, where it is justly merited, — thus wresting from the natu-
ralist the honour acquired by his oftentimes onerous and unrequited
toil, — your committee trust, that the Academy of Natural Sciences
of Philadelphia, will sustain them in an expression of decided dis-
approbation of a practice, so fraught with evil, doing injury alike
to science, and to its collaborators.

Edward Hallowell.

B. H. Coates,

C. A. Poulson.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.
Vol. I. OCTOBER, 1841. No. 7.

STATED MEETING, October 5, 1841.
Vice President Wetherill in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Horae Entornologicse : or Essays on the Annulose Animals.
By W. S. Macleay, Esq., F. L. S. Vol. 1, parts 1 and 2.
8vo. London, 1821. From Dr. C. Pickering.

Monographia Ruborum Suecise. Edidit Joh. P. Arrhenius.
8vo. Upsalia, 1840. From the Author.

Histoire Physique, Politique et Naturelle de l'lsle de Cuba.
Nos. 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25. Par Don Ramon de la Sagra.
Folio. Paris, 1841. From certain members.

Antiquedades Peruanas. Parte Primera. Par Mariano Edu-
ardo de Rivero. 4to. Lima, 1841. From the Author.

Annales des Mines. 8vo. Levraisons 4, 5, and 6, of Vol.
XVIII. Paris, 1840. From the Editor.
14

92 [October, 1841.

Memoire sur les Forameniferes de la Craie du Bassin de
Paris. Par M. Alcide D'Orbigny. 4to. Paris, 1841.
From the Author.

Amphibia Europsea ad Systema Nostrum Vertebratorum
Ordinata. Auctore Carolo L. Bonaparte. 4to. 1841. From
the Author.

Lamarck's Genera of Shells, with a Catalogue of Species.
Translated from the French by A. A. Gould, M. D. 12mo.
Boston, 1833. From Mr. S. S. Haldeman.

New Species of Shells, published October 5, 1841. By S. S.
Haldeman. 8vo. From the Author.

Remarks on the Abracadabra, or Dr. Hahnemann's Homoeo-
pathic Medicines. By William Leo Wolf, M. D. 8vo.
New York, 1841. From some Physicians of Philadelphia.

Written Communications. — Dr. Morton read a letter ad-
dressed to him by the Rev. John Bachman, of Charleston,
South Carolina, accompanying a communication on the Fauna
of North America, which was submitted to the Society for
publication, viz :

"Descriptions of New Species of Quadrupeds inhabiting
North America. By J. J. Audubon and J. Bachman.

Vespektilio monticola. Mountain Ba*.

V. Vespertilione subulata brevior ; auriculis brevioribus ; tragis non ex-
cedentibus dimidiam longitudinem auriculae ; colore fulvo.

Mountain Bat. Smaller than Say's Bat, (V. subulatus ;) ears shorter :
tragus less than half the length of the ear ; colour yellowish brown.

Upper fore-teeth bilobate, ears moderate, naked, erect, rather broad at
base; tragus linear, subulate, body small ; wings long; tail projecting, a
line beyond the interfemoral membrane, which is slightly sprinkled with
hair above and beneath.

Colour. The nose and chin are black ; ears, light brown; wing mem-
branes, dark brown. The whole of the fur of the body, above and beneath,
is from the roots of an uniform yellowish-brown colour.

This species differs from Say's Bat, not only in colour, but in its much
shorter ears and tragus. The size and shape of the tragus, we have found
an infallible guide in our American Bats; the ears of the present species,
when alive, are always erect, whilst those of Say's Bat are folded backwards
like those of the long eared Bats — Plecotus.

Dentition : Incis. * 2, Canines, * *•
6 1—1.

October, 1841.] 93

Length of head and body, 1 inch 8 lines.
" tail, 1 " 6 "

" spread, 8 inches 0 "

Height of ear, posteriorly, 3 "

" tragus 2 "

N. B. The tragus in Say's Bat is 4| lines in height. Several specimens
of this Bat were obtained during summer, on the mountains of Virginia, at
the Grey Sulphur Springs. They were very uniform in size and colour.

Vespertilio Virginianus. Virginian Bat.

V. (Virginianus) vespertilione monticula paululum longior, auriculis
paululum loncjioribus magisque acutis ; dentibus primoribus maxillae supe-
rioris simplicibus ; interfemorali membrana nuda; corpore supra fuligineo-
fusco ; subtus cinereo fuscato.

Virginian Bat. — A little larger than the Mountain Bat ; ears a little longer
and more pointed ; upper fore teeth simple ; interfemoral membrane naked ;
sooty, brown above, ash brown beneath.

Dental formula, incisors, ^ ^» Canines, * *•

6 1—1.

In size, this species is intermediate between Vespertilio Carolinensis, and
V. subulatus. The ear is naked, less rounded, and more pointed than either
of the other closely-allied species. The tragus is very narrow, linear, and
less than half the length of the ear. The tail is enclosed in the interfemoral
membrane, except the penultimate joint, which is free. The anterior upper
fore teeth, instead of being sub-simple, as in the (V. Carolinensis) or bilo-
bate, as in Ves. subulatus and Ves. montanus, are simple.

Colour. — The nose, upper lip and under-jaw are black; wings dark
brown. The back is sooty brown ; on each shoulder, at the insertion of
the wing, there is a circular black spot about four lines in diameter; on
the under surface, cinereous brown.

Dimensions —

Length of head and body, 2 inch. 5 lines.

Do. tail, 1 " 0 "

Spread, 8 " 8 "

Height of ear, posteriorly, 4 "

Do. tragus, If "

Habitat. Mountains of Virginia.

Remarks. — Say's Bat (Ves. subulatus) has been several times described.
It was first observed by Say, at the head waters of the Arkansas, within
sight of the Rocky Mountains. It was subsequently described by Richard-
son, who obtained it at the Saskatchewan It was given by Le Conte, in
McMurtrie's translation of Cuvier, under the name of Ves. Lucifugus. Pro-
fessor Green, in Doughty's Cabinet of Natural History, (vol. 2, fig. 270,)
gave a correct description of it under the name of Ves. domesticus. He,
however, erred in arranging it in the preface of his descriptions, under
Rafinesque's genus Nycticejus, to which it does not belong. The last notice
of it is found in Cooper's Monograph of Vespertilio, in the New York Lyceum
of Natural History. This species has a very extensive range. We obtained
it in the widely separated localities of Carolina and Labrador, during sum-
mer. The Ves. Carolinensis is found in autumn, winter and spring, in
Carolina; but appears to migrate northwardly in summer, and is at that
season common in the State of New York. The Ves. monticola and Ves.
Virginianus have not been met in Carolina or Georgia, and appear to be
Northern or Alpine species, and no doubt exist in the Northern States. The
Ves. Carolinensis may be easily distinguished from the other closely-allied
species, by the large size of the first upper incisor; the second which suc-
ceeds it being so minute as to require the aid of a good magnifier to detect it.

The genera of Bats have within the last few years been greatly multiplied,
in order to include the vast number of new species which have been accu-

94 [October, 1841.

ruulating in European museums. The last revision we have seen was by
Gray, of the British Museum, who has divided the bats into forty-eight
genera. The two species here described, belong to the genus Vespertilio,
as now restricted. It is characterised by having four incisors in the upper
jaw, in pairs on each side, near the canines, with a large, unoccupied space
between them. The only species as yet described in the United States, that
can be referred to this genus, are Ves. Carolinensis, Ves. noctivagans, Ves.
subulatus, Ves. monticola and Ves. Virginianus.

The existence of a Brown Weasel in America, which does not become
white in winter, has been doubted by some naturalists; and by others, the
species has been regarded as the Mustela vulgaris of Europe. Dr. Harlan,
(Fauna Americana, p. 61,) under the name of Mustela vulgaris, does not
appear to have described an American species. His description appears in-
tended for the common Weasel of Europe, which we think does not exist in
America. Dr. Godman, after giving figures of the Ermine, both in winter
and summer colours, considered the latter as the species improperly referred
to Mustela vulgaris of Europe ; and in accordance with the views of Charles
L. Buonaparte, the Ermine was regarded as the only species of American
Weasel. Dr. Richardson, (Fauna B>reali Americana,) under the name of
Mustela (Putorius) vulgaris, has described from specimens obtained by
Captain Bayfield on the borders of Lake Superior, and also from others
procured by himself at Carleton House, which he regarded as agreeing in
all respects with the European species. He concludes, by stating, that this
species, like the Ermine, "becomes white in winter." We had an oppor-
tunity, in the Museum of the Zoological Society of London, of examining the
specimens referred to by Dr. Richardson, and of comparing them with Mus-
tela vulgaris, and were satisfied that the species were distinct; yet, unless
he was in error in stating that the American species became whire in winter,
we are not certain that the species we are about to describe is identical
with the specimens he referred to.

Mustela fusca. — American Brown Weasel.

M. (fusca). Corpore inter Mustelam erminiam et Mustelam vulgarem in-
termedio ; cauda illius breviore, sed hujus longiore; apice nigro; vellere
supra fusco ; subtus albo.

American Brown Weasel. — Intermediate in size between Mustela erminia
and Mustela vulgaris ; tail shorter than the former, but longer than the
latter, with the extremity black ; brown above, white beneath.

The body is long and slender, but far more robust than that of Mustela
vulgaris ; the feet especially appear one-third larger, and mure thickly
clothed with fur, which completely covers the nails. The ear is a little
longer, and more pointed, than that of either the Ermine or common Weasel.
The white on the lower surface is not mixed with brown hairs, a3 in the
Mustela vulgaris, and not only occupies a broader space on the belly, but
extends along the inner surface of the thighs as low as the tarsus, whilst in
the Mustela vulgaris, the white scarcely reaches the thighs.

Colour. — The whole of the upper surface, to within three-fourths of an
inch of the tail, is of an uniform dark fawn colour. On the upper surface
of the tail, the hair is darker brown than the back, and its extremity is for
an inch nearly as black as that of the Ermine. In writing this description,
we have several specimens of the European Mustela vulgaris before us; and
the ends of the tails in that species are uniformly brown, with here and
there a black hair interspersed. Although the hair of the present species,
at the extremity of the tail, is black, like that of the Ermine, yet these hairs
are short and soft, and more like fur, and do not present the long and
coarse appearance of that of the former species. The whole of the
under surface is pure white; this colour does not commence on the
upper lip, as in the Ermine, but on the chin, extending around the
^Tes of the mouth, and by a well-defined line, along the neck, inner

Mustela

erminia.

M. v

ulgaris.

M. fusca.

inch.

lines.

inch

. lines.

inch, lines

iy, 11

7

7

0

9 0

4

6

1

9

2 9

6

2

2

1

3 2

rly, 0

2£

0

2

0 3

October, 1841.] 95

parts of the fore legs, the sides and the thighs, and tapering off to a point
at the tarsus. The white on the lower surface is not mixed with brown
hairs, as in the Mustela vulgaris, but extends lower down on the legs. Of
the colour of this species, in winter, we cannot speak with positive certain-
ty, but feel pretty confident that it is the same as in summer, and that it
does not (at least in the latitude of New York) become white in winter.
We, many years ago, kept several young Ermines in confinement, as well as
one of this species. The Ermines all became white in winter, although some
of them were not fully grown ; the present species underwent no change in
colour, but remained brown during the whole winter. On another occa-
sion, a specimen of a brown Weasel was brought to us in the month of
December, which had been caught in a trap. At that season, the Ermines
are uniformly white. A Weasel exists in the Southern States, and is found
as far south as the upper parts of South Carolina and Georgia. It has
always been represented to us as never becoming white in winter ; and
although we possess no specimens at present, we are inclined to regard it
as this species.

Dimensions of specimens before us, of the three species referred to above:

Length of head and body,
Tail vertebra?,
Including fur,
Height of ear, posteriorly, 0

The specimen of the American Brown Weasel, described above, was ob-
tained at Long Island, in the month of May.

We subjoin a description of another species of Mustela, which, although
recently made known to naturalists by Dr. Lichtenstein, of Berlin, who re-
ceived his specimens from the vicinity of the city of Mexico, was not
hitherto known to exist as far north as the locality from which we ob-
tained it. We agree with Swainson, Lichtenstein, Dr. Richardson, and
the most eminent European naturalists, that America divides itself into
three natural zoological boundaries : the first including our whole coun-
try from the farthest north, to the tropic of Cancer, where the tropical
forms commence, to be called North America ; the second, including the
Tropics, called Central or Tropical America; the third, South America,
including all that region lying south of 33 J south latitude. The southern
points of Florida and California will, in this case, be the southern bound-
ary of our North American Fauna. Our specimen was received from North
California about latitude 40°.

Mustela frenata. (Licht.) Bridled Weasel.

Mustela frenata. Licht. Darstellung neur oder wenig bekaunter saug-
thiere von Dr. Lichenstein, Berlin, 1827 — 1834.

M. (Frenata.) Vellere supra fulvo ; subtus albo-flavo; capite macula
consperso ; fronte fascia circumdata ; gutture albo.

Bridled Weasel. — Size of Mustela erminia; colour, fawn above, yellow-
ish white beneath ; ears and nose dark brown ; a spot on the head, a band
above the eyes, and the throat white.

Form. — In shape, this species bears a strong resemblance to that of the
Ermine. It appears to be somewhat shorter. The toes and nails are more
thinly clothed with fur; the ears are narrower and longer.

Colour. — The nose, sides of the face to above the eyes, and the ears are
dark brown: end of the tail black; a small spot on the head, between the
ears; the forehead, abroad line extending beneath the ears; the chin and
the throat white. The whole upper surface is a light fawn colour ; be-
neath, yellowish white.

Dimensions —

Length of the head and body, 11 inch. 6 lines.
Do. tail, 5 " 6 "

Do. to the end of hair, 6 " 4 "

Height of ear, posteriorly, 0 " 4 "

s

inch.

91

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96 [October, 1841.

AnvicoLAfulva. Glossy Arvicola.

A. (fulva.) Corpore longo ac tenui ; naso acuto; auriculis et pedibus
longis ; velleri tereti ac nitente ; supra fusca ; subtus cano-fusco.

Glossy Arvicola. — Body long and slender, nose sharp, ears and legs
long, fur smooth and lustrous ; dark brown above, hoary brown beneath.

Form. — This species presents more distinctive markings than any of our
American Arvicola ; its body is less cylindrical, and its nose less obtuse
than any of our other species; its ears are prominent, rising two lines
above its smooth, compact fur; its lower incisors are very long, and much
exposed and considerably curved; tail longer than the head, thinly cov-
ered with short hairs ; legs long and slender, giving the whole animal that
appearance of lightness and agility observable in the Mouse.

Colour. — Incisors, yellowish-white. The hairs, which are very short,
like those on the Pine Mouse of Le Conte, are at the roots on the upper
surface, plumbeous, broadly tipped with brown, giving it a bright chest-
nut-brown colour ; the hairs, on the legs and toes, are a little lighter ; on
the under surface, the colour is cinereous.

Dimensions —

Length of the head and body,

Do. tail,

Height of ear, posteriorly,
Length of tarsus,

The specimen was obtained in one of the South-western States; we be-
lieve Illinois.

Arvicola naauta. Sharp-nosed Arvicola.

A. (nasuta.) Arvicola Pennsylvanica longior; cauda. capite breviore ;
pedibus tenuibus ; calce brevissima; corpore supra ferrugineo-fusco ;
subtus ex cinereo et flavo variegato.

Sharp-nosed Arvicola. — Larger than Arvicola Pennsylvanica ; tail
shorter than the head; legs small, slender; heel very short ; the body,
above, dark, rusty brown ; a soiled yellowish grey beneath.

The head of this species is rather long, and the nose sharper than the
Arvicola in general. The lower incisors are long, and very much curved.
The body is less cylindrical than Wilson's Meadow-mouse ; the ears are
circular, sparingly hairy within and well covered with fur exteriorly;
whiskers shorter than the head ; tail thinly clothed with hair.

Extremities. — Legs covered with short hairs. The fore feet have naked
palms ; claws small. The tarsus is more than a third shorter than that
of the much-smaller Arvicola Pennsylvanica ; the fur on the back is also
shorter.

Colour. — Incisors yellowish-white ; the fur, from the roots to near the
tips, is greyish-black; the tips are yellowish-brown and black; giving it
a rusty-brown appearance. The legs and tail are light brown ; the chin
a soiled white ; the fur on the under surface of the body, is dark-cinereous
to the tips, where it is light-coloured.
Dimensions —

Length of head and body, 5 inch. 9 lines.
Do. head, 1 " 10 "

Do. tail, 1 « 2 "

From beel to point of nail, 0 " 6 "
For the sake of convenient comparison, we give the dimensions of the
largest of six specimens before us, of
Arvicola Pennsylvanica —

Length of head and body, 4 inch. 2 lines.
Do. head, 1 " 4 "

Do. tail, 1 " 6 "

From heel to point of longest nail, 11 "
We are not certain that this species may not have been indicated, al-

October, 1841.] 97

though not described, by Rafinesque, in the American Monthly Magazine,
under the name of Lemmus Noveboracensis. His descriptions, however,
in every department of natural history, are so short, vague and imperfect,
that it is impossible to identify his species with any degree of certainty.
They have created such confusion in the nomenclature, that nearly all
European and American naturalists have ceased to quote him as authority.
Dr. Richardson has, moreover, described an Arvicola from the Rocky
Mountains, which he has referred to the Noveboracensis of Rafinesque,
which differs widely from the above species.

Habitat. The specimen which we have described was obtained by Dr.
Brewer, near Boston. We received another from Mr. John W. Audubon,
who procured it at the Falls of Niagara. We have also frequently found
it in the northern parts of New York, where the Arvicola Pennsylvanica
also exists. It appears, however, not to be found as far to the south as
the latter species, as we have sought for it in vain in Pennsylvania.

Arvicola scalopsoides. Mole Arvicola.

A. (Scalopsoides.) Capite crasso ; naso obtuso ; vellere curio, molli,
bombycino instar velleri Talpre ; supra albo-fusco ; subtus plumbeous.

Head large, nose blunt, fur short, soft, silky and lustrous, like that of
the Mole. Colour, above, light brown ; beneath, plumbeous.

This species, of which we have obtained many specimens from Long Is-
land, and which is not rare in the vicinity of New York, is very distinct
from Wilson's Meadow Mouse. His diminutive figure in the 6th vol of his
Ornithology, is not very unlike this animal ; but his descriptions, both of
form and habits, which apply very correctly to Arvicola Pennsylvanica,
have no reference to the present species.

The head is thicker and much shorter than that of Wilson's Meadow
Mouse; the body cylindrical ; ears scarcely rising above the integument,
and completely concealed by the fur. The legs and tail are short ; the lat-
ter not as long as the head, and both are covered with very fine and short
hairs. The fur on the back, which is soft and fine, and not half the length
of Wilson's Meadow Mouse, has none of the coarse hairs which are found
in that species. On the under surface, the fur is very short, not more than
a line in length.

Colour. — The teeth are yellowish white; the fur on the back is, from the
roots, dark plumbeous, tipt with light ashy brown. This colour continues
uniform till it reaches the sides, where there is a distinct line of demarca-
tion, commencing at the chin and running along the neck and sides of the
thighs. The whole of this under-surface is of a light cinereous colour, the
hair being plumbeous at base, and so lightly tipt with white as to appear
in some parts spotted with dark blue and ashy white.

This species bears a strong resemblance to the Pine Mouse of Le Conte
(Psavnpmys Pinetorum,) which is also an Arvicola, than to any other. It
is, however, larger, differs considerably in colour, and is destitute of the
chestnut brown on the cheeks, which are the characteristic marks of that
species.

Length of the head and body, 4 inch. 0 lines.
Do. tail, 0 " 10 "

Do. head, 1 " 0 "

From heel to point of nails, 0 " 7 "

Mus humulis, (Bachman.) Little Harvest Mouse. Read before the Aca-
demy of Natural Sciences, 1837. Vide Jour. Acad. vol. vii.

Mus humulis. Corpore supra rutilo-cinereo et quoad baccas el Rneam
in utrisque lateribus ferrugineo : subtus flavo-albente.

Little Harvest Mouse.

98 [October, 1841.

Reddish gray above ; cheeks, and line along the side, light ferruginous.

Incisors, y Canines, -jg Molars, ^ j 16 Teeth.

Form. — Size about a third smaller than the house mouse. Head rather
broad ; eyes moderate, placed much forward ; nose much pointed ; ears
broad, extending a little beyond the hair, slightly furred without and along
the edges on the inner surface; legs short; whiskers reaching to the ears ;
tail a little shorter than the body, flattened on the sides, rounded above
and beneath, covered with a thin coat of very short hairs. Legs clothed
with soft hairs lying close and smooth. The fore feet have naked palms,
and four toes with a callous skin, protected by a very minute nail in place
of a thumb. The outer toe considerably shorter than the inner, the two
middle ones are nearly equal, the claws are slightly hooked ; soles of the
hind feet naked.

Colour. — Teeth yellow. Fur on the back plumbeous at the roots and
tinged with black and reddish gray at the tips ; cheeks, and a line along
the sides, light ferruginous. Under parts very light buff. Tail brownish
drab above, a little lighter beneath, nails white ; eyes black.

This little quadruped, the smallest of the genus at present known in our
country, has been obtained in several localities in South Carolina, and ap-
pears to be sparingly diffused throughout the whole State, except in the
mountainous districts. It is occasionally found in the vicinity of Charles-
ton, generally in grassy and shrubby fields, especially in the waste lands
covered with the brome grass (Andropogon dipitiflorus, ) of this country,
as also in the fields of crab grass, (Digitaria sanguinalis.) I have occa-
sionally found its nest among the long grass on the surface of the eartli
formed of the withered blades of various species of grasses, sometimes con-
taining a small store of the seeds of the several species of Paspalum, Digi-
taria and Panicum, especially of the Panicum Italicum. The specimen
from which this description was taken, was a little the largest of a great
number that I have at different times examined. It was a female, procured
on the 10th of December, containing four young in its matrix. I presume,
therefore, that they produce their young throughout a great portion of the
year, and are very prolific. One which 1 kept in confinement for several
months, refused animal food of every kind, and fed only on grains.
Dimensions —

Length of the head and body, 2 inches, 9 lines.
Length of tail, - 2 " 4 "

Height of ear, - 3 "

Mus (Calomys) aureolus. Orange Coloured Mouse.

Mus (aureolus) Auriculis longis ; cauda corpore curtiore ; corpore supra
aureo; subtus flavo-albente.

Mouse with long ears ; tail shorter than the body ; bright orange co-
loured above, light buff beneath.

Form. — This species bears a general resemblance in form to the white-
footed mouse. (Mus leuocpus.) It is, however, a little larger, and its ears
rather shorter. Head long, nose sharp, whiskers extending beyond the
ears. Fur very soft and lustrous. The legs, feet and heel clothed with
short, closely adpressed hairs, which extend beyond the nails. Ears thinly
covered with hair, which does not entirely conceal the colour of the skin.
Mammae four, situated far back.

Colour. — The head, ears, and whole upper surface is of a bright orange
colour; the fur being for three-fourths of its length from the roots, dark
plumbeous. Whiskers nearly all black, with a few white hairs intersper-
sed ; tail above and beneath dark brown. On the under parts, the throat,
breast, and inner surface of the forelegs are white ; the belly light buff.
There are no very distinct lines of separation between these colours.

Octobek, 1841.] 99

Dimensions —

Length of head and body, 4 inch. 3 lines.

Length of tail, 3 " 1 "

Length of head, 1 " 3 "
Length of ear posteriorly, 3 "

Tarsus including nail, 9 "

In symmetry of form and brightness of colour, this is the prettiest spe-
cies of Mas inhabiting our country. It is at the same time a great climber.
We have only observed it in a state of nature in three instances, in the oak
forests of South Carolina. It ran up the tall trees with great agility, and
on one occasion concealed itself in a hole, (which apparently contained its
nest,) at least thirty feet from the ground. The specimen we have descri-
bed was shot from the extreme branches of an oak in the dusk of the even-
ing where it was busily engaged among the acorns. It is a rare species in
Carolina, but appears to be more common in Georgia, as we received from
Maj. Le Conte, three specimens obtained in the latter State.

Note. — We have arranged this species under the sub-genus of Mr. Water-
house, proposed in the Zoological Society of London, Feb. 17th, 1837. (See
Transactions.) It is thus characterized. "Subgenus Calomys (from K*aoc
beautiful, and Mus.) Fur moderate, soft. Tarsus almost entirely clothed
beneath with hair. Front molar with three indentations of enamel on the
inner side, and two on the outer ; and the last molar with one on each
side. The type, Mus (calomys,) bimaculatus. Two other species have
been described from South America. Mus (calomys) elegans and graci-
lipes."

Arctomys fiaviventer Yellow-bellied Marmot.

Arctomys (fiaviventer.) Corpore supra flaveo subalbicante et nigro ;
capitis apice maximum in partem nigro ; corpore subtus flavo aureo ; baccis
flavis, quoad nasi orbiculum, labia et mentum albo ; pedibus fuscis ; cauda
ex atro fusca. Pilis omnibus ex fusco-flavo marginatis.

Yellow bellied Marmot.

Upper parts, grizzled yellowish white and black ; crown of the head
chiefly black ; under parts, deep yellow ; sides of the muzzle, yellow ; point
of the nose, tips and chin, white; feet, brownish yellow; tail blackish-
brown, all of the hair tipt with brownish yellow.

The fur on the back is greyish-black at the base ; on each hair there is
then a considerable space occupied by dirty yellowish-white, which is
gradually shaded towards the apex through brown into black ; tips of the
hairs yellowish-white ; hairs of the belly, greyish-black at the base ; hairs
of feet, many of them blackish at base ; cheeks, grizzled black and white ;
the former colour prevailing: a rusty brown patch on the throat, borders
the white hairs of the chin; whiskers moderate black; feet entirely naked
beneath.

This species is closely allied to the Arctomys empetra, which exists in
the northern part of our continent; but the feet are yellow, instead of
black, as in that animal; and the belly is yellow, instead of deep rusty-
red; aud the colouring of the hairs on the back consists of yellowish-
white and black, instead of rusty brown, black and white. The head is
narrower, the toes are smaller, and claws only half the length of the Arcto-
mys empetra.

Dimensions —

From point of nose to root of tail, 16 inch. 0 lines.
Tail to end of fur,
Heel to point of nail,
Height of ear, posteriorly,
Point of nose to ear,

15

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100 [October, 1841.

We detected this specimen in the collection brought by the late David
Douglass, and, by permission of the Zoological Society of London, were
enabled to describe it. It was brought from the mountains between Texas
and California, and is marked in their printed catalogue of 1839, Arctomys
flaviventer, No. 459, Bachman's MSS.

Sciurus lanigerus. Woolly Squirrel.

Sc. lanigerus. Pilis longis et lanosis ; cauda. crapa, villosa vixque dis-
ticha ; naso, auriculis et pedibus pene nigris ; vellere supra ex cinereo
fusco sub albicante ; subtus, ex albo fusco.

Woolly Squirrel.

Hair long and woolly ; tail, large and bushy, scarcely distichous ; nose,
ears and feet, nearly black ; upper surface, grizzled dark grey and brown ;
under parts, pale brown.

Form. — In size, this species is little less than the Fox squirrel, (Sciurus
capitratus.) The ears, in the two specimens which are before us, are de-
cumbent at the ends, as if the animal, in a living state, did not carry them
erect, as is the case with the squirrels generally; head short, ears large,
thickly clothed on both surfaces with short hairs ; feet and toes hairy to
the extremity of the nails.

Colour. — The incisors are dark orange on the outer surface. The whole
head, both on the upper and lower surface extending to the neck — the ears,
a spot behind the auricle, fore legs to the shoulders, and hind feet to above
the heel, black, with a few greyish-brown hairs intermixed. The long fur
on the back is, for half the length, light plumbeous, then a line of light
brown, and tipt with white and black. The hairs on the tail, in which the
annulations are very obscure, are, for one-third of their length, brownish-
black, then light brown, then brownish-black, and tipt with ashy white.
On the under surface, the hairs, which are short, are at the base light
plumbeous, tipt with light brown and black; the throat is light greyish-
brown.

The two specimens, which in other respects were very similar, differ a
little in the colour of the head ; one being lighter coloured, the head being
dark grevish-brown.

Dimensions —

Length of head and body, 11 inch. 11 lines.

Do. tail to end of hair, 11 " 0 "

Height of ear, posteriorly, including fur, 0 " 8 "
From heel to end of middle claw, 2 '' 6 <;

The specimens were obtained from the northern parts of California ; and,
from their long, woolly hair, have an appearance of coming from a cold,
mountainous region.

Sciueds mnsteliniis. Weasel Squirrel.

S. (mustelinus.) Cervice longissima ; cauda corpore longiore ; pilis
curtis, rigidis, compressis, teretibus ; omni corporis parte nigerrima.

Neck very long; tail longer than the body; hair short, rigid, adpressed,
glossy : the whole body jet black.

Form. — The usually long neck of this specie9, together with its long and
slender body, and smooth, lustrous hair, give it the appearance of some
species of weasel, which has suggested to us the specific name. The ears,
which are of moderate size, are nearly naked, there being only a few hairs
on the borders; feet covered with very short hairs, which only reach to the
roots of the nails. The tail, which is long, but not busby, is moderately
distichous.

Colour. — The hairs, in every part of the body, are from the roots to the
extremities, of an intense glossy black.

October, 1841.] 101

Dimensions —

Length of the head and body, 10 inch. 0 lines.

Do. tail, 13 " 0 «

From shoulder to point of nose, 3 " 10 "
Tarsus, 2 " 5 "

Height of ear, posteriorly, 0 " 6 "

The specimen was received from California, and has the appearance, from
its thin covering of hair, nearly destitute of the soft fur usually found in
the squirrel, of being a native of a warm climate.

Remarks.— This species differs widely from all the other varieties and
species of Black Squirrel in our country. It is destitute of the white nose
and ears of Sc. capistratus ; it has shorter and coarser hair than Sc. niger,
with none of the white tnfts invariably found in that species; and has a
smaller body, although a much longer tail, than Se. Auduboni, with none
of the white, yellow and brown annulations in the hair, which characterize
that species.

Scixtrvb ferniginiventris. Rust-bellied Squirrel.

S. (/erruginiventris.) Vellere supra ex albo-cinereo vario, subtus rufo ;
armis fuscis.

Rust-bellied Squirrel.

Light grey above, reddish-brown on the shoulders; beneath, bright
rufous.

Form. — This species, which is a little smaller than the Carolina Grey
Squirrel, possesses great symmetry of form, and, in shape, resembles the
latter species. The ears on both surfaces are thinly clothed with hair ; tail
longer than the body.

Colour Teeth yellow; nails brown ; point of nose and whiskers, black;

ears, on the outer edges, tinged with brown; within, grey; behind the
ears, on the neck, a line of soiled white. On the upper surface, the head,
neck, back and tail are light grey, formed by hairs which are light plum-
beous, from the roots to near the tips, where they have white and black
annulations; from the outer surface of the fore legs, there is a reddish-
brown wash, which extends over the shoulders, and nearly meets on the
back, gradually fading into the colours of the back and neck. The hairs
of the tail are black at the roots, then yellowish, then a broad line of black,
tipt with white. The feet, on the upper surface, are grizzled with white
and black. The sides of the face and chin are light grey. The whole of
the remainder of the under surface of the body, including a line around
the eyes, the throat and inner surface of the legs, is of an uniform bright
rufous colour.

Dimensions —

Length of head and body,

Do. tail,

Height of ear, posteriorly,
Length of tarsus,

Habitat. California.

Scidrcs leporinus. Hare-like Squirrel.

S. (leporinus.) Cauda, crapa maximeque disticha; vellere supra ex cine-
ereo-fusca ; subtus albo.

Tail broad, and very distichous ; dark greyish-brown above, white be-
neath.

Form. — Intermediate in size between Sc. cinereous and Sc. leucotis ; ears
moderate, thinly covered with very short hairs on both surfaces ; tail
longer than the body.

Colour. — Teeth orange; whiskers black; nose dark brown; ears light
brown. Above the ears, a tuft of soft, cottony-like fur. The hairs on the
back, which are short, are cinereous at the roots, then light brown, tipt
with brown and black, giving it so much the colour of the English Hare,
that we concluded to borrow from it our specific name. On the sides, the

8 inch.

10 lines,

10 "

0 "

0 "

5 "

2 "

5 "

102 [October, 1841.

colour is a shade lighter than on the back. The tail, which from the broad
white tips of the hair has a white appearance, is brown at the roots, and
three times annulated with black. The upper lips, chin, neck and
under-surface, including the inner surface of the legs , white; the
hair being of this colour from the roots ; feet, a soiled yellowish white. On
the outer surface of the hind leg, above the heel, a small portion of the fur
is brown. There is also a spot of the same colour on the upper surface of
the hind foot.
Dimensions —

Length of the head and body, 11 inch. 11 lines.

Do. tail, 12 " 6 "

Height of ear, 9 "

Heel, to end of middle claw, 2 '' 0 "

Breadth of tail, with hairs extended, 5 " 6 "
This species, in its general appearance, so much resembles some varieties
of the Sc. cinereous and Sc. leucotis, that, had it not been for its distant
western locality, we should at first have been tempted to set it down, with-
out further examination, as one or other of those species. There can, how-
ever, be no doubt, from its differing in so many details of colour, of its
being distinct from either.

Habitat. Northern parts of California.

Sciurus molli-pilosus. Soft-haired Squirrel.

S. molli-pilosus. Cauda corpore curtiore ; dorso fusca; lateribus et
colli partibus rufis ; abdomine cinereo.

Soft-haired Squirrel.

Tail shorter than the body ; back dark brown; sides of the neck and
flanks rufous; under surface, cinereous.

Form.— This species is a little larger than Sciurus Hudsonicus, with which
we have compared it; its legs especially are considerably longer and more
robust; the fur is much softer, the hair longer and less glossy than that of
the former species.

Colour.— The teeth are yellow; the upper parts, including the nose, ears
and outer surface of the legs and upper surface of the tail, are dark brown.
This colour is formed by the hairs being plumbeous at the roots, tipt with
light brown and black. On the sides of the neck, the shoulder and near
the thighs, the colour is reddish brown. The tail, which is not very dis-
tichous, is brown, twice annulated with black ; a few of the hairs are tipt
with grey. On the under surface, the lips, cheeks and chin are greyish-
brown ; the inner surface of the fore legs, the throat and abdomen cine-
reous, lightly tinned in some places with rufous.

This species differs so widely in all its details, from Sc. Hudsonicus, that
it is scarcely necessary to point out their distinctive marks of difference.
The space occupied by the lighter colours on the under surface is much
narrower than in the former species, nor is there, as in that species, any
black line of separation between the colours of the back and under surface.
Length of body, 8 inch. 6 lines.

Do. tail to end of hair, 7
Height of ear, 0

Tarsus, 2

Habitat. Northern parts of California.

Sciurus occidentalis. Western Squirrel.

S. (occidentalis.) Vellere longo ac molli; auriculis aretis ; cauda. cor-
pore longiore, quoad caput, fasciam dorsalem et caudam nigro; lateribus
furvis ; abdomine fusco.

Western Squirrel.

Fur long and soft; ears narrow ; tail longer than the body ; head, dorsal
1 ine and tail, black; beneath, dark rusty brown.

u

0

u

it

5

u

1.

1

ii

October, 1841.] 103

In size, this species is a little larger than the Northern Grey Squirrel, (Sc.
leucotis,) and may be compared with the black variety of that species. The
ears, which are elliptical in shape and narrower than io most of our species,
are thickly clothed with soft, fine hair on both surfaces. The tail is very
long, and, instead of being distichous, as in most of the species, is in the
prepared specimen perfectly round. The feet are clothed with hair, par-
tially concealing the nails. The hair is longer, more diffuse, but not softer
than that of Sc. leucotis.

Colour. — The head, ears, upper surface of the legs, tail, and a broad dor-
sal line, black. On the sides, the hair is plumbeous at the roots, then a liiae
of brown slightly tipt with black. On the under surface, this species is
dark brownish black, from the lips to nearly the extent of the jaws. On the
throat, inner surface of the legs, and whole under parts of the body, there
is a mixture of black and brown fur, giving it a dark, rusty-brown colour.
There are no annulations in the hairs of the tail.

Dimensions —

Length of the head and body, 11 inch. 0 lines.

tail to the end of hair, 14 " 0 "
Height of ear, 0 " 8 "

Heel to the end of nail, 2 » 9 "

When old father Linnaeus comprehended the whole of his description of
an American Squirrel in the single word, niger, he was not aware of the
number of species of Black squirrels which should yet be detected in our
western world, and the perplexity it would give to his successors in decid-
ing on the species to which he referred.

There are now no less than eight North American squirrels, which are
either permanently, or in some of their varieties, black.

The present cannot, however, be identified with any of our known species.
It approached nearest to the black variety of the Northern Grey Squirrel,
but is sufficiently distinct from that to entitle it to another name. The
species in the Atlantic States have, moreover, never been found west of the
Rocky Mountains, nor, indeed, have any but the Fox squirrel (Sc. capis-
tratus) been observed to the west of the Mississippi river.

Fuller descriptions, with an account of habits, accompanied by good
figures of the above species, will be given in a work on the North American
Quadrupeds, now preparing for publication.

Mr. Haldeman submitted the following " Description of a
new species of fresh water Shell."
Cyclas (pisidium) dentata. — Shell ovate, olivaceous, inflated,

umbones elevated ; medial and lamellar teeth well developed.

Length 0.5 ; height 0.4 inch. Hab. Oregon : Mr. Nuttall.

Bears considerable resemblance to C. similis, from which it
may be distinguished by the more elevated beaks.

N. B. — Pisidium abruptum (p. 53,) is not distinct from P.
dubium, Say.

104 [October, 1841.

Verbal Communications. — Mr. Haldeinan called the at-
tention of the Academy to several specimens of Unio of vari-
ous colours, principally green and brown, the former being
referable to U. viridis of Rafinesque, the latter to U. Tappan-
ianus, of Lea.

Mr. H. contends that they are identical, because they pass
into each other, both as regards colour and the peculiarities of
the cardinal teeth, which are lamellar, and extremely variable
in number and size. It was not necessary to add a synonym
to the original name, as Mr. Conrad proposed the name sub-
viridis (New Fresh- water Shells,) for the brown variety which
he figured ; in the event of its proving distinct from U. viri-
dis of the west. This method of proposing names is very
proper, because it has a tendency to limit the number of
synonyms which might might otherwise be inflicted upon the
nomenclature of natural history. Some contend that the
shell from the Susquehanna cannot be the viridis, because the
latter has not been found in the west, its locality being Ken-
tucky river, according to Rafinesque ; whilst the Tappanianus
is found in the Susquehanna ; but Mr. H. has found unequi-
vocal specimens in Pigeon creek, Kentucky, which cannot be
distinguished from those found in eastern Pennsylvania. He
has found a variety with a thick shell, in James river, Va.
Rafinesque's name has been objected to, but one of the speci-
mens exhibited presents as brilliant a green as that of Ano-
donta cataracta, Say.

Mr. Haldeman wished the fact to be recorded, that he had
placed some living specimens of Western Unio, Unio rectus,
triqueter, circulus, cylindricus, ovatus and others, in the Sus-
quehanna, where no western species has hitherto been found,
except U. viridis, Raf.

October, 1841.] 105

STATED MEETING, October 12, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO CABINET.

Skull of Chelonura Temminckii (Troost), from the Mississippi

river. — Deposited by Dr. Morton on behalf of Dr. Holbrook.
Corvus pica, English Jay; Corvus garrulus, common Jay;

Perdix cinerea, female ; and Sciurus vulgaris, from France.

— Presented by Dr. Colin Arrott, through Dr. Watson.
Purpura persica. — From Mr. Pierpoint.
Caracolla Hydiana ; two species of Bulimus, undescribed ? two

specimens each, from the Sandwich Islands. — Presented by

Dr. J. C. Jay.

Unio lanceolatus, two specimens ; James river, at Buchannan,

Virginia. — From Mr. S. S. Haldeman.
Unio purpureus; two specimens, and Limnea catascopium.
Providence, R. I. — Presented by Dr. Blanding.

Turbinella ceramica, and an Ancillaria. — Presented by Dr.'
S. G. Morton.

Unio retusus, U. clavus, U. circulus, U. lens, U. donaciformis,
U. solidus? U. pileus, U. personatus, U. ridibundus, U.
sulcatus, U. undulatus, U. parvus, U. abruptus, U. lapillus,
U. iEsopus, U. foliatus, U. fragosus ; each species illus-
trated by a series to show the male and female forms, with
the different ages and varieties. Helix multilineata, H.
clausa, H. Pennsylvania, H. tridentata, H. appressa, H.
concava, H. thyroidus, H. elevata, II. ligera, H. palliata,
H. monodon ; from three to five specimens each. From the

106 [October, 1841.

vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio. — Presented by Mr. J. G. An-
thony, of Cincinnati, through Mr. J. S. Phillips.
The copperplates belonging to Conrad's Marine Shells, num-
bers 1 to 8 inclusive, and 11 and 12, being all the coppers
used in that work, were presented by T. A. Conrad, through
J. S. Phillips : Mr. Conrad reserving to himself the privi-
lege of taking such impressions from them as he may here-
after require.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Katalog von Petrefacten. Sammlungen, nach Brown's Lethea
Geognostica. 8vo. Heidelberg, 1841. — From Francis
Markoe, Jr., Esq.

Catalog fur geognostisch-petrefactologische Sammlungen.

8vo. Heidelberg, 1841. — From Francis Markoe, Jr. Esq.
Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. 4to. vol.

2, Part 5. London, 1841. — From the Society.

Reports of the Council and Auditors of the Zoological Society
of London. 8vo. London, 1841. — From the Society.

A new Pocket Map, Geological and Topographical of Nova
Scotia. — From Francis Alger, Esq.

Written Communications. — A letter was then read from
Thomas M. Brewer, Esq. of Boston, acknowledging the an-
nouncement of his election as a corresponding member.

Dr. Morton read the following communication on a section
of the Geology of the United States.

Description of several new species of Fossil shells from the
cretaceous deposits of the United States.

First series, — from Upper Missouri,

It is now nearly forty years since Messrs. Lewis and Clark, in
their expedition to the Columbia river, procured a few fossils at the
great bend of the Missouri river, (Lat. 43° 40' N.) which I identi
fied as belonging to cretaceous deposits of the same age as the Marl
or Ferruginous sand of New Jersey, Delaware, Alabama, &c. Sub-

October, 1841.] 107

sequently Mr. Nuttall brought some additional species, but for the
most part in fragments. Very lately, however, Mr. J. N. Nicollet
having personally visited that remote region, obtained a series of
fossils in far greater perfection and variety than any previous tra-
veller. It is proposed on the present occasion to indicate the
species, and accompany them with a few brief remarks.

Genus Ammonites.

1. A. mandanensis. — Shell compressed, with scarcely two volutions,
the ioner being received into a superficial fossa of the outer whorl-
Internal and external margins armed with pointed tubercles,
between which are delicate, gently curved costas, mostly bifur-
cated about one-third of the distance from the outer tubercles,
beyond which they extend across the periphery of the shell ; the
latter gently plano-convex. Umbilicus imperforate ?

The diameter of the largest specimen has been about three
inches ; of the smallest I have seen, an inch and a half. In the
smaller specimeus the internal marginal tubercles are very indis-
tinct ; but in other respects this species appears to be but little
modified by age.

•J. A. abyssinus. — Whorls convex, making two nearly complete
volutions, with strong, gently curved, bifurcated ribs, slightly
tuberculated at the margin of the dorsal periphery, which they
cross to meet the costse of the opposite side. Umbilicus perfo-
rate. Diameter from three-fourths of an inch to one inch.

This species is strikingly different from the A. mandanensis, in
the greater size of its costae, its perforate umbilicus, and its convex
dorsal periphery.

3. A. borealis. — Shell convex, rapidly enlarging towards the
mouth, with at least two volutions, one received deeply into the
other ; costae delicate, gently curved, and bifurcate towards the
convex dorsal periphery, which they cross in arched lines
between numerous minute tubercles.

Some years since I saw several specimens of Ammonites which
were obtained by Judge Bry, in the township of Wachita, in Lou-
16

108 [October, 1841.

isiana. I have elsewhere (Synop. p. 24,) considered them as indi-
cations of cretaceous deposits ; and my recollection induces me to
believe that their characters correspond either to A. Abyssinus or
A. borealis.

Besides the preceding fossils from upper Missouri, Mr. Ni-
collet obtained the following species from the same interesting
locality.

Ammonites Conradi (nobis,) Synop. PI. xvi. fig. 1, 2, 3. Large and
beautifully preserved specimens.

Ammonites placenta, (Dekay,) Synop. pi. 2, fig 1. This species
is found from comparatively small dimensions to a gigantic size,
probably not less than two or three feet in diameter.

Inoceramus Barabine (nobis,) Synop. PI. xvii. fig. 3, and PI. xiii.
fig. 11. This shell has hitherto been found only in Greene county,
Alabama, but appears to be abundant in the Mandan country,
often compressed and broken, but readily identified.
Baculites compressus, (Say,) Synop. PI. ix., fig. 1. This species
so nearly resembles B. ovatus of the same naturalist, from the
marls of New Jersey, that I am almost disposed to consider them
identical. The species in question is found of gigantic dimen-
sions, for example, more than a foot in length, and three or four
inches in diameter.
Belemnites Americanus, (nobis,) Synop. PI. 1, fig. 1, 2, 3.

Hence it appears that among the small number of species no-
ticed on this occasion, at least four are found in deposits of the same
age on this side of the Mississippi, thus identifying the cretaceous
strata over an immense geographical area, which commences in
New Jersey, and perhaps at Martha's Vineyard, is traced in all the
Atlantic States to Georgia, thence through Alabama and Mississippi,
across the Mississippi to Louisiana, and Arkansas, where it is seen
on the plains of the Kiamesha. From this point until we approach
the Great Bend of the Missouri river, in the Mandan country, it has
not yet been traced; but in the last named region, about 1500 miles
above the mouth of the Missouri, it becomes again conspicuous as

October, 1841.] 109

already stated, abounding in characteristic organic remains of great
beauty. The extent of this locality is not yet known ; it is probable
that it occupies a very large area, and is destined to become one of
the most interesting and prolific fossil localities that has tempted
the enterprise of geologists. These fossils are remarkable alike
for their admirable preservation and their great beauty ; the latter
being much heightened by the presence of an opalescent nacre
which has been rarely noticed in the other cretaceous beds of this
country.

Second series, — from the lower cretaceous beds, or ferruginous
sand of New Jersey and Delaware.

Ammonceratites.

A. Conradi. — Shell with an entire whorl, somewhat compressed,
with numerous, distinct, slightly curved costse, which diminish
and become almost extinct at the internal peripheral margin :
external periphery sub-angular, and undulated by the transit of
the costge.

This specimen is a cast in a dark grey ferruginous sand, charged
with minute scales of mica. The terminal end is nearly complete,
and is almost on a line with what appears to have been the mouth of
the shell, and the two approach within a quarter of an inch of each
other. Diameter 2£ inches.

This is the first example of an Ammonceratite found in the
United States. It was obtained from a marl pit near Arneytown,
New Jersey, by Mr. Conrad, in whose name I gladly introduce it
to public notice.

This genus is characteristic of the European chalk, having been
found both in England and France, in deposits of that age ; thus
affording another evidence of the analogy between the cretaceous
deposits of the old world with the marl strata of the new.

Hamites.
H. annulifer. — Shell small, cylindrical, equal; the external two-

110 [October, 1841.

thirds convex, the internal third coneave, with numerous delicate,

distinct and closely approximated rings, which encircle the whole

shell.

One end of this remarkable species has the characteristic curve
and septa of the Hamites. The concave surface looks as if de-
signed to receive the cylinder of the opposite side. Length nearly
one inch.

Found by Mr. Conrad in the ferruginous sand at the Deep-cut of
the Chesapeake and Delaware canal.

STATED MEETING, October 19, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Eggs of sixteen species of birds found in Michigan, July, 1841,
by Dr. George C. Leib, and by him presented to the Society,
viz. :

Anas discors, 3.

boschas, 14.

Fulica Americana, 16.
Galinula galeata, 10.
Podiceps Carolinensis, 6.
Ardea exilis, 12.

lentiginosa, 9.

Turdus felivox, 5.

migratorius, 8,

rufus, 1.

Icterus phaeniceus, 4.
Cocyrus erythropthalmus, 15.
Quiscalus versicolor, 11.
Sturnus ludovicianus, .2.
Ortyx virginianus, 7.
Muscicapa tyrannus, 13.

OCTOBEK, 1841.] Ill

Carbonate of Iron, from Cecil county, Maryland. — From Dr.
Geo. Spackman.

Trionyx ferox ? from a stream tributary to Lake Erie, in Monroe
county, Michigan. — From Dr. G-. C. Leib.

Four skulls of the Ottawa tribe of Indians from Michigan. —
Collected by Dr. Leib, and deposited by Dr. Morton.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Lettre sur le Rhopalodon, genre de Saurien fossile du versant
occidental de l'oural. Par G-. Fischer de Waldheim. 8vo. St.
Petersburg, Russia, 1841. — From the Author.

Dr. Edward Hallowell read the following paper on a new species
of Reptile ; viz.

Description of a new species of Chameleon from Western Africa,
by Edward Hallowell, M. D.

Chamveleo gracilis. — Description. Head of moderate size, flat-
tened above, depressed in front, presenting upon its upper surface
a longitudinal carina, bifurcated anteriorly; each of the divisions
resulting from this bifurcation, terminates near the posterior ex-
tremity of the supraciliary ridge ; in front of the eye is a ridge
continuous with the one above the orbit, extending toward the
extremity of the nose. No denticulations are observed upon the
supraciliary ridge, on the one just described, nor upon the longitu-
dinal carina, or its divisions; but they are very distinct along the
superior margin of the temples. A number of small tubercles are
seen upon the face, quite near to the extremity of the nose, and
also upon the sides of the head in front of the nostril ; a marked
concavity exists upon the upper and posterior part of the head,
immediately behind the bifurcation of the longitudinal carina ; the
space in front comprised between the two branches is perfectly
plane ; the head is covered above with polygonal scales of unequal
size, and smooth for the most part ; those situated in the depres-
sions upen the upper and posterior part of the head are somewhat

^4

112 [October, 1841.

larger and more uniform in size than those upon the vertex and face ;
scales upon the sides of the head of nearly uniform size, many of
them tuberculated ; there are nineteen teeth on each side of the
upper and lower jaw; scales upon the sides of the body of various
shapes, some of them hexagonal, others pentagonal; the greater
number are quadrangular : they vary also in size ; those upon the
body, near the spine, are the largest ; some of the scales present a
plane surface, others are more or less convex, and many on exami-
nation with a glass are observed to have a very distinctly elevated
point in the centre ; numerous small granules are interspersed be-
tween the scales upon the abdomen; none are observed upon the
sides : scales upon the throat irregular in size and shape, many of
them tuberculated, those along the median line the largest; scales
upon the abdomen granular, of nearly equal size, many of them
presenting an elevated point in the centre ; those upon the under
surface of the tail oblong, hexagonal, some of them pentagonal
many of them with a depression in the centre; those upon the
under surface of the hands and toes very distinctly quadrangular,
arranged in transverse rows; extremities slender; tail somewhat
longer (about a fourth of an inch) than total length of head and
body.

Colour. — The predominating colour is green, presenting different
shades under different circumstances ; at times, the snout and mar-
gin of the jaws, the neck, limbs and tail are marked with ferrugi-
nous; and a narrow vitta of a light chocolate colour is seen extend-
ing from the axilla to near the groin ; the whole of the body
presents at times the latter colour, mixed with dusky green or fer-
ruginous ; a triple row of black spots is observed upon the tail,
extending from the root to within a short distance of its extremity;
a similar row exists upon the back, corresponding with the trans-
verse processes of the vertebrae : while one side of the animal pre-
sents these shades, the other, or that which is less exposed to the
light, is of a uniform pea-green colour, except the lateral vitta and
a small spot above the shoulder, which are of a light flesh colour,
and at times perfectly white ; on exposing the animal suddenly to
the light of a candle, on one occasion, four or five irregular bands

October, 1841.] 113

of a light chocolate colour were observed upon the body, extending
from the back to the middle line of the belly, the intervening spaces
as well as the bands themselves being marked with numerous dark
coloured spots ; these bands often became dark green, the inter-
vening spaces being a shade or two lighter ; seven or eight con-
verging bands of the same dark green colour are observed upon the
eyelids, their lower broadest part being directed towards the mar-
gin of the orbit; pupil black ; iris golden ; under surface of belly,
groins, axillae, as well as inner surface of extremities, whitish with
a shade of green. The same banded appearance above described,
was frequently observed when the animal was in exercise, as when
employed in efforts to get out of its cage, or when allowed to walk
upon the table or floor; when quiescent these bands were rarely
noticed. On the 9th of July she laid twenty eggs ; these were per-
fectly white, without spots, and of an oval figure ; for several days
she had been restless, and was employed the greater part of the
day in scratching in one of the corners at the bottom of the cage ;
the coloration of the animal at this period was different from that
noticed at any other ; the whole body presented a deep copperas
green color, changing at times to a dusky brown : at times the
body has a mottled appearance ; at others four or five dark coloured
transverse bands were noticed, the intervening spaces, as well
as the bands, presenting numerous light green spots upon a
ground of dusky green ; on turning the animal suddenly round to the
light, the side opposite to that described, appeared of a rich sap
green colour, changing in a few moments to a deep bottle green,
the transverse bands becoming less and less distinct; the spot over
the shoulder and the lateral vitta were reddish brown : immediately
after death the green assumed a yellowish tint, and two large
blotches appeared on each side of the body of the colour of lamp
black.

Sept. 11, 1841. The animal has now been immersed in alcohol
for more than a year, and presents a very different appearance
from that which existed during life ; the head, sides of the body,
tail and upper surface of extremities are of a light bluish or leaden
colour; the dark coloured blotches upon the sides are visible, but

114 [October, 1841.

much less distinct than at the time of the death of the animal ;
throat, abdomen, and under surface of extremities and tail, whitish ;
the spot upon the shoulder and lateral vitta are dirty white.

Dimensions. Length of head, one inch (Fr.) : greatest breadth
six lines; height seven lines; length of neck two lines; of body
two inches eight lines ; of tail four inches seven lines ; of anterior
extremities two inches ; of posterior one inch. (These measure-
ments were taken after the specimen had been long immersed in
spirits.)

Habits. — The animal arrived in this city from New York on the
12th of June, 1840. During the first three days its appetite was
good, spending the greater part of the time in catching flies by
means of its long extensible tongue, which on one or two oocasions
it was observed to protrude to the extent of nine inches. The
motions of the animal were very sluggish, passing almost the whole
of the day upon the perch of the cage in which it was kept, turning
the eyes in every direction in search of flies, which were no sooner
within reach than the tongue was protruded with the rapidity of
lightning, and the insect rapidly drawn into the mouth. In the three
or four following days, which were rainy and cold for the season,
her appetite appeared to have failed ; during this time she was not
seen to catch a fly, although many were quite near, but she often
descended from the perch to drink; notwithstanding her indisposi-
tion to eat, she would watch for hours the motions of the flies about
the cage, the eyes preserving their accustomed brilliancy of ex-
pression. On being placed upon a plane surface, she walked with
more care, and often with more rapidity than might have been ex-
pected from the pincer-like arrangement of the feet and bands,
the fingers and toes being fully extended; but the usual manner of
progression and general appearance of the animal when in motion,
corresponded with the description of those given by Valisnieri.
During the time that she was laying her eggs, she did not eat, nor
had she taken food for several days previous ; she became greatly
emaciated, and died almost immediately after their expulsion from
the body.

Habitat. — Liberia, in Western Africa.

October, 1841.] 115

General observations. The specimen above described was pur-
chased by the Rev. Charles Eden, of Monrovia, of one of the
African natives, and sent to Dr. Blanding of this city, who, with his
accustomed liberality, pi. iced it in my hands for observation and
description. A drawing of the animal was recently shown to M.
Bibran, of the Gardeo of Plants, by the artist who made it, who
informs me that he considers it as new.

*Dr. Goddard stated that he had examined the so-called
" Missourium Kochii," and found it to be a skeleton composed
of Mastodon bones, most of which appeared to belong to a
single set, many, however, having been superadded, and
others mended and glued together in a manner wholly errone-
ous.

The following errors were especially noticed:

Spine. — The spine presented the anomaly of 8 cervical ver-
tebrae ; and instead of 19 dorsal and 4 lumbar, had 23 dorsal
and 10 lumbar vertebras, making the number of bones in the
spine too great by 11. The bones articulated with the 2nd
and 4th ribs were cervical vertebrae. The spaces between
the vertebrae were much magnified by thick wooden blocks
placed between them, and the spine was curved upwards, so
as to give an exaggerated idea of the height of the animal.

Ribs. — These were redundant in number, and were spread
out as much as possible, so as to present the appearance of a
wide and flat chest. The 1st pair of ribs were stuck on the
bones of the shoulder, to resemble clavicles — bones which the
Mastodon does not possess.

Head. — The head was that of a Mastodon with the top de-
ficient, and a piece of an ethmoidal ? bone glued on in front to

*This communication was made to the Societyat the meeting of October
12th. The MS. having been inadvertently mislaid, its contents could not
be inserted in their proper place.— Editors.

17

116 [October, 1841.

resemble a snout. The tusks were distorted laterally, so as to
occupy a space of 18 feet in width.

Scapulae and ilia. — These having been deficient, were very
ingeniously pieced out of wood, glued over so as to resemble
bone.

Feet. — The feet were ludicrously made up of carpal and
tarsal bones, and presented the wonderful anomaly of 4 pha-
langes to each toe.

Several other discrepancies were observed ; apart from
which Dr. G. considered the skeleton one of very great
interest.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, October 26, 1841.

Professor W. R. Johnson in the Chair.

After the usual reports of committees and other private
business, the Society proceeded to ballot for new members ;
whereupon Mrs. Lucy W. Say was unanimously elected a
member of the Academy.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. NOVEMBER, 1841. No. 8.

STATED MEETING, November 2, 1841.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Skull, fins and tail of Delphinus delphis, common Porpoise,
from the Gulf Stream ; and four Balistae, in spirits. — From
Mr. H. F. Baker, through Dr. Wm. Blanding.

Area senilis, from Africa.— From Dr. Blanding.

Phrynosoma cornuta, in spirits, from Texas. — Presented by
Mr. Alex. Lawson.

Remarkable vegetable organic remains, from Niagara.— From
Dr. Blanding.

Two specimens of Anthracite, from Portsmouth, Rhode Is-
land ; and Granite of Leominster, Mass.— From Prof. John-
son.

Chlorophyllite : Unity, New Hampshire.— From Dr. C. T.
Jackson, of Boston.

Skin and bones of Simia satyrus ? preserved in salt, from
India.— Presented by Capt. Land.

18

118 [November, 1841.

donations to library.

Proceedings of the Botanical Society of London, for 1839.
8vo. — From the Society.

American Journal of Science and Arts. Vol. 41. No. 2.
Oct. 1841.— From the Editors.

Written Communications. — A letter was read from Dr.
Frederick Tamnau, Jr., of Berlin, acknowledging the receipt
of his diploma of membership in this Society, and soliciting an
exchange of the minerals and fossils of Germany for those of
America.

Professor Johnson made some remarks on the samples of
Anthracite from Rhode Island, this evening presented, and

stated —

That the formation in which they occur, reposes on a coarse con-
glomerate, which rests immediately on granite or hornblende rocks
of the primitive series. The near proximity of primitive rocks
appears to have exercised an important influence, not only on the
position, but on the present character of the anthracite of this for-
mation ; for while it has thrown the beds into a highly inclined posi-
tion, it has expelled the last vestiges of volatile matter, decomposed
the sulphuret of iron, and changed the colour of the coal in some of
the beds to a nearly steel blue. The vegetable impressions are in
these cases to a great extent obliterated, and the traces of them
only appear at the surfaces of deposition. In other beds, the im-
pressions are more perfect, and their genera and species are more
readily made out.

An idea has been formerly current, that the coal formation of
Rhode Island and Massachusetts is of more ancient date than those
of Pennsylvania ; but the identity of fossil remains occurring in
both, seems to determine the geological period of both to be the
same. And in this respect we have analogies sufficiently numerous
in our own country, to induce us to believe that all the coal forma-
tions are essentially contemporaneous, and that whether they rest on

November, 1841.] 119

granite, as in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Virginia, on the
older members of the secondary, as in the anthracite fields of Penn-
sylvania, or on the mountain or the " cliff"" limestone of the western
states, the coal series has every where been the product of a period
in the history of our planet which was highly prolific in vegetable
life, of which the remains were deposited on whatever member of
preceding formations was exposed in a condition to receive them.

The anthracite of Rhode Island appears to have been subjected
not only to a high temperature, but also to intense pressure, and to
have been much comminuted by the friction of one member of the
formation sliding over another in the uptilting which the strata have
evidently undergone. The coal in all such cases being more tender
and friable than the sandstones, slates and limestones, becomes the
unguent in the joints of the stratification, and the results of its power
to facilitate the motions of the strata as they are partially folded up,
is, 1st, a pulverulent portion in contact with either the top or the
bottom rock of the bed ; 2d, a high polish imparted to some of the
sliding surfaces of the more durable coal ; 3d, an irregularity in the
thickness of the coal beds, the indentations of the upper and lower
rocks being not unfrequently found opposite to each other, forming
thick places in the coal seam, and containing much of the broken
material which has been displaced from the parts where the promi-
nences of the rocks come nearly in contract, and almost shut up the
seam.

Prof. Johnson adverted to the fact that for reasons stated by the
geologists of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, viz. the great amount of
drift or diluvial matter with which all parts of this coal formation
have been covered over, the limits of the coal trough have not hitherto
been traced with much precision.

Within the city of Providence, the strike of the beds is a little to
the east of south, and the dip of course to the north of east. The
mining operations are in general very troublesome and expensive,
on account of bein<r carried on below water level, and through a
thick stratum of loose earth and gravel. Very little of the coal
hitherto obtained has been of merchantable quality.

120 [November, 1841.

STATED MEETING, November 9th, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the chair.

donations to museum.

Five specimens of rare and beautifully mounted birds of
South Africa, viz. : —

Aquila vocifer.

Halisetus armiger.

Scopus umbressa.

Ibis hagedasch.

Sula bassana, or Solen Goose.
Presented by Mr. C. A. Poulson.

Two boxes of Insects from India, from Dr. Joseph Carson.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Observations on the Secondary and Tertiary Formations of
the Southern-Atlantic States. By James T. Hodge. 8vo.
From the author.

Descriptions de quelques especes de Pourpres. Par M. Duclos.
8vo. Paris, 1832. From the author.

Note sur une fossile de Laon. Par M. Duclos. 4to. From
the author.

Journal of the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania.
3 vols. 8vo. — Journal of the Senate. 2 vols. 8vo. Ap-
pendix to the Journal of the Senate ; and one Volume
of the Laws of Pennsylvania, passed by the Legislature in
1841. From the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Description of Sixteen new species of North American Birds.
By Jacob P. Giraud, Jr. M. D. Folio. New York, 1841.
From the author.

November, 1841. J 121

Written Communications. — A letter was read from Dr. J.
P. Giraud, presenting the copy of his work noticed in the
donations of this evening.

Verbal Communications. — Mr. Quinby communicated some
facts in relation to the Spontaneous Combustion of bituminous
coal.

He had recently conversed with a gentleman who arrived on
Friday last, in Philadelphia, from South America. The steam
vessels sent from England to the Pacific, to run between Valparaiso
and Panama, were made the subject of remark. His informant
stated that one of the cargoes of coal sent from Great Britain to
Chili, for the use of the steamers, took fire spontaneously on the
voyage round Cape Horn ; and that it was with difficulty extin-
guished. The gentleman also alluded to the fact so well known on
that coast, that cargoes of bituminous coal, obtained at Conception,
a few degrees south of Valparaiso, had ignited spontaneously on
the voyage to Coquimbo, in the north of Chili, where an extensive
copper-smelting establishment had been projected by an English
company, and which was abandoned mainly in consequence of the
character of the Conception coal.

Dr. Morton stated, that he had in his possession a living
albino Raccoon, Procyon lotor, which he had received from
the Rev. Joseph B. Gross, of Saillersville, near Easton, Penn-
sylvania. The animal is remarkably large and healthy, with
very long yellowish white fur and pink-coloured eyes. Both
in appearance and habits, this individual has much resem-
blance to a bear, and forcibly reminds the observer of the fact
that Linnceus placed the Raccoon in his genus Ursus.

Prof. Johnson exhibited an apparatus to illustrate the pheno-
mena of the rotation of fluids.

A cylindrical vessel or jar, about 4 inches in diameter and 12
inches high, was placed on a stand supported on an axis of revolu-
tion, standing vertical on a pivot, and put in motion by a band from
a larger wheel moved by a crank. When any liquid is placed in

122 [November, 1841.

this jar and a rapid motion is given to the latter, the liquid hy
degrees acquires the rotary velocity, and by the effect of centrifu-
gal force is compelled to rise round the inside of the jar. If the
velocity be sufficient, the liquid may be made to rise to the very
top of the jar and be thrown out.

If two liquids of different specific gravities and incapable of
chemical action on each other, be placed within the jar, the rota-
tion of the glass may give to the different liquids corresponding
velocities of rotation, but these will be acquired in times varying
with the adhesiveness of the liquid to the glass.

This diversity in the times of acquiring the same velocity as the
containing vessel, gives rise to some apparent anomalies, while the
speed is either increasing or diminishing. If oil and spirit of tur-
pentine be placed in the cylinder, the former at the bottom, the
surface of separation is more concave upward than the upper surface
of the turpentine, because the oil is more adhesive than the spirits
of turpentine : but placing alcohol below the spirits of turpentine,
the latter becomes the more adhesive liquid and acquires the velo-
city of revolution of the jar sooner than the other, whence it will,
by its superior centrifugal force, be urged downward as well a
upward, from its original level while at rest. The more adhesive
liquid in this case constitutes a double concave lens. The same is
produced when water, oil and alcohol are made to revolve in the
same jar, the oil occupying the middle stratum in a state of rest,
forms, at first and while the velocity is increasing, a concave sur-
face both above and below, but when the speed of the revolution of
the jar is slackened, it is by its superior adhesiveness sooner brought
to rest than the other two liquids ; these will therefore, by con-
tinuing their centrifugal force after that of the oil has ceased, cause
the latter to assume a double convex form.

Prof. Johnson referred to some statements relative to experiments
of this nature sometime since made in Paris, in which it was de-
clared, that the " chemical affinities''' of the liquids were the cause
of these apparent anomalies ; and that attempts had been made to
deduce from experiments of this nature " a mechanical measure of
chemical affinity." — With that species of attraction he proved that
the results could have no connexion.

November, 1841. J 123

STATED MEETING, November 10, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO CABINET.

Strombus tricornis, two specimens. — Presented by Mr. John

Rulon.
Ovula oviformis. Conus pennaceus, C. gubernator, C. terebra :

Murex cornutus : Peterocera pseudo-scorpio : Cyprsea

felina, C. eburna : and Marginella andansoni. — From Mr.

Wm. S. Vaux.
Nucula tenuisulcata, N. levis, and Tcrcbratula scptentrionalis.

— From Mr. S. S. Haldeman.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Contributions of the Maclurian Lyceum to the Arts and Sci-
ences. 8vo. Nos. 1, 2 & 3. Philad. 1829.— From Mr.
Judah Dobson.

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, for July,
August, September and October, 1841. — From the Society.

Notes on the Use of Anthracite in the Manufacture of Iron ;
with some remarks on its Evaporating power. By Walter
R. Johnson, A. M. 8vo. Boston, 1841. — From the Author.

Written Communications. — A letter was read from Dr.
Dunglison, Secretary of the American Philosophical Society,
acknowledging the reception of the last number of the
Academy's Proceedings.

A letter was also read from Dr. Wm. Blanding, with an

124 [November, 1841.

extract from another to him from Capt. Land, presenting the
Academy with the complete skeleton and skin of the Orang of
Borneo, Simia satyrus? received November 2d.

Dr. George C. Leib communicated a description of the nest
and eggs of the Fulica Americana and Anas discors.

He saw the Fulica Americana, in the month of June, 1841,
breeding in the greatest abundance in the marshes bordering on
Lake Erie, Erie county, Michigan. They were associated with the
Florida galinules (Galinula galiata,) which were likewise em-
ployed in the labour of reproduction, and so close was the intimacy
between them, that their nests were interspersed over the marsh
in the most neighbourly contiguity, seldom being more than a few
feet apart. The nest, rounded in form and rude in structure, is
composed entirely of dried or withered rushes, without lining of any
sort, slightly interlaced, except at bottom, where there is a simple
crossing of the pieces to the depth of several inches.

It is five inches in depth, by a foot and a half to two feet in
diameter. This large mass is placed on the surface of the water
among the dense rushes, to which it is attached in several points of
its circumference, thus rendering it less liable to be swept ofFby the
winds and waves.

When disturbed these birds emit a note not unlike the cackle of
the domestic hen, which is transmitted from one to the other for a
considerable distance around, till the air becomes vocal with their
music. This was heard by Dr. Leib not only during the day, but
also at all hours of the night.

The number of the eggs varies from ten to fifteen, though the
latter were observed to prevail. They are of an oval form, and
measure two inches by one inch and a quarter, uniformly sprinkled
with small dark brown spots on a greenish yellow ground. Both
male and female assist in incubation.

Owing to their exceeding abundance, they are gathered by the
neighbouring farmers for the table, and are considered by them
superior in flavour and delicacy to the common hen's egg.

November, 1841.] 125

Dr. Leib found the nest of the blue-winged Teal (Anas discors,)
together with that of the Mallard (Anas boschas,) in the month of
June, in the meadows adjoining the marsh above referred to.

It is composed externally of dried grasses, neatly arranged in a
circular form, and lined with a thick bed of down, taken from the
breast of the female. It contained 18 eggs of a delicate cream
colour, which measure 2 inches by 1| inch. Though remarkably
timid and wary at other times, such is its abstraction or devotion
when upon the nest, that it would suffer me to approach near enough
to strike it with a stick ; then in the greatest alarm, suddenly flutter
and bustle off through the grass for some distance, like a wounded
bird ; until, satisfied that the ruse had diverted attention from its
treasure, it would mount into the air and quickly leave the object
of its terror and solicitude behind.

Dr. Morton made some remarks on the so called Pigmy race
of people who are asserted to have formerly inhabited a part
of the Valley of the Mississippi.

It has long been contended by intelligent persons, who, however,
were ignorant of anatomy, that the adjusted bones of individuals of
this race, never exceed four feet and a half in height, and are
often but three feet. These statements induced Dr. Morton to inves-
tigate the subject by means of a skeleton of one of these people,
which he at length obtained through the kindness of Dr. Troost of
Nashville ; Mr. A. M'Call, a correspondent of Dr. Troost, having
exhumed these remains from a cemetery near the Cumberland
Mountain, in White county, Tennessee.

" The coffins," observes Mr. M'Call, in the letter read by Dr.
Morton, "are from 18 to 24 inches in length, by 18 inches deep
and 15 wide. They are made of six pieces of undressed sandstone
or limestone, in which the bodies are placed with their shoulders
and head elevated against the eastern end, and the knees raised
towards the face, so as to put the corpse in a reclined or sitting pos-
ture. The right arm rested on an eathern pot, of about two pints
in capacity, without legs, but with lateral projections for being lifted.
With these pots, in some graves, are found basins and trays also of

19

126 [November, 1841.

pipe clay and comminuted shells mixed ; and no one of these reposi-
tories is without cooking utensils. In one of the graves was found
a complete skull, and an os femoris, but most of the other bones
were broken in hastily removing them. This is said to be the lar-
gest skeleton ever found at any of these burying grounds. It has
the cranium very flat and broad, with very projecting front teeth,
and appears to have pertained to an individual not over twelve or
fourteen years of age."

After reading Mr. M'Call's letter, Dr. Morton exhibited the
bones which accompanied it, and remarked that the stage of devel-
opment of the teeth indicated a very juvenile subject. For example,
many of the deciduous or first teeth yet remained in both jaws ;
while the only teeth of the permanent set which had protruded, were
the first molars and the incisors, which, as every anatomist knows,
make their appearance at about seven years of age. Of the other
permanent teeth, some had no part formed but the crown, and all
were completely embraced within the maxillary bones. The pre-
sence of the new incisors, isolated from the cuspidati which had not
appeared, obviously gave rise to Mr. M'Call's remark respecting
the very " projecting front teeth," but which, however, are perfectly
natural in position and proportion. The cranial bones are thin, and
readily separable at the sutures ; nor does the flat and broad confi-
guration of the cranium differ from what is common to the aborigi-
nal American race. The long bones have their extremities sepa-
rated by ephiphyses ; and every fact observed in these remains is
strictly characteristic of early childhood ; or about the seventh
year of life. Even the recumbent or sitting posture in which
they are found, has been observed in the dead bodies of the
American nations from Cape Horn to Canada ; and the utensils
found with them, are the same in form and composition with
those exhumed from the graves of the common Indians.

Dr. Morton concluded by remarking that these remains were to
him an additional and convincing proof of what he had never doubt-
ed— viz. that the so called Pigmies of the western country, were
merely children, who, for reasons not readily explained, but which
actuate some religious communities of our own time, were buried
apart from the adult people of their tribe.

November, 1841.] 127

STATED MEETING, November 23d, 1841.

Vice President Morton in the chair.

donations to library.

The American Phrenological Journal and Miscellany, 8vo.
Vols. 1, 2, and 3. From Nathan Allen, M. D.

An Essay on the connection of Mental Philosophy with Medi-
cine. By Nathan Allen, M. D. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1841.
From the author.

Boston Journal of Natural History. Vol. 2. Nos. 3 & 4. Boston,
1839. From the Society.

Written Communications. — Mr. S. S. Haldeman submitted
a note on a genus of Dolphins. He proposes the name
Hypodon for those dolphins which have two teeth in the lower
jaw, hitherto constituting the genus Diodon; which name, how-
ever, is preoccupied for a well known genus of fishes. The
name may be thought too much like Hyperodon ; but this is an
advantage, as the two are taken from similar characters ;
Hypodon meaning teeth below ; the other, teeth above. Ex-
amples, H. Desmarestii — H. Sowerbyi.

Verbal Communications. — Prof. Johnson exhibited and ex-
plained his apparatus, illustrative of the laws of chemical
combination and of the combining volumes of gaseous sub-
stances.

This apparatus consists of a series of cubical types, each of such
magnitude as to represent by its bulk in cubic inches the atomic
weight of one of the elementary bodies. Thus hydrogen is represent-
ed by a cube one inch on a side ; oxygen, by a cube of two inches
on a side, containing of course eight cubic inches ; iron by a cube
containing twenty-eight cubic inches, and so of the whole fifty-four

128 [November, 1841.

simple bodies. The largest cube representing Uranium is a little
more than six inches on a side. Each cube bears on one of its
faces the conventional chemical symbol of the body whose atomic
weight it represents, usually the first letter of its name, together
with the number expressing its atomic weight. Many of the
types are coloured either by a coating of the material represented,
or by some convenient pigment exhibiting the natural appearance
of the body represented. The number of types of each body
varies with the complexity of the compounds into which it is capa-
ble of entering ; the greatest number being required of those bodies,
which constitute organic substances, viz. carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
and nitrogen.

A second part of the apparatus consists of a light frame support-
ing three shelves about fourteen inches apart, open both at the
front and rear. This frame is four feet long and two and a half feet
high. In order to represent chemical combinations and decomposi-
tions, the atom-cubes are first placed separately upon the middle
shelf, to represent the case of solution or the liquid state. They
are then brought together to indicate mixture of solutions. To
represent precipitation, those atoms which are in fact precipitated
in actual solutions are carried to the lower shelf; and to represent
the products converted into gas, those atoms which constitute such
products are carried from the middle to the upper shelf.

The chemist performs the processes first in his jars or retorts,
and then arranges the atoms to indicate the real operations which
have been taking place before the eyes of his class.

In exhibiting the combinations of bodies which may assume a
gaseous form, Prof. Johnson makes use of a third apparatus, con-
sisting of glass cubical boxes of 100 cubic inches each, and of others
containing 50 and 16# cubic inches.

To represent the combinations and decompositions of gases as in
experiments in Eudiometry, both the cubical types and glass boxes
are brought into requisition. Thus the type of hydrogen (a cube
one inch on a side, marked H — 1 ,) is placed on the upper shelf, and
over it is inverted a cubical glass box, marked 100, and actually
containing that number of cubic inches ; an oxygen type (marked

November, 1841.] \2<j

O — 8) is placed separately on the same shelf under a glass box of
the same size as to base, but of only half tiie height of the former,
and containing of course 50 cubic inches. To represent the com-
bination of these gases to form water and to indicate the amount of
condensation which takes place, the oxygen type is taken from
under its own box and placed with the hydrogen type beneath the
glass box of 100 cubic inches, the 50 inch box being at the same
time removed from the frame. There is then seen the sum of the
weights of the constituents of water (9), and the bulk of the vapour
of water, the same as that of the hydrogen which had entered into
its composition. To convey the impression that the product is a
liquid, the resulting combination of atoms is carried from the upper
to the middle shelf, without being accompanied by the volume-cube.

The advantages found to result from this method of illustration
over those hitherto in use were stated to be the saving of much
time and labour, in writing out diagrams and making drawings,
and the avoiding of inconvenience of working at a black-board to
give after all but an imperfect impression of the truth to be con-
veyed. An effect of not less importance was derived from appeal-
ing to different faculties at the same time.

To some minds the bulk of a body conveys a far more distinct
impression of its weight than the figures which represent that
weight. In the method now exhibited, both these modes of appeal-
ing to the mind and memory are united. The colour of many of
the substances combined with the bulk — with the symbols which
represent them and with the figures which expi-ess their weight, can
hardly fail to fix a lasting impression on the mind of every student
in chemistry. To these maybe added the facility of making appa-
rent by direct juxtaposition the relation by weight and by volume
of the constituents of all gaseous mixtures.

The application of this apparatus was shown in exhibiting the
composition of the oxides and other minerals.

The views of M. Liebig in regard to the composition and true
radical of Phosgene gas, carbonic acid and oxalic acid, were also
displayed.

The constitution of ammonia, of atmospheric air, of nitrous-

20

130 [November, 1841.

oxide, and binoxide of nitrogen, was illustrated both in regard to
atomic weight and combining volume, as were the several com-
pounds of chlorine with oxygen. The acetate of lead was decom-
posed by a solution of hydrosulphate of ammonia, and the resulting
acetate of ammonia, sulphuret of lead and an atom of water were
indicated as the results.

Chloride of iron precipitated by carbonate of ammonia, exhibited
the effects of giving a precepitate of oxide of iron and evolving
carbonic acid, decomposing water instead of forming it as in the
preceding example.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. DECEMBER, 1S41. No. 9.

STATED MEETING, November 7, 1S41.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Two species of Fossil Scufellse, from the lower cretaceous
deposits west of Charleston, S. Carolina, viz : S. Carolinen-
sis and S. macroptera. — From Dr. Ravenel.

Productus in Limestone, (being a fragment of the celebrated
rock containing the impressions of two human feet, now
in the possession of Dr. Owen, of New Harmony, Indiana ;)
section of a Fossil Palm tree ; and argillaceous limestone
with vegetable impressions, from Posey county, Indiana. —
All presented by Win. Augustus Twigg, Esq.

Iron ore, from the Pilot knob, Missouri. — From the same.

Cytherea chione. Helix pisana, H. vermiculata, Unio picto-
rum, Natica nullepunctata, a Cardita and a Melanopsis ;

21

132 [December, 1841.

from Italy. Also five specimens of lava, from Italy. — From
Dr. M. Burrough.
15 species of Plants, (including a new species of Saxifraga,)
collected by A. Gray and I. Carey, in the mountains of
North Carolina and Virginia. — Presented by Asa Gray,
M. D.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Lecture on the connection and reciprocal influence between
the Brain and Stomach. By Usher Parsons, M. D., 8vo.
1S41. From the Author.

Notes on a Tour to the White Hills. By G. W. Southwick.
8vo. From the Author.

Written Communications. — Dr. Morton read a descrip-
tion of two new species of Fossils from the lower cretaceous
strata of New Jersey.

Pinna.

P. rostriformis. — Shell thin, elongated, narrow, smooth, but
gently undulated from the beak to the opposite extremity.

This fossil is not uncommon in fragments in the cretaceous
limestone of Timber Creek, in Gloucester county, New Jersey;
but this instance is the first which has occurred sufficiently
perfect for description. I have referred to it in my " Synopsis
of Organic Remains," page 63, but did not then venture to
give it a specific designation. The specimen now in question
was found and kindly lent me by Mr. Conrad.

Cidarites.

C.splcndcus. — Scutellrc pentagonal, granulated at the margin,
between which and the papilla the surface is smooth and

December, 1841.] 133

sub-conical. Scutellae in pairs ? separated by longitudinal,
granulated, slightly curved bands. Spines elongated, lon-
gitudinally granulated, and attached to the papilla; by
numerous very small, flattened appendages.
Found with the preceding fossil in the cretaceous limestone
of New Jersey.

A communication was read from Oliver P. Hubbard, Esq.,
acknowledging the receipt of a letter announcing his election
as a correspondent of the Academy.

Mr. John S. Phillips stated that the Helix described by him
at page 27 of these Proceedings, with the specific name of
bidentifera^ is the H. barbula of Rossmasler, a Portuguese
shell. Mr. P. was led into an error in respect to its locality
by the gentleman from whom he received it, and consequently
described it as new.

134 [December, 1841.

STATED MEETING, December 14, 1841.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Essai sur les Soulevemens Jurassiques du Parrentury. Par
J. Thurmenn. 4to. Paris, 1S32. — From the Author.

Illustrations of the affinity of the Latin language to the Celtic
of Scotland. By B. T. Stratton. 4to. 1S40.— From the
Author.

The Phytologist, a BotanicalJournaL Svo. No. 1. London,
1S41.— From Prof. J. W. Bailey.

Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. Vols.
4 and 5, complete. — From the Society.

Notice of a model of the western portion of the Schuylkill or
southern coal field of Pennsylvania. By R. C. Taylor.
8vo. — From the Author.

Observations on the Ergot of Rye and some other grasses. By
Edwin J. Quekett, Esq. 4to. 1S3S.— From Prof. J. W.
Bailey, of West Point.

The Copper plates of Haldeman's Limniades, as far as
published, viz: genus Limnaea, plates I. to XL, and Palli-
dum, Nos. 1 to 10. — Presented by S. S. Haldeman, Esq.,
who reserves to himself the right of taking such impressions
as he may hereafter require.

A Letter was read from Dr. T. Romcyn Beck, soliciting
for the Albany Institute several missing numbers of the
Society's Proceedings.

December, 1841.] 135

Dr. Morton communicated the results of the measurements
of forty-five adult negro crania, in order to ascertain the in-
ternal capacity of the skull and consequent size of the brain
in the African race. These skulls were those of negroes born
in Africa, of theBassa, Grabbo, Makoua,Benguela, Mina and
other tribes. They consist of 25 males and 20 females, vary-
ing from 18 to 50 years of age. The largest heads in the
series, three in number, give ninety-nine cubit inches of inter-
nal capacity ; the smallest head, that of a Makoua, 6S cubic
inches. The mean of the whole series gave eighty-five cubic
inches.

Dr. Morton added, that he was not yet prepared to give a
decided opinion in relation to the comparative size of the
European and Negro brains, but so far as his observations had
gone, he believed the former would be found to exceed the
latter by at least seven cubic inches.

The measurements adverted to give the absolute size of the
brain, and were conducted on the plan described at page 7 of
these Proceedings.

STATED MEETING, December 21, 1841.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

Written Communications.— A letter was read from the
Rev. William Coggswell, corresponding Secretary of the
Northern Academy of Arts and Sciences, at Hanover, New
Hampshire, soliciting for that Institution a portion of the pub-
lished transactions of this Society. Whereupon the committee

361 [December, 1841.

of publication were instructed to furnish Dr. Coggswell with
volumes VI. and VII., and Part I. of Vol. VIII., together with
the Proceedings of the Academy as far as published.

A letter was also read from Dr. Edwin Fussell, dated Pen-
dleton, Indiana, December 5th, announcing thai he had trans-
mitted a box of Fossil Organic remains for the cabinet of the
Academy, and tendering his services in collecting in several
other departments of Natural History.

The chairman then called the attention of the members to
the importance of publishing, without delay, and in accordance
with a former resolution, the second part of vol. VIII. of the
Journal of the Academy. He stated that several highly im-
portant memoirs awaited the Society's acceptance, which
together with those already in the hands of the committee,
were amply sufficient to form a half volume.

December, 1841.] 137

ANNUAL MEETING OF BUSINESS,

December, 2S, 1S41.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Society first heard the reports of the Recording and
Corresponding Secretaries, Jhe Treasurer, the Librarian, and
the Committee of Publication, all which were adopted.

The Society then proceeded to the election of officers for
the coming year, whereupon the tellers reported the following
result :

PRESIDENT.

William Hembel.

VICE PRESIDENTS.

John Price Wetherill,
Samuel George Morton, M. D.

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY.

Walter R. Johnson, A. M.

RECORDING SECRETARY.

William S. Zantzinger, M. D,

TREASURER.

George W. Carpenter.

LIBRARIAN.

Alfred Langdon Elwyn, M. D.

138 [December, 1841.

curators.

William S. Vaux,
John S. Phillips,
George C. Leib, M. D.
Samuel Ashmead.

AUDITORS.

William S. Vaux,
A. D. Chaloner, M. D.
Robert Pearsall.

PUBLICATION COMMITTEE.

Alfred L. Elwyn, M. D.

William S. Vaux,

John S. Phillips,

William S. Zantzinger, M. D.

Edward Hallowell, M. D.

The Society then proceeded to ballot for members and cor-
respondents, when Clark Hare, Esq. of Philadelphia, was
elected a member, and George R. Gliddon, Esq., late United
States Consul for the city of Cairo, in Egypt, was elected a
corresponding member of the Society.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. JANUARY, 1S42. No. 10.

STATED MEETING, January 4, 1812.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO CABINET.

A collection of Bird Skins, from the vicinity of New Har-
mony, Indiana. — Prepared and presented by Mr. Charles
Twigg, of that place.
Flower of Zamia integrifolia, from Florida. — From Dr. J.

Carson.
Numerous specimens of Anculosa dissimilis, and Melania
virginica, from the Susquehanna river. — From the Rev.
James M'Farland.

Written Communications. — Letters were read from Dr.
Dunglison, secretary of the American Philosophical Society,
and from Dr. E. S. Dixwell, secretary of the Boston Society
of Natural History, acknowledging the receipt of the Aca-
demy's Proceedings.

140 [January, 1S42

Verbal Communications. — Dr. G. C. Leib remarked, that
in looking over Dr. Giraud's work entitled " Sixteen New
Species of Birds," he found the Parus leucotis of Giraud, to
be identical with the Setofaga rubra of Swaiuson.

Professor Johnson made some observations on the sponta-
neous combustion of Bituminous Coal.

He stated that he had recently been invited to inspect aheap of
biluminous coal on the premises of Mr. John W. Middleton of this
city, which had for a few days previous been observed to be grow-
ing warm and giving off vapour very copiously, from which it
was inferred to be approaching spontaneous combustion. The
coal in question was stated to be from the Allegheny mountain,
above Holidaysburg, and to be a mixture of two or three different
mines. On causing a hole to be excavated about three feet deep,
the temperature was found to be 110 Fahrenheit ; and the day
being cold, (below freezing point) the volume of steam which
arose on moving the coal was so great as almost completely to
envelope and hide the workmen. All parts of the heap were ob-
served to exhibit distinct traces of the effloresced sulphate of iron;
or if some pieces of the coal had no visible marks of this kind,
they still exhibited to the sense of taste the strongest evidence of
being covered with that salt.

This coal evidently possessed all the requisites for producing
spontaneous combustion, and only required time, and perhaps a
rather larger heap, to bring that process to the same termination
as was observed a few weeks since in the city of Lowell.

The chairman having announced the demise of our vener-
able associate John Vaughan. Esq., on motion of Professor
Johnson, it was unanimously

Resolved, — That this Society have heard with deep regret, the
announcement of the decease of their late valuable member, John
Vaughan, Esq., — so long known in our community for his various
merits, both in relation to scientific objects and to benevolent pur-
poses and institutions ; and they would by this act testify their

January, 1842.] HI

high estimation of those excellent traits of character by which
their deceased fellow member was so eminently distinguished.
Resolved, — That the Corresponding Secretary communicate to
the family of the deceased, a copy of the foregoing resolution.

STATED MEETING, January 11, 1S42.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Forty species of Fossil Shells of the newer Pliocene beds at

Uddevalla in Sweden. From Dr. Morton.
Ammonites obtuses, A. Parkinsonii and A. communis, from

the Lias of Lyme Regis, England. Presented by Dr. Morton.
Perca (Percina) minima, and P. nebulosa, (Haldeman) from

the Susquehanna river. From Mr. S. S. Haldeman.
Two species of Fuligula minor (Giraud,) or Scaup Duck.

Presented by Mr. J. G. Bell, of New York.

Written Communications. — A communication was read
from Mr. Haldeman, describing two new species of the genus
Perca, from the Susquehanna river, viz. P. nebulosa, and P.
minima ; which was referred to a committee.

A letter was read from Mr. J. G. Bell, of New York, dated
January Sth, in which he offers some remarks on the two
specimens of Fuligula minor, or lesser Scaup Duck, presented
by him this evening. He states, that they have hitherto been
mistaken for the common Scaup Duck, (Anas marila of Wil-
son); and although Mr. Audubon figures this bird, and Wilson
the larger one, these naturalists had supposed them to be spe-

142 [January, 1842.

cifically the same. He adds, that Mr. Audubon has now com-
pared these two ducks, and is satisfied that they are distinct
species.

Mr. T. A. Conrad read a paper intended for publication in
the Journal, entitled, " Observations on the Silurian and
Devonian systems of the United States, with descriptions of
New Organic Remains." This memoir embraces descrip-
tions of 103 new species, included in 21 genera, viz.

Avicula — 23 species. Cypricardita, 6. Inoceramus, 3.
Microdon, 1. Moculites, 2. Plurorynchus, 3. Strophomena,
21. Delthyris, 13. Or'this, 1. Atrypa, 6. Helicoceras, 1.
Orthoceras, 1. Goniotites, 1. Belerophon, 3. Pleuratoma-
ria, 7. Euornphalus, 1. Loxonema, 1. Cyrtoceras, 1. Asa-
phus, 2. Calymene, 1.

The paper was referred to a committee with a view to
immediate publication in the 2d part of the 8th volume of
the Academy's Journal, now in press.

Professor Rogers announced that his brother Professor William
B. Rogers, of Virginia, has recently satisfied himself of the geologi-
cal age of the coal formation of the vicinity of Richmond ; and also
of the date of the Fredericksburgh sandstone. The former he re-
gards as nearly equivalent in period to the lias of Europe, and the
laiter to be referable to that of the oolite. The existence in the
Richmond coal measures of the genus Tseniopterus, a race of
plants strictly characteristic of the lias, is one of the points upon
which he rests his conclusions respecting that formation. A dis-
covery in the Fredericksburg sandstone of fossil cycadeae and
other organic remains, lead hirn to place this rock in the period
of the oolites. He considers those the only formations yet recog-
nised in the United States, which are referable to the ages of the
European Lias and Oolite rocks.

January 1S42.] 143

STATED MEETING, January, 18, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

History of the Island of St. Helena, to the year 1823. By T.
H. Brooke, Esq. 8vo. London, 1S24. From George D.

Blaikie, Esq.

American Journal of Science and Arts, No. 42, for Janu-
ary, 1S42. From the Editors.

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, for No-
vember and December, 1842. From the Society.

Vertebra of Icthyosaurus and parts of the paddle bones of the
same reptile, from the Lias of Lyme Regis, England : also
Vertebra of the Plesiosaurus, and a Pentacrinites, from the
same strata. Presented by Dr. S. G. Morton.

Written Communications. — Mr. Haldeman read a paper
on three new species of Unionidoe, from the waters of the
United States, viz. Unio abacus, U. puniceus, and Anodon
plicatus. Referred to a committee.

Mr. Conrad read some additions to his paper on the Silu-
rian and Devonian Fossils read at the last meeting ; which
was refeired to a committee.

Mr. Conrad also read a memoir, "on the Identity of the
Middle Cretaceous Formation of the United States, with the
Faxoe limestone of Europe."

Mr. Conrad stated as the result, of mature observation and re-
flection, that the medial division of the American cretaceous strata,
as seen on Timber creek, in New Jersey, are of the same age

144 [January, 1842.

with the white chalk of Europe, as maintained by Dr. Morton.
He announced the discovery at that locality, of a Planularia, a
multilocular shell characteristic of the European chalk. Mr. Con-
rad has also detected in the medial cretaceous beds at Wilming-
ton, North Carolina, the Cirrus perspectivus, a Nautilus which he
believes to be the N. Danicus, and the Cyprsca bullaria ; the last
two being characteristic of the Faxoe limestone.

Mr. Conrad's paper being designed for publication, was
referred to a committee.

Verbal Communications. — Professor Johnson stated the
results of some experiments on the magnetism of bars of
wrought iron broke by tensile force.

He referred to a former communication, in which he had given
an account of trials on cast iron in a state of fusion, and to the
influence of terrestrial magnetism, inducing the magnetic state in
bars of iron, according to the position in which they are placed
with reference to the magnetic axis. He had found that when a
bar of soft iron is drawn asunder at ordinary temperatures, and
in the direction of the magnetic meridian, there was also manifes-
ted at the point of fracture a decided evidence of magnetic polar-
ity; and that the kind of magnetism was that belonging to the
region towards which the broken extremity of each fragment
pointed. This magnetic condition was indicated by the adhesion
of any particle of iron or of hammer cinder, which chanced to be
near the fracture at the moment, as well as by the action of a
small needle when held near the point.

If the two extremities separated from each other by a short
distance, be at the moment of fracture in contact with a mass of
iron filings, the latter will adhere to the two ends, and extending
across, form a continuous line or bridge, which appears to serve
as a keeper, for they continue for a considerable time with little
diminution of their force.

When the fracture is made at a red heat, little or no magnetic
effect appears to result from the action of breaking. But when

January, 1842.] 145

the temperature of the bar is between five and six hundred degrees
of Fahrenheit, the magnetism is not only marked at the time, but
is in a great degree permanent. Samples were stated to have been
examined, which had been broken for several years, and to be
still in the same magnetic state in which they were at the moment
of fracture.

In order to prove what part of the effect in the foregoing in-
stances, was due to the earth's magnetic influence, the proving
machine which produced ihe fracture, was changed in position, so
as to place the bar, in proving, directly across the magnetic meri-
dian, instead of coinciding with it as before. In this case no po-
larity was observed, whether the bars were broken cold or hot,
except some slight indications in a direction across the breadth of
the bar at the point of fracture.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS.

January 25th, 1842.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

Reports of Committees. — The Committee to whom was
referred Mr. S. S. Haldeman's paper on two new species of
the genus Perca, reported in favour of publication in the
Journal.

The committee on Mr. Conrad's memoir on new species of
Silurian and Devonian fossils, with geological observations, —
and a second memoir on the Contemporaneousness of the
Middle Cretaceous strata of the United States with the Faxoe
limestone of Europe, reported in favour of publication in the
Journal.

The Corresponding Secretary's report was also read and
adopted.

146 [January, 1842.

The Society then by an unanimous vote, conferred a Life
Membership on Mrs. L. W. Say, elected a member October
26th, 1S41.

On motion, the Committee on the Proceedings of the So-
ciety was instructed to republish 250 copies of No. 1.

The Society then proceeded, in conformity with a provision
of the By-laws, to elect Standing Committees on the different
branches of Science, and a Library committee for the present
year ; whereupon the tellers reported the following result :

MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY.

■J

J. Price Wetherill, T. A. Conrad,

S. G. Morton, M. D. A. D. Chaloner, M. D.
William S. Vaux, Joseph A. Clay,

W. R. Johnson.

ZOOLOGY.

S. G. Morton, M. D. Edward Hallowell, M. D.
William S. Vaux, Robert Pearsall,

John S. Phillips, Edward Harris,

George C. Leib, M. D.

BOTANY.

James Read, Robert Bridges, M. D.

W. S. Zantzinger,M. D. Gavin Watson, M. D.
John Simmons.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE.

Edmund Draper, P. B. Goddard, M. D

Isaiah Lukens, W. R. Johnson,

John S. Phillips.

LIBRARY.

S. G. Morton, M. D. Henry F. Leib, M. D.
R. Bridges, M. D. J. S. Phillips,

Joseph Carson, M. D.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. FEBRUARY and MARCH, 1S42. Nos. 11,12.

STATED MEETING, February 1, 1842.

Mr. Phillips in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A collection of casts of American Trilobites and other Fos-
sils, presented by Mr. Joseph Brano, of Philadelphia, con-
sisting of 78 specimens of the following genera and species.

Calymene Blumenbachii (2 spe- Calymene phlyctainodes.

cirnens.) Rowii.

callicephala. Asaphus laticostatus.

selenecephala. selenurus, (2 specimens.)

platys. ■ limulurus.

microps. caudatus.

— — anchiops. Hausmanni.

diops. pleuroptyx.

macropthalma, (2 speci- micrurus.

mens.) Wetherillii, (2 speci-

bufo. mens.)

bufo, var. rana; (2 ?pe- astragalotes.

cimens.) tetragonocephalus.

odontocephala. myrmecophorus.

14S

[February, 1S42.

Asaphus micropleurus.

Trimblii.

odontocephalus.

Debuchii, (3 specimens.)

nasutus, (4 specimens.)

Trirnerus platypleurus.

Jacksonii.

delphinocephalus.

Nuttainia sparsa.
Gryphceus Boothii.

callitelus, (2 specimens.)

Acidopsis tuberculatus.
Scaphites Cuvieri.
Ammonceratites Conradi.
Isoteles gigas, (3 specimens.)

planus.

cyclops.

Isoteles megalops.

stigops, (2 specimens.)

Cryptolithus tesselatus.
Dipleura Dekayi, (4 specimens.)
Hemicrypturus Rasoumowski.
Ceraurus pleurexanth'?mus.

Dicranurus hamatus, (2

speci-

mens.)
Triarthrus Beckii.

Illaenus.
Aspidolites.

Clypeastei' geomelricus.
Acanlholama, (2 specimens.)
Tooth of mosasaurus.
Paradoxides Boltoni, (2 speci-
mens.)
Harlani.

A specimen of Skiolithos, from N. York. Presented by Mr.
S. S. Haldeman.

Chamaeleo gracilis, (Hallowell,) in spirits. From Dr. Win.
Blanding.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Monograph of the Trilobites of N. America, by Jacob Green.
12mo. Presented by Mr. Jos. Brano.

Mammalogy, Second Bonk of Natural History, by W, S. W.
Ruschenberger, M. D. 12mo. From the Author.

A brief description of Agaricns atramentarius, by John Red-
man Coxe, M. D. Svo. From the Author.

Histoire des progres de l'esprit humain dans les Sciences
Naturelles. Par M. Saverien. From Mr. S. S. Halde-
man.

Histoire natnrelle de Pile de Cuba, par M. Ramond de la Sagra.
Nos. 19, 20, 2b", 27, 23 and 29. Folio. Presented by Messrs.
J. P. Wetherill, J. S. Phillips, S. G. Morton, A. L. Elwyn,
W. S. Vaux, J. A. Clay, and G. C. Leib.

February, 1842.] 149

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Part 8.
1S40. From the Society.

Written Communications. — The Corresponding Secretary
read a letter from Dr. T. W. Harris, dated Cambridge, Mass.,
January 26th, 1842, stating that he had shipped per the Benj.
Franklin, a portion, (probably the most valuable part,) of the
Society's collection of Insects.

Dr. Morton read a paper entitled "Description of some new
species of organic remains of the Cretaceous group of the
United States, with a tabular view of the fossils hitherto dis-
covered in this formation;" being a revision of, and an addition
to, a paper read Oct. 12th and Nov. 7th, 1841.

Referred to a committee consisting of Messrs. Conrad, Ash-
mead and Phillips.

Mr. Haldeman read a paper on the changes of nomencla-
ture in Natural History.

Referred to Messrs. Morton, Conrad and Phillips, as a com_
mittee.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

Dr. Morton read a proposition from Mr. Jas. H. Roome, in
relation to mounting the birds and quadrupeds of the Academy
now in skin. Laid on the table.

Dr. Morton offered the following resolution which was
adopted.

Resolved, — That Mr. Joseph Brano be permitted, under the
supervision of the Curators, to take casts of the unique speci-
mens in the geological collection of the Academy, provided
that no specimen be removed from the Hall.

150 [February, 1842"

STATED MEETING, February 15, 1S42.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Several specimens of vegetable Ivory, derived from the fruit
of the Doma plant. Presented by Mr. G. Gardom through
Professor Johnson.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Nos. 106 to 113,

inclusive. From the Society.
Monograph of the Limniadcs, or fresh water univalve shells

of North America. No. 4. By S. S. Haldeman. 1842.

From the author.
Description du Puit Artesien de Grenelle. From Mr. Isaac

Collins of Philadelphia.

NEW BUSINESS.

Mr. Ashmead, from the curators, announced the reception
in the Hall, from Dr. Harris, of Cambridge, Mass., of that por-
tion of the Academy's collection of Insects referred to in his
late letter.

On motion of Dr. B. H. Coates, the Zoological committee
were directed to examine into the condition of this collection,
and to report at the next meeting of business.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

The chairman, by special leave, presented a communica-
tion from the Treasurer of the Academy, stating that the

February, 1S42] 151

balance of the late Wm, Macl lire's subscription to the Aca-
demy, amounting to $6000, had been received from his brother
and executor, Alexander Maclure, and that the same had
been appropriated to the payment of various claims on the
Institution, the details of which were given.

Whereupon the following resolutions, offered by Prof. John-
son, were unanimously adopted :

Resolved, — That the Academy has received with lively
satisfaction the announcement this evening made by the
Treasurer, of the receipt of $6000, on account of the second
subscription of $10,000 by our late President, William Ma-
clure, Esq., deceased, towards the erection of the new Hall;
and of its application to the final extinguishment of claims
on account of the building, and to an important reduction in
the obligations for the purchase of the ground now the pro-
perty of the Institution.

Resolved, — That the thanks of the Academy are due to
Alexander and Anna Maclure, executors of the will of their
late brother William Maclure, for their praiseworthy efforts in
carrying out the designs of the deceased, in advancing the
interests and prosperity of this Institution, and thereby pro-
moting the cause of Science, to which so much of his liberal-
ity, and so large a portion of his life, were devoted.

On motion of Mr. Clay, Resolved, that a copy of the fore-
going resolutions be transmitted to Alexander Maclure, Esq.

152 [March, 1S42.

STATED MEETING, March 1, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Casts of three species of Ammonites: viz. A. abyssinus, A.
Nicolletii, and A. Mandanensis. Presented by S. G. Mor-
ton, M. D.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Bulletin de la Societe Imperiale des Naturalistes du Moscou.
Nos. 6. 7 and 8. 1S37. From the Society.

Annates des Mines. Livs. I. II. and III. Tome^IX. In ex-
change.

Promenade au Mont Dore, &c. Par M. Neree Boube, Pro-
fesseur a Paris. From the Author.

Report of the commissioners for the exploration and survey
of the boundary line between Maine and New Hampshire,
and the adjoining British Provinces; by Major J. D. Graham,
U. S. Topographical Engineer. From Col. J. J. Abert.

Written Communications. — The chairman presented a
communication from J. J. Audubon, Esq. and J. Bachmanj
D. D., containing descriptions of several new species of North
American quadrupeds, of the genera Vespertilio, Mus, Sorex,
Seiurns and Spermophalus; which was referred to the com-
mittee on previous communications of these gentlemen.

A paper from Mr. S S. Haldeman was read by Mr. Phil-
lips, entitled " A description of a new species of Cyclops, and
two new species of Tubifex :" and another from the same
author, containing additional remarks on changes of nomen-

March, 1342.] 153

clature in Natural History; both of which were referred to the
committee on Mr. Haldeman's previous paper read Feb. 1,
1S42.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

The chairman called the attention of the Society to several
papers on scientific subjects, offered at previous meetings,
which had not been referred to appropriate committees, and
suggested some action thereon.

On motion of Dr. Elwyn, the subject was then brought
before the meeting, and the communications alluded to were
referred, as follows:

A paper by Walter R. Johnson, "On the relation between
the coal of South Wales and some Pennsylvania anthracites,''
read June 15,1841; and another by the same author, entitled,
" Description of an apparatus illustrative of the laws of chemi-
cal combination, and of the combining volumes of gaseous
substances," read Nov. 23d, 1S41: referred to Messrs. Dra-
per, Lukens and Phillips.

A description of the nest and eggs of Fulica Americana,
and Anasdiscors, by Geo. C. Leib, M. D , read Nov. 16th,
1841. Referred to Messrs. Vaux, Burrough and Morton.

Two communications by S. G. Morton, M. D., one con-
taining remarks on the so-called Pigmy race of the valley of
the Mississippi, read Nov. 16th, 1S41, and the other on the
ancient Peruvian race: referred to Messrs. McMurtrie,
Phillips and Bridges.

The following reports, omitted at the last meeting for busi-
ness, were then read and accepted.

The report of the committee on Mr. Haldeman's paper on
several new species of Umo ; and the report of the committee
on Dr. Morton's paper, on some new species of organic re-
mains of the cretaceous group of the United States, &c, both
in favour of publication.

154 [March, 1842.

STATED MEETING, March S, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Six specimens of Corallines and Crustacea, from the secondary
strata of Faxoe in Denmark. Teeth of Icthyosaurus, Hy-
bodus and Acrodus, from the Lias of Lyme Regis, England.
Scales of Fishes from Pnrbeck beds, Svvanage, England.
Terebratulse from the red chalk of Lincolnshire, England,
and an Orthocera,from Kinnekulla, Sweden. All present-
ed by S. G. Morton, M. D.

The following collection of valuable shells, chiefly from
the Phillippine Isles, was presented by Dr. Goddard, viz.

Venus castrensis, V. litterata. Corbis fimbriata. Tellina
latirostra. Pecten pallium. Helix galactites, H. pulcher-
rima, H. annulata, H. Valenciana, H. Roissiana Var. and 7
other species. Caracolla Listeri. Bulimusovoideus, B.chry-
salida3formis, B. Hindorensis. B. coccineus, and 5 other

species. Auricula Judge, A. scarabseus. Pupina sp. ?

Cyclostoma Indica, and two other species. Ampullaria
ovata. Turbo petholatus. Monodonta labeo. Scalaria
pretiosa. Nerita Ascensionis, N. polita. Natica spadicea,

N. chinensis, N. mamilla, N. melanostoma. Neritina .

Bulla naucum, B. Ampulla.

Ovula oviformis, Pirena terebralis. Dolium perdix. Triton

anus, T. clavator. Ranella ranina. Ricinula horrida.

Strombus canariurn, S. minutus. Cancellaria senticosa.

Cerithium vertagus. Terebra dimidiata, T. crenulata.

Nassa arcularia. Cassis vibex. Cyproea eburnea. Mitra

March, 1842.] 155

episcopalis, M. retusa, M. corrugata, M. aurantiaca, M.
melongena.
Oliva carneola. Conus capitaneus, C. stercus muscarum, C.
raphanus, C. magus. Phasianella angulata. Patella vulgata.

Two specimens of Fossils from Gloucester county, N. Jersey,
a Sphirsena ? and a Buccinum. Presented by Dr. W. Bland-
ing.

Written Communications.— The chairman read a memoir
from Dr. A. Clapp of New Albany, Indiana, on the Lime-
stone formation of that district. Referred to a committee con-
sisting of Mr. Conrad, Prof. Rogers and Mr. Vanuxem.

Verbal Communications. — Prof. Johnson presented for
inspection, a portion of the kelson of the frigate Raritan, in a
state of dry rot. This vessel was still on the stocks at the
Philadelphia Navy Yarchher building having been commenced
at least 20 years since. She had been salted. Her lower
timbers, previous to the commencement of repairs, were
generally in the same condition as the portion exhibited.

Also a sample of oak joist from the old Legislative Hall,
built at Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1682. Decay had not yet
commenced in this wood, owing probably to its complete pro-
tection from the action of moisture ; whereas in the other case,
the wood was constantly subjected to the alternate action of
dryness and moisture.

Professor Johnson also alluded to the hardening influence
of water on oak wood when long submerged.

Dr. Chaloner stated that he had in his possession specimens
of oak timber turned into various forms, which had been
derived from a vessel, (the Lyons frigate,) submerged in the
river Delaware since the period of theRevolution, and which
had acquired almost the hardness of iron.

Professor Johnson then exhibited samples of residua from

24

156

[March, 1842.

a number of Anthracite and Bituminous coal of Europe and
this country, on which he had experimented wiih a view of
ascertaining the relative proportions in each, of volatile mat-
ter, earthy matter, and carbon. The experiments were per-
formed on all in a similar manner, viz. by exposing the coal
to a red heat, raised as rapidly as possible. As the moisture,
however, is in such cases brought in contact with carbon at
a high temperature, it may, by decomposition, cause some of
the carbon to be carried off, and thus raise the estimate of the
volatile matter above what it would be, if more slowly con-
ducted. Incineration was conducted in a muffle, at a high
and long continued temperature.

The following are the results of the analysis of some of
these coals :

Vol. matter.

Ashes.

Carbon .

Newcastle coal, per cent.

29.

.44

70.56

Sydney,

43.5

1.50

55.

Liverpool,

37.9

.72

61.38

Staffordshire,

47.5

1.86

50.64

Welsh,

4.4

4.1

91.5

Pictou,

30.7

8.

61.3

Richmond,

151

24.74

60.16

Do. (another sample,)

17.3

17.08

65.62

Rhode Island,

13.1

11.26

75.64

Fallstown, (Beaver river,)

35.8

6.42

57.76

Beaver Meadow, (spheroidal coal,)

9.

5.50

85.5

Shamokin,

9.1

5.S4

85.06

Wilkesbarre,

8.6

11.66

79.74

Beaver Meadow, (Piatt tract,)

7.9

6.

86.1

Dr. Chaloner referred to the question agitated of late
among medical men, whether muscular action could excite
electricity, and cited the case of a lady, described in Silli-
man's Journal ; a similar instance had come under his own
notice in this city.

March, 1S42.] 157

As connected with this subject, Professor Johnson mentioned
that some years since, he had made experiments with a deli-
cate magnet, in suspension, and discovered that by bringing
the hands nearly in contact with each other, and then care-
fully withdrawing them in opposite directions, the fingers of
the different hands, when approximated to the magnet, pro-
duced different effects.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

By special permission, the reports of the following com-
mittees were read and adopted.

The report of the committee on Dr. Morton's paper on the
so-called Pigmy race of the Valley of the Mississippi, and also
his paper on the ancient Peruvian race: in favour of publica-
tion.

The report of the committee on Prof. Johnson's paper enti-
tled "Remarks on the relation between the Coal of South
Wales and some Pennsylvania Anthracites ;" and also his
" Description of an apparatus illustrative of the laws of Che-
mical combination, and of the combining volumes of gaseous
substances ;" in favour of publication.

Dr. Elwyn offered the following resolution, which was
adopted :

Resolved, — That the Committee of Publication be authorised
to present to Charles Lyell, Esq., Corresponding member, the
sixth volume of the Journal of the Academy.

15S [March, 1S42.

STATED MEETING, March 15, 1S42.
Dr. McMurtrie in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Vertebra of a shark from New Egypt, N. Jersey, and a speci-
men of Exogyra costata, from Woodward's farm, N. Jer-
sey. Presented by Dr. Chaloner.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Fourth Report of the Geological survey of New Brunswick,
by Abraham Gesner, M. D. From the Author.

Boston Journal of Natural History. Vol. 4th, No. 1. From
the Society.

Three pamphlets by Dr. Morton, viz : " Description of some
new species of Organic Remains of the Cretaceous group
of the United States;" " Remarks on the so-called Pigmy
race of the Valley of the Mississippi ;" and *' Remarks on
the ancient Peruvian race." Presented by the Author.

Written Communications. — Dr. Morton read a letter from
Mrs. Lucy W. Say, dated March 14th, 1842, acknowledging
the receipt of her notice of election as a life member of the
Academy.

Vereal Communications. — Dr. Goddard stated that he
had successfully repeated an improvement in M. Daguerre's
process, by which an instantaneous impression of the object
may be taken ; consisting in applying a spark of electricity to
the back of the plate. The positive spark appeared to be more
effectual than the negative.

March, 1842.] 159

STATED MEETING, March, 22, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

iridina rubens, Carinaria Meditterranea, Janthina bifida.

From Dr. J. C. Jay, of New York.
Venus tigerina. Presented by Mr. Simmons.

Written Communications. — A communication from Dr.
Dunglison, Secretary of the American Philosophical Society,
dated March ISth, 1842, acknowledging the reception by the
Society, of No. 10 of the Proceedings of the Academy.

The chairman read a communication from Mr. S. S. Hal-
deman, and designed for publication in the Proceedings of the
Academy, describing two new species of the genus Cypris
and a genus of Sterelmintha, presumed to be new. Referred
to a committee, viz. Messrs. McMurtrie, Conrad and God-
dard.

160 [March, 1842.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, March, 29th, 1S42.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Monthly Report of the Corresponding Secretary having
been read and adopted, reports were presented from the fol-
lowing committees.

The committee on Dr. George C. Leib's paper entitled,
"Description of the Nest and Eggs of the Fulica Americana
and Anas discors," in favour of publication.

The committee on Mr. Haldeman's paper " On two new
species of Cyclops;" in favour of publication.

The committee on the several papers of Mr. Audubon and
Dr. Bachman, entitled "Descriptions of new species of North
American Quadrupeds;" in favour of publication.

The Zoological Committee then read the following Report
in relation to the condition of the collection of Insects lately
returned by Dr. T. W. Harris; which was ordered to be pub-
lished in the Proceedings of the Academy.

The Zoological Committee report, that they have examined
the collection of insects belonging to the Academy, which

March, 1842.] 161

was sent to Dr. T. VV. Harris, of Cambridge, Mass., in the
year 1837, for the purpose of being re-arranged, determined,
and having the specimens of Mr. Thomas Say intercalated in
their appropriate places, and find that the insects have been
returned in so confused and ruined a condition as to render
them almost valueless ; that there is not a single insect
determined, except those by Dr. McMurtrie prior to the col-
lection having been sent to Dr. Harris, and that the species
in Mr. Say's collection have been in no instance intercalated t

They further report, that as the greatest care was taken in
the carriage of the cases from the vessel to the Hall of the
Academy, on hand-barrows, the specimens could have sus-
tained no injury subsequent to their arrival in Philadelphia.

The committee cannot refrain from expressing their regret
that if Dr. Harris, for whatever cause, declined the fulfilment
of his engagement to the Academy with respect to this col-
lection, that he did not at once return it, in order that it might
receive such attention as would have secured its value unim-
paired ; especially since he was duly notified of various reso-
lutions and inquiries, expressive of the anxiety felt for its safe
return.

On behalf of the committee,

J. S. Phillips,
Edw. Hallowell,
Wm. S. Vaux,
Robt. Pearsall.
Hall of the Academy,
March 29th, 1842.

162 [March, 1S42.

The Society then proceeded to ballot for Members and Cor-
respondents, when the following gentlemen were announced
duly elected :

MEMBER.

Charles Davis, M. D., of Philadelphia.

CORRESPONDENT.

J. Hutton Balfour, M. D., Regius Professor of Botany in the
University of Glasgow.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. APRIL and MAY, 1842. Nos. 13, 14.

STATED MEETING, April 5, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Remarks upon Coral Formations in the Pacific, with sugges-
tions as to the causes of their absence in the same parallels
of latitude on the coast of South America. By Joseph P.
Couthouy. Boston, 1842. From the Author.

The Creation of Light; an extract from an unpublished work,
'The Philosophy of Generalization.' By Thomas Fisher.
From the author.

Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. 8.
Part 1st. New Series. From the Society.

Annales des Mines, IVe Livraisonde 1841. Tome XX. In
exchange.

American Journal of Science and Arts. Vol. XLH. No. 2.
April, 1S42. From the Editors.

Complete sets of the copperplates belonging to Audebert and
Vieillot's valuable work " L'Oiseaux Dores :"and to Vieil-
lot's "L'Oiseaux de l'Amerique Septentrionale :" the whole
comprising 314 Plates, in good condition. Presented by
Alexander Maclure, Esq.

24

164 [April, 1842.

written communications.

Dr. Zantzinger presented a tabular statement of Meteoro-
gical observations, for the year 1S41 : which was referred to
Messrs. Goddard, Lukens, and Johnson.

Dr. Hallowell read a paper intended for publication, enti-
tled, " Description of a new genus of Serpents from Western
Africa," to which he has given the name of Distichurus,
founding it on a single species, D. maculatus. described in
the paper. Referred to Messrs. McMurtrie, Morton, and
Haldeman.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

Mr. Phillips offered the following, which was adopted :
Resolved, — That the Corresponding and Recording Secre-
taries be, ex-officio, members of the Committee on Proceed-
ings.

Dr. Morton having stated that his valuable collection of
Crania, contained in a lower room of the building, had sus-
tained some injury from the dampness of the apartment, and
that it would be necessary to remove them, a resolution was
adopted by the Society, authorising him to have cases erected
in the North flying-gallery of the Hall, for the purpose of ac-
commodating the collection, the expense of the same to be
defrayed in pari by the Society.

STATED MEETING, April 12th, 1S42.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A specimen of Zygaena tiburo from the coast of Florida.
Presented by Dr. Win, Blanding.

April, 1S42.] 165

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Sixth geological report to the 24th General Assembly of the
State of Tennessee. By Gerard Troost, M. D. From Dr.
S. G. Morton.

Whirlwind Storms — with a reply to the objections and stric-
tures of Dr. Hare. By William C. Redfield. From
the Author.

Descriptions of new species of Quadrupeds inhabiting North
America. By J. J. Audubon, Esq. and J. Bachman, D. D.
From the Authors. (Extr. from Jour. Acad. v. S.)

STATED MEETING, April 19th, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

Written communication. — Mr. Phillips presented a com-
munication from J. G. Anthony, Esq. of Cincinnati, Ohio,
transmitting a Catalogue of the Terrestrial and Fluviatile
Shells of Ohio ; which was ordered to be placed on file.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

By special permission, the committee on Dr. HallowelPs
paper, read April 5th, describing a new genus of Serpents
from Western Africa, offered a report in favour of publication,
which was accepted.

A resolution was then adopted, urging the Zoological Com-
mittee to take immediate measures for the preservation of tbe
remains of the collection of Insects lately returned by Dr.
Harris.

166 [April, 1842.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, April 26th, 1842.
Mr. Phillips in the Chair.

The Corresponding Secretary's Monthly Report was read
and adopted.

The committee, consisting of Dr. McMurtrie, Mr. Conrad
and Dr. Goddard, to whom was referred the following com-
munication, reported in favour of publication in Proceed-
ings of the Academy.

Description of two new species of Cypris, and a genus of
Sterelmintha presumed to be new. By S. S. Haldeman,
Read March 22, 1S42.

Cypris discolor. Elevated, base nearly straight, equally rounded at both ends:
an irregular mottling of blackish immediately behind the eye; a raiher smaller
blotch of reddish brown at the anterior extremity, and a large one of the same
color at the posterior extremity, occupying about one-fifih of the entire surface.

Variety. The central spot is sometimes reddish, and the posterior one divided
into two. Length 0.5 millim.; heighth compared with the length, as 5 to 7.
Hab. : in great abundance, a log-pond at the mouth of the Chicquesalunga, on
the Susquehanna.

Cypris vitrea. Translucent, with a tinge of yellow, elongated, nearly straight
both ends nearly alike, but the posterior slope is somewhat flattened : about one
third of the heighth and length along the dorsal margin, is stained light green :
eye obsolete : length 0.5 millim. Hab. : with the preceding, but is comparatively
rare. Rather more slender than C. simplex, Hald.

Hydrolimax. Body slender, limaciform, parenchymatous, provided with vibrilse
(cilia) without tentacles or eyes, a posterior nucous pore ! mouth subterminal,
bellshaped when expanded. Lives upon mud at the bottom of quiet water : pro-
gression as in Limax.

Hydr. grisea. Half an inch long, mottled grey above ; colorless below, and
upon each side of the anterior extremity, where the grey of the back is suddenly
narrowed. Hab. : with the preceding species. Bears a striking resemblance to
a large grey Limax (L. togata;, Gould), found in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

ELECTION.

Charles Ellet,Jr.,of Philadelphia, was duly elected a mem-
ber of the Academy.

May, 1842.] 167

STATED MEETING, May 3, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Fifteenth annual report of the Regents of the University of
New York. Albany, N. Y. 1841. From the Regents.

Catalogue des Lepidopteres, ou Papillons de la Belgique. Par

Edm. de Selys Longchamps. Leige, 1837. From the

Author.
Notices sur les Libellulidees ; extraites des bulletins de l'Aca-

demie Royale de Bruxelles. Par M. de Longchamps.

Brussels, 1840. From the same.

Monographie des Libellulidees d'Europe. Par M. de Long
champs. Paris, 1840. From the same.

Etudes de Micromammalogie : Revue des Musaraignes des
Rats et des Campagnols. Par M. de Longchamps. Paris,
1839. From the same.

Essai Monographique sur les Campagnols des Environs de
Leige. Par M. de Longchamps. From the same.

A Third memoir with reference to the law of stormsin India.
By Henry Piddington. Calcutta, 1841. From the Author.

Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. No. 108. 1840.
From the Society.

A Flora of North America. Vol. II. Part 2nd. April, 1842.
By John Torrey and Asa Gray.

A Memoir of the Fossil Reptiles of the South-east of England.
By Gideon Mantell, M. D. 4to. 1841. From the Author.

168 [May, 1842.

written communications.

Letters were read —

From Mr. William Vaughan, dated London, March 5,
1842, stating that he had transmitted a parcel to the Academy,
from the Linnean Society of London :

From M. de Longchamps, dated Liege, April 1 5th, 1841, in
relation to the books presented this evening; and also express-
ing a wish to obtain Part. I. of Vol. VIII. of the Journal of the
Academy. A list was likewise given of various insects and
animals, which he was desirous of exchanging for similar ob-
jects of this country :

And from George R. Gliddon,Esq. dated New York, April
24, 1842, stating that he has presented to the Academy a col-
lection of Geological and other specimens from Egypt : and
also acknowledging the receipt of his notice of the election as
Correspondent of the Academy.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Chaloner stated, that he had been informed by a gen-
tleman from Washington county, Pennsylvania, who had re-
cently returned from Central America, and had there met
with Messrs. Stevens and Catherwood, that these latter had
discovered the remains of another city, covering an area of
about six miles square.

The ruins were in a good state of preservation ; and some
specimens of sculpture brought thence by him, evince marks
of much skill and beauty.

The beam of wood referred to in Stevens's Central America,
and found in the ruins of Uxmal, was stated to be well pre-
served. The tree from which the wood is derived, is called
by the natives Zapadillo. It is more durable than live oak
or red cedar, sinks in water, and when polished, resembles
« Partridge wood,' but is darker and harder.

Mat, 1S42.] 169

Dr. Chaloner made inquiry with regard to some Infusoria
said to have been discovered in the green sediment of pools ;
and which are stated to possess the peculiar property of evolv-
ing oxygen gas under the influence of the sun's rays.

When examined by the microscope, they rose to the sur-
face, emitted a bubble of gas and then subsided. This gas,
collected in an inverted jar, was found on analysis to yield
about 80 per cent, of oxygen.

Dr. B. H. Coates then made some remarks on the progress
of discovery in relation to this class of animals ; and called the
attention of the members to the late work of Mr. Pritchard,
and communicated some of the information which he had
derived from this author.

Dr. Bridges remarked that, in relation to the first mentioned
discovery, in the absence of more definite information, the
facts which had been communicated would lead us to suppose
that the subjects of observation were of a vegetable nature ;
since it is well known that vegetables under the influence of
the sun's rays, evolve oxygen by the decomposition of car-
bonic acid, which is always present in the atmosphere and in
water. He also alluded to the difficulty of discrimination
between animal and vegetable bodies, especially in micros-
copic objects, and made reference to a paper on the Sponge,
in one of the late numbers of the Transactions of the Linnean
Society, to illustrate the great accuracy of observation re-
quired in these cases.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

The following resolution was adopted :

Resolved, — That the Sth Vol. of the Journal of the Academy
be presented to M. de Longchamps.

170 [Mat, 1842.

STATED MEETING, May 10th, 1842.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A fine collection of Quadrupeds and Birds prepared and
mounted, principally from South Africa, presented by the
following members, viz. J. Price Wetherill, G. W. Carpen-
ter, W. S. Vaux, Wm. Hembel, S. G. Morton, Samuel
Ashmead, and J. S. Phillips, comprising

Cynocephalus hamadryas, (dog- Cacatua funerea.

faced baboon) male. Cacatua chrysolophus.

Orycteropuscapensis (cape ant- Corythaix

eater) male and female. Corythaix variegata.
Secretarius reptilivorus. Otis afra.

Pterocles variegatus (male and Struthio camelus (young.)

female.) Rhinopomastus Smithii.

Perdix saphrena. Hemipodiushottentotus (male and

Perdix lechoho (male and fe- female.)

male.) Macromyx capensis.

Colius striatus. Upupa promerops.

Francolinus nudicollis. Certhia famosa.

Francolinus clamosus. Coturnix Cambayensis.

Cratopus bicolor.

Also, the following, in skin —

Colius leucomotus. Microps minutus.
Colius indicus. Corythaix .

Also presented by the same members, shells of the following
species of Testudo and Emys.

Testudo radiata, (Shaw) 2 spe- Testudo pardalis, (Bell),
cimens. Emys .

May, 1842.] 171

Mr. J. W. Rulon presented specimens, in skin, of

Corvus albicollis, ~]
Circfetus ecaudatus, !
Aquila rapax, {

Ibis Hagedasch, J

Gypaetos barbatus,

Mr. Gliddon presented the collection of geological and other
specimens from Egypt, referred to in his late letter, consist-
ing of:

16 specimens of fossil wood, partly in the agatised state from the

'' Petrified Forest" in the Eastern Desert, near Cairo.

1 specimen calcareous incrustation, } „ , ~

7 r i r • , ' > 2nd Cataract.

1 do. ferruginous do. 5

2 Jasper Boulders. Western Desert.

Sienite, being the fragment of a monument at Medinet Habou,
Thebes.

Sandstone, fragment of a Monolith. 1st Cataract.

Desert Sand; Abu Simboul, Nubia.

27 Specimens of Fossil Shells and Bones, from Wady el Tigh, in
the Eastern range, near Cairo.

20 Specimens of Minerals, including Jaspers, Agates, Selenite,
Quartz Crystals, &c, &c.

White Limestone, being part of the lining of the shattered sanctu-
ary of the Brick Pyramid, of Dashoor.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. Vol.
2nd, No. 21, 1S42. From the Society.

Transactions of the Linnean Society. Vol. IS, Part 4th,
1841 ; with portions of the Proceedings of the same ; being
the contents of the parcel referred to at last meeting.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Dr. Frederick Tamnau, dated Ber-
lin, Prussia, Dec. 20th, 1S41, proposing an exchange of mine-
ral productions from Germany, Norway, Sweden, &c, for

25

172 [ May, 1842.

those of this country ; and also appending a catalogue of the
minerals at present in his possession.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Goddard stated, that he believed the genus of Infusoria,
referred to by Dr. Chaloner at the last meeting, to be Closte-
rium, and that it possessed much resemblance to vegetable
matter ; the most positive proof of which was, that upon the
application of iodine to the interior of the supposed animals,
a blue colour was produced.

The evolution of oxygen gas was an additional proof of
their vegetable origin.

In reference to the donation of Fossil Woods made this
evening, Dr. Goddard also adverted to the belief usually enter-
tained of the Exogenous specimens being confined exclusively
to the Coniferae, and observed that most of those on the table
evidently possessed this character; others however belonged
to the Endogenae.

Mr. Gliddon entered into some particulars respecting the
localities from which a large portion of the donations made
by him this evening, was derived.

Mr. Gliddon also, in reply to a request from Prof. Rogers
for information respecting Boulder formations in Egypt,
observed, that these Boulders were found about 200 miles
above Cairo, scattered in great numbers over the Desert,
lying upon limestone; and appeared to consist principally of
sandstone, the surface being much darker than the interior
of the stone. Mr. Gliddon having suggested to the Society,
the advantages which it might derive for obtaining more defi-
nite information on this and other geological subjects, from
communicating with the Egyptian Society at Cairo, it was,
on motion,

liesolved, — That a Committee of three be appointed to

May, 1842.] 173

draft a series of queries to be addressed to the Egyptian Soci-
ety at Cairo, with reference to the geology of Egypt.

The Committee consists of Prof. Rogers, Dr. Morton, and
Mr. Taylor.

The Society also passed a vote of thanks to Mr. Gliddon
for his donation, and the valuable and interesting information
afforded by him this evening.

STATED MEETING, May 17, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Two specimens (mounted,) of Paradisearegia (King Paradise
bird). Presented by Mrs. Win. Furness, through Dr.
Zantzinger.

A small Collection of Plants from New Holland. Presented
by Capt. Perrit, through Dr. Carson.

An additional donation of Minerals from Egypt, by Mr. Glid-
don : chiefly Jaspers, Alabaster fragments, Calcareous spe-
cimens, &c.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Annual Report of the State Geologist of Maryland, 1S41. By
J. C. Ducatel, M. D, From the Author.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Prof. Locke, of Cincinnati, dated

174 [May, 1842

Philadelphia, May 12th, 1S42, informing the Academy of a
donation by him of Casts of American fossils ; and also
requesting an exchange of either casts or specimens.

Also a letter from Dr. Geo. Engelman, dated St. Louis,
Missouri, April 25, 1S42, stating that he had transmitted a
donation of rare German plants, with some species of Verbena
and Cuscuta from his own vicinity, and likewise requesting
an exchange.

STATED MEETING, May, 24, 1S42.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

74 Casts of American Fossils, &c, from Dr. John Locke,

being the Collection referred to in his letter read at the last

meeting, and containing the following —

Isoteles . Apocrinites reticulata (3 speci-

Isoteles gigas (4 specimens). mens.

Isoteles megistost(9 specimens). Fucoides cauda galli (2 speci-

Mouth piece of do. (2 speci- mens.

mens). Fucoides Harlani.

Calymene Blumenbachii. Asaphus (4 specimens).

Calymene senaria (4 specimens). Asaphus caudatus.

Calymene Downingiee. Asaphus tuberculatus.

Tviarthrus Beckii (2 specimens). Strophomena alternata.

Cryptolithus tesselatus. Pentamerus oblongus (3 speci-
Dipleura Dekayi. mens).

Paradoxides . Lingula ■

May, 1842.] 175

Atrypa, Fucoides (5 specimens).

Atrypa testudinaria. Diluvial grooves.

Shell resembling Gryphsea. Star Coral.

Pterinia carinata (2 specimens) Bilobite fucoid.

Cornularia quadrisulcata. Coal impressions (9 specimens).

Strophomena .

Trilobites (not named, 6 specimens.)

A white eyeless crayfish, (Astacus Bartoni?) anda small eye-
less fish, (presumed to belong to a sub-genus of Silurus,)
both from the Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, about 2J miles
from the entrance. Presented by W. T. Craige, M. D.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

The Chairman read a letter from Dr. A. Clapp, dated New
Albany, Ind., May 15, 1842, making inquiry respecting his
communication read before the Academy in March last, and
also requesting a printed copy of a late paper by Mr. Conrad
on the Silurian and Devonian Systems,no\v in course of pub-
lication in the Journal of the Academy.

NEW BUSINESS.

Mr. Vaux presented a report of the returns of a subscrip-
tion by the following named members, for the purpose of
erecting, painting and glazing book cases in the Hall, viz. — ■
R. M. Patterson, M. D., Thos. Nuttall, Samuel Ashmead, Geo.
W. Carpenter, S. G. Morton, M. D., Wm. S. Vaux, E. Dra-
per, William Hembel, C. W. Pennock, M. D., A. L. Elwyn,
R. Pearsall, S. S. Haldemon, Richard Wistar, and J. Price
Wetherill. The subscription amounted to $325, of which a
small balance remained unexpended, which it was proposed
to appropriate towards the erection of cases for containing
Birds.

176 [May, 1S42.

In accordance with a suggestion from the Chairman, it was
then on motion,

Resolved, — That Prof. Locke have permission to take casts
of the Fossils now in the Collection of the Academy.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, May 31, 1S42.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Report of the Corresponding Secretary for the last
month was read and adopted.

The Committee to whom was referred the following com-
munication from Mr. S. S. Haideman, read Feb. 1, 1842, re-
ported in favour of publication in the Proceedings of the
Academy.

A spirit of selfishness has crept into Zoology, which looks rather to the advan-
tage of the individual, than to the advancement of ihe science ; and authors, with
the former point in view, have invented various methods to carry out the princi-
ple; and, what is worse, authority brings those to practice them, who would
have been shocked at the idea of using them in the first instance. Among these,
I count the practice of citing one's own name for a genus or species founded by
another, on the strength of varying a single letter, or even the gender. Examples
of this occur in the writings of Rafinesque. If this is proper, a printer may as-
sume the authoiship of a book in which he finds and corrects grammatical errors.
Admit the principal that Unio metanevra, Kaf. shall be called U. metannever,
Lea : and the French will have our own authority to assume almost every species
of American Unio, because they consider them as of the feminine gender, whilst
they have been described here as masculine ; and any one not a botanist, may
place the species of Potamogston (heretofore considered neuter) in the feminine
gender to which it belongs, as has been ascertained from a passage in Pliny.

Having recently looked over the list of American Unionidffi, I wish to propose
a few corrections in nomenclature, before they arc made, and the species appro-
priated abroad, by someone who will not cite the original desciiber. A western con-
cbologist gives all the species of Alasmodon to Mr. Lea, not because he was the
first to name them, to create thegenu«, or to place them in it; but because he places
them in the same genus with those who first described them, but under a differ-

May, 1S42.] 177

ent name, which has neither priority nor sense to recommend it ; and which,
under other circumstances, this author would probably have rejected, if we may
judge from the fact that he adopts the names Physa and Planorbis, rather than
Bulinus and Coretus. The same principle would deprive Mr. Lea of all his spe-
cies of Alasmodon ; for assuredly authors will not adopt Shumacher's name (or
this genus, when so much a better one is in general use. Generic nomenclature
is not, and never has been, subjected to the rigid rule of priority which species
require; and a name founded upon the generic peculiarity will generally be adop-
ted in preference to others. A fossil animal with a head unlike that of a bird, was
named Omithocephalus ; it is now called Pterod ictylus. A remarkable mammal
with flat feet, and a bill like that of a bird, was first named Platypus, but is now-
known by the name Ornithorhynchus* alone.

To put these matters to the test. I propose that the letter u shall take the place
of iv in the specific name of Unio Cowperianus of Lea, this gentleman having
committed an error in the orthography. To suit the views of those who do not
like the appearance of a name with the termination anus following a genitive, I
propose that Couperii be adopted instead of the above. There is an " Anodonta
Cowperiana" which I do not correct, because I wish merely to discuss a princi-
ple. I propose that all the species of the genus Alasmoiionj- or Alasmodonta, be
called by one of these names; and that the hybrid specific name of Unio Nash-
■villianus be changed into the more correct and classical one of Nashvicensis. Fi-
nally, I disclaim all citation for these proposition*, as I think it would be the
height of absurdity to cite any one for species he does not know.

In relation to the communication of Dr. A. Clapp, of New
Albany, Indiana, read March 8th, 1S42, the Committee con-
sisting of Mr. Conrad, Prof. Rogers and Mr. Vanuxem, re-
ported the following for publication in the Proceedings: —

A letter was read from Dr. A. Clapp of New Albany, Indiana, dated February
25ih, in relation to the Geological equivalents of the rocks of the Falls of the
Ohio, and other strata in the Western States.

The author states, that, the'e appears to be little or no true carboniferous lime-
stone east of the Falls of the Ohio. The stratum which he doubtfully referred to
it, in a previous letter of December, 1840, viz the Oolitic and Pentremile lime-
stone of Professor Troost and Dr. Owen, he is now convinced is the carboniferous
limestone, commencing a short distance west of New Albany, and underlying the
coal formation in the western part of Indiana, part of Kentucky and Illinois. It
is entirely wanting in Ohio.

He refers to his previous communication of April last, as showing that the
limestone of the Falls of the Ohio, the cliff limestone of Professor Locke, does
not belong to the Carboniferous, but to the Upper Siluiian System of Murchison.
The limestone of the Falls immediately underlies the black bituminous slate,
which appears to be the equivalent of the Marcellus shales of New York. The
lower strata of the Falls have many fossils of the Weulock limestone, but the

* The middle h is sometimes omitted, as it was by Linneus in his genus Ryn-
chops. Is the first author who made the omission, and he who first wrote Rliyn-
chops, entitled to these genera, with their species ? In a notice of Kiener's work,
in the Re\U' Zoologique, this author is censured for writing " Pleurotonia mitrs%
formis Fell," Wond having previously used the specific name " mitrj'formis."

j This ;s the more correct form, and corresponds with .Mono. Ion, Ifvodon, Dio-
don, etc.

178 [May, 1S42.

upper, particularly the water lime, has also many of the Ludlow. The lower and
middle portions of the Cliff limestone, he conjectures to be equivalents of the Ni-
agara limestone and Gypseous shales : the entire mass called the Cliff limestone,
represents therefore the Niagara limestone, Gypseous shales, water-lime, Ononda-
ga limestone, &c. to the Marcellus shales. Under the name Cliff limestone is
here included all the group above the blue limestone and marls of Cincinnati, to
the black slate. It is the western continuation of the middle Silurian series of
Mr. Conrad.

The water-lime of the Falls of the Ohio, is a drab-coloured rock, from ten to
fourteen feet thick, covered by a subcrystalline foetid limestone eight feet thick,
containing Enerini, a Conu/aria, Delthyris and Favosites, and a few other co-
rals, and immediately underlies the black slate. In mast places the water-lime is
entirely destitute of organic remains ; the few which occur belong to the lower
Ludlow and Amestry of Murchison, as Orthis hmata vel reticularis, leptxna
lata ? Turbo carinatus, Terebra sinuosa, Tentaculites, perhaps a new species,
■Avicula reticulata, Calymene bufo, Aaaphus Micrurus; several undetermined
species of Delthyris, an Eschara, &c.

In the strata below the water-lime were f mnd many fossils of the Wenlock
limestone, Strophomena euglypha, Atrypa prisca, the latter also occurring in
the water-lime and upper limestone; Pleurorynchtts cureous? of Conrad, and
an immense profusion of Polyparia, characteristic of the Wenlock limestone.

The Catamepora occurs below the main mass of the corals, and thirty or forty
feet below the water-lime. It would therefore appear, that the water-lime belongs
to the middle or upper part of the Hederburg group, and cannot represent the
Onondaga salt group of Mr. Hall.

The author expresses a doubt of the identity of the black bituminous slate of
Ohio, with the Ludlowville group of Mr. Hall, as supposed by that gentleman.
Though the shales and sandstone in the vicinity of New Albany, for more than
four hundred feet above the black slate, are destitute of fossils, except a few in-
distinct Fucoides, yet sixteen miles south, in Kentucky, great quantities of Cri-
noidiea occur, fifty or one hundred feet above the slate; and an Orthis which
Mr. Hall consideis identical with a species of the Ludlowville shale of New York.

ELECTION.

M. Leon Dufour, of Paris, was duly elected a correspondent
of the Academy.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. JUNE and JULY, 1842. Nos. 15, 16.

STATED MEETING, June 7, 1842.
Dr. Bridges in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Several fine specimens of fibrous Sulphate of Lime, from
the Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, about seven miles from
the entrance. Presented by Wm. T. Craige, M. D.

Bucco margaritatus, and Cuculus cupreus, from Africa.

From Mr. George W. Carpenter.

Pterocles tachypetes (male and female.) i Mounted speci-

Pterocles (male and female.) ) mens.

Pachyptila Smithii (female.) \

Two specimens of Buteo Jackal, South Africa. > In skin.
One do. Buceros cassidix. )

Presented bv Messrs. Wetherill, Vaux, Hembel, and others.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Twelfth Report of the Chester County Cabinet of Natural
Science. West Chester, Pa. April, 1842. From the So-
ciety.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Professor Lindley, dated London,
April 30, 1842, acknowledging his election as a Correspondent
of the Academy.

26

180 [JUNE, 1842.

STATED MEETING, June 14th, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Seventy-six specimens of Birds, in skin, originally forming
part of the Collection of M. Ruppell, (with his labels still
attached,) and derived principally from Egypt and Nubia.
Presented by Professor Holbrook, of Charleston, S. C.

This collection embraces the following :

Cathartes perenopterus. Emberiza hortulana.

Falco Buteo, L. (1 male and 2 citrinella, (male.)

female.) Fringilla carduelis, (female.)

Palumbarius, L. (male.) montana, (male & fern.)

Apivorus, L. (female.) paridisea.

rufus. Loxia pyliopsillacus, (male.)

Lanius collurio, Briss. (female.) Sturnus varians, (male, female

collaris. and young.)

Colius indicus. Corvus Pica, (2 males.)

Musicapa grisola, L. (female.) glandarius, (2 males.)

Turdus musicus. Lamprotorius Morio.
Torquatus, (male.) Nectarinia promerops.

iliacus, (female.) Upupa epops, (male.)

Oriolus galbula, (male.) Alcedo ispida, (female.)

condougnan. Picus viridis, (male.)

Ceylanicus. major, (male.)

Silvia phoeniceus, (3 males.) Cuculus canorus, (young

trochilus, (male.) male.)

hortensis, (male.) prionanis.

sibillatrix, (female.) Columba oenas, (male.)

atricapilla, (male.) Abyssinica.

Regulus flavicupillus. porphyrea.

Motacilla alba, (female.) Capensis.

Anthus arboreus, (male and fern.) palumbus.

Cypsilus apus. Ardea major.

Alauda arvensis, (male.) garetta.

Parus ater, (male and female.) Ardea .

major, (male.) Glareola torquata.

caudatus, (female.) Cichonia nigra.

Emberiza schoeniclus, (male Diomeda melanphrys.

and female.) Tantalus Ibis.

June, 1842.] 181

Porphyris smaregdinus. Anas Egyptiacus.

Recurvirostra . Fulica cristata.

Tringa pugnans. Gallinula Chlorops.

A Collection of Insects, from Mr. Charles W. Twigg, of New
Harmony, Indiana.

Mass of Sandstone, from the neighbourhood of Plymouth,
Pennsylvania, containing nodules of the same substance, in
cavities. From Dr. Hiram Corson, of Plymouth.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Second Bulletin of the National Institution for the Promotion
of Science. March 1841, to February, 1842. Washing-
ton, 1842. From the Society.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

The Chairman read a letter from Mr. S. S. Haldeman, dated
Marietta, Pennsa., May 17, 1842, enclosing communications
intended for publication in the Proceedings of the Academy,
viz : descriptions of a new Species of Cypris, of two species
of Hydrachnse, and of two Entomostraca.

In this letter Mr. Haldeman stated the singular fact of his
having observed, " in a small pond two feet in diameter and
two inches deep, no less than thirty species of animal form ;
including two Crustacea, four Entomostraca, nine Mollusca,
one Annelid, two Hydrachnas, and about a dozen aquatic
larvae."

The communications were referred to a committee, consist-
ing of Mr. Phillips, Dr. Goddard and Dr. Morton.

A letter was also read from Dr. Corson, dated Conshehock-
en, June 10, 1842, accompanying his donation.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Professor Rogers called the attention of the members to the
recent earthquake in St. Domingo, remarkable for its severity
and the great destruction of life and property. He alluded to

182 [June, 1842.

the evidence which the recent accounts from the West Indies
furnish, of the general correctness of the hypothesis, originally
advanced by Michell, in the Philosophical Transactions for
1760, that the movement of the earth in earthquakes is undu-
latory. That such is the nature of the motion may be con-
sidered indeed as established, both from observation in many
regions of the globe, and from instrumental investigations
now in progress in Scotland. Professor Rogers proposes to
explain the billowy oscillation of the ground, by actual waves
engendered on the surface of the great fluid lava-mass, sup-
posed to occupy the whole interior of the globe ; and he ac-
counts for the waves, by the sudden or explosive escape of
highly compressed vapours, by the rending of the crust, or
through other outlets.

He suggested to the Society the importance of procuring,
through correspondence on the part of members, some more
detailed and accurate statements than have yet appeared in the
public prints, in relation to the phenomena of the late shocks
in the West Indies ; as regards,

First. The extent of the earthquake ; whether it reached
the mainland of South America, and to what distance north-
ward from Porto Rico and St. Domingo it was felt at sea.

Secondly. The direction of the undulations and accompa-
nying concussions.

Thirdly. The precise time at each locality of the occur-
rence of the first shock, and of each principal succeeding one.

Fourthly. Whether the cloud of vapour reported to have
been seen at Port Plate, on the north-east coast of St. Domin-
go, was actually such, or merely dust, caused by disturbance
of the soil or the crushing of falling buildings.

June, 1842.] 183

STATED MEETING, June 21st, 1842.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A specimen, in skin, of Felis Canadensis, (Northern Lynx,)

from Fox river, Illinois ; of Felis , from S. Carolina,

and one of Tetrao urogallus, (Wood Grouse,) from the
Alps, also in skin. From Dr. William Blanding.

Dr. Blanding also presented a skeleton of Rana pipiens, and
one of Rana fontinalis, both of which had been prepared by
the large red-ant of this country. Also a skin of Vespertilio
Pennsylvanica, and a dried inflated lung of Emys rubriven-
tris.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Onzieme Rapport Annuel sur les Travaux de la Societe
d'Histoire Naturelle de l'Isle Maurice ; par M. Louis Bouton.
Maurice, 1841. From Mr. Wm. Hembel.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Goddard remarked, in reference to the inflated lung
presented this evening, that it offered a very good type of the
lobule of the human lung ; and that although each lobule of the
latter was isolated and distinct from all the rest, its air cells
communicated freely with each other; a fact, the discovery of
which was due to Professor Horner.

184 [June, 1842.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, June 28th, 1842.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The committee, consisting of Mr. Phillips, Dr. Goddard, and
Dr. Morton, to whom were referred the following communica-
tions of Mr. Haldeman, reported in favour of publication in the
Proceedings.

Description of two species of Entomostraca and two Hy-
drachnae, by S. S. Haldeman.

Daphnia abrupta. Body short, irregular in outline, back but slightly convex,
meeting the head at a slight depression, and the posterior extremity with a curve
of a quarter of a circle ; posterior margin running downwards and forwards, with
a rounded projection opposite the head ; ventral margin very convex. Colour,
brown ; length, 2 millim. Hab. Ditches along the Susquehanna.

LiMNADrA coriacea. Body lengthened; swimming branchiae extending along
three-fourths of the inferior surface, from the neck to the extremity of the tail;
tail crested above with a row of large conical obtuse tubercles ; apex of the shell
elevated, and about one-fourth of the length from the anterior extremity ; colour,
light brown; length 5 millim., height 3, diam. 1^. Hab. Ditches along the Sus-
quehanna, in quiet water.

Obs. — The shell is coriaceous and translucent, and bears a slight resemblance
to Mesodesma Jauresii. It is not a little singular that the same generic and spe-
cific name, Limnadia gigas, should have been applied both to a crustacean and
a mollusc, each of which has a bivalve shell, andinhabits fresh water.

Hydrachna scabra. Subglobose, dull vermillion red, displaying a rough papil-
lated surface under the microscope ; legs ciliated, some of the bristles extremely
long; claws simple, retractile ; length 1| millim. Hab. Quiet waters along the
Susquehanna. Swims well, and occasionally leaves the water for the damp earth.

Hydrachna bundata. Subglobular, light ochraceous, clouded with light yellowish
brown ; there are five blood-red spots, placed respectively between the eyes, at the
posterior extremity, upon the margin of each side, and in the middle of the body;
legs long, slender, and ciliated. Length 1 millim. Extremely active, swimming
through the water with great rapidity. Occurs with the preceding species.

Description of a new species of Cypris. By S. S. Halde-
man.

Cypris scabra. Shell modioliform, rough, inflated, thickly covered with bristles ;
colour (of the dead shell,) pale livid, or corneus. Length 1 1, height 1 millimetre.
Hab. A small pond near Cambridge, Mass. It resembles Modiola nexa some-
what, in outline.

The committee on Dr. Zantzinger's paper, containing a
Tabular Statement of Meteorological observations for the year

July, 1842.] 185

1841, reported in favour of publication in the Journal of the
Academy.

The Corresponding Secretary read his Report for the last
month.

NEW BUSINESS.

Mr. Phillips, from the Committee on the Proceedings report-
ed the following Resolution, which, on motion, was adopted :

Resolved, — That when the Committee on the Proceedings
consider it unadvisable to publish a communication in the
form in which it has been received, they may decline it, unless
it can be modified to their satisfaction, with the consent of the
author ; but in case of his absence, they shall refer the pro-
posed alterations to the Academy.

ELECTION.

M. Edm. de Selys Longchamps, of Liege, was then elected
a Correspondent of the Academy.

STATED MEETING, July 5th, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Four Crania of Hindoos. Presented by Dr. James Mease.

Unio Hopetonensis. Anadonta gibbosa.

spinosus. Anadonta Couperiana.

obesus. Anadonta incerta.

Sheppardianus. Ampullaria Hopetonensis.

splendidus. Cyclas similis ?

lugubris. Physa gyrina.

dolabraeformis. Physa heterostropha.

Achatina striata. Paludina Georgina.

Helix septemvolva.

18(5 [July, 1842.

Presented by Mr. J. H. Couper, of Darien, Georgia, through
Mr. Phillips.

A specimen of Lymnadia coriacea. From Mr. Haldeman.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Franklin Journal, Vols. 4, 5 and 6 ; and Journal of the Frank-
lin Institute, Vols. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 12, completing the Acade-
my's copy to Vol. 18. From Mr. Frederick Graff, Jr.,
through W. S. Vaux.

Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences. Vol. 8. Part
2d. 1842. From the Committee of Publication.

Histoire des Vegetaux Fossiles, ou Recherches Botaniques et
Geologiques sur les Vegetaux renfermes dans les diverses
couches du Globe. Par M. Adolphe Brongniart. From
Peter A. Browne, Esq.

Description des Coquilles Fossiles des Environs de Paris.
Par G. P. Deshayes. Tome I. and Liv. 1 to 6 inclusive,
Tome II. From the same.

Address delivered by B. Aldon Bidlack, on 22d Feb. 1839, at
Wilkesbarre, Pa. From the Author.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

The Corresponding Secretary read a note from Dr. Richard
Harlan, in relation to a donation of Fossils intended for the
Academy, now in his possession, from Mr. Couper, of
Georgia.

The Chairman read a letter from Prof. Locke, dated
Medical College, Ohio, June 18, 1842, stating that specimens
of the fossil Cryptolithus tesselatus, had been discovered in
his neighbourhood, in marl, which display the abdominal
portion, not hitherto detected in this species, and containing a
description and drawing of the same.

Referred to a committee composed of Mr. Haldeman, Mr.
Phillips and Dr. Morton.

Professor Johnson read a communication from Peter A.

July, 1842.] 187

Browne, Esq. containing a description of a monstrosity occur-
ring in a species of Rose, in which a portion of the inflores-
cence had been superseded by a growth resembling a brand)
with its leaves ; with some explanations as to the mode in
which this anomalous condition was produced.

The communication was referred to Drs. Pickering, Bridg-
es and Zantzinger.

Dr. Chaloner read a translation from the French of M-
Linant's account of the discovery of the Petrified Forest near
Cairo, Egypt, with a description of the same.

Specimens from this forest were presented by Geo. R.
Gliddon, Esq. at a former meeting of the Academy.

On motion, Resolved, that a copy of this translation be
placed in the Library of the Academy.

Mr. Haldeman read a paper, entitled " A Description of two
new species of Hydrachnae ; viz. H. nebulosa, and H. cocci-
nea ; and of one Daphnia, D. reticulata," which was referred
to a committee, consisting of Drs. Goddard, McMurtrie and
Pickering.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Professor Johnson made some remarks on the determination
of copper in analysis. He stated that the usual mode was to pre-
cipitate the protoxide from solution; that in this case, it is neces-
ary that an excess of alkali should be added, and the precipitate
well washed. It is also attended by a loss in filtering, &c.
By using dry sulphate of copper these objections are obviated.
This salt is readily dried without decomposition; and Professor
Johnson stated that with the same portion of copper he re-
peated an experiment several times, and had found this mode
of determination more satisfactory than that by the oxide, and
with less variation in result.

Mr. Haldeman then made the following remarks.

From the great number of generic names required in Zoolo-

27

188 [July, 1842.

gy and Botany, it frequently happens that the same name will
occur, not only in both these sciences, but will be occasionally
used for different genera in one or the other kingdom. No
principle is perhaps better established than that which denies
the same name to different genera ; and it is necessary, there-
fore, that those concerned in the construction of generic
nomenclature, should look over the names already instituted,
as a safeguard against a double emploi. Thus Cenchrus and
Apogon are genera in both kingdoms.

I wish, therefore, to propose a few changes in the names
of several genera, viz :

Anojmia, instead of Harpyia, Cuv., for a genus of birds, the
latter name being preoccupied, both in Mammalogy and En-
tomology.

Oplacerus, instead of Mazama, Smith ; this name having
been pre-applied to Ovis or Capra montana, Ord, by Rafin-
esque.

Sargus, was long since applied to a genus of dipterous in-
sects by Illiger : Cuvier more recently, upon dismembering
the genus Sparus of Artedi and Linnaaus, improperly adopted
it for the typical section, to which, therefore, the original
name Sparus must be applied.

Lynx, (a subgenus of Felis,) was published by Rafinesque
in 1817, and I believe has the priority of Lynchus, which is
also the name of a genus of Crustacea.

STATED MEETING, July 12, 1842.
Mr. Phillips in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A specimen of Canis latrans, (prairie wolf,) from Illinois; of
Crocodilus lucius (adult size;) and of Talpa Europsea, from
the Alps. Presented by Dr. Blanding.

July, 1842.] 189

A donation of finely prepared plants of Kentucky, &c, con-
sisting of 77 species; some of which are rare and one
entirely new. From Prof. C. W. Short, of Louisville, Ken-
tucky.

Specimens of Diallogite, from Transylvania ; Kerolite, from
Gumberg, Silesia ; Picrosmine, from Pusterthal, Tyrol ; Pi-
crolite and Metaxite, from Reichenstein, Silesia. Presented
by J. Randolph Clay, Esq.

A specimen of Dysluite, from New Jersey. From Mr.
Joseph A. Clay.

Fossil Ferns, from the vicinity of Hamilton, Lanarkshire,
Scotland. From Dr. Watson.

The following large and valuable collection of Fossil bones
and shells from the Brunswick canal, Georgia, were presented
by J. Hamilton Couper, Esq. of Darien, Ga., through Dr. Har-
lan.

Fragments of the superior maxillary bones of the Megathe-
rium, showing the sockets of the teeth.

One side of the lower maxillary of the Megatherium, with the
four teeth in place.

Head of the femur, and fragments of the same bone of do.

Vertebra of do. and fragments of the ilium, showing the
glenoid cavity.

A lower incisor tooth of the Hippopotamus.

The same, with the points broken off*.

A fragment supposed to belong to the same animal.

Tooth of a Horse; broken.

Teeth of the Mastodon giganteum.

Pieces of the ribs, vertebra?, &c. of the Mammoth and Masto-
don.

Two rotula? of the Mammoth, and a fragment of a tusk.

Teeth of the Elephas primogenius.

190 [July, 1842.

*One side of the lower maxillary of an animal unknown to the

donor; with teeth.
*A Humerus, supposed to be of the Bos family.
A Tibia, do. do.

A rib and vertebras of a Whale.

Fossil Shells.
Pyrula carica; Venus mercenaria; Cytherea concentrica;

Cardium ventricosum; Area pexata ; Mactra lateralis?

Tellina alternata ; Ostrea edulis; Oliva literata ; Pectuncu-

lus; Lutraria and Solen.
Corresponding recent shells taken from the sea-beach within

ten miles of the canal.

Also, a portion of petrified wood, found abundantly in small
fragments.

{Samples of marl, green sand, and proto-sulphate of iron,
from the canal where the rib and vertebra; of the whale
were found.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Syllabus of a course of popular lectures on Physiology. By
Reynell Coates, M. D. From Mr. Haldeman.

American Journal of Science and Arts. Vol.43, No. 1. For
April, May and June, 1842. From the Editors.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

Mr. Haldeman read the following additional Remarks on
Changes of Nomenclature in Natural History, which were
referred to Dr. Morton, Dr. Bridges and Mr. Phillips as a
committee, who reported in favour of publication in the Pro-
ceedings.

* Since described by Dr. Harlan, at pp. 143, 144, of Silliman's Journal for July
1842, the former as the left ramus of the lower jaw of Sus Americana, and the
latter as the right os fomoris of Chelonia Couperi.

July, 1842.] l^J

In continuation of my observations on the use of the same name for different
genera, I would remark that it is possible, in many instances, to vary the later
one so slightly, that it would be essentially the same; and, to prevent confusion,
the name of the author who instituted the genus, might be cited for it.* These
variations might take place either in the orthography, in the gender, or by a
diminitive. Linnams himself has set us an example, in applying such names as
Picus and Pica to distinct genera of birds.

But in making changes of this kind, it is very necessary to be careful that great
confusion be not the result. Thus, Bonaparte has proposed '■ Pogonathus, Bon."
in place of" Pogonias, Cuv." because the latter is applied to a genus of birds. Yet
if we turn to the Regne Animal, we will find " Pogonias' Lacep." We do not,
however, find Pogonias in Lacepede, the name being Pogonathus.

I propose Ancyllus and Teronyx, instead of Ancylus and Trionyx, for genera of
Hymenoptera.

Conoura, Eucryptus and Auchenella, instead of Conurus, Cryptus, (Hal.) and
Auchenia, for genera of insects.

Clypastrsea and Strong ulus, instead of Clypeaster and Strongylus, for coleopte-
rous genera.

Cymindus, instead of Cymindis, for a genus of birds; and Labeola instead of
Labeo, for a genus of insects. There are many other names employed for dis-
tinct genera ; thus Chione, Venilia, Cleodora, Pandora, Hyria and Lucina, are
common to conchology and entomology ; Sylvia and Tanagra to the latter and
ornithology ; and Labeo and Zytena to entomology and ichthyology.

The following " Note on the Natural Alliances of the genus
Cecidomyia, intended to facilitate identification ;" was read by
Dr. B. H. Coates, and referred to a committee, viz. : Dr.
McMurtrie, Dr. Pickering, and Mr. Haldeman ; who reported
it for publication in the Proceedings of the Academy.

Nothing new is professed to be furnished by the present paragraphs. They are
compiled from sources not difficult of access among the liberal collections of this
city ; but it has been hoped that some utility could be derived from preserving and
more widely diffusing a memorandum of the^alliances of this destructive family of
insects, so as to increase the number and practicability of observations on the part
of those favourably situated for that purpose.

The old Linnean genus, Tipula, is, I believe, a natural one. It is, at all events,
one of a striking appearance. A delicate, lightly framed, two winged fly, of a
form much resembling the moschito, frequently capable of resting and dancing on
running streams of water, so as to attract popular attention by the circumstance,
and at the same time unable to inflict severe and penetrating wounds on the bodies
of warm-blooded animals, from the feebleness of its proboscis. This organ would
seem, in general, only fitted for sucking up uncovered or but slightly covered fluids ;
and contains, to use the language of one of the best authorities, only a pair of lan-
cets ; being, in this respect, very deficient when compared with the allied family,
Culicida;. The antennae, with the exception of a single sub-family, are thread-
shaped. The perfect insect shows but little avidity for food.

Five natural groups seem to arise; in each of which the appearance of the per-

* Cuvier writes " Machoera, Lacep." but this genus stands Makaira, in
Lacepede's work, and it is the more necessary to retain the original orthography,
as Machcerahas been recently applied to a genus of Mollusca.

IV

192 [July, 1842.

feet insect visibly differs, and the habits of the larva vary materially in respect to
food and habitation. We copy some of the characters.

1. Chirnomides. Aquatic Tipulides. Male antennae plumose ; larva) aquatic.

2. Tipulides proper. Terrestrial Tipulides. Head elongated into a muzzle;
no ocelli ; larva? inhabit the earth.

3. Mycetophilides. Tipulides of fungi. Two or three ocelli ; trochanters
elongated ; tibiae strongly spurred ; larva? feed on fungi.

4. Cecidomyides. Tipulides of gall-nuts. Head not prolonged into a muzzle ;
no ocelli ; trochanters of ordinary length ; antenna? moniliform ; larva? feed in
galls formed on vegetable substances.

5. Bibionides. Tipulides of flowers. Antenna? short, perfoliatcd, generally fewer
than 12 joints ; legs of ordinary length ; larva? often resident in rotten dung
and vegetable debris. [To me, this seems contradictory.]

The above classification is quoted from M. Latreille ; and is preferred by the
author whom I have already cited, and whom I believe to be Mr. Westwood. The
less extensive knowledge of the species possessed in the years when Messrs. Meigen
and Lamarck wrote, prevented their distribution of the family from being, at that
time, so perfect. They are compelled, in this place, to follow a more artificial
method ; and have thus brought in close approximation some animals whose mode
of life has subsequently been thought to differ. It has since been thought to be
rendered evident, that the larva? of the proper tipulida?, at least as a general rule,
live on the roots of plants. Among the authorities cited for this are Kirby and
Spcnce.

It is evident that the natural affinities of Cecidomyia, are with the sub-family
to which it has given its name. It has been approximated to Lasioptera. The
latter is a genus with terrestrial larva?, living on roots ; and the parent, according
to professor Meigen, not furnished with an ovipositor. The figures, too, given by
the latter writer as specimens of the genera, differ in their habitus. In the earlier
state of knowledge in relation to the tipulide tribe, and particularly while the lar-
va? were less known, the collocation of several species was doubtful. Mr. Meigen
is said to place the tipula juniperina L., which inhabits the tops of the juniper,
" doubtfully in Lasioptera." 1 understand the words " unbekannte horde," under
which he introduces this species, to mean " unknown, or ill-understood horde," or
" unknown, ill-defined group."

it is observed that every larva of the family, thus fur, appears to consume solid
substances by chewing, and, as a necessary inference, to possess real jaws; instead
of sucking by a trunk, as has been, in this country, universally affirmed of the
species so frequently the subject of popular discussion. The consideration goes to
strengthen, if possible, the inference that the quiescent substance generally sup-
posed, in imitation of Mr. Say, to be the larva of the Hessian fly, and which, by
the avowal of that distinguished writer, so closely resembles the pupa, is really the
pupa in an earlier stage, and that the larva is to be looked for in the maxillated
and gnawing worm.

It appears to be every where observed, that as soon as these animals increase
to a certain extent, their further diffusion is immediately limited by the ravages
of the different parasites of the families Chalcidida? and Proctotrupida?. The
coincidence of these diminutions, from a cause not generally understood, with
various other circumstances affecting the wheat crops, probably gives reputation
to many other supposed means, natural and artificial, of destroying the injurious

The Corresponding Secretary read several letters from Mr.
Couper, of Georgia, addressed to Dr. Harlan of this city, in

July, 1842.] 193

reference to his donation of fossil bones and shells of this
evening; and also containing a list of the specimens.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Chaloner exhibited a specimen of a small Trilobite, said
to have been taken from a coal excavation at the Bear Gap,
about 14 miles from Pottsville, Pa., along with the fern im-
pressions so numerous in such excavations. Some doubts
were expressed by Dr. Chaloner as to the correctness of his
informant. He was desirous, however, of calling the attention
of the members to the subject.

In relation to the donation of Minerals this evening, Mr. J.
A. Clay remarked, that they exhibited in a striking manner,
the identity of certain Magnesian minerals of the U. States,
and especially of those of Chester county, Pennsylvania, with
the Picrosmine, Metaxite, &c. of Europe.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

On motion of Professor Johnson, Resolved, That the 2d
Part of the 7th Vol. of the Journal of the Academy, be pre-
sented to M. de Longchamps, of Leige.

194 [July, 1842.

STATED MEETING, July 19, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A specimen of Infusorial Earth, from a stratum varying from
12 to 15 feet in thickness, found in the hills near Richmond,
Virginia. This material lies between the Eocene and Meio-
cene Tertiary strata ; and spreads over an area of several
miles. Presented by Professor Wm. B. Rogers of Virginia.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Continuation of the Copper plates of Haldeman's Limniades;
Lymnasa plates, Nos. 12 to 15. Presented by the Author.

Histoire Naturelle de ITsle de Cuba. Par M. Ramond de la
Sagra. Liv. 30th and 31st. Presented by J. Price Weth-
erill, J. S. Phillips, S. G. Morton, M. D., A. L. Elwyn, M. D.,
W. S. Vaux, J. A. Clay, and Geo. C. Leib, M. D.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

The Chairman read two letters from M. Henry Galiotti,
dated Brussels, Dec. 27, 1840, and Feb. 24, 1842, tendering
his services in adding to the collections of the Society in the
different departments of Natural History ; and soliciting ex-
changes from the Academy, and from the members indivi-
dually ; and also announcing that he had forwarded for the
Society several of his works.

By permission of the Academy, Professor H. D. Rogers,
from the committee appointed in May last to draft a series of

July, 1842.] 195

queries to be addressed to the Egyptian Society at Cairo,
in reference to the geology of Egypt, and especially Boul-
der formations, made a report on the subject, containing said
queries.

The report, on motion, was adopted.

A communication from Peter A. Browne, Esq. was read,
informing the Academy of his intention to present a valuable
collection of West Indian Plants, Fruits and Seeds.

On motion of Mr. Phillips, it was Resolved ; That the thanks
of the Society be presented to Mr. Browne, for the very val-
uable and finely preserved collection of plants, fruits, &c.
obtained by him during his recent visit to the West Indies, and
presented to the Academy this evening.

196 [July, 1842.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, July 26, 1842.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

After the reading of the Monthly Report of the Corrrespond-
ing Secretary, the following reports of committees were pre-
sented and adopted.

The Committee on the following paper by Mr. Haldeman,
read July 5th, 1842, in favour of Publication in the Proceed-
ings.

Description of two new species of Hydrachna and one of
Daphnia. By S. S. Haldeman.

Hydr. nebulosa. Globular, mottled with brown ; a large central sub-rectangu-
lar spot back of the eyes, which are apparently double upon each side, red and
black ; an orange spot in the centre of the back ; legs very slender, first and
second pair thinner than the third and fourth ; palpi long, basal half cylindrical,
extremity tapering. More globular than my Unionicola oviformis, with a nearly
similar light Y shaped mark upon the back, and equalling this species in size.
Hab. A little pond on the Susquehanna, above Columbia.

Hydr. coccinea. Subglobose, uniform bright scarlet, legs slender, covered with
short bristles ; palpi bristled, ante-penultimate articulation thickened. Length 4
millim. Hab. with the preceding. Differs from H. scabra, in being larger, and
in wanting the long bristles to the legs. The posterior legs are not " destitute of
cilia," wherein it differs from Limnochares cxtendens, Say.

Daphnia reticulata. Ovate, margins imbricated, surface divided by fine lines
into minute rectangles; posterior half of the body with the dorsal and ventral por-
tion approaching each other by similar curves, which meet in a long, slender,
tapering caudal appendage. Closely resembles " Monocculus pulex." Jurine's
Hist, des Monocles, PI. 8. fig. 1. Length 1£ millim. Hab. with the preceding.

The Committee on Professor Locke's communication, read
July 5th, 1842, on the Fossil Cryptolithus tesselatus, re-
ported also in favour of publication in the Proceedings ; viz :

So rarely do we meet with Fossils in such a state that we can unravel in any
degree the structure beyond the mere external form, that I sit down while the
subject is still new and exciting, to communicate to you what seems to me to be a
discovery in relation to the Cryptolithus tessellatus. This fossil is so seldom found
with anything more than the scuta and its ornamented margin, that some natu-
ralists have doubted the existence of an " abdomen" and " tail," similar to the cor-
responding parts of other trilobites. In examining a stratum of clay-marl which

July, 1842.] 197

constitutes, perhaps, a hundred feet in thickness of our horizontal strata, the fos-
sils were found to be merely imbedded, without petrefaction, and easily separable
from the fine, soft, earthy matter. In this condition, they exhibit a freshness and
sharpness highly interesting to the student. Within the last week, Mr^sJames
Foster, an amateur collector of our city, discovered in this marl several specimens
of the above fossil, with the body entire. Soon after, Mr. Anthony and myself
found other specimens of the same. The new facts disclosed by these specimens
and by others found in this vicinity, are 1st. That the animal was furnished when
entire, with very long spines or processes from the posterior angles of the shield.
2d. The abdomen is partly concealed, about five articulations, under the poste-
rior half of the shield. 3d. The middle lobe of the shield is posteriorly mucro-
nate. The first fact is fully exhibited in a specimen in Mr. Foster's cabinet ; the
second fact in a specimen of my own, in which the shield lias separated from the
body, disclosing the articulations beneath ; the third fact in two specimens be-
longing to Mr. Foster. The middle lobe of the abdomen is about half the width
of the lateral lobes, and shows only five or six articulations uncovered by the shield.
The tail is very distinct from the abdomen, with about five obscure articulations.
Mr. Anthony has a specimen, which by a fracture of the shield, discloses seven
abdominal articulations, and the whole number is probably ten. It is evident,
from this structure, that when the animal rolled itself in the manner of the trilo-
bite family, the whole body would be concealed under the shield. The posterior
part of the body is circumscribed by a well defined raised margin.

The associated fossils are Strophomcna alternata, Atrypa tcstudinaria, Lingula

, Orbicula, Isotelus megistos, Calymene senaria, Grthocerce, Enchrinites and

Corallines. Formation, " Blue limestone," Trenton Limestone of the N. Y.
Geologists, or a formation above it.

The Committee, to whom was referred the communication
of P. A. Browne, Esq., describing a " monstrous Rose," made
a report, stating that the difference in the character of this
paper from the usual one of those inserted in the Journal cr
Proceedings, and the necessity for the aid of a plate for its
complete elucidation, rendered its publication, in its entire form,
impracticable.

The following, however, being the concluding portion of the
paper, containing some strictures on terms used in Vegetable
Physiology, the Committee recommended for publication in
the Proceedings.

It remains only to note, that when botanists inculcate the doctrine to which
allusion has been made above,* they make use of terms that are illy adapted to
convey their meaning. " A flower" they say, " is a transformed branch : all its
organs being leaves, which have undergone a peculiar metamorphosis ,"t by which
we would understand that nature first formed a branch, and afterwards converted

* The present theory, of the flower being' the product of successive whorls of
leaves.

t Gray's Botany, p, 158,

198 [July, 1842'

it progressively into a calyx, a corolla, stamens and pistils ; whereas they do not
intend to be understood that these parts ever existed as branches or leaves, but
that their nature and origin are the same. And this being the case, why are the
wordslfrtransformed," and " metamorphosed" used at all ? Terms should never be
used in science with different meanings from that in which they are generally
understood, if it can possibly be avoided.

! ■ It is the opinion of some eminent botanists, that the same vegetable matter
which, called into action on the earth, with sufficient light, air, &c. produces a
Lichen, will, in moisture on decaying organised substances become a Fungus ;
or if developed under water, exhibit the form of an Alga. But this has not been
considered a sufficient warrant for the assertion, that one of these is transformed
or is metamorphosed into the other.

This erroneous mode of expression is peculiarly conspicuous in regard to the
present specimen, since it conveys the idea that the leaves were first transformed
into calyx, corolla, stamens and pistils, and were afterwards by a retrograde move-
ment metamorphosed back again into leaves ; when in truth all we mean to assert
is, that owing to the peculiar circumstances attending the developement of the
flower, the vegetable matter which was called into action, never arrived at the
stage of perfection required for these more perfect organs, and that therefore they
remained leaves.

The Society then proceeded to an election for Correspon-
dents of the xA.cademy, with the following result.

CORRESPONDENTS.

Professor John A. Warder, of Cincinnati, Ohio.

John C. Warren, M. D„ of Boston.

J. N. Nicollet, Esq. of Washington City.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. AUG. SEPT. & OCT., 1842. Nos.17,18,19.

STATED MEETING, August 2, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Two Scorpions from the Isthmus of Darien. Presented by
Mr. Wm. L. Ilobson through Mr. J. B. Quinby.

A Collection of Plants (seventy-two species) from Germany,
France, Switzerland, Bohemia, and this country. Pre-
sented by Geo. Engelmann, M. D., of St. Louis, Missouri.

Specimens of Physa aurca, Lea, and Paludina Nickliniana,
Lea. Presented by Mr. Philip II. Nicklin, through Mr.
Phillips.

Mr. Phillips also presented from Mr. Haldeman the fol-
lowing Shells:

Helix annulata, Sow. Nncula tenuisulcata.

Helix nmntieula, Sow. Nucula tenuis.

'JYrebratula Septentriunalid. Neritina — .

29

200 [August, 1842.

A specimen of Trichurus lepturus. From Dr. Morris Beas-
ley, of New Jersey, through Mr. Ashmead.

A ream of Chinese paper for the use of the Botanical Com-
mittee. Presented hy Dr. Pickering.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Beitrag zur Kcnntniss der Naturlichen familie der Amaran-
taceen. Von Dr. Yon Martius, M.D., A.D.N. From the
Author.

Uber die Entwickelung der Botanick seit dem Bestehen der
k. h. hotanischen Gesellschaft zu Regensburg ein Vortrag,
gehalten in der Sitzung der Gesellschaft, am. 15. April,
1840. Yon Dr. Von Martius. From the same.

Herbarium Flora; Brasiliensis, kc. Botanophilis offert Dr.
Yon Martius. Monachii, 1S:J7. From the same.

Molluscorum Species, (puis in Itinere per Oricntem facto
comites clariss. Schuberti ductules M. Erdl, et J. 11. Roth,
collegcrunt. Rcceiisuit Dr. .1. Pi. Ruth. Dissertatio Inau-
guralis. Monachii, 1837. From the same.

Uber die Thcorie der Parallelen. Inaugural Dissertation
von Dr. Anton Bischof. Munchen, 1840. From the
same.

Astronom'sche Beobachtungen, angestellt auf der k. Stern-
warte zu Bogenhausen von dem ordentlichen Mitgliedc
der Akademie der Wissenschaften. From the same.

Bcricht uber die ausserordentliche Sitzung der k. b. Botan-

ischen Gesellschaft, am. -8. Nov., 1841. From the

same.
L>enkschriften der K ... b, 1 hen, Boianischea Gt-

• zu Regensburg. \ .. Ill Regensburg, 1841.

1 rom the same.
Coup d'oeil sur la laguna de Chapala au Mcxique, avee

notes gdognostiqucs. Far M. Henry Galiotti. From the

Author.

V . < 5T, 1842.1 201

1 ! ' < i!i itti. Fr

Goologique sur lea Environs de San Jose" del Oro, au
Mexique. Par M. Galiotti. From the same.

Notice sur les Trernblemcnts <le Terrc, ct les Etoiles filantcs.
Par II. Galiotti. From the same.

Recherches Statistiquea sur la Population du Mexique en
1840. Par H. Galiotti. From the same.

Apercu Gdognostique sur les Environs tie la Havana. Par
II. Galiotti. From the same.

Addresses delivered at the Anniversary Meeting of the Geo-
logical Society of London, on the 21st of February, 1840,
and ll'th of February, 1841; and the Announcement of
the award of the Wollaston Medal, and Donation Fund
for the same years. By the Rev. Prof. Buckland, D. D.,
F. Ft. S. London, 1840 and 1841. From the Author.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from J. II. Balfour, M. D., dated Glas-
gow, June 21, 1842, acknowledging the reception of his notice
of election as Correspondent of the Academy.

Also a letter from Dr. Charles Von Martius, dated March
2d, 1842, noticing the donation of books made this evening,
and soliciting correspondence and exchanges between the
Academy and the Royal Academy of Sciences at Munich,
and the Royal Botanical Society of Batisbon.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

On motion of Mr. Phillips,

Resolved, That two as full scries of the Publications of
the Academy as are on hand, be forwarded by the Publica-
tion Committee to Dr. Yon Martius. on behalf of the Aca-
demy.

[Au«u«, 1842.

STATED MEETING, August 9, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Sixty-four Species of Plants from the Andes, collected and
presented by J. Frampton Watson, Esq.

Portions of a Human Skeleton, discovered and brought from
the Ruins of San Francisco, near Ticol, nineteen leagues
from Merida, Yucatan, by Mr. J. L. Stephens, and deposited
in the Academy by Dr. Morton.
Bones of the Raccoon, Doer, Bat, and a single vertebra of a
minute Fish, from a Cave on the Condogwinit, near Car-
lisle, Pennsylvania. From Dr. Win. T. Craige.

A Specimen, in spirits, of [Jranoscopus , from the

mouth of Great Egg Elarbor Ltivcr. From Mr. Ashmead.
The Botanical Committee announced the reception of Mr.
Browne's collection of West Indian Plants, Fruits, &c, ac-
companied by a Catalogue, in which the name of each spe-
cies is given under the head of the natural family to which
it belongs, with short statements of its localities, peculiarities
ind uses.

The whole collection contains of dried plants oOO species;
of fruits, seed vessels, and seeds, about ">."> varieties; and of
woods, To varieties; some of which latter are polished.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Saggio Storico dei Rizopodi Caratteristici dci Terreni Sopra-
cretacei. Par Giovanni Michelotti. Modena, 1841. From
the Author.

Monografia del genere Murex, ossia cnumerazione dellc

Arausr, 1842.] 208

principal specie dci Sopracretacei dell' Italia. Par Gio-
vanni Michelotti. Vicenza, 1841. 4to. From the Author.
Description des Canccllaires Fossiles des Terraines Tertiaires
du Piomont. Par Louis Bellardi. Turin, 1841. From
the Author.

Annales des Mines. Tome XX. 5me. liv. de 1841. From
the Society.

Ilistoire Naturelle, ke. de l'llo de Cuba. Par M. Ramond
<le la Sagra. Liv. 32, 33, 34, 35, 3G and 37. Presented by
J. Price Wetherill, J. S. Phillips, S. G. Morton, A. L. El-
wyn, W. S. Vaux, Jos. A. Clay, and Geo. C. Leib.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

The Chairman read a letter from M. Jean Michelotti,
dated Turin, March 24, 1842, accompanying the donation of
his works.

Also a letter from M. Louis Bellardi, dated March 25.
1842, in reference to the presentation of his work.

And a note from Peter A. Browne, Esq., introductory to
his Catalogue of West Indian Plants, &c.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Merlon laid on the taide the remains of a human skeleton found by Mr.
J. li Stephens in a vauli or tomb at the ruins near Ticul, nineteen leagues from
Merida, in Yucatan. Dr. M. remarked that these bones have pertained to a
female, whose stature has not exceeded five feet three inches, at the same time
ih;it the absence of epiphyses and consequent consolidation of the bones ar<
proof- of adult a'.*e. From the appearance of the teeth, however, which art
fresh, and not sensibly worn, and a line or furrow marking off the crista of the
ilium, it is piesUmed that this individual had not passed her twentieth year.
The bones of the head, which are still partially separable at the sutures, are
admirably characteristic of the American Race, as seen in the vertical occiput
and the 'jreat inter-parietal diameter, which measures five inches and ei^ht-
tenths. The head is of full size, in proportion to the rest of the skeleton, ol
which the bones are of very delicate proportions, especially those of the fee;
and hands. An interesting feature of this skeleton is, the occurrence of a
large spongy node on the upper and inner surface of the left tibia, on which
it extends about two inches in length, one inch in breadth, and halt an inch
in thicki ess. Dr. Bridges having subjected some fragments of these bone-

204 [August, 1842.

10 the usual chemical tests, found them in a very great degree deprived of
animal matter — an additional evidence of their antiquity.

Dr. Morton also exhibited parts of four other skeletons, obtained also in
Yucatan, by Mr. Benjamin A. Norman, during a recent sojourn in that coun-
try. They were found in mounds near the sea-coast; but on a closer examin-
ation, it was ascertained by that gentleman that these mounds had been
pyramids of mason work, which, by gradual disintegration, and subsequent
deposits of vegetable matter, had been reduced to the low, conical, or mound-
like lorm. One of these skeletons is that of a man of perhaps five and twenty
years ol age; the bones, which are chiefly those of the extremities, are large,
and indicate a person of full stature. The few remaining cranial bones are'
large and massive, which remark also applies to both maxilla?, in which the
teeth are remarkably perfect. The os calcis and other bones of the foot are
of delicate proportions. Parts of a second skeleton from the same mound
are smaller, but so few, and so much broken, as to prevent any certain indi-
cations of age or sex.

Of the two remaining skeletons, only a few fragments of long bones and
others of the hands and feet remain. These are much larger than those
already described, and have probably pertained to men of large stature. No
remains of cranial bones were found among them. These fragments were
not tested for the animal matter they may contain; but, judging from their
extreme disintegration, it must have almost wholly disappeared.

Mr. Gliddon remarked, on the authority of Mr. Stephens,
that an examination of the sepulchre, and of the mode in
which these remains had been interred, totally disproved
any idea of their being of Egyptian origin or character.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

On motion of Dr. Morton, Resolved, That the Catalogue
accompanying Mr. P. A. Browne's donation of West Indian
plants, &c, be bound, and deposited in the Library of the
Academy.

A ■ st, 1842.] 205

>

STATED MEETING, A p 16, 1842.

Mr. TiiiLLirs in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIRRARY.

An account of Indian Serpents collected on the Coast of
Cororaandcl, containing descriptions and drawings of each
species, together with remarks on their several poisons.
By Patrick Russell, M. D., F. R. S. London, 1776. From
Mr. William Hembel.

Appendix to the American in Egypt. By Geo. R. Gliddon.
Philadelphia, 1M2. From the Author.

STATED MEETING, Augi st 23, 1842.
Dr. Bridges in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO Ml SEUM.

\ specimen of Arctomys monax, from Pennsylvania. I') -
sented by Mr. S. W. Woodhouse.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, No. 22,
for May, June, and July, 1842. From the Society.

Report of the Secretary of the Navy, in relation to the inven-
tion of Thomas S. Easton, for preventing explosions of
steam boilers. June, 1S42. From Prof. Walter R. Johnson.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Mr. J. N. Nicollet, dated Balti-
more, August 1<J, 1842, in acknowledgement of the receipt

of his notice of election as Correspondent of the Academy.

20ii [August, 1842.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, August 30, 1842.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Monthly Report of the Corresponding Secretary was
read and adopted.

The Botanical Committee reported that Vol. 12, of Com-
posite, which had been in the hands of Dr. Gray for arrange-
ment, by permission of the Society, had been returned by
him much improved and amended, by Notes and Addi-
tions.

A resolution was adopted, authorising the Curators to
have the Collection of Insects removed from the Hall, under
their superintendence, for the purpose of being disinfected.

After the disposal of some general business, the Academy
proceeded to an election for Correspondents, when the fol-
lowing gtmtlemen were announced duly elected as such.

CORRESPONDENTS.

Spencer F. Baird, Esq., of Carlisle, Pennsjdvania.

M. Henry Galiotti, of Brussels.

J. Hamilton Couper, E.sq., of Georgia.

Hon. Benjamin Tappan, of Ohio.

September, 1842.] 207

STATED MEETING, September 0, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Coluber eximius, in spirits. From Dr. Ilallowcll.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

An Inquiry into the distinctive characteristics of the Abori-
ginal Race of America. Read at the Annual Meeting of
the Boston Society of Natural History, April 27, IS42.
By Samuel George Morton, M. I>. From the Author.

Monograph of the Limniades, or fresh water univalve Shells
of 2s. America. Nos. 1 and ~>. By S. S. Ilahleman.
From the Author.

Note on the Fossil Jaw sent from Jubhulporc by I>r. Spils
burg. By Henry Piddington. From the Author.

Fourth Memoir with reference to the Law of Stonns in
India. By Henry Piddington. Calcutta, 1841. From the
same.

Notes on the Law of Storm.;, as applying to the tempests of
the Indian and Chinese Seas; drawn n]> for the use of the
Expedition to China. By Henry Piddington. 2d Edition.
Calcutta, 1842. From the same.

WRITTEN COMMt NICATIONS.

A letter was read from Henry Piddington, Esq., dated
Calcutta, February 21, 1842, accompanying the above dona-
tion of works.

Also a letter from Dr. <Jeo. Engelmann, dated St. Louis,
Missouri, Aug. 15, 1842, which was referred to the Botanical
Committee.

30

- ■ [September, 1842.

STATED MEETING, September 13, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A specimen of the root and fruit of Zamia integrifolia, from
Florida ;

Skull of Manatus Americanus, Buf. ; (latirostris, Harlan,)
with a rib of the same animal, from Florida;

And a specimen of Asterias reticulata, Linn. All presented
by Dr. Victor Godon, U. S. N.

A specimen of Thracia Conradi, Gould. From Mr. Conrad.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Monographia Pselaphidarum et Scydmssnidarum Britannia),
or an Essay on the British Species of the genera Fselaphus
of Ilerhst, and Scydmaenus of Latreille. By Henry Denny.
Norwich, 1825. From the Author.

Monographia Anopleurorum Britannia) ; or an Essay on the
British Species of Parasitic Insects belonging to the order
Anoplura of Leach. By Henry Denny. London, 1841.
From the Author.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

The Chairman read a letter from Mr. Henry Denny, dated
Leeds, June 5, 1842, in reference to the above donation.

Si i ib, 1842. | 200

STATED MEETING, September 20, 1842.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Dried Specimens of Ilydroilyctum pentagonum. From Dr.
Goddard.

Two Specimens of Arseniuret of Antimony and Iron from
Leominster, Worcester Co., Mass. Presented by Mr.
W. It. Kendal), through Prof. Johnson.

A Specimen, in spirits, of L'lestiodon erythroccphalus, from
Virginia. Presented by Mr. Josiah Curtis, through Dr.

.Morton.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Transactions of the Linncan Society, Vol. XIX, Part I, with
a list of the members of the Society for 1842. From the
Society.

Constitution and First Annua] Report of the Northern Aca-
demy of Arts and Sciences. Hanover, New Hampshire,
1842. From the Academy.

WRITTEN COMMl NICATIONS.

The Corresponding Secretary read letters

From Mr. William Vaughan, dated London, August 5,
1842, accompanying the presentation of the Transactions of
the Linncan Society:

From the same gentleman, dated London, August 8, 1S42,
acknowledging the receipt of the letter of the Corresponding
Secretary, enclosing the Resolutions adopted by the Aca-
demy, having reference to the decease of his relative, the lat
John Vaughan, Esq., of Philadelphia.

210 [Septkmuf.r, ixj_».

irj of the Linnean Society, dated LonJ
1842, acknowledging the receipt of N >. i ;.. ^ ,,f
• sdings of the Academy.
From Dr. William Johnson, dated Factory Island, Liberia,
June Jl, 1842, and from Mr. Spencer F. Baird, dated Car-
lisle, Pennsylvania, September 15, 1842, severally acknow-
ledging the receipt of their notices of election as Correspond-
ents of the Academy.

The Chairman read a note from Dr. Edmund Ravenel,
dated Charleston, S. C, August 21, 1842, alluding to a fossil
Scutt'lla, regarded by him as probably new; accompanied
by sketches and a partial description of the same.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Prof. Johnson exhibited and explained a method of applying the galvano-
meter to the purpose of testing the relative deductibility of different samples
of sheathing copper when exposed to the action of salt water. He referred
;o tin1 faci that, in early periods of the use of copper fur sheathing the bot-
toms of vessels, while iron bolts were still used for fastenings, the copper
lasted much I •> • >t than al present, while the iron itself was rapidly corn de I;
thai pper bolts having been substituted for iron ones, the sheathing exhi-
bited :i much more rapid decay than befi .>•. He likewise alluded i<> the fact
that the practice of fastening on sheathing copper with composition nails,
oilers an antagonist electric force to thai i*t' the copper, rendering the latter
more highly electro-positive, and thus facilitating its union with the electro-
negative elements of sea water. It was also mentioned, that in removing the
copper from ships some sheets are often found much more corroded than the
rest, and that this takes place among sheets manufactured at the same works,
and apparently with equal care in freeing the metal from impurities.

It v as further mentioned tiiat long experience had evinced the uncertainty
■ if obtaining durable copper by efforts to approximate chemical purity in the
manufacture, and that in copper free from other meinls the oxide of copper
is sometimes detected both in the interior and on the exterior of the mass,
rendering it earihv in appearance, and liable to be disintegrated as well as
corroded. In proof of this latter effect he exhibited a quantity of copper
particles brushed from a sheet o\ that metal which had been worn 'several
feare between the keel and the false keel of an English s|Uop of war, where,
though ihe salt water could penetrate and corrode it, the disintegrated parti-
cles coul I not be reached by the waves to be washed away.

A> the comparative electric energy of two sheets of copper is proportion
to the amount of corrosion going en, and as the quantity of electricity i
motion also determines the influence of its current on a magnetic needle, the
leflection id' that of a common galvanometer may be made to determin
relation of two sheets to each other, and thus io ascertain whether they are
uitable to lie associated together on the bottom of ihe same vessel.

Two methods v. ere described and illn- trated by h hich this may I"' accom-
plished. The fust is to oppose iii succession the several sheets of copper t>>
a .sheet of platina constituting the negative element of the pair, and observing

Sbpti mi , 1842.] 211

e • ■ • ch the several copper shi i n the Medl nf the

i her i* to ippose .1 1 . ti»» -heei* ol sheathing ei ppi 1 ■

pore coppei dep the galvanotype 1

• n ii 1 were exhibited in connexion wnh several i\ iih
nng copper, the specimens which had, by analysis, been shown u
le purest copper, exhibiting the highest electro-positive energy when
< im pared with platma.and ilie lowest electro-negative power when oppn.sed
lo the galvanotype plate. Composition nails were found near platina in the
scale, and galvanotype copper not so widely removed from iron as are some
varieties of brass.

The arrangement of apparatus supposed to be best adapted for use in prac-
tice, is a triple astatic needle, having its middle needle w ithin, its lower one
below, and its tipper one above a spiral of copper ribbon, formed in such a
manner as to present the edges of the ribbon lo the upper and under surfaces
of the needles. The suspension may be either that of a pivot, or that of a
single or double support of unspun silk. The liquid preferred for use, in
tins species of lest, is ci minoti sea water; being the same to which practice
subjects the sheathins copper, and having the advantage ol being easily pro-
cured, costing nothing, and capable, therel re, ol being renewed as often a.--
the operator may think' (it.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, September 27, 1842.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Monthly Report of the Corresponding Secretary was
read and adopted.

ELECTIONS.

Jacob P. Giraud, Jr., E.-^., of New York, was elected a
Correspondent:

And John Cassin, Esq., of Philadelphia, a member of the
Academy.

212 [October, 1*42.

- FATED MEETING, Octobm 4, 1*42.
Vice Prbsidbxt Mortoh in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

The following Collection of Shells from St. Louis, Missouri,
was presented by Dr. Benjamin B. Brown, of that place,
through Dr. Morton:

Unio rectus, Lam. Unio mctanever, llaf.

reflexus, llaf. liueolatus, "

plicatus, Say. luteola, "

sesopus, Green. torsus, "

alatus, Pay. fragosus, Conrad.

crassuB, " ovatus, Say.

verrucosus, Kaf. fragilis, Raf.

Aiasmodonta complanata, Barnes. undatus, l>ames.

Melania clevata ? Say.

Mr. R. C. Taylor presented between 80 and 00 Species of
West Indian and American Plants, chiefly Ferns, collected
by himself, and finely preserved.

A number of living young Snakes, (Coluber eximius,) consti-
tuting ;i whole family, with the remains of the eggs from
which they had been hatched, were presented by Mr. Jacob
Peirce. They were discovered by him on the 10th of Sep-
tember last in the act of hatching, about a foot beneath the
surface, at the base of a rock having a southern exposure.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, Vol. Ill,
Part 1st. London, 1842.

Proceedings of the same, Part 9th, 1842; and the Annual
Reports of the Council and Auditors of the same, for 1842.
From the Society. ^

I

Ootobeb, 1842.] 213

Manuscript Catalogue of the West Indian Plants, Fruits,
seeds, &c, presented by P. A. Browne, Es<p Bound by
order of the Society.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A communication was read from P. A. Browne, Esq., on
the subject of the human foot prints found in the Limestone
Rock at St. Louis, Missouri, in which he gave his views
respecting' the origin of the same.

The communication was referred to a Committed, composed
of Dr. Goddard, Mr. Taylor, and Professor Rogers.

STATED MEETING, October 11, 1842.
\ ice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A living Specimen of Kinixis denticulata, from Africa. Pre-
sented by Mr. < !assin.

written communications.

The Corresponding Secretary read letters from Dr. E. S.
Dixwell, Corresponding Secretary of the Boston Society of
Natural History; and from the Secretary of the American

Philosophical Society, severally acknowledging the receipt of
copies of the Proceedings of the Academy.

2M [Octobm, 1j<42.

STATED MEETING, October 18, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Voluta proboscidalis, V. Neptuni, (very large, and finely
preserved specimens;) and Murex saxatilis, from Liberia,
Africa. Presented by Mr. John Cassin.

Two Specimens of Ampullaria depressa, from the Everglades
of Florida. Presented by Dr. Godon.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

The American Journal of Science and Arts. Vol. 43, No. 2,
for July, August and September, 1842. From the Editors.

The Principles of Chemistry, printed for the use of Schools,
Academies, and Colleges. By Daniel B. Smith. 2d Edition.
Philadelphia, 1842. From the Author.

Catalogus Coleopterorura in Siberia Orientali a eel. Gregorio
Silide Karelin collectorum. Auctore G. Fischer de Wald-
heim. From the Imperial Society of Naturalists of Mos-
cow.

Index Plantarum anno 1840 a cell. Karelin et Kirilow in
Regionibus Altaicis et' confinibus collectarum, quas Soci-
etas Imperialis Naturae curiosorura Mosquensis pro mutua
commutatione offert. From the same.

Bulletin de la Societe* Impdriale des Naturalistes de Moscou.
Annee, 1842. No. 2. Moscow, 1842. from the same.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

The Chairman read a letter, duted Moscow, July 13th,
1842, from Dr. Renard, 2d Secretary of the Imperial Society
of Naturalists of Moscow, accompanying the above donation
of works.

PROCEEDINGS ->/£b«

OF THE , u j L I 8 H

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES ^X^

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. NOV. AND DEC. 1842. Nos. 20, 21.

STATED MEETING, November 1, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Keport of the Secretary of the Navy in relation to the
second invention of Thomas S. Easton for preventing
explosions of steam-boilers. From Professor Johnson.

Histoire Naturelle de l'.Ile de Cuba. Par M. Eamond de
la Sagra. Livs. 38 et 39. From a club of Members.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

i

A communication was read by the Recording Secretary
from Mr. Isaac Lea, dated October 31, 1842, correcting an
error committed by Mr. Haldeman in a communication
made by the latter to the Academy in May last, and pub-
lished in its Proceedings, in which he proposed that " the
letter u should take the place of w in the Unio Cowperiana
of Lea," on the ground of an error in the orthography. Mr.

31

216 [November; 1842.

Lea stated that the Unio in question was not named after
Mr. J. Hamilton Couper of Georgia, as was probably sup-
posed by Mr. Haldeman, but after Mr. Wm. Cooper of New
York. Mr. Lea also objected to any change in the specific
name, and also to Mr. Haldeman's proposed alteration of
Unio Nashvillianus to U. Nashvicencis, the latter, in his
opinion, not being " more classical and correct."

The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from J.
Hamilton Couper, Esq., of Darien, Georgia, dated Oct. 6,
1842, acknowledging the receipt of his notice of election as
Correspondent of the Academy; and also transmitting a
communication giving a detailed description of the strata,
in which the fossil bones and shells from the Brunswick
Canal, lately presented by him to the Academy, were found;
preceded by a sketch of the geological features of the sur-
rounding country.

The communication was referred to the Committee on
Proceedings.

[The length of this interesting paper will preclude its in-
sertion entire in this publication. It will be reserved for
the first part of the next volume of the Journal of the Aca-
demy. For the present, therefore, the Committee are only
enabled to give the following, being the concluding portion
of the paper.]

The fossil bones of the terrestrial mammalia* were found in the bed of the
canal, at the southern end of this swamp, at six different points extending up
from its junction with the salt marsh to a distance of three miles. In
every instance they were found at the bottom of the alluvial deposit, imbed-
ded in it, and lying on the stratum of sand. The first two feet of the allu-
vial formation is a sandy loam, gradually passing into a compact clay of a
ferruginous character, which extends three or four feet deeper. In this
stratum of clay thin veins of marl and fragments of petrified wood were
found at different depths : but no fossil shells, either of marine or fresh
water origin. The stratum of sand on which the bones were found lying
is on an average nearly five feet above spring tides. About the line of

* The most interesting of these bones belong to the Megatherium, the
Mastodon giganteum, Elephas primogenius, Hippopotamus, Horse, Bos, and
to a nondescript animal, which Dr. Harlan has described as the Sus Ameri-
cana, in Silliman's Journal, for July, 1842.

November, 1842.] 217

high water the sand changes its color from yellow to white, and assumes
a quicksand character, which it retains for one or two feet, when it is suc-
ceeded by a coarser and sharper sand, with the occasional occurrence of
thin strata of foetid black mud or clay. Small masses of marine fossil
shells,* lying horizontally, or nearly so, are found scattered at intervals
throughout this sandy formation, at almost every point of the canal. The
depth varies from five feet above to five feet below the line of high tides,
— which is the greatest depth to which the excavation has extended.

The rib and vertebra of the whale were discovered near the northern
extremity of the swamp, in the yellow sand, and about a foot below its sur-
face. They were much worn, and one of the vertebra was much incrusted
with barnacles. At this point bog iron ore and protophosphate of iron
were found above the sand containing the marine shells.

The precise spot where the extinct Chelonia (C. Couperi of Harlan)
occurred was not ascertained; but there is every probability that it was
taken from the same formation.

The bones of the mammalia occurred generally in groups; and in some
cases a large number of those of the same skeleton were found together.
From this circumstance and the unworn and perfect state of many of the
bones, it is highly probable that the carcasses of the animals were floated,
or fell into the then lake or stream, and that, sinking to the sandy bottom,
they were gradually covered to their present depth by the deposits of the
sediments of the water. Of the species discovered, the remains of the
Megatherium and the Mammoth were.the most abundant; and of the former
six heads of femurs were found in the bed of the canal within the distance
of a mile. All the bones were at the same depth, and imbedded in the
same stratum; thus leaving no doubt of their co-existence at a period suc-
ceeding the elevation from the ocean of the newer pliocene, but antece-
dent to the formation of the older recent alluvium of this coast.

The co-existence of the Megatherium with the Mastodon, Mammoth,
Hippopotamus, Horse, Ox, and Hog, has here, it is believed, been for the
first time established; and forms, with the discovery on this continent, of
a well defined fossil species of Sus, two interesting facts in Geology.

The identity of most of the fossil shells which were found below the
bones of the mammalia with the existing species on this coast, proves
that the temperature of the ocean, long prior to the existence of the Me-
gatherium, Mammoth, and Hippopotamus, was such as is congenial to the
present mollusca. Another inference which may be^drawn is, that the
surface of the country has undergone no sudden or violent change since
these gigantic animals occupied its forests and morasses; but that such as
have occurred have been slow and gradual.

* The following species occur most abundantly:

Venus mercenaria, Pyrula caurica, Cardium ventricosum, Artemis con-
centrica, Area pexata, Area ponderosa, Lucina divaricata, Modiola late-
ralis, Tellina alternata, Mactra lateralis ? Oliva literata, Natica duplicata,
Crepidula convexa.

218 [November, 1842.

STATED MEETING, November 8, 1842,
Mr. Phillips in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Impressions of Fossil Fish, brought by Mr. Catherwood
from Mount Lebanon, Syria, and presented by Mr. T.
L. Littlefield through Edward Needles of Philadelphia.

Three fine mounted specimens of Otis tarda, one male and
two females. Presented by Mr. Wm. Hembel.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Traite" Elementaire de Botanique appliquee*, &c. Par F.
A. Pouch et, Docteur en medicine, Prof. d'Histoire
Naturelle au Jardin Botanique de Eouen. 2 vols. 8vo.
Paris, 1835. From the Author, through Mr. Wm.
"Wagner.

Chromatics, or an Essay on the Analogy or Harmony of
Colours. 4to. London, 1817. By George Field of He-
worth, England. From the Author, through C. N.
Bancker, Esq.

Chromatograpl^y, or a Treatise on Colours and Pigments,
and of their powers in Painting. By Geo. Field. 8vo.
2d ed. London, 1841. From the same.

Outlines of Analogical Philosophy, being a primary view
of the principles, relations, and purposes of Nature,
Science, and Arts. By Geo. Field. 2 vols. 8vo. Lon-
don, 1839. From the same.

Monograph of the North American CuscutineaB. By
George Engelmann, M.D., St. Louis, Missouri. From
the Author.

Reply to Dr. Hare's further objections relating to whirl-
wind storms. By Wm. C. Redfield. From the Author.

November, 1812.] 219

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Mr. Wagner exhibited specimens of several species of
Ammonites having a perfect mouth, from the Lias of Nor-
mandy, France; and stated that the fact had attracted
much attention among scientific men abroad.

STATED MEETING, November 15, 1842.
Mr. Phillips in the Chair.

• DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Two hundred Alpine Plants from the Valley of Chamouni
and Mount St. Bernard ; collected and prepared by M.
Fege, Botanist and Mineralogist of Chamouni, and pre-
sented by the Rev. J. P. Durbin, through Mr. Ashmead.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.*

The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from J. H.
Redfielcl, Corresponding Secretary of the Lyceum of
Natural History, dated New York, November 12, 1842,
acknowledging the receipt of Part II., Vol. 8, of the
Journal of the Academy.

Also a letter from Prof. J. A. Warder, dated Cincinnati,
October 7, 1842, in acknowledgment of the receipt of his
, notice of election as a Correspondent of the Academy.

220 [November, 1842.

verbal communications.

Professor Johnson exhibited a specimen of the so-called
Natural Coke from Creek Co., Virginia, an article which
is now used to some extent as a fuel in that region. He
stated that it was his intention to make an analysis of this
coal, the result of which he would communicate to the
Academy.

Professor Johnson also exhibited a specimen of Sydney
Coal, one of those Bituminous coals represented to be very
liable to spontaneous combustion. The specimen had
been in his cabinet for more than a twelvemonth, and was
now in a state of decomposition and covered with efflor-
escence.-

STATED MEETING-, November 22, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

The following specimens of Minerals from Nova Scotia
were presented by Mr. Wm. S. Vaux.

Red Heulandite with Stilbite,) rr. , _

„ ... ., }■ King's Co., JNova Scotia.

Stilbite, ) °

Chabasie with Heulandite, ) m _ , ,

_, TT , ,.. y Two Islands, do.

Nacreous Heulandite, ) '

Analcime, from Blomidon, Nova Scotia.
Also a specimen of Sulphate of Barytes from Cheshire,
Connecticut. From the same.

A specimen of Galena from the vicinity of Paradise, Lan-
caster county, Pennsylvania, and several specimens of a
mineral substance supposed to be Tierra di Sienna, also
from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. From Mr. P. A.
Browne.

November, 18-12.] 221

donations to -library.

Lumley's Bibliographical Register. No. 12. New Series.
From the Editors.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A communication was read from the American Philoso-
phical Society, dated November 14, 1842, acknowledging
the receipt of Nos. 17, 18, and 19 of the Proceedings of
the Academy.

A communication was also read from Peter A. Browne,
Esq., in reference to the specimens of Tierra di Sienna
presented by him this evening, and enclosing a letter from
Hugh Maxwell, Esq., of Lancaster city, which contained
some information respecting the locality, and the quality
of the different specimens, and stated that it was considered
by artists, and other competent judges who had examined
it, as equal to the article imported under the name.

The whole subject was referred to the following Com-
mittee, viz.: Prof. Johnson, Mr. Haldeman, and Mr. Peale.

The Chairman read a letter from Dr. Edmund Ravenel,
dated Charleston, S. C, October 25, 1842, accompanying
specimens of the fossil Scutella Lyellii sent by him.

222 [December, 1842.

STATED MEETING-, December 6, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Two living specimens of Crotalus durissus from Pennsyl-
vania. From Dr. John K. Mitchell.
Mr. Peter A. Browne presented the following collection

of Mineral ogical specimens from Nova Scotia.

Iron Ore containing Fossil Shells.

Coarse Jasper enclosing crystals of Siliceous Sinter and calca-
reous Spar.
Jasper, from Two Islands, Bay of Fundy.
Jasper, striped, from Blomidon.
Fortification Agate, do.
Moss Agate, Two Islands, Bay of Fundy.
Siliceous Sinter and Cacholong, do.
Cacholong enclosing Quartz.
Siliceous Sinter, Two Islands, 2 specimens.
Mezotype, do.

Chabaisie, do. 2 specimens.

Heulandite, do.

Do. Black Rock, Bay of Fundy.

Do. Blomidon.
Mesolite or Needlestone, BJomidon.
Apophyllite, Blomidon.
Chalcedony enclosing Amethyst, do.
Chalcedony.
Analcime, from Two Islands.

Do. with Stilbite, Blomidon.

Do. with Siliceous Sinter, Blomidon.
Stilbite, from Black Rock, Bay of Fundy.
Fibrous Gypsum, white, Blomidon.

Do. variegated, Two Islands.

Calcareous Spar, Two Islands, 3 specimens.

Do. double refractive, Starr's Point, Cornwallis.

December, 1842.] 223

Selenite, Bbrous and lamellar, Blomidon.
Pebbles, from Bay Chaleur.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Voyages en Scandinavie, en Laponie, &c. &c. Par M. Elie
tie Beaumont. From the Author.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS. '

Prof. Johnson mentioned that he had made trials to'determine the vola-
tile and earthy ingredients of the so-called natural coke from Virginia, of
which samples were exhibited at a preceding meeting of the Academy.
This substance presents in its exterior appearance a strong contrast with
all known varieties of either anthracite or bituminous coal. It is wholly
wanting in lustre. It has lost, if it ever possessed, all continuous slines or
cleats, and even the surfaces of deposition appear to be in a great degree
obliterated. Its texture is porous. It is in very many, if not in all speci-
mens, strongly charged with iron pyrites, which, by exposure to the air,
efflorescing into sulphate of iron, gives the appearance of friability to the
material, and by this means distinguishing it clearly from anthracite.

Two samples of this combustible were tried for the purpose of ascer-
taining the amount of earthy matter, volatile matter, and fixed carbon.

The first gave of

per cent.

Volatile matter, 11 16

Carbon, 77.86

Earthy matter, 10.98

100.

The second, which appeared to be rather more highly charged with py-
rites than the other, gave, by the mean of four separate incinerations, of

per cent.

Earthy matter, only
Fixed Carbon,

2 43

82.75

Volatile matter,

* 14.82

100.

The distillation of this fuel by the immediate application of a red heat,
produces a gas which burns with a steady clear flame, of a yellowish white
color, accompanied by a little smoke, which, however, nearly or quite dis-
appears when the access of air is free and abundant.

The distillation produces no enlargement of volume or adhesiveness of
the particles of carbonaceous matter, as in certain serai- bituminous or
" transition" coals, such as that found on Stony Creek, iu Dauphin county,
Pennsylvania.

Iu regard to the applicability of the term " natural coke" to this sub-
stance, Prof. J. remarked, that understanding this term as indicating a
change of texture from that of the bituminous coal of the same district, a
partial discharge of the volatile ingredients of the same coal, and as a

32

224 [December, 1842.

necessary consequence, a relative augmentation of the earthy material as
well as of the fixed carbon, he saw no impropriety in its use, but, on tlie
contrary, a peculiar propriety, inasmuch as neither of the other terms in
general use to designate mineral fuel is applicable to this variety. He re-
ferred to the geological report of the State of Virginia, in which an analysis
of this substance is given, exhibiting its composition as follows, viz :

Carbon, 80.30

Volatile matter, 9.98

Ash, 9.72

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

Mr. Phillips offered the following Resolution, which was
adopted :

Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to determine
the nomenclature of the N. American Naiades, preparatory
to their being arranged in the collection of the Academy.

The Committee consists of Messrs. Phillips, Haldeman,
and McFarland.

STATED MEETING, December 13, 1842.
Yice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

A Monograph of the Rhamphastidas. By John Gould.
Folio. London, 1842. From Mr. Haldeman, in exchange
for other works.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from M. Arago, Secretary of the Royal
Academy of Sciences, of France, dated Paris, September
26, 1842, acknowledging the receipt of the Proceedings of
the Academy, &c.

December, 1842.] 225

business by special resolution".

By special permission,- the Committee, consisting of Dr.
Godclard, Mr. Taylor, and Prof. Eogers, to whom was
referred a paper by Peter A. Browne, Esq., on the subject
of the supposed human foot prints found near St. Louis, in
the Carboniferous Limestone, made a Eeport as follows :

That they do not consider that the ingenious arguments
of the author can tend in the least to invalidate the reason-
ings of Dr. Owen in favor of the artificial nature of the
foot marks. The evidence furnished by the paper and
accompanying drawing of Dr. Owen, of which the com-
munication before the Committee is a criticism, appears
sufficient to place this question at rest for ever.

That these impressions are not genuine imprints of the
human feet, but rude imitations, is obvious upon a slight
anatomical consideration of them. Both the form and
attitudes of the toes are entirely at variance with nature,
and are such as to suggest that the sculptor exercised but
a slight familiarity with the structure and capacities of
motion of the parts. A mere inspection will satisfy all
anatomists upon this point.

The geological proofs against their having been formed
whilst the limestone was yet in a plastic state are no less
decisive, since the facts stated by Dr. Owen go distinctly
to show that the slab containing these foot prints is a por-
tion of the carboniferous limestone formation of the Mis-
sissippi Valley, the Oceanic origin of each layer of which
every geologist is prepared to demonstrate. Formed in
the bed of an extended sea, and buried previous to its
upheaval under an enormous accumulation of other
deposits, it is impossible to conceive how human footsteps
could gain access to the unconsolidated rock, even if the
human race had existence at the time. That the race of
man is of incalculably later origin than the rock containing

226 [December, 1842.

these representations of feet, is, however, a fact thoroughly
established in geology.

Setting aside, then, the possibility of referring the origin
of these foot prints to the period of the formation of the
rock, there is quite as little warrant for assigning it to any
later period posterior to the upheaval and denudation of
the stratum, for there are no facts connected with this, or
any other of our ancient secondary rocks, which indicate
that they retained their plastic condition after they were
drained, to so late a date as ihe human epoch.

Guided by these and other considerations of similar
purport, your Committee express their conviction, that the
arguments detailed in the paper submitted to them do not
at all weaken the published proofs of the artificial nature
of the supposed foot prints.

On motion of Dr. Goddard, the communication of Mr.
Browne, referred to in the above report, was ordered to be
placed on file.

STATED MEETING, December 20, 1842.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.
Specimens, in spirits, of Monitor ornatus, of Monitor -

of Crocodilus , and of Chamasleo gracilis, Hallo-
well, (male) from Western Africa.

Also a dried specimen of Tetrodon . from Western

Africa ; and a specimen, in spirits, of Coluber coccineus,
from Mobile, Alabama. From Mr. John Cassin.

A portion of Fossilized Wood from Northern Mexico.
From Mr. McKnight, through Mr. Lukens.

The following Shells were presented through Mr. Phillips
by Dr. J. C. Jay, of New York :

December, 1842.] 227

Mactra Braziliensis ; Cytherea fulminata, two specimens;
Helix spherica, Sow., two specimens; H. Lamarckii, Sow,
two specimens: H. Iloconensis, Sow. ; Pupina nunesii ; Egg of
Bnlimus ovatus.

By Mrs. Lucy W. Say:

Alasmodonta confragosa, two very large specimens; Unio
suborbiculatus, Lam., (globulus, Say;) U. apiculatus, Say; U.
Nashvillianus, Lea ; U. obesus, Lea ; U. nasutus, variety.

By Dr. William Walker, of Nashville, Tennessee :
Unio teres ; U. sulcatus ; U. oriens ; U. glans, Say ; XJ. fascio-

laris ; U. plicatus, Say ; U. rectus, Lam. ; U. heros, Say ; U.

olivarius, Raf. ; U. truncatus ; U. dromas, Lea; U. triqueter;

TJ. interruptus, Raf.; U. capillaris ; U. mytiloides, Raf.; U.

tseniatus, Con. ; U. Haysianus, Lea. ; U. metanever, Raf. ; TJ.

alatus, Say; U. Edgarianus, Lea; U. niger; U. foliatns ; U.

stegarius, Raf.; U. torsus, Raf.; U. nexus, Say; U. crassns,

Say ; U. pustulosus, Raf. ; U. scalenius, Raf. ; U. dilatatus,

Raf. ; U. lineolatus, Raf. ; Melania Troostensis, Lea.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Annales des Mines. Tome XX., VI. Liv. de 1841. In

exchange.
Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. Vol.

8. New Series. Part II., 1842. From the Society.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Mr. Henry Piddington, dated
Calcutta, February 21, 1842, referring to his published
"Note on the Fossil Jaw sent from Jubbelpore by Dr.
Spilsbury," (a copy of which is contained in the Library
of the Academy,) and requesting attention to the subject
of which it treats.

228 [December, 1842.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, AND ANNUAL MEETING.

December 27, 1842.

Yice President Morton in the Chair.

The Annual Reports of the Librarian, of the Treasurer,
and of the Publication Committee havinar been read and
adopted, the following Report was presented on behalf of
the Botanical Committee and adopted, and ordered to be
published in the Procedings.

The Botanical Committee having, during the present year, completed
the arrangement of the extensive and valuable collection of Plants, pre-
sented in 1839 hy Dr. F. Menke, of Pyrmont, Germany, beg leave to
make the following statement, forming the principal portion of their Re-
port, due at this season.

The apparent neglect and delay in the arrangement of this collection on
the part of the Committee, may be accounted for by the fact, that at the
period of its presentation, preparations were in progress for the erection of
the new Hall, and that after the removal of the Museum to the latter, a
large portion of the time and attention of the Committee was required, in
common with the other members of the Academy, for the disposal and ar-
rangement of its collections in the other departments.

During this period the plants had not been removed from the boxes in
which they had been originally sent by Dr. Menk<5. On examination they
were found to be very carefully and closely packed, and to have sustained
no injury from dampness, and but comparatively few specimens to have
been destroyed by insects. The whole collection had been arranged after
the Linuean or artificial system ; the plants distributed into fasciculi and
labelled accordingly. About two-thirds were well selected and character-
istic specimens, in good paper, with labels containing the name with the
authority for it, the synonyme, the locality, date of collection, and frequently
the name of a donor. The remainder were enclosed in coarse brown paper,
without order or arrangement, and although in most cases properly labelled ;
in many close comparison and study were necessary, in order to determine
even the generic character. The localities were chiefly Pyrmont, Bruns-
wick, Bremen, Arolsen, Monspelier, and Gottingen. From the celebrated
botanical garden in the vicinity of this latter, very many species had been
derived. Specimens were occasionally met with from France, the West
Indies, Hungary, &c.

The greater part of this collection had been made between the years
1810 and 1815.

Among the names of donors were many distinguished in Botanical
Science, as Thunberg, Sprengel, Bernhardi, Prof. Treviranus, Prof.
Mertens, Rasmer Goehnat, Lehtnann, Salzmann, Rohde, Weudland, Meyer,
Shrceder, Ehrtnberg, Schmidt, &c.

By a reference to the new catalogue, it will be seen that a large propor-
tion of the genera (and most probably of the species) contained in this

•

December, 1842.] 229

collection were already possessed by the Academy. On this account,
therefore, and as the number of cultivated specimens was large, the Com-
mittee deemed it unadvisable to incorporate it with the Herbarium of the
Academy, but concluded upon keeping it entirely distinct, adopting, how-
ever, a similar plan of arrangement as in the Herbarium of the Academy,
viz., combining, as far as possible, the Linnean or Artificial with the Na-
tural System.

To accomplish this duty occupied the time and attention of the Commit-
tee for several months. The best and most characteristic specimens were
selected, transferred to paper of uniform size and color, with the generic
name attached to the left hand upper corner of the sheet; the genera being
arranged in their appropriate natural orders, commencing with those latter
which contained the largest proportion of genera belonging to the first
Linnean class, and' so on proceeding to the last — this being the plan of the
Herbarium of the Academy alluded to above.

As thus completed, the collection comprises 1298 genera, including up-
wards of 7000 species. Of these, 5623 species are Phoenogamous, includ-
ed in about 130 natural orders; and 1272 species are Cryptogamous. Of
the latter, the Ferns embrace 132 species; Equisetum, LycopodiumJ and
the Marsileaceae, 29 species; Hepaticae 65 species; Musci 309 species;
Algaj 122 species; Lichenes 152 species; and Fungi 445 species. To these
are to be added 18 species of Corallia, and a number of plants to which
neither the generic nor specific name was attached.

The whole has been distributed into thirty-6even folio volumes of large
size, occupying an entire case six and a half feet high, four feet wide, and
tweuty-one inches in depth.

The duplicates are very numerous, and will answer for exchanges.

The new catalogue, alluded to above, has been. found necessary, on ac-
count of there now being two separate collections, the previous catalogue
referring but to one. It is furnished with a double column of reference, so
that a genus contained in both collections can be very readily found.

A number of donations, some of which are of much value, have been
received by the Academy during the year. These have been already
noticed in the published Proceedings at the time of presentation.

The chief donors have been our fellow members £• A. Browne, Esq.,
and Mr. R. C. Taylor; Dr. George Engelmann, of St. Louis, Missouri,
and Prof. Short, of Louisville, Kentucky.

The duty of incorporating these donations with the Herbarium has been
necessarily deferred until next year.

On behalf of the Committee,

Wm, S. Zantzinger,
Robert Bridges,
Gavin Watson.

Uall of the Academy, December 27, 1842.

NEW BUSINESS.

Dr. Morton, by permission of the Society, offered the
following Resolution, which was unanimously adopted:

Resolved, That the cordial thanks of this Society be

230 [December, 1842.

tendered to Mr. George W. Carpenter, Treasurer of the
Academy, for his zealous and successful discharge of the
duties of his office during the sixteen years of his incum-
bency.

The Society then proceeded to an election for Officers,
to serve for the ensuing year.

The following result was announced by the tellers :

PRESIDENT.

WILLIAM HEMBEL.

VICE-PRESIDENTS.

JOHN PRICE WETHERTLL,
SAMUEL GEORGE MORTON, M.D.

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY.

WALTER R. JOHNSON, A.M.

RECORDING SECRETARY.

WM. S. ZANTZINGER, M.D.

TREASURER.

GEORGE W. CARPENTER. v

LIBRARIAN.

ALFRED L. ELWYN, M.D.

CURATORS.

WILLIAM S. VAUX,
JOHN S. PHILLIPS,
SAMUEL ASHMEAD,
JOHN CASS1N.

AUDITORS.

WILLIAM S. VAUX,
ROBERT PEARSALL,
WM. S. ZANTZINGER, M.D.

PUBLICATION COMMITTEE.

ALFRED L. ELWYN, M.D.,
EDWARD HALLOWELL, M-D.,
WM. S. ZANTZINGER, M.D.,
WILLIAM S. VAUX,'
JOHN S. PHILLIPS.

December, 1842.] 231

The balloting for Members and Correspondents then
took place, when the following gentlemen were declared
duly elected:

CORRESPONDENTS.

Redmond Conyngham, Esq., of Lancaster county, Penn-
sylvania.
Prof. F. A. Pouchet, of Rouen, France.
Henry Denny, Esq., of Leeds, Yorkshire, England.
Dr. Norwood, of Madison, Indiana.

MEMBER.

Willard M. Rice, of Philadelphia.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. JAN. AND FEB. 1843. Nos.22,23.

STATED MEETING, January 3, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Fringilla Pennsylvania, var., with plumage mottled gray
and white. From Dr. Watson.

Anser hyperboreus. From Great Egg Harbor. Presented
by Messrs. Alfred F. Darley and John Cassin.

Gryphoea mutabilis, from the marl of New Jersey. From
Dr. Burro ugh.

Large Quartz geode and Quartz crystals from Louisiana.
From Mr. B. F. French, of New Orleans.

Trilobite,from Kinnekulla, Sweden ; Coprolite, fossil wood and
Belemnites, from the Lias of Lyme Regis, England ; and
various species of Spirifer, Terebratula and Productus,
also from England. Presented by Dr. Morton

33

w

234 [January, 1843.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Northern Lakes and Southern Invalids. By Daniel Drake,
M. D. From the Author.

Report of the Secretary of the Navy, (1842,) with accom-
panying documents. From Prof. Johnson.

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society for No-
vember and December, 1S42. No. 24. Vol. II. From the
Society.

Boston Journal of Natural History. Vol. IV. No 2. From
the Boston Academy of Natural History.

Brief Remarks on the Diversities of the Human Species, &c.
An Introductory Lecture delivered before the Class of
Pennsylvania Medical College, November 1, 1842. By
Samuel George Morton, M. D. From the Author.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from the Secre-
tary of the Boston Academy of Natural History, dated Bos-
ton, November 25, 1S42, acknowledging the receipt of the
Proceedings of the Academy, and of Part II., Vol. 8, of its
Journal.

The Chairman read a letter from Dr. Edmund Ravenel, of
Charleston, S. C, dated January 2d, 1S43, describing a spe-
cies of fossil Pecten from the tertiary formation in his neigh-
borhood, for which, if new, he suggests the name "Pecten
Mortoni."

A printed Circular from M. St. Priest was read, calling
attention to two new works, viz.: "Antiquites Mexicaines,"
and " Encyclopedie du XIXe* Siecle," now in course of pub-
lication in Paris.

January, 1843.] 235

STATED MEETING, January 17, IS 13.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Cubic Iron Pyrites in Chlorite, Quartz Crystals and Opal,
Vegetable Impressions, Spiriier in transition limestone,
and Sienite, all from the vicinity of Sydney, New South
Wales. Presented by Mr. A. Demestre, through Dr.
Arrott.

Numerous specimens of Paludina subcarinata, from Cin-
cinnati. From Mr. J. G. Anthony.

Specimens, in spirits, of Pholas truncata, with the animals
attached, from New York Bay. Presented by Mr. Charles
M. Wheatley.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

American Journal of Science and Arts. Vol. 44. No. 1

January, 1S43. From the Editors.
Annales des Mines. Quatrieme Serie. Tome I. Liv. 1 and 2.

In exchange.
Selections from the Scientific Correspondence of Cadwallader

Golden with Gronovius and other Naturalists. Arranged

by Asa Gray, M. D. New Haven, 1S43. From the

Editor.
Rambles in Yucatan, &c. By Benjamin M. Norman. Svo.

New York, 1843. From Dr. Morton.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Redmond Conyngnam, Esq., dated
Oak Hill, near Paradise, Pennsylvania, January 14, 1S43,

236

[January, 1843.

returning his acknowledgements to the Academy for his elec-
tion as a Correspondent.

The Chairman read a letter from Mr. W. Byrd Powell,
dated Little Rock, Arkansas, December 3, 1842, soliciting
exchanges, and desiring information on subjects connected
with Natural History.

Also a letter from Professor Locke, of Cincinnati, contain-
ing further observations on the subject of the fossil Crypto-
lithus tesselatus, described by him in a former communi-
cation to the Academy, and published in its Proceedings.*
In this letter he states, that since the publication of his
paper, he has had an oppor-
tunity of examining a large
number of specimens, which
have enabled him to correct
his description in several par-
ticulars, viz : " The appear-
ance that the shield covered a
part of the articulations was
accidental ; these articula-
tions are six in number, and
uncovered by the shield, ex-
cepting the outer portion of
the anteriorcostal arches, (see
figure ) The tail in the most
perfect specimen consists also
of six articulations, each sub-
divided by an inferior joint
or depression, giving the ap-
pearance of twelve articulations. The middle lobe of the
tail is itself trilobate, appearing like the whole body of a
small trilobate entire."

* See Proceedings for July, 1842, pp. 196, 197.

yj>/

January, 1843.J

At the suggestion of the Chairman, the communication from
Dr. Ravenel, read at a late meeting of the Academy, describ-
ing a new species of Pecten, was referred to a Committee.

Mr. Phillips, Dr. Morton, and Mr. Conrad were appointed
as the Committee.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, January 31, 1S43.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

After the Reports of several Committees, and that of the
Corresponding Secretary had been read, the following An-
nual Report was presented by the Recording Secretary.

REPORT.

In presenting his Report of the operations of the Society during the past
year, the Recording Secretary embraces the opportunity of congratulating
the members upon the present condition of the Institution, and the flatter-
ing prospect which it has of prosperity for the future.

The state of its finances, as appears from the report of the Treasurer,
and, to use his words, " is superior to that of any period since its organi-
zation." This satisfactory state of things has been occasioned principally
by the receipt, in February last, of the sum of $6000, being the balance of
the second subscription of the late William Maclure. To his brother and
executor, Mr. Alexander Maclure, is the Society under great obligations,
for the persevering efforts which were made by him to accomplish this
object, and also for the interest which he manifested in the general wel-
fare of our Institution. The Academy has been thereby enabled to liqui-
date several urgent claims, and greatly to reduce the debt incurred in the
purchase of the ground on which the present building is erected.

In addition to this, its funds have been considerably augmented during
the last few months by the final and successful settlement of a long pend-
ing suit for a claim of upwards of $5000 against the heirs of an unsettled
estate. This was a mortgage transferred to the Academy many years
since, by the late Wm. Maclure. In consequence of many difficulties and
vexatious delays thrown in the way of settlement of this matter, the Aca-
demy had hitherto been unable to make this fund in any way available.
By a compromise made with the heirs, fourteen per cent, of the

23S [January, 1S43.

whole amount has heen deducted for their use; the balance, amounting to
$4549, is in Pennsylvania five per cent, stock, to which is to be added
$430 interest, paid in par funds, and §113 in six per cent. Pennsylvania
stock, also as interest; the latter being redeemable by the State in August
next. In accordance with the desire of Mr. Alexander Maclure, the first
mentioned sum will not be appropriated at present by the Academy, but
retained until some improvement in the stock occurs, which, it is hoped,
will be at no distant date. At all events, the Society has the positive
assurance of Mr. Maclure that no loss shall be sustained, and that both
principal and interest shall be eventually realised.

For the final adjustment of this affair, the Academy is under great obli-
gations to this gentleman, to the Counsel of the Academy, and to several
other members.

The Museum of the Academy has been augmented by large and valuable
additions to all its departments during last year. The details of these
presentations, with the names of the donors, have been already given in
the published Proceedings of the Academy during the year, and need not,
therefore, be repeated here. But a brief mention of the names of those
who have contributed most largely in each department is considered due
to them, and will not be unacceptable to the Society.

Cairo, Egypt, J. Hamilton Couper, Esq., of Georgia, Mr. Joseph Brano, of
Philadelphia, and minor donations by Drs. Chaloner, Watson, Carson and
Blanding, and by Prof. W. B. Rogers, of Virginia.

In the Ornithological department the presentations have been large and
valuable, and made chiefly by

Prof. Holbrook, of South Carolina, Mr. Charles Twigg, of New Harmony,
Indiana, Mr. J. W. Rulon, and also by a club of members. Also by Mr.
.1. G. Bell, of New York, by the President of the Society, Mr. Wm.
Hembel, and by Mr. George W. Carpenter, Dr. William Blanding, and
Mrs. William Fnrness, of this city.

To the Cabinet of Shells important additions have been made by
Dr. Paul B. Goddard, Dr. Benjamin B. Brown, of St. Louis, Missouri,
Mr. .1. Hamilton Couper, Dr. Wm. Walker, of Nashville, Tennessee, and
Dr. J. C. Jay, of New York. Also by Mrs. Lucy W. Say, Mr. P. H.
Nicklin, Mr. Haldeman, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Cassin, &c.

The Botanical department has been indebted for well preserved and in-
teresting donations of plants to

Peter A. Browne, Esq., Mr. Richard C. Taylor, the Rev. J. P. Durbin,
Prof. Short, of Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. George Engleman, of St. Louis,
Missouri, J. Frampton Watson, Esq.; and also to Drs. Carson, Godon,
and others,

A portion of the Herbarium containing the natural family Composite
has been carefully examined by Dr. Asa Gray, of New York, in whose
hands it had been placed, at his own request, for this purpose, and has
been considerably improved, and some additions made to it by him.

A very large collection of plants presented in the year 1839, by Dr.

January, 1S43.] 239

Menke, of Pyrmont, Germany, has been at length examined and arranged
by the Botanical Committee, 'whoso Report states that, as arranged, it con-
tains not less than 7000 species in excellent condition. On account of its
size and value they have decided upon keeping it in a separate case from
those containing the Academy's Herbarium, and to designate it the " Menke
Collection."

Of Minerals, the donations have been chiefly from the following mem-
bers and others.

P. A. Browne, J. Randolph Clay, George R. Gliddon, Wm, S. Vaux,
J. A. Clay, Esqs., Dr. Wm. T. Craige, &c.

In the Entomological department we have had but a single donation to
record in the past year — that made by Mr. Charles Twigg, of New
Harmony, Indiana, of insects from that region. The Secretary, however,
has the satisfaction to state, that it is the determination of several
members to exert themselves during the coming season, personally, and
throuo-h friends in the United States, in making collections of American
Insects for the Academy. He would respectfully suggest that the aid of
Foreign Correspondents be also solicited for this purpose.

To the Museum there has also been added a number of fine Quadrupeds,
Reptiles, Fishes, Skeletons of Animals and Crania, by members and cor-
respondents.

The donations made by the different contributors mentioned, are upwards
of eighty in number. It would be difficult to form a just estimate of the
number of specimens embraced by them ; it cannot, however, fall short of
from four to five hundred. Taken collectively, they form a mass of great
value to the lover of Natural Science, and for which the Academy has
every reason to return its thanks to those persons who have thus testified
their desire to promote the interests of the Institution.

The Library has received an equal share of consideration. Many of
the works presented last year are of great value, and the additions are
equal in number to those of former years. The entire number of volumes,
pamphlets, works published in parts, &c, added to the Library in 1842,
has been one hundred and thirty-two; and of these, according to the report
of the Librarian, sixty-nine are new works. For some of these the Aca-
demy exchanges its own publications with other Institutions and indivi-
duals. A large proportion of them, however, have been voluntary contri-
butions from authors, members, and correspondents.

A new set of cases, occupying the whole extent of the South Flying
Gallery, has been recently completed, which adds much to the appearance
of the Hall. One-half of these cases has been appropriated to the valuable
collection of crania belonging to Dr. Morton, and the remainder to the ac-
commodation of a very extensive series of volumes containing the debates
and proceedings of the different legislative bodies of France during the
period of the Revolution. Its great size, in fact, (upwards of 1600 volumes,)
has hitherto prevented its introduction into the Hall, lest it should encroach
too much on the space in the Library allotted to works of a strictly scien-
tific character. As a full record of the events of that epoch of history it
is highly valuable, and is believed to be possessed by no other Institution

2-40 [January, 1843.

in this country. There are, besides, duplicates of many of these volumes,
which the Academy could, without doubt, exchange for scientific works,
or dispose of in some other way.

The meetings of the Society have been held with great regularity during
the year, at the stated periods, without a single exception, and have been
characterised by ample evidences of zeal and interest in the cause of
science. Many valuable original papers have been presented, most of
which have been published either in the Journal of the Academy, or in
its Proceedings, and have contributed still further to advance the high
character of our Institution.

The Second Part of the 8th Volume of the Journal was issued about the
middle of the year, and besides the papers referred to, contains many well
executed and faithful illustrations of the objects which they describe. The
Proceedings have been published at intervals of from one to three months.
This plan of publication was commenced early in the year 1841, and has
been adhered to ever since with advantage to the members and corres-
pondents— affording them a medium for acquainting the scientific public
with their discoveries and observations without delay.

Several prominent members have had in view for some time past the
reduction of the annual contribution to one-half its present amount, and
have only been prevented from bringing the subject before the Society,
for its action, from a conviction that its best interests would be consulted
by deferring it until something more definite and certain was known re-
specting the amount of reduction which would be effected in the remaining
debt of the Academy during the present year. An effort will then be
made at the earliest practicable period to accomplish this object, which, it
is believed, is desired by a large majority of the members.

From the statement thus given of the operations of this Society during
the past year, it is hoped that the assertion made at the beginning of this
report, that its present condition is flattering, will not be considered as
having been premature or unfounded.

With no other debt remaining, except the one just referred to — and that
in the way of reduction at an early period, and to such an extent as, after
its accomplishment, to admit of the Society's appropriating annually a
considerable portion of its income to the scientific purposes of the Insti-
tution— with a list of nearly one hundred and fifty contributing and resi-
dent members, and of three hundred and seventy domestic and foreign cor-
respondents, mostly zealous in aiding the Institution, and in promoting the
objects for which it was founded, it is not hazarding too much in express-
ing the belief that by a steady continuance of these efforts, and a prudent
management of its financial concerns, its prosperity must henceforth be
permanent.

Twenty-five years only have elapsed since this Institution was incor-
porated. It is therefore still in its youth. In that time it has advanced
from comparative unimportance, to a consequence and standing which the
most sanguine of its founders could scarcely have anticipated. To the
industry, talent, zeal and liberality of many of its members, is this to be

January, 1843.] 241

attributed, but chiefly to the aid derived from its early friend and patron
the late Wm. Maclure.

For conducting it through many difficulties during the early part of this
period ; for furnishing the principal portion of the means for erecting the
edifice in which we are now met; and for the abundant evidences of his
generosity in every direction around us in this Hall, do we owe him our
grateful acknowledgements. A distinguished member of this Society,
who is himself one of its warmest and most active friends, and who has
contributed in no small degree to its advancement, has already done ample
justice to the memory of Mr. Maclure for these acts.* But there still re-
mains with us the obligation, which is of no light character, to use every
suitable endeavor to place this Institution in that elevated position which,
in making it the special object of such munificence, it was the design of
Mr. Maclure it should hold.

All which is respectfully submitted, by

Wm. S. Zantzinger,

Recording Secretary.

Hall of the Academy, January, 1843.

An alteration of Article VII, Chapter 3, of the By-Laws,
proposed at a former meeting, was then unanimously adopted.
The By-Law, as amended, now requires of ;' Correspondents
residing in the United States/' elected after this date, "a
Diploma fee of five dollars."

The Report of the Auditors on the Treasurer's account
for 1842, was then read and accepted ; and the Society, after
having transacted some other business, proceeded to an elec-
tion for Standing Committees for the year 1843.

The following result was announced by the Tellers:

COMMITTEES FOR 1843.
GEOLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL.

J. Price Wetherill, William S. Vaux,

Henry D. Rogers, Walter R. Johnson,

Joseph A. Clay, T. A. Conrad,

Willard M. Rice.

*" Memoir of William Maclure, Esq.," and "Notice of the Academy
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia," by Samuel George Morton, M. D.

34

242 [January, 1843.

ZOOLOGICAL.

S. G. Morton, M. D., E. Hallowell, M. D.,

Henry McMurtrie, M. D., S. S. Haldeman,
John S. Phillips, Edward Harris,

John Cassin.

BOTANICAL.

James Read, Robert Bridges, M. D.,

Peter A. Browne, Wm.S. Zantzinger,M.D.;

Gavin Watson, M. D.

PHYSICS.

Isaiah Lukens, Paul B. Goddard, M. D.,

Walter R. Johnson, J. S. Phillips,

Edmund Draper.

LIBRARY.

A. L. Elwyn, M. D., A. D. Chaloner, M. D.,

R. Bridges, M. D., Joseph Carson, M. D.,

Wm. S. Zantzinger, M. D.

COMMITTEE ON PROCEEDINGS.

S. G. Morton, M. D., [ Corresponding and

A. L. Elwyn, M. D., J Recording Secretaries

John S. Phillips, ex-officio.

January, 1843.] 243

The following gentlemen were elected Members of the
Academy.

Elisha K. Kane, M. D., of Philadelphia.
Samuel B. Ashmead, of Philadelphia.

The following Correspondents were also elected.

M. Arago, of Paris.
The Baron Alexandre Von Humboldt.
John Gould, F. L. S., of London.
Prof. John Phillips, of York, England.
B. F. French, Esq., of New Orleans.

244 [February, 1843.

STATED MEETING, February 7, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from J. G. H. Kinberg, of Lund, Swe-
den, dated October 25, 1842, proposing exchanges in Natural
History.

A communication from the American Philosophical So-
ciety, acknowledging the receipt of the last No. of the Aca-
demy's Proceedings.

A Circular from the Medical Department of the National
Institute at Washington, soliciting communications, and pro-
posing inquiries on certain medical subjects.

And a letter from Prof. Locke, dated Medical College,
Cincinnati, Ohio, January 23, 1843, describing some extra-
ordinary and beautiful forms of Sulphate of Lime, or fibrous
Gypsum, found in the Mammoth Cave, Kentucky.

For these, as being a peculiar variety of this mineral, he
suggests the new name of "Oulophyllites."

Prof. Johnson read an extract from a letter from Prof.
F. W. Johnston, of Durham, England, announcing the cha-
racters of a new species of sugar resembling mannite in ap-
pearance, but in the crystalline state having the constitution
of grape sugar, viz.: Carbon 24, Hydrogen 28, and Oxygen
2S; but losing by heat seven atoms of water, becoming Car-
bon 24, Hydrogen 24, Oxygen 24.

This sugar drops from certain species of Eucalyptus
which abound in Van Dieman's Land and in New Holland.
It is not so sweet as grape sugar, and is not likely, therefore,
to meet with any extensive economical application. Theo-
retically, however, it is very interesting.

February, 1843.] 245

STATED MEETING, February 21, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A Collection of American Insects, (about 25 species.) Pre-
sented by Mr. Samuel B. Ashmead.

A Collection of Shells from Great Egg Harbor. From Mr.
Thomas Beasley, through Mr. Ashmead.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Survey of the Boundary between the United States and
Texas. From Major Graham, U. S. Topographical Engi-
neers.

Report of Dr. Lewis C. Beck on the Mineralogical and Che
mical Department of the Survey of the State of New York,
and

Report of Dr. Torrey on the Botanical Department of the
same. From Dr. Morton, in exchange.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Major J. D. Graham, accompany-
ing his donation above mentioned.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Professor Johnson exhibited some samples of sheathing copper from
the bottoms of vessels, which showed the effects of corrosion and attrition
after it had been in use for a very limited period, and alluded to the great
deterioration, of late years, in the quality of the commercial article, both
in this country and abroad.

246 [February, 1843.

As it was highly important to the interests of Commerce and of the
Navy that some test should be had which might be conveniently put in
use for ascertaining the degree of purity of sheathing copper; and as che-
mical tests were not always at hand, or readily applied by inexperienced
persons, Prof. Johnson had invented an apparatus, of simple construction
and easy management, called a test vice, which he exhibited and explained,
by means of which the degree of tenacity of portions of sheathing copper
could be readily ascertained.

Strips of copper from different sources, about an inch in width, were
'hen subjected to the test, and their comparative value determined by the
number of bends which they would bear until fracture was produced.

Prof. Johnson also exhibited two specimens of Cannel Coal, one
termed by him slaty Cannel, from Kentucky, and the other from Missouri,
called floating Cannel, from the circumstance of its floating on water'
which fluid it afterwards absorbs, and then sinks. Prof. Johnson also
gave the results of his analysis of these coals, which accorded in mos1
respects with that of the Cannel Coal of Scotland, as obtained by Mr.
Richardson.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS.
February 28, 1843.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Society, after receiving the Reports of several Com-
mittees, and the monthly Report of the Corresponding Secre-
tary, and transacting some general business, proceeded to an
election for Correspondents with the following result.

correspondents.

William G. Lettsom, Esq., Attache to her Britannic Ma-
jesty's Legation at Washington.
S. Henry Dickson, M. D., of Charleston, South Carolina.

Mijcj**. - - %i? a^ M" Mi.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. MARCH AND APRIL, 1843. Nos. 24, 25.

STATED MEETING, March 7, 1843.

»

Professor Rogers in the Chair.

, DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A specimen of Posidonomia minuta, from the New Red
Sandstone of Prince Edward county, Virginia. Pre-
sented by Prof. Wm. B. Rogers, of Virginia.

A mounted specimen of Sciurus , from Western

Africa. From Mr. Cassin.

A Collection of Parasitic Worms contained in 76 phials,
from Germany. Presented by Mr. William G. Burke,
through Mr. Cassin.

A Copper Apparatus of large size, intended for disinfect-
ing zoological specimens by means of heat. Presented
by a Club of Members.

35

250 [March, 1843.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

A Flora of North America. By John Torrey and Asa
Gray. Yol. 2, Part III. New York and London, 1843.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Professor Rogers remarked, in reference to the fossil
specimen presented this evening by his brother, that no
recent contribution to our Palseontology was more inter-
esting at this time than the discovery, by the latter, of this
familiar European species, in a particular division of the
New Red Sandstone of Virginia. Being an abundant and
characteristic shell of the Upper New Red Sandstone of
Europe, its occurrence in this country is regarded by Prof.
W. B. Rogers as affording the first decisive indication of
the precise date or equivalency of the extensive American
formation already referred by Prof. Hitchcock, by himself
and other Geologists, to the general Poikilitic or New Red
Sandstone period.

March, 1843.] 251

• STATED MEETING, March 14, 1843.
Yice President Morton in the Chair.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

Mr. Phillips read a communication -addressed to the
Academy, from Mr. John G. Anthony, of Cincinnati, Ohio,
dated February 19, 1843, of which the following is a
portion.

" By the published transactions of the American Philo-
sophical Society for 16th December last, I perceive that
Mr. Lea has described twelve species of Melania from
Alabama and Tennessee. One of these, under the name
of ' M. excisa,' he proposes to erect into a new genus, under
the name of 'Schizostoma,' on account of the deep slit in
the lip. Having possessed specimens from the same
localities for some time past, embracing, as I believe, seven
or eight species of this proposed genus, I have referred
them to Swainson's genus, 'Melatoma,' founded, as he
states, ' upon a Shell sent him many years ago by his old
friend Professor Eafinesque, and which, he says, has the
general form of Pleurotoma melafusus, with a well
defined sinus or cleft near the top of the outer lip.' I have
mentioned this with a view to call the attention of the
members to it, and to have the question of nomenclature
settled correctly. I have, within two months past, received
one species of this genus from Dr. Mighels, of Portland,
Maine, under the name of 'Apella scissura.' "

The communication was accompanied by a second and
corrected edition of his Catalogue of the Terrestrial and
Fluviatile Shells of Ohio.

Mr. Cassin read a paper intended for publication, and
entitled "A Description of several new and rare Birds from
the Kocky Mountains and California, by William Gambel:"

252 [March, 1843.

which was referred to Messrs. Cassin, Phillips, and Halde-
man, as a Committee.

The Corresponding Secretary read letters from M.
Flourens, Perpetual Secretary of the Eoyal Academy of
Sciences of France, dated Paris, January 19, 1843, and from
Prof. Berzelius, Perpetual Secretary of the Eoyal Academy
of Sciences at Stockholm, dated November 7, 1842,
severally acknowledging the receipt of copies of the Pro-
ceedings, and other publications of the Academy.

Also a letter from Mr. B. F. French, of New Orleans,
acknowledging the receipt of his notice of election as a
Correspondent.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Cogswell, Secretary and Librarian of the Northern
Academy of Arts and Sciences at Hanover, New Hamp-
shire, then briefly addressed the Society in reference to the
origin and design of that Institution, and on its behalf
solicited several volumes of the Journal of the Academy,
which it was desirous of possessing in order to complete
its series of the same.

The Chairman announced that Mr. John James Audubon
and Mr. Edward Harris, accompanied by an artist, left this
city yesterday morning on their route to St. Louis, and
thence to the sources of the Yellow Stone Eiver and the
Eocky Mountains. The object of this expedition is the
discovery of new species of Birds and Quadrupeds for the
works of Mr. Audubon, and especially for his Mammalogy
of North America, now in course of publication. The
expedition is expected to return in October, and promises
important additions to every department of natural science.

The Chairman also called the attention of the Society
to the first number of Mr. Audubon's "Quadrupeds," which
is placed in the Hall for inspection, and for the subscription
of such members and others as may desire to possess this
truly splendid and invaluable work.

March, 1843.] 253

business by special resolution.

On motion of Dr. Elwyn,

Resolved, That the Publication Committee be authorized
to present to the Northern Academy of Arts and Sciences,
the 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th volumes of the Journal of the
Academy ; and also, to Mr. Charles Lyell, Corresponding
member, the Second Part of Volume 8 of the same.

Professor Rogers offered the following Resolution, which
was adopted :

Resolved, That a Committee of three members be
instructed to transmit to Messrs. Audubon and Harris a
series of inquiries relative to the geology of the country
which will be traversed by them in their projected journey
to the Rocky Mountains, with a request that they may
submit the result of their observations to this Society.

Prof. Rogers, Prof. Johnson, and Dr. Morton were ap-
pointed the Committee.

STATED MEETING, March 21, 1843.
Mr. Pearsall in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Geology and Mineralogy considered with reference to Na-
tural Theology. (Bridgewater Treatise.) By the Rev.
William Buckland, D.D. 2 vols. 8vo. Philadelphia,
1837. From Prof. Rogers.

Fisk Fund Prize Dissertation of the Rhode Island Medical
Society, No. VII. On Spinal Diseases. By Usher Par-
sons, M.D. Boston, 1843. From the Author.

254 [March, 1843.

Description of the Skeleton of the extinct Gigantic Sloth,
Mylodon robustus, Owen. By Richard Owen, F.R S.,
&c. 4to. London, 1842. From the Author.

Several Charts on a large scale, illustrating the Boundary
of the United States and the Republic of Texas, from
the mouth of the River Sabine to the Red River, as
surveyed and marked conjointly by the Commissioners
of the two Governments in the years 1840 and 1841.
From Major J. ~D. Graham, U.S. Topographical Engineer.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Prof. Rogers addressed the Society in relation to the
recent Earthquakes, and stated a number of interesting
facts connected with this subject, which in due time he
proposes to commit to publication.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

Professor Rogers, from the Committee appointed at the
last meeting to address a series of inquiries to Messrs.
Audubon and Harris, respecting the geology of the western
country, on leave granted, submitted a Report embracing
seventeen queries.

The Report was adopted, and ordered to be placed on
file.

April, 1843.] 255

MEETING FOE BUSINESS, March 28, 1843.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Society, having completed its ordinary business,
proceeded to an election for Members and Correspondents,
when the following gentlemen were announced duly chosen:

MEMBER.

Hon. Edward King, President Judge of the first Judi-
cial District of Pennsylvania.

CORRESPONDENT.

Professor Kesteloot, of Ghent.

STATED MEETING, April 4, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Green Quartz and Pyrope from Delaware county, Pennsyl-
vania. From Mr. Cassin.

Six skins of birds (Falconidce) from South Africa. From
Dr. Watson.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Schriften der in St. Petersburg gestifteten Russisch-Kaiser-
lichen Gesellschaft fur die gesammte Mineralogie. Ie
Band, Iste. & IItc. Abtheilung mit Steindrucktafeln. St.

256 [April, 1843.

Petersburg, 1842. From the Imperial Mineralogical
Society, through Charles Cramer, Esq.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Dr. S. H. Dickson, dated
Charleston, South Carolina, March 26, 1843, acknowledg-
ing the receipt of his notice of election as a Correspondent
of the Academy.

Also a letter from Mr. J. H. Eedfield, Corresponding
Secretary of the New York Lyceum of Natural History,
dated March 21, 1843, acknowledging the receipt of the
Proceedings of the Academy.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Prof. Henry D. Rogers drew the attention of the Society to
the stratigraphical features of the environs of St. Petersburg, as
represented in the maps and sections appended to the volume of
"Publications of the Imperial Russian Society," just laid upon
the table. He pointed out, in particular, the perfect identity in
the form of the Russian anticlinal flexures and those of the
Appalachian chain of the 'United States; the resemblance con-
sisting in the want of a symmetrical curvature in the arches, and
an inequality in the steepness of the dips on the opposite sides
of the axes.

Alluding to the structural laws first developed by his brother
and himself from a study of the Appalachian chain, and conceived
by them to characterize regions of anticlinal axes generally, he
proceeded to show that upon the theory of the origin of these
flexures, the same style of curvature should be met with in all
countries, as a necessary consequence of the universality of those
laws. The exhibition, therefore, of an anticlinal arch, having
the normal form, in the banks of the Pulkowka in Russia, goes
to conGrm the generalizations of these authors. Instances of the
same characteristic feature are to met with abundantly, however,
in the sections which geologists present of the stratification in
many other districts of Europe.

April, 1843.] 257

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.

On motion, Kesolved, That the' Publication Committee
be authorized to present to the Naval Lyceum, Brooklyn,
the Second Part of Volume 8, of the Academy's Journal.

STATED MEETING, April 11, 1843.
Dr. Patterson in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

The Natural History of British Shells, including figures
and descriptions of all the species hitherto discovered in
Great Britain, &c. 5 vols. 8vo. By E. Donovan, F. L.
S. London, 1804. From Mrs. Lucy W. Say.

Ancient Egypt; her Monuments, Hieroglyphics, History
and Archaeology, and other subjects connected with
Hieroglyphical Literature. By George R. Gliddon, late
U. S. Consul at Cairo. New York, 1842. From the
Author.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

Commnnications were read from the American Philoso-
phical Society, dated January 6, 1843, and from G. E. Den-
nis, Honorary Secretary of the London Botanical Society,
acknowledging the receipt of the Proceedings and other
publications of the Academy.

36

258 [April, 1843.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS.
April 25, 1843.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Monthly Report of the Corresponding Secretary was
read and adopted. /

The Committee, consisting of Prof. Johnson, Mr. Halde-
man, and Mr. Peale, to whom was referred, in November,
1842, a communication from Peter A. Browne, Esq., accom-
panying some specimens of an earthy matter from Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, supposed to be identical with Terra
di Sienna, made a report, which was adopted. The report
stated that after a careful investigation of the subject, and
comparisons in several modes with the genuine article, the
Committee had formed the following conclusions:

"That the earth in question is a hydrated silicate of Alu-
mina tinged with variable proportions of peroxide of iron;
8.17 grs. of one of the best samples having been calcined at
redness for twenty minutes in a platinum capsule, left 6.74
grs. of dark brown fragments, showing a loss of 17.5 per
cent, of water" — "and that for certain minor purposes in
the arts, this coloring matter may be highly useful, but as
a general substitute for Terra di Sienna, it cannot be
expected to gain the approbation of artists."

The Committee, consisting of Mr. Cassin, Mr. Haldeman,
and Mr. Phillips, to whom was referred Mr. William
Gambel's* paper, entitled " Descriptions of some new and
rave Birds of the Rocky Mountains and California," reported
in favor of its publication, with the exception of the generic
and specific characters of the Eudromus variegatus of that
paper, which they deem it expedient .to defer until the
receipt of the specimen.

* This gentleman has just completed the tour of the Rocky Mountains
aud California, at the instance of Mr. Kuttall, to whom this paper was
originally addressed, and by him referred to the Academy for Publication.

April, 1843.1 259

Picus* Nuttalii.

Male, varied with black and white ; back transversely banded with
black and white; upper part of the head black with linear white spots ;
hind head with a broad red stripe ; sides of the head and neck black,
with a wide stripe running from the base of the bill about the length
of the head, also white stripes running from the eyes and uniting on
the back of the neck, which is black. Rump and two middle tail-
feathers black. Wing-feathers on their outer and inner webs, with
six or seven bands of white spots ; all the wing coverts also with white
spots ; tips of some of the tertiaries light brown. Beneath white, with
a slight tinge of yellow ; sides and vent with dark brown spots ; lower
tail coverts and tail-feathers, except the two middle ones, white,
with irregular bands or spots of dark brown ; throat and breast
white ; second quill shorter than the seventh ; third, fourth, and fifth
nearly equal. Two white tufts of hair-like feathers at the base of the
upper mandible. Irides red. Length seven inches.

This pretty species I shot in a willow thicket near the Pueblo de
los Angelos, Upper California, December 10th. It was actively en-
gaged pecking into one of the trees ; from time to time uttering a
singular note, unlike any I have heard from a woodpecker. It is,
perhaps, a common species in the summer time.

Parus* montanus.

Male. — Head, upper part of the back, throat, and upper part of the
breast pure black; two white stripes commence on the front and extend
over the head about the length of it, leaving a black band in the centre
and a stripe running over each eye to the nape ; cheeks and shoulders
white. Wings and tail brownish 'gray; beneath whitish ; tinged with
brown on the sides and vent. Legs bluish. Length a little over five
inches. Tail two and a half inches.

This new and distinct species we first observed about a-day's jour-
ney from Santa Fe, in New Mexico, and from thence in all the
ranges of the Rocky Mountains nearly to California. Its manners and
notes are very much like those of the common Chickadee, but the lat-
ter are more weak and varied. It keeps also much in low bushes,
where from morning to night, with untiring patience and activity, it
may be seen hopping from bush to bush, searching them minutely
for small insects. It also frequently descends to the ground to pick
up small seeds ; when thus occupied it occasionally stops, looks around
and utters a slender te de de de, then altering to de de dait, flies off
to some other bush. On the Rio Colorado it keeps much in the cot-
ton wood trees which grow along its banks, and its notes, which be-
came familiar, were almost the only ones heard in the winter, when

260 [April, 1843.

we were there, to cheer our course. This species is sometimes seen
in company with the P. minutus, Town., and Regulus calendula,
which at this time are roving in large and busy flocks along the
small streams. It is probably found also in the mountains of California.

Fringilla Blandingiana.\

Male. — Above olive green tinged with cinereous and brown. Crown
i-ufous red ; front, line over the eye, ears, and breast cinereous ; throat
pure white ; a white line also running from the base of the lower
mandible to the neck, below wliich is a line of blackish tipped with
cinereous. Sides brownish ; belly and veDt white ; wings and tail
brown ; wing coverts, margins of the primaries and secondaries and
tail feathers, especially near the base, bright yellowish green ; tail be-
neath pale green. Length six and a quarter inches. Feet and legs
stout, brown ; tarsus and middle toe, with the nail, seven-eighths of an
inch in length ; hind toe nail longer than the toe ; bill above dark
brown, beneath paler.

Of this new and singujarly marked species I procured a single
specimen only, in September, on the bank of a small stream in the
Eocky Mountains, about half way between New Mexico and the Col-
orado of the west. It kept in low bushes in company with the F.
guttata, Nutt., and F. graminea, occasionally uttering a single chip.
The throat and breast of this species very much resemble those of the
F. Pennsylvanica.

Lophortyx* Gambelii, Nutt.

Cinereous-brown above ; head bright rufous ; crest of six black
feathers one and three-fourths inches long, wide at the tips and curv-
ing forwards ; throat black, banded by a line of white ; front of long
grayish and black bristly feathers, with a baud of white across them
near their tips, which extends over the eye to the back of the head;
feathers of the neck and upper part of the back small, cinereous, each
with a central streak of dark rufous; upper part of the breast and
shoulders cinereous; lower part of the breast cream colored; middle
of the belly black; flanks dark rufous ; each feather with a large lan-
ceolate central spot of pure white ; tertiaries edged on their upper
margins with yellowish white; tail rounded, cinereous blue; under
coverts with dark brown spots. Length a little over ten inches.
Wings four and a half; fourth quill longest: second and seventh
equal. Bill black. Feet and legs dull bluish. Tarsus one and a
quarter inches. Tail four and a half.

We met with small flocks of this handsome species some distance
west of California, in the month of November, inhabiting the most

-j- In honour of Wm. Blanding, M.D., of Philadelphia.

April, 1843.] 261

barren brushy plains, covered with a species of Chenopodium. Here,
where a person would suppose it to be impossible for any animal to
subsist, they were seen running about in small flocks of five or six,
occasionally uttering a low guttural call of recognition, sometimes of
several notes, very different from that of the common species. When
flying they utter a loud sharp whistle, and conspicuously display the
long crest.

Lanius elegans. White winged Shrike, Swains.

This species, of which but a single specimen is knowntto Ornitholo-
gists, I found abundant in California, in the brushy plains, and some-
times in the hedges near the towns; it flies close to and frequently
alights on the ground and on low weeds ; when flying, its white
banded wings can be seen very distinctly; in the adults the breast
is pure white ; in the young blended with dark brown, like our
common species, except the throat and vent, which are white; some-
times, when disturbed, it has a harsh crying note like a jay, pay pay
pay.

Sciurus tenuirostris? Swains. Synopsis Birds of Mexico?

Above olive brown ; beneath tawny yellow ; sides of the throat,
with the breast and sides, marked with irregular streaks and spots of
dark brown; a yellowish white line over the eye; throat, belly, and
vent without spots. AVings and tail blackish brown, the feathers
margined with yellowish white; two outer tail-feathers almost wholly
white ; the second merely tipped with the same. Length six inches ;
tarsus seven-eighths of an inch; hind toe nail as long as the toe. Bill
slender ; half an inch in length.

We met with this species only on the Rio Colorado ; at that time
(October) keeping in small flocks along the bank of the river, some-
times wading in the water to pick up whatever they might find in
the mud, with which their bills were covered. When sitting they
jerked their tails in the manner of the S. Noveboracensis, which they
somewhat resemble ; they also uttered, when flying, a few slender
notes.

Swainson questions the S. tenuirostris being found on the table land.
This species, I should think, was not, from its habits, although I saw
a few specimens among some sage bushes (Artemisia) near the river.

Ptilogonys Townsendii, And., Xutt.

This rare and singular bird, of which but a single specimen has
been obtained in Oregon, I first met with, in .October, on the banks of
a small, rocky creek, in the Rocky mountains, between the Rio Colo-
rado and California. Here, in the depth of solitude, it was flying
along the stream, alighting on the rocks, and jerking its tail in a lively

262 [April, 1843.

manner, feeding solely on buffalo berries (Shepherdia) which grew
plentifully along its banks, and with which its stomach was crammed.
We afterwards found it on one of the highest and most desolate moun-
tains, near a small pool of water, to which, towards evening, various
kinds of birds came to drink, and amoung them two individuals of this
species, which I killed ; ' but these, like the specimen procured by
Mr. Townsend, were females, as are all the specimens I have obtained.
It appeared to have somewhat the manner of a fly-catcher, and I never
heard it utter«a note.

Turdus nanus, Aud., Nutt.

This small and, I think, perfectly distinct species, we saw frequently
in the Rocky mountains, frequenting low solitary places, and keeping
much on the ground. In California, and also near the Pueblo de los
Angelos, in January, I have seen several specimens in the willow
hedges and brushy places in company with the sparrows. Though it
resembles, in general appearance, the T. solitarius, it may easily be
distinguished by its smaller size, never exceeding six inches in
length.

Fringilla Gambelii, Nutt., Man. of Ornith. «

This species, procured in Oregon by my friend Mr. Townsend, was
very common on the road from near New Mexico to California, where
it is also seen in almost every hedge in company with F. leucophrys,
to which it is closely allied, if not the same species.

ERYTHRospizA/rcwtaZi's, Bonap.

In California this species is extremely abundant at the time we were
there (January), keeping in small flocks in the neighborhood of the
towns, and frequently in the gardens in company with various species
of sparrows. It has much the habit of E. purpurea, but is more fami-
liar. In Santa Fe, in New Mexico, it builds its nest under the portals
of the houses in the public square, and alights familiarly about the
doors ; in July they had fledged young. They also appeared here to
have a partiality for meat, which is frequently hung up in the sheds,
eating it greedily whenever they had an opportunity. In California,
also, I have observed them examining the sheds and portals, perhaps
for places suitable for building their nests.

DEFERRED BUSINESS.

The Society then proceeded to the consideration of two
Eesolutions offered at previous meetings, to alter Article I.,
Chapter III., of the By-Laws, reducing the amount of the

April, 1843.] 263

initiation fee from $10 to $5; and Article 3d of same Chap-
ter, reducing the amount required to constitute a Life Mem-
bership from §80 to $50 — both of which were adopted.

NEW BUSINESS.

Dr. Morton stated that he had deposited in the Academy
a large number of valuable letters and papers which had
been placed in his hands by General Parker, Administrator
to the Estate of the late Zaccheus Collins, embracing the
Botanical Correspondence of the latter with Muhlenberg,
Baldwin, Elliott, Bigelow, Schweinitz, Nuttall, and other
American Naturalists; whereupon a resolution was adopted
instructing the Botanical Committee to collate and arrange
these manuscripts and have them bound and placed in the
Library of the Academy.

.

ELECTION.

Eobert Kilvington, of Philadelphia county, was elected
a Member of the Academy.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.
Vol. I. MAY AND JUNE, 1S43. Nos. 26, 27.

STATED MEETING, Mat 2, 1843.
Dr. Bridges in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Large and fine specimen, in spirits, of Exocetus exiliens„
from the Gulf of Mexico. Presented by Dr. Carson.

Specimen, in spirits, of Elaps , from South Carolina ;

and an Agaricus, from the same. Presented by Mr. James
Read.

Ferruginous Quartz, from Spain ; Bituminous Coal, from
Hawesville, Kentucky ; Disthene and Staurotide, from
Mount St. Gothard ; and two specimens, male and female.
of Scarabseus tityus, from New Harmony. Presented by
Dr. D. D. Owen, of New Harmony, Indiana.

Volcanic scoriae, vitrified lava and granular lava, from
the great crater of Kilauea, on Hawaii. Presented by Dr.
Thomas Lafon.

Capsules of Bombax heptophylla ; an Indian axe ; and se-
veral geological specimens, from the Island of St. Croix.
Presented by James Codwise, Esq., U. S. Vice Consul,
through P. A. Browne, Esq.

is 7

266 [May. 1843.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Fifty-sixth Annual Report of the Regents of the University

of the State of New York. Albany, 1843. From the
Regents.

Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. S.
New Series. Part 3. 1843. From the Society.

Proceedings of the same for January, February and March,

1S43. Vol. 2. No. 25. From the same.
American Journal of Science and Arts. Vol. 44. No. 2.

April, 1843. Conducted by Prof. Silliman and B. Silli-

man, Jr. From the Editors.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

Circular invitation from the National Institute at Washing-
ton to the meeting of the " Association of American Geolo-
gists and Naturalists," to be held at Washington, in April.
1844.

Communication from the Northern Academy of Arts and
Sciences at Hanover, New Hampshire, dated April 27, 1843,
returning acknowledgements for the late donation by the
Academy of several volumes of its Journal.

A letter from Mr. Wm. E.Moore, dated City of Para,
Brazil, March 3, 1S43, tendering his services in making col-
lections of Zoological specimens in that country.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Elwyn exhibited a portion of oil from Indian corn
received through Mr. Charles Tracey, of Utica, New York,
in which place it is now made on a large scale. Dr. Elwyn
referred the members for information respecting the mode of
obtaining the oil to an article on the subject in Vol. 44 of
Silliman's Journal.

May, 1S43.] 267

STATED MEETING, May 9, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Several specimens of Orthoceras, from Orwigsburg, Pennsyl-
vania ; and Indian arrow heads, found in Columbia county,
Pennsylvania. Presented by Mr. J. A. Lessig.

Various specimens of the fossil genera Favosites, Madrepora,
Cyathophyllum, and Orthoceras in Limestone, from Indi-
ana. Presented by Dr. Edward Fussel, of Indiana.

Crinoid organic remains, from the" Limestone of Missouri.
Presented by Dr. Benjamin B. Brown, of St. Louis, Mis-
souri, through Dr. Morton.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Reply of Col. AbertandMr. Markoeto the Hon. Mr. Tappan,
of the U. S. Senate. From the Authors.

A Geological History of Manhattan, or New York Island.
By Issachar Cozzens, Jr. New York, 1S43. From the
Author.

Medical and Physical Memoirs. By Charles Caldwell, M. D.
Philadelphia, 1S01. From Mr. Phillips.

Historise Amphibiorum Naturalis et literariae fasciculus
primus continens Ranas, Calaminatis,&c. Auctore J. Gott-
lieb Schneider. From the same.

The Magazine of Natural History, and Journal of Zoology.
Botany, Mineralogy, &c. 19 Nos. ; from January, 1831,
to February, 1835. From Dr. Morton.

The Natural History of Barbadoes, in ten books. By
Griffith Hughes, London. 1750. Folio. From the same

268 [May, 1843.

Hymenopterorum ichneumonibus affinium monographic ge-
nera Europsea et species illustrantes. Scripsit Christ.
Godofr. Nees ab Esenbeck. StuttgartiaB et Tubingse,
1834. 8vo. From Dr. Morton.

Monographia Tenthredinetarum synonimia extricata. Auc-
tore Le Peletier de St. Fargeau. Paris, 1823. From
the same.

Chemische und Mineralogische geschichte des Quecksilbers
abgefafst. Von George Freiderich Hildebrandt. Bruns-
wick, 1793. From the same.

Anleitungzum selbststudium der Oryktognosie in technischer
Beziebung. Von Karl Borziworg Presl. 2 parts. Prague,
1834. From the same.

Versuch einer anleitung zur Geologischen kenntnis der
Mineralien. Von H. F. Link. Gottingen, 1790. From
the same,

Albaro Alonzo Barba ernes Spanischen Priesters und Hocher-
fanren Natur-Kiindigers docimasie, &c. Vienna, 1749.
From the same.

Enleitung zur kenntniss und Gebrauch der Foszilien fur
die Studirenden. Von J. A. Scopoli. Riga, 1769. From
the same.

Pyritologia oder Rieshistoire als dos vornehmsten minerals,
&c. Von J. Freiderich Henckel. Letpsig, 1754. From
the same.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

The Corresponding Secretary read two communications
from the Linnean Society of London, dated December 22,
1842, and February 10, 1S43, acknowledging the receipt of
the Proceedings, and of the last number of the Journal of the
Academy.

May, 1843.] 269

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Mr. Haldeman exhibited a number of relics taken from
the grave of an Indian, among which were some portions of
human bone, and several small metallic cones enclosing hu-
man hair. All which were in contact with the metal, or in its
immediate vicinity, were in a high state of preservation.
Mr. Haldeman inquired whether this preservation might not
be accounted for on the principle of galvanic action.

Dr. Bridges believed that the presence of the copper was
alone sufficient to account for it ; the bone particularly would
be found, on close inspection, to be hardest and best pre-
served in those parts of it most deeply coloured by the
copper,

270 [May, 1845.

STATED MEETING, May 16, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.^

Skins of the following Birds, from Western Africa, were pre-
sented by Mr. Cassin, viz :
Chizasrhis variegata, Lauius cissoides,

Centropus Senegalensis, mollissimus,

Pterocles tricinctus, Buphaga Africana,
Merops hirundinacea, Lamprotornis leucogaster.
erythropterus,

Cast or model of the stump of a fossil tree, found near New
Harmony, Indiana. This cast represents but one-fourth
the size of the original specimen, which is nearly two
feet in height, and from nine to ten inches in diameter.
Presented by Dr. D. D."~Owen, of New Harmony.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Owen accompanied his presentation with the following
remarks, explanatory of the geological position of these fossi^
trees :

They were discovered twelve miles from New Harmony,
in excavating in a slaty clay in the bank of Big Creek, a tri-
butary of the Wabash, about fifteen feet below the surface,
and about the same distance above the bed of the stream.
Since the first commencement of operations there have been
found, as nearly as can be ascertained, from twenty to
twenty-five stumps, though the whole superficial area of the
excavation is only about 3000 feet. They were all standing
erect, and nearly on the same general level. Dr. 0. had him-
self excavated three ; the largest of these was about three

May, 1843.] 271

feet in height and sixteen inches in diameter. All of them
were provided with well preserved roots, ramifying in the
substance of the surrounding argillaceous deposite.

About one foot above the fossil trees is a layer of sand-
stone, and a partially disintegrated seam of coal a few inches
thick; fifteen feet below, and beneath the water in Big
Creek, is a seam of coal supposed to be from three to four
feet thick. Nodules of argillaceous iron ore are dissemi-
nated in the surrounding slaty clay. No appearance of a
dirt bed was discovered.

The horizontal section of these trees exhibits no medullary
rays nor annual growths ; but the structure of the bark is
visible on the external part of most of the specimens, and
part of it is generally converted into a dark carbonaceous
substance. The scars, left from the falling off of the leaf-
stalks, though small, are distinctly visible in some of the
smaller specimens. From the diameter of these scars being
longer horizontally than vertically, and the absence of pa-
rallel flutings, these monocotyledonous fossil trees are consi-
dered as belonging to the family of palms.

With the exception of the fossil palm trees, found at Dixon
fold, on the Bury and Bolton Railroad, in England, this ap-
pears to be the only authentic instance of the occurrence of
well preserved specimens of fossil palm trees in strata of the
arboniferous epoch.

272 [May, 1S43.

STATED MEETING, May 23, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Mr. Phillips presented upwards of 200 plates of Guerin's
" Magasin de Zoologie " in exchange for several duplicate
volumes of the Encyclopedie Methodique.

The Botanical Committee presented a " New Index" to the
Herbarium of the Academy; with an index, in addition, to
the " Mencke Herbarium," in manuscript. The two col-
lections now embrace nearly 3000 genera.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

An invitation from the American Philosophical Society to
attend the celebration of its Centennial Anniversary on the
25th inst.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Owen exhibited several charts and a large number of
very interesting colored drawings, all executed by himself,
illustrating the geology of the Western country. These
drawings represented all the known fossils characteristic of
the various strata of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, &c,
mostly on a magnified scale. Dr. Owen entered into a de-
tailed explanation of these drawings, and pointed out the
fossils peculiar to each of the formations.

Professor Rogers followed with some general observations
on the geology of the Western States, and also called atten-
tion to the remarkable character of the anticlinal axis repre-
sented in one of the charts exhibited this evening, which

May, 1843.] 273

illustrated in a striking manner, his views respecting the
constancy of the direction of the ancient and modern forces
of elevation in this region of the continent.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS.

May 30, 1843.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Report of the Corresponding Secretary was read arid
adopted.
The following gentlemen were then elected :

CORRESPONDENT.

James Ombrosi, Esq., U. S. Consul at Florence, Italy.

MEMBER.

Horatio S. Stephens, of Philadelphia.

38

274 [May, 1843

STATED MEETING, June 6, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Three hundred and thirty-five species of Plants from the
North- Western Territory, including the Valley of the
Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Presented by J. N.
Nicollet, Esq.

Fire Opal, and native capillary Silver, from Mexico ; pure
Indigo, from Guatimala ; and a Lichen, from Venezuela.
Presented by Captain John Land.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Annales des Mines. Quatrietne Serie. Tome 1. Liv. 3 ; and
Tome 2. Liv. 4, de 1842. In exchange.

Observationes Astronomicse in Specula regia MonachiensL
institutse et regio jussu publicis impensis editse a J. Lamont.
Vol. vii. et vol. x. seu novse seriei, vols. v. et xi. Monachii.
1842.

Die Kartoffel-Epidemie der letzen jahre oder die Stodfaule
und R&ude der Kartofilen. Von Dr. Von Martius. 4to.
Munchen, 1S42. From the Author.

The number of the Army and Navy Chronicle containing a
list of Officers and Members of the National Institute, for
1843.

A number of the Middletown (Connecticut) Sentinel contain-
ing a communication from Dr. J. Barratt, Correspondent of
the Academy, on a plan for restoring Salmon to the Con-
necticut river. From Br. Barratt.

Five engraved copper plates of Physa and one plate of Pla-
norbis, of Haldeman's Limniades. From the Author.

June, 1843.] 275

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

Letters were read from Wm. G. Lettsom," Esq., dated
Washington, June 2, 1843, and from J. G. Norwood, M. D.,
dated Madison, Indiana, May 23, 1S43, severally acknow-
ledging the receipt of their notices of election as Correspon-
dents of the Academy.

Also a communication from the Perpetual Secretary of
the Imperial Academy of Sciences of Russia, dated St. Pe-
tersburg, 16th March, 1S43, in acknowledgment of the re-
ceipt, of the Proceedings and other Publications of the Aca-
demy.

STATED MEETING, June 20, 1S43.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Very large and fine specimen of Conus papilionaceus, from
Liberia. Presented by Mr. Cassin.

Specimen of Scutella pentaphora, from Great Egg Harbor ;
twenty-five species of Insects, (family Libellulidae,) from
the vicinity of Philadelphia; and a specimen of Elater
nocticulus, from the West Indies. From Mr. Charles C.
Ashmead.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Reports of the Council and Auditors of the Zoological So-
ciety of London, with portions of the Proceedings of the
same for 1842. From the Society.

-76 [June, 1843.

Address delivered at the anniversary meeting of the Geolo-
gical Society of London, on 17th February, 1843, pre-
faced by the announcement of'the award of two Wollaston
medals, and the Donation Fund for the same year. By
Roderick Impey Murchison, F. R. S., &c. London, 1843.
From the Author.

On the distribution and classification of the older or palseozic
deposits of the North of Germany and Belgium, and on
their comparison with formations of the same age in the
British Isles. By the Rev. Adam Sedgewick, F. R. S.,
F. G. S., &c, and Roderick Impey Murchison, F. R. S.,
F. G. S.,&c. 4to. Accompanied by a 4to. volume of engrav-
ings illustrative of the text. London, 1842. From the
Authors.

Manuscript Lectures on various subjects of Natural History
and Natural Philosophy. By Redmond Conyngham, of
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. From the Author.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from the Secretary of the Zoological
Society of London, acknowledging the receipt of the Pro-
ceedings of the Academy.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Mortem, (upon resigning the chair to Dr. Goddard,) commu-
nicated some interesting information respecting the Cicada septem-
decim, or seventeen year locust, which, during a recent journey
from Rahway to Haddonfield, in the State of New Jersey, he had
observed in very great numbers. They made their appearance
there three or four weeks since, and were chiefly to be found in the
tract of country lying between the two places mentioned, not ex-
ceeding fifty miles in extent. In one apple orchard the trees were
literally loaded with them ; some trees Dr. M. supposed to contain
not less than two thousand. The foliage or other vegetation, so far
as his observatien extended, had as yet sustained no perceptible
injury from them ; and naturalists were still undecided with re-

June, 1843.] 277

gard to the kind or source of sustenance preferred by the insect
during the time it remains above the surface.

Dr. Morton referred to the minutes of a former year, 1834,
when this insect had appeared in the city and its vicinity, for a re-
cord of interesting information on the subject, which, at his request,
was read by the Secretary.

[The following extracts from the minutes alluded to have not
been published at any previous period, and are presented at this
time, chiefly with the view of calling the attention of members and
others to the subject, and of inducing farther investigation.

At the meeting of June 3d, 1834, Dr. Harlan stated that on the
25th of May last he had observed the Cicada septemdecim in such
large numbers as to blacken a field of wheat in the vicinity of the
city : they were also very numerous in some of the public squares-
It was his belief that the insect increased somewhat in size while
it remained ; and also, that nothing was known respecting its food.
Upon dissection, mere rudiments of the organs of digestion were
found.

Mr. Rogers, on the contrary, stated that in 1817, the trees in
the neighborhood of Baltimore had been stripped of their leaves by
this insect. He also expressed some doubt as to their common
origin, from the fact of their periodical return not being necessarily
in the same year in different parts of the country, and that this was
probably owing to geological causes.

Dr. Keagy had seen them in 1815 in the Valley of the Missis-
sippi ; in 1817 near Baltimore, and in 1832 in Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania ; Dr. R. Coates in 1818, in Burlington
county, New Jersey; Mr. Gibbons in 1825, near Moorestown,
New Jersey, and in 1827 in the eastern part of Virginia ; Mr.
Johnson in 1831, near Rochester, New York; and Dr. Morton in
1817, in Westchester county, New York.

Dr. Coates had seen a tree in Germantown nearly destroyed, in
1817, by the deposition of the ova of the insect.
• Dr. Pickering stated that this Cicada had not yet been met with
in the eastern part of New England, but that a rare species of
Cicada had been found nearly resembling the C. septemdecim, and
which might be easily confounded with it; the latter differed, how-
ever, in the abdomen being all black: in the former, the rings of

278 [June, 1843.

the abdomen have each a red border; they were usually found in
rocky soil.

At the subsequent meeting, Mr. Gibbons read an extract of a
letter from his brother on the subject of the Cicada septemdecim, in
which the writer stated that he had seen them feeding on the sweet
gum, by pushing the proboscis into the bark ; when this organ was
withdrawn a drop of fluid appeared at the aperture, which served
for food to some ants.

Dr. Mutter exhibited a dissection of the singing apparatus of the
Cicada septemdecim, consisting of the diaphragm and an air cell
and sounding board on each side, and a pair of muscles. The
whole is distinct from the abdominal cavity. The proboscis was
hollow, and intestines convoluted, without perceptible oesophagus or
stomach.

Mr. Lukens mentioned that with Mr. T. B. Peale he had seen
the Cicada septemdecim feeding, by pushing the proboscis into the
bark of trees, particularly young beech trees.

At the meeting on the 1st July, Dr. McEuen (then Eecording
Secretary) stated that the C. septemdecim had disappeared from
some places in the vicinity of the city since the occurrence of a
heavy rain ; he also exhibited the young branches of trees in which
the ova of the insect had been deposited in punctures in longitu-
dinal lines, many in one perforation. The young branches had
been thereby for the most part destroyed.

Dr. Buschenberger, at the meeting of July 8th, observed that in
travelling from Baltimore to Frederick, Maryland, he had found
the C septemdecim abundant at the two places mentioned, whilst
none were seen in Montgomery county, between Baltimore and
Washington.]

After the above extracts had been read, Prof. Bogers made some
remarks on the subject, chiefly confirmatory of the opinion ex-
pressed by him in 1834, of the periodical return of the insect being
influenced by geological causes.

Dr. Goddard referred to the well known fact of the C. septem-
decim being occasionally found in a living state at a great distance
below the surface. When so discovered, its head is usually down-
ward. According to the published statements of a recent observer,
Mr. Ehrenberg, of Berlin, minute infusoria may be found at a great

June, 1843.] 279

depth in the earth, and authorizing the conjecture that Dr. G-.
offered, that these infusoria afforded sustenance to the insect during
its long absence. He expressed his belief that no satisfactory rea-
son had as yet been given for its reappearance at regular periods.

As another fact, not probably known to the members generally,
he mentioned that the yolk of eggs brought from the district of
New Jersey at present visited by the insect, had lost, in a great
measure, their yellow color. This had been observed in former
years, and was supposed by the farmers to be caused by the fowls
feeding on the insect.

Mr. Gliddon stated that in Lycoming county, in this State,
whence he had recently returned, the insect had been very nume.
rous, but at the time of his visit had nearly disappeared. The sto.
machs of some trout which he had caught there were found to be
gorged with it.

Mr. Cassin had been informed that the C. septemclecim was now
very abundant in other counties of the State, particularly near
Mauch Chunk. He also stated that the irregularity in the time of
the appearance of the insect had been supposed to be owing to the
overlapping of adjoining districts ; as an example of which Loudon
<;ounty, Virginia, was mentioned, where it appears at intervals of
eight and nine years alternately. Although, as regards this lo-
cality, and perhaps some others, this hypothesis may be correct, it
will not apply to all cases. In 1834, the C. septemdecim appeared
in the neighborhood of Philadelphia and in the adjoining counties,
and again in small quantities in Chester county, in 1836.

Mr. Cassin expressed the opinion that there are two varieties, of
the C. septemdecin, the larger and smaller, both of which appeared
in this vicinity in 1834 ; they differ in size, and also in their note.
The larger is the one commonly known as the seventeen year
locust.

Dr. Goddard then called the attention of the members to a plan
which he had recently adopted for removing a disease, common
and very fatal to newly fledged chicks, and familiarly known as
" the gapes," and which he considered of importance to be known
by agriculturalists.

Upon opening ihe trachea of a chick laboring under the disease,
he discovered there a parasitic worm, which obstructed respiration,

280 [June, 1843.

and occasioned inflammation of the part. By injecting into the
trachea a small quantity of a mixture of equal parts of spirit of tur-
pentine and olive oil, he succeeded in destroying the worm, and
removing all the symptoms, and in every instance saving the life
of the chick.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS.
June 27, 1843.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

Several Reports having been received, and private busi-
ness transacted, the Society proceeded to ballot for Mem-
bers and Correspondents. The following gentlemen were
elected :

members.

Charles R. King, M. D., of Philadelphia.
Josiah Curtis, M. D., of Philadelphia.

correspondents.

Professor Joseph Henry, of Princeton College, New Jersey.
John L. Stephens, Esq., of New York.
Benjamin M. Norman, Esq., of New Orleans.
Isaac G. Strain, Esq., U. S. Navy.

■ .

I

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. JULY AND AUGUST, 1843. Nos. 28, 29.

STATED MEETING, July 11, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Specimen of the fruit of Citrus , (grape fruit,) from the

West Indies. From Dr. Carson.

Mounted specimen of Arctomys Richardsonii, Sab., from Il-
linois; and fifty-four specimens of Coleopterous insects,
from China. From Dr. William Blanding.

Specimen of Scarabaeus centaurus, from Africa. From Mr.
Cassin.

Fossil genus Conotubularia, from a boulder found at Rail-
way, New Jersey. From Mr. Benjamin V. Marsh, throug-h
Dr. Morton.

A portion of the trunk of the Carica papaya, from St. Croix.
From P. A. Browne, Esq.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Amaryllidacese : preceded by an attempt to arrange the Mo-
nocotyledonous orders, and followed by a treatise on Cross-

2S2 July, 1843.

bred Vegetables, and a supplement. By the Hon. and
Rev. William Herbert. London: 1S37. From the Author.
Report on the Geology of the State oi Connecticut. By
James G. Percival. New Haven, 1S42. From the Au-
thor.

A Monograph of the Fresh-water Univalve Shells of the
United States. By S. S. Haldeman. No. 6. January, 1843.
From the Author.

An Address delivered at Laurel Hill Cemetery, on the com-
pletion of a Monument erected to the memory of Thomas
Godfrey, June 1, 1843. By G. Emerson, M. D. From
the Author.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

Mr. Cassin read a paper intended for publication, entitled
" Descriptions of two species, supposed to be new, of the
genus Tyrannula, found in Cumberland county, Pennsylva-
nia," by William M. & Spencer F. Baird, of Carlisle ;
which on motion was referred to a Committee consisting of
Messrs. Cassin, Phillips, and Peale.

A communication from the American Philosophical So-
ciety, dated May 19, 1843, returning acknowledgments for
Nos. 24 and 25 of the Proceedings of the Academy.

The Chairman read a note from Dr. J. C. Spencer, of
Moorestown, N. J., dated July 2d, containing an extract of a
letter from Mr. Edward Harris, who accompanies Mr. Au-
dubon to the Rocky Mountains, dated Fort Pierre, thirty-six
days from St. Louis, June 1st, stating that the expedition ex-
pected to reach the Yellow Stone River in ten or twelve
days, and that they had already procured some new birds,
and many rare ones, and also some rare quadrupeds.

A communication from Peter A. Browne, Esq., containing
much interesting information respecting the Carica papaya,
or Papaw of the West Indies, was read and ordered to be
placed in the library of the Academy.

July, 1S43, 283

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, July 25, 1843.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Report of the Corresponding Secretary was read and
adopted.

The Committee to whom was referred the following paper,
reported in favor of its publication in the Proceedings of the
Academy.

Descriptions of two Species, supposed to be new, of the Genus Tyrannula
Swainson, found in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. By William M.
& Spencer F. Baird, of Carlisle, Pa.

For the first of the species hereafter described, we propose the name of
Tyrannula flaviventris, the bright yellow colour of the lower parts constitut-
ing a striking feature. The other we have named Tyrannula minima, it
being the least of all our North American Tyrannulse.

The similarity in colour and size between a number of our small tyrant
fly-catchers being very great, we have deemed it best to send with the
specimens of the two described, skins of T. acadica, and S. Traillii, spe-
cies which most nearly resemble them. By a comparison of the four, the
distinctive features of each will at once be perceived.

Tyrannula flaviventris, (nob.)
Specific Characters. Above deep greenish olive, beneath bright sulphur
yellow, sides and fore part of breast olivaceous. Tail emarginate. Third
and fourth primaries longest. Bill brownish yellow beneath.

Description of a Male.

Form, $rc. Body rather stout. Bill broad and the sides convex. Tarsus
longer than the middle toe. Wings rounded ; third primary longest, fourth
slightly shorter, second one line shorter than third, and two lines longer
than fifth, first shorter than fifth, but longer than sixth. Tail emarginate
and slightly rounded.

Colour. Bill above dark blackish brown, beneath light yellowish brown:
Feet brownish black. Plumage of the upper parts deep greenish olive,
crown of the head rather darker, the feathers having their centres dark
brown. A narrow ring round the eye pale yellow. Lower tail coverts,
abdomen, and linings of the wings, bright sulphur yellow, deepest on the

2S4 [July, 184 3

abdomen. Sides of the body, forepart of the breast, and sides of the neck,
olive, lighter than the back, and inclining to yellowish on the throat. Pri-
maries and tail feathers dark brown, the former bordered with grayish,
and the latter with olive like the back. The lower row of lesser wing co-
verts and the secondary coverts darker, tipped with pale yellow, that co-
lour forming two bands across the wing. Secondaries darker than the
primaries, and edged with pale yellow.

Length 5 inches 4 lines ; extent 8 inches 8 lines ; folded wing 2 inches
9 lines.

The sexes are similar in colour, but the female is generally rather
smaller.

Observations. This strongly marked species will at once be distinguished
from every other by the deep yellow of its under parts. It resembles
T. acadica of Gmelin (querula of Wilson) somewhat in form, but acadica
by comparison will be found to be a larger bird, lighter olive above, and
very pale yellow beneath. The tail of acadica is even or slightly rounded,
in this species emarginate.

We have no specimen of T. pusilla, of Swainson, but upon comparison
with the description in Swainson and Richardson's Zoology of North
America, (so favourably known for accuracy,) it appears to differ in the
colour of the upper parts, pusilla being " intermediate between hair brown
and oil green ;" our species is of a decided olive green ; the front of pusilla
is "hoary;" in our species dark brownish olive; the bands on the wing-
grayish white; in our species pale yellow; "throat and breast" of T. pu-
silla " pale ash gray;" in this species the throat is yellow, and the breast
olive tinged with yellow.

This species was first observed in the spring of 1840, near Carlisle,
Pennsylvania. During every succeeding spring since, it has been seen in
greater or less numbers, and several specimens procured each year. Its
habits are much like those of the other species of this genus; it frequents
low thickets near small streams, is seldom found in large woods like T.
acadica, or T. virens, and is a very unsuspicious bird, allowing persons
to approach within a short distance, [t probably goes further north than
Pennsylvania to breed, having never been observed after the latter part of
May or beginning of June.

Tyrannula minima, (nob. )
Specific characters. Above dark grayish olive, breast light ash gray, ab-
domen and lower tail coverts yellowish white. Tail emarginate. Second
and third primaries longest, first longer than sixth. Bill horn colour be-
neath.

Description of a Male.
Form, &c. Body rather slender. Bill smaller than the other species of
the genus. Tarsus slightly longer than the middle toe. Second primary

July, 1S43. 1 285

longest, third nearly equal, and rather longer than fourth, fifth one line
shorter than fourth, first intermediate between fifth and sixth. Tail emar-
ginate and slightly rounded.

Colour, Bill dark blackish brown above, pale horn color beneath. Feet
black. Plumage of the upper parts dark grayish olive, crown somewhat
darker, rump lighter and inclining to grayish. A narrow ring round the
eye grayish white. Fore part of breast, sides, and sides of the neck light
ash grey, middle of throat white, rest of the lower parts very pale yellow
or yellowish white. Primaries and tail feathers wood brown, the former
narrowly, and the latter broadly edged with olive. Lower row of lesser
wing coverts and the secondary coverts darker, tipped with dirty white,
that colour forming two bands across the wings. Secondaries also dark,
like the greater wing coverts, and broadly edged with yellowish white.

Length 5 inches, 2 lines. Extent 8 inches, 3 lines. Folded wing 2|
inches.

No perceptible difference as to colour or size between the sexes.

Observations. This species will be recognized by its size, its slender
form making it the smallest of our North American Tyrannulaa. In colour
it most resembles T. Traillii, of Aud., but it is a much smaller bird, being
nearly three-fourths of an inch shorter. T. Traillii has the breast and
sides of the neck olivaceous ; in this species light ash gray; the tail also of
T. Traillii is even.

It differs from T. pusilla (comparing with the description of Swainson
and Richardson as before) in having the wings more pointed, the second
and third primaries being longest, and the firstlonger than the sixth; while in
pusilla the third and fourth are longest, and the first shorter than the sixth.
The upper tail coverts of pusilla are uniform in colour with the back ; in
our species lighter : pusilla has the front " hoary;" in this species dark.
The lower parts of pusilla are pale sulphur yellow, "approaching to siskin-
green ;" in our species yellowish white : the under mandible of pusilla is
yellowish brown; of this species horn colour. From the figure in the
Fauna Boreali-Americana, pusilla appears to be a stouter bird, much
deeper in colour beneath and having a broader bill. Its smaller size, and
darker colour above, will distinguish it from T. acadica (being two-thirds
of an inch shorter.) which species has also longer and more pointed wings,
a much larger bill which is light brown beneath, and an even tail.

This species was first observed and procured in May, 1839, near Car-
lisle, Pennsylvania. Since then numbers have been observed and shot on
every succeeding spring. Like the preceding, (T. flaviventris,) this bird
does not frequent deep forests, but is found among the scattering trees
which border our streams. It is rather shyer than T. flaviventris, and
and does not, like that species, seek dense thickets. It also, most proba-
bly, goes further north to breed, as after the last of May it is no longer to
be seen. It visits us from the south in the latter part of April, generally
making its appearance about a week before T. flaviventris.

2S6 [July, 1843.

NEW BUSINESS.

Mr. George R. Gliddon informed the Academy that he had
recently received a letter from his father, John Gliddon, Esq.
U. S. Consul in Egypt, dated Cairo, 18th June, 1S43, ex-
pressing regret that the Egyptian Society had been unavoid-
ably obliged to delay the answers to the geological queries
addressed to them by a Committee of the Academy. These
queries had been submitted to a special committee of scientific
members, by whom it was discovered that they had been
met (though under different arrangement) in a dissertation
which Dr. Figari (a distinguished Italian naturalist, &c. and
member of the Society) is preparing to be read and presented
at the next general meeting of the Society, expected to take
place on the 1st of July, and which would be published
forthwith. Copies would be sent to the Academy with an
official communication. Mr. Gliddon also stated that a copy
of M. Linant's (chief engineer in the Pasha's service) Me-
moir on Lake Maris, just published by the Egyptian Society,
had been sent to the Academy, and would be presented as
soon as received.

ELECTION.

The Hon. and Rev. William Herbert, of Manchester, En-
gland, was elected a Correspondent of the Academy.

August, 1843.] 287

STATED MEETING, August 1, 1843.
Mr. Pearsall in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Skins of the following species of Birds were presented by-
Isaac G. Strain, Esq., U. S. N.

Cyanurus Stelleri, Gm., Svv.
Agelaius tricolor, Aud.
Philedon fasciculatus, Gm., Cuv.
Melithreptus vestiarius, Lath., Viel.
Mormon cirrhata, Linn.

A collection of Plants from the Island of Barbadoes. From
Mrs. William S. Biddle, of Philadelphia, through Dr. El-
wyn.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Annual Reports of the Leeds Philosophical Society, from
1824 to 1840, excepting for 1828 and 1829, with a copy of
the Laws, &c. of the Society. From Mr. Henry Denny.

American Journal of Science and Arts, vol. xliv. No. 1.
For July, 1843. From the Editors.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from M. Arago, dated Paris, Feb. 6,
1843, announcing the reception by the Institute of France, of
the Proceedings of the Academy for August, September, and
December, 1842.

Also, a letter from Mr. Henry Denny, dated Leeds, June
16, 1843, acknowledging the reception of his notice of elec-
tion as Correspondent of the Academy. Also, stating that he
was engaged in preparing a Monograph of the foreign spe-
cies of the Class Anoplura, under the auspices of the British
Association for the advancement of Science, and requesting

288 [August, 1S43.

aid and information on the subject from the Academy. He
likewise announced that he had transmitted to the Academy
a set, nearly complete, of the Annual Reports of the Leeds
Philosophical Society.

STATED MEETING, August 8, 1S43.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Plantes Nouvelles ou rares d'Amerique. Par Stephano Mo-
ricand. Livs. 1 to 7. 4to. Geneva. From the Author, in
exchange for duplicate copies of American works on sub-
jects of Natural History.

Reliquiae Baldwinianae : Selections from the Correspondence
of William Baldwin, M. D. Compiled by William Dar-
lington, M. D. Philadelphia, 1843. From Dr. Darling-
ton.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from the Secretary of the Royal Acade-
my of Sciences of Turin, dated June 9, 1843, acknowledging
the receipt of the Proceedings and other publications of the
Academy.

Mr. George R. Gliddon read a short abstract of Dr. Lep-
sius's late discoveries in Egyptian Archaeology, especially
that of the labyrinth in the Fayoom, and those at the Mem-
phite Pyramids.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.'

On motion of Mr. Phillips, the Publication Committee was
authorised to transmit to M. Moricand, of Geneva, a com-
plete copy of the Journal of the Academy, with the view to
an exchange for the Journal of the Geneva Society.

August, 1843.] 289

STATED MEETING, August 22, 1843.
Mr. Phillips in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Skins of Tyrannula Traillii, Aud., T. acadica, Gm., T. flavi-
ventris, Baird, and T. minima, do. ; intended to accompany
the paper from Messrs. Baird, of Carlisle, read before the
Academy at the meeting of July 11th last, describing the
two last named species.

Also, Skins of sixty-three other species of North American
Birds. All presented by Messrs. Baird, of Carlisle, Penn-
sylvania.

Also, a skeleton of unusual size, nearly entire, of Ursus
Americanus, found in a cave near Carlisle. From the
same.

A collection of upwards of one hundred specimens of insects,

chiefly Coleopterous, from the vicinity of Philadelphia.

From Mr. Kilvington and Dr. Watson.
Two very fine specimens of crystallized Selenite from the

Patuxent and St. Mary Rivers, Maryland. From Mr. W.

S. Vaux.

Two living specimens of Crax alector, from Tampico. From

Miss Percival, of Philadelphia.
A living specimen of Tetrao cupido, (female,) from Missouri.

From Mr. James Dundas, of Philadelphia.

A collection in spirits of South American insects, larvae, rep-
tilia, &c. From Mr. J. G. Strain, U. S. N.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Descriptions of twelve new species of Uniones, by Isaac Lea.
Read before the American Philosophical Society, August
18th, 1S43. From Mr. Lea.

^hij i August, 1S43.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, August 29, 1S43.

Vice President "Morton in the Chair.

After the usual preparatory business of the Academy had
been concluded, an election aWas held for Members and Cor-
respondents, with the following result:

member.
Mr. William Gambell, of Philadelphia.

correspondents.

Dr. Lepsius, of Berlin.

James G. Percival, Esq., of New Haven, Conn.

Revi Adam Sedgwick, F. R. S., of London.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.
Vol. I. SEPT. AND OCT, 1843. Nos. 30, 31.

STATED MEETING, Sept. 5, 1843.
Mr. Lukens in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Ail Essay on Calcareous Manures, third edition. By Ed-
mund Ruffin. 8vo. Petersburg, Va. 1842. From the
Author.

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Part 10th.
1842. From the Society.

Annales des Mines. Quatrieme Serie. Tome 2d, 6! Liv.
de 1S42. In Exchange.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

Two communications were read from the Zoological So-
ciety of London, dated respectively Dec. 20, 1842, and Jan.
23, 1843, acknowledging the reception of Nos. 17 to 19 of
the Proceedings, and of Part 2d, Vol. Sth, of the Journal of
the Academy.

40

292 [September, 1843.

STATED MEETING, September 12, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Fine specimen of Alcyonium. From Miss Anna Massey of
Philadelphia.

Three living specimens of Crotalus durissus, and one of
Coluber constrictor, from Pinegrove, Schuylkill county,
Pennsylvania. From Mr. W. S. Vaux.

Fossil genera Cardita, Area, Ostrea and Conus ; casts of Am-
monites, Pinna and Venus ; Vertebrae of Zyglodon ; va-
rious geological specimens, marls, clays, &c, from Lou-
isiana ; and specimens of the following species of Unio, viz:
U. apiculatus, U. Heros, U. glebulus, TJ. Hydianus, U. pur-
puratus, U. trapezoides, U. teres, U. parvus, U. plicatus,
U. fragilis, U. tuberculatus, U. bullatus ; also Anadonta
grand is. From Prof. Forchey of Natchez, Miss.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

Mr. Phillips read a paper intended for publication, entitled
"A Catalogue of the Carabideous coleoptera of south-eastern
Pennsylvania ; and descriptions of North American species
of Coleoptera presumed to be undescribed ; by S. S. Halde-
man." The paper embraced forty-nine species, and was
referred to the following committee : Mr. Peale, Mr. Mark-
land, and Dr. McMurtrie.

A letter was read from the Secretary of the Botanical So-
ciety of London, dated 7th July, 1843, returning thanks for
the donation of a portion of the Proceedings of the Academy.

The Chairman read a letter from Dr. Goheen, dated Co-
lumbia, 9th September, announcing that he had forwarded
for the Academy a donation of valuable and interesting spe-
cimens in Natural History, collected by himself in Liberia.

September, 1843.] 293

STATED MEETING, September 19, 1S43.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

The following constitute the donation of Dr. Goheen, referred
to in his letter read at the last meeting:

Articulated skeleton, in fine order, of an adult male Chim-
panzee, (Troglodytes niger.) 44 § inches in height ; an
imperfect skeleton of a young African Elephant ; skull of
Hippopotamus Senegalensis, from the Gambia ; stuffed
specimen of a Monitor, nearly five feet in length ; horn of
an African Buffalo; tail of an African Elephant; Porcu-
pine quills ; ear of African Millet, or Guinea Corn, (Sorg-
hum vulgare ;) African coffee in the capsule ; Frankin-
cense ; numerous specimens of African woods ; Syenite ;
Granite ; Iron Ore ; Copper Ore from Sierra Leone ; and
other Mineralogical specimens from Western Africa.

Head of a Zygaena from Squam Beach, New Jersey. From
Mr. Josiah L. Coates of Philadelphia.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Two hundred and forty plates with the text ot Guerin's
"Magasin de Zoologie," (Insectas.) In Exchange.

Bulletin de la Societe Imperiale des Naturalistes de Moscou.
No. 3, Annee, 1S42. From the Society.

Reports of the first, second, and third meetings of the Asso_
ciation of American Geologists and Naturalists. 8vo. Bos-
ton. 1843. From Dr. Morton.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Dr. Renard, Secretary of the Impe-
rial Society of Naturalists of Moscow, dated Sept. 12, 1842,

294 [October, 1843-

accompanying the above donation of the Bulletin of the
Society.

Mr. Conrad read a paper, designed for publication, entitled
" Descriptions of a new genus and of twenty-nine new
Miocene and one Eocene Fossil Shells of the United States,"
which was referred to a committee consisting of Mr. Phillips,
Mr. Poulson, and Dr. Morton.

STATED MEETING, October 3, 1843.
Vice President Wetherill in the Chair.

donations to library.

Transactions of the Imperial Mineralogical Society of St.

Petersburg. 1831. From the Society.
Bulletin de la Societe Imperiale des Naturalistes de Moscou.

Nos. 1 and 2. 1838. From the Society.

Memoires della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torino.

Vols. 2,3, and 4. 2d Series. 4to. Torino, 1840, '41, and '42.

From the Academy.
Fisica de' corpi ponderabili ossia Trattato della constituzione

generale de' corpi. Del cavaliereAmedeo Avogardo. Vols.

3 and 4. Turin, 1840 and 1841. From the Author.
Catalogus Senatus Academici et omnium alicujus gradus

laurea exornatorum in Collegii Dartmuthensi Hanoverse in

Republica Neo-Hautoniensi. 1843. From the Northern

Academy of Arts and Sciences.

A Review of Mr. Lyell's Elements of Geology, with obser-
vations on the progress of the Huttonian theory of the
Earth. From the Edinburgh Review, No. 140. (July,
1839.) Vol. 69. From Dr. Fitton.

October, 1843.J 295

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. No. 27,
Vol. 3, May 25th to 30th, 1S43. From the Society.

Ancient Egypt, &c, by George R. Gliddon, late U. S. Consul
at Cairo. Revised edition. New York, April, 1S4 3. From
Dr. Morton.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

Letters were read

From the Secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences of
Turin, dated 16th June, 1843, accompanying the above do-
nation of the Society's Transactions.

From M. Arago, Perpetual Secretary of the Royal Acade-
my of Sciences of France, dated Paris, 3d July, 1843, return-
ing the thanks of the Academy for Nos. 24 and 25 of the
Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences.

From the Secretary of the American Philosophical Society,
dated September 18, 1843, acknowledging the receipt of
Nos. 26, 27, 28, and 29 of the Academy's Proceeedings.

BUSINESS BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION.'

By permission of the Academy, the Committee to whom
was referred the following paper, made a report in favour of
its publication.

Catalogue of the Carabideous Coleoptera of South-Eastern Pennsylvania.

By S. S. Haldeman.

Megacephala virginica? Casnonia pensylvanica, L.

Cicindela purpurea, Oliv. Galerita americana, L.

splendida, Hentz. Cymindis americana, D.

sexguttata, Fabr. pilosa, Say.

hirticollis, Say. *neglecta.

repanda, Dejean. pustulata, D.

vulgaris, Say. lucidula, D.

punctulata, 0. platicollis, S.

micans, F. limbata, D.

unipunctata, F. laticollis, S.

patruela. D. Calleida smaragdina, D.

marginipennis, D. viridipennis, S.

296

[OCTORER, 1843.

Dromius piceus, D.
*apicalis.
*gemmatus.
Plochionus Bonfilsii, D.
Lebia grandis, Hentz.
atriventris, S.
4-vittata, F.
virulipennis, D.
pulchella, D.
ornata, S.
viridis, S.
scapularis, D,
pumila, D.
*brunnea.
Coptodera serata, D.
Helluo laticornis, D.
Brachinus alternans, D.
fumans, L.
conformis, D.
perplexus, D.
Scarites subterraneus, F.
Pasimachus depressus, F.
Clivina bipustulata, F.
morio, D.

4-macuIata, Mels. cat.
*acuducta.
♦amphibia,
viridis, S.
Dyschirius globulosa, S.
sphsericollis, S.
gibbus, F.
hsemoirhoidalis, D.
pallipennis, S.
Cychrus viduus, S.
Sphseroderus stenostomus, Kn.
Scaphinotus elevatus, F.
Carabus serratas, S.
limbatus, S.
vinctus, Weber,
ligatus, Germar.
sylvosus, S.
Calosoma scrutator, F.
calidum, E.
externum, S.

Nebria pallipes, S.
Omophron americanum, D.
Elaphrus ruscarius, S;

intermedius, Kirby.
Nothiophilus semistriatus, S.

porrectus, S.
Panagfeus fasciatus, S.
Chlsenius sestivus, S.

emarginatus, S.
nemoralis, S.
vicinus, P.
prasinus, D.
lithophilus, S.
pusillus, S.
tomentosus, S.
niger, Randall, Lee.
Rembus impressicollis, D.
Dicslus purpuratus, Bon.
violaceus, Bon.
dilatatus S.
furvus, D.
elongatus, Bon.
simplex, D.
politus, D.
Badister *notatus.
Calathus gregarius, S.
Anchomenus extensicollis, S.
decorus, S.
decens, S.
sinuatus, D.
*marginalis.
*obconicus.
*depressus.
Agonum octopunctatum, F.
cupripenne, S.
nitidulum, D.
femoratum, D.
melanarium, D.
excavatum, D.
punctiforme, S.
albicans, D.
limbatum, S.
placidum, S.
*ferreum.

October, 1S43.]

297

Agonum *clongatulum.

*maurum.
Olisthopus parmatus, S.

cinctus, S.
Pcecilus chalcites, S.

lucublanda, S.
fratema, S.
Argutor erythropus, D.

erratica, D.
Omaseuspolita, H.
stygica, S.
muta, S.
*rugicollis.
Steropus morio, D.
Platysma adoxa, S.
muta.

oblongo-notata, S.
Myas coracinus, S.
Percosia obesa, S.
Amara impuncticollis, S.
basillaris, S.
angustata, S.
musculis, S.
*anthracina.
*indistincta.
*rubrica.
♦splendida.
Bradytus exavata, D.
confinis, D.
Daptus incrassatus, D.
Cratacanthus pensylvanicus, D.
Agonoderus pallipes, F.

infuscatus, D.
Gynandropus hylacis, S.
Pangus caliginosus, F.
Selenophorus Beauvoisii, D.
gagatinus, D.
ellipticus, D.
*parallelus.
*maurus.
Anisodactylus nigrita, D.
agricolus, S.
carbonarius, S.
baltimorensis, S.

Anisodactylus rusticus, S.
tristis, D.
coenus, S.
Ophonus *sericipennis.
*opacipennis.
*mutabilis.
Harpalus interstitialis, S.
iricolor, S.
vulpeculus, S.
bicolor, F.
faunus, S.
badius, D.
erraticus, S.
terminatus, S.
nigerrimus, D.
*testaceus,
*comis
*melanopus.
autumnalis, S.
*paradoxus.
Stenolophus carbonarius, D.
fuliginosus, D.
ochropezus, S.
fuscatus, D.
♦badipennis.
Acupalpus cinctus, S.

elongatulus, D.
conjunctus, S.
partiarius, S.
consimilis, D.
humilis, D.
*rotundicollis.
*lugubris.
Tetragonoderus Lecontei, D,
Bembidium (Latr.) Ia3ve, S.
inornatum, S.
incurvum, S.
flavicaudum, S.
Tachyta picipes, Kirby.
Notaphus patruele, D.
dorsale, S.
honestum, S.
*posticum.
Bembidium (Megerle.)

298

[October, 1S4 3

Bembidium inaequale, S.
chalceum, D.
Leja nigrum, S.

decipiens, D.

*semistriatum.
Peryphus contractual, S.

Periphus furvum, Mels. cat.

tetracolum, S.

coxendix? S.

*planum.
Lopha oppositum, S.

Descriptions of North American species of Coleoptera, presumed to be undescribed.

By S. S. Haldeman.

From the difficulty attendant upon the study of insects in the United States,
arising from the absence of standard collections, and the impossibility of know-
ing what has been done in Europe, the characters here given should, perhaps,
be regarded as indicating species unknown to the author, rather than as abso-
lutely new to science.

Ctmindis neglecta. Head and prothorax black, thinly marked with rufous
pile ; head punctured; mouth, antennae, and feet rufous : prothorax lengthened,
and much contracted behind, scabrous with numerous deep punctures, mesial
line and lateral submargin depressed : elytra reddish brown, crenate-striate, in-
terstices narrow. 8 millim. long. General appearance of C. pilosa, Say.

Dromius apicalis. Head black ; prothorax reddish-brown, with a testaceous
margin ; elytra brown, with the tip, and a large irregular spot very near the base,
pale testaceous : body beneath, legs, antennas, and palpi of the latter color. Not
quite 4 millim. long.

Dromius geminatus. Brown, head black ; antennae, a large oval spot near
the base of the elytra, and a small circular one at the inner extremity, testaceous.
4 mill. long.

Plochionus timidus. Dull reddish brown above : antennae, legs, lower sur-
face and lateral margins of the prothorax and elytra, testaceous: elytra wide, deeply
striate, interstices convex. 8 mill. long. Var. Base of the elytra, and a large
spot upon the suture, behind the middle, obscure. Hub. Alabama. P. timidus.
Hentz MS.

Lebia brunnea. Fuscous, head and pronotum blackish : thorax beneath, mar-
gin of the pronotum, palpi, 3 basal articulations of the antennae, a spot anterior
to the middle, and equidistant from the suture and limb, and a smaller obsolete
one at the tip of the elytra, pale testaceous. 42 mill. long.

Coptodera fasciata. Head and prothorax shiningblack, with a tinge of green-
ish : beneath very dark brown : tarsi and extremity of antennae pale brown :
antennae, legs, and elytra, pale ochraceous : elytra striate, mottled with brown
about the middle, and with a large spot at the inner base and tip. 43 mill. long.
Dromius 1 Germari, Hentz MS. Cab. Bost. Soc, No. 1480. C. fasciata,
Cab. Le Conte.

P asihiacuvs punctulatus. Black, smooth, and shining, marginal groove of
the elytra purple : a diagonal impressed rugose furrow from the ordinary longi-
tudinal impressions to the outer angle of the head : elytra with longitudinal
rows of slightly impressed punctures : male with a rufous brush upon the pos-

October, 1S43.] 299

terior tibisc. 32 mill. long. Like P. depressus, but distinguished by the elytral
punctures, and rugose mandibular. Fig. 6, pi. 20, of the Atlas to the 2d ed.
Regne Animal, appears to represent this species. Hub. Alabama. P. punctu-
latus, Hentz MS.

Cliviua acuducta. Reddish brown ; elytra fuscous, finely striate ; stria) very
minutely punctured from the base towards the middle, whence they are im-
punctured to the tip ; 4 inconspicuous punctures upon the 3d interstitial line ;
margin with a row of deep approximate punctures ; mesial line of the pronotum
profound. 6 mill. long. Hub. Pa. and Ala. C. acuducta, Harris MS, Jide
Melsheimer.

Clivina amphibia. Rufo-testaceous ; head with 2 longitudinal approximate
elevated lines, and 2 obsolete ones exterior to them : pronotum with 3 obvious
furrows, the lateral ones slightly converging, and abbreviated anteriorly : elytra
with fine, minutely, and obsoletely crenate striae. 3£ mill. long. C. amphibia,
Hentz MS, Jide Melsheimer.

Badister notahts. Black, head and pronotum impunctnred, shining, the latter
with an impressed mesial line, crossed by another short one at the anterior ex-
tremity, and a large pit at the posterior angles: elytra blackish, or reddish-brown,
acutely striate, striae scarcely crenate, 2d interstice with 2 punctures : antennae,
palpi, and legs, pale testaceous. 4£ mill. long. Carabus notatus, Metsh. Cat.,
No. 1184, jide F. E. Melsheimer.

Anchomenus depressus. Shining black : antennae, palpi, and tarsi, with a
tinge of reddish-brown : mesial line of the pronotum impressed, with a short
one crossing it anteriorly ; posterior angles subacute : elytra sinuate at tip,
wide, flat, with deep, finely punctured striae, and the 3d interstice with 3 punc-
tures. 11 mill. long. A. depressus, Harris MS, Jide Melsheimer.

An chomesus marginalis. Pitchy black, brownish piceous beneath : antennoe
more than half the entire length, base piceous, glabrous, 4th and remaining ar-
ticulations pilose, and, with the feet, ferruginous : palpi rufo-testaceous: impres-
sions of the pronotum distinct, lateral margins testaceous, and strongly reflexed :
elytra finely striate, striae impunctured : interstices fiat, with the 3d 3-punctured.
10 mill. long.

Anchometjus obconicus. Shining black, piceous beneath: antennae light
ferruginous, the 2 basal articulations, wirh the trophi and legs, rufo-testaceous :
pronotum oblong cordate, little more than half the width of the elytra, lateral
margin inconspicuous, not excurved posteriorly ; mesial furrow narrow : elytra
oblong-oval, a testaceous obsolete spot at tip, crenate-striate, with 3 punctures
on the inner side of the 3d interstice. 6£ mill. long.

AGOxumferreum. Greenish black, shining; beneath, pitchy black : antennae
fuscous, 3 basal joints, palpi, labrum, tibiae, and tarsi, testaceous : femora dark
chesnut : impressions of the pronotum profound -• elytra black, crenate-striate to
the middle, posterior half with the erense wanting, or obsolete ; 3d interstice
3-punctured ; tip obliquely truncate, scarcely sinuate. 7 mill. long.

Agonum ocreatum. Black, shining, head with a slight reflexion of green :
antennas and palpi testaceous : pronotum wide, lateral margins very convex ;
reflexed, mesial line and posterior impressions profound : elytra deeply crenato-

41

300 [October, 1S43.

striate, with an obsolete terminal corneous spot ; tip sinuate : base and extreme
tip of the femora piceous ; tibiae and tarsi pale corneous. 7£ mill. long. Hab.
Alleghany mts., Hentz. A. ocreatura, Hentz MS.

Agonum elongatulum. Slender, shining black, prothorax lengthened, nar-
rowed posteriorly, with the dorsal impressions rather faint, and the lateral mar-
gin narrowly depressed : elytra dusky brown, simply striate, interstices flat, the
3d with 4 indistinct punctures ; tip scarcely sinuate ; antennse with the 3 basal
articulations glabrous, testaceous ; remainder ferruginous, tomentose : palpi
brownish : legs and epipleura yellowish testaceous. 7 mill. long.

Aroxum maurum. Deep shining black ; pronotum rather wider than long ;
dorsal impressions distinct, lateral margin much depressed, a small tubercle ris-
ing from the deepest part of the depression of the posterior angles : elytra sinuate
at tip, stria? acute, simple, interstices flat, the 3d with 3 faint punctures: feet,
and extremity of the antennas, pitchy black. 9 mill. long.

Omaseus rugicollis. Black, beneath dark brown, or piceous : frontal impres-
sion considerably dilated, antennse piceous, base darker, brownish pilose towards
the tip : pronotum obviously transversely wrinkled, slightly contracted behind ;
lateral edge rather regularly arquated ; mesial line distinct ; posterior angles
rounded ; basal indentations dilated, with a somewhat prominent longitudinal
swelling in the centre : elytra profoundly and obtusely striate. 17 millim. long.
Hab. Western Penna. O. rugicollis D. Ziegler MS.

Amara splendida. Short oval, glossy, dark green bronzed, or blackish cupre-
ous, above ; black bronzed beneath : lateral frontal impressions wide, 2 punc-
tures at the inner margin of the eyes, distinct ; antennas fuscous, 2 basal articu-
lations testaceous ; palpi dark brown : pronotum, with the mesial line well
impressed ; a deep longitudinal indentation exterior to it, near the posterior
margin, and a small one between it and the external margin ; area of the pos-
terior angles indistinctly punctured : elytra sinuate, finely and simply striate,
interstices rather flat, posterior half (and sometimes the anterior fourth) of the
submarginal one, crenulate on the internal edge : tarsi testaceous. 10 mill,
long.

Amara anthracina. Oval, cupreous black, impunctured ; beneath, shining
black : frontal lines slightly impressed ; one or both punctures at the inner
margin of the eyes, distinct : clypeal suture indistinct : antennae fuscous, with
3 basal articulations, and part of the 4th, testaceous: labrum and palpi piceous,
tips of the latter pale : pronotum with the basal impressions shallow, foveolae
single, frequently interrupted in the middle, numerous short obsolete striae near
the scutel, mesial line fine, anterior cross line obsolete : elytra finely striate, striae
impunctured, acute, tip sinuate : femora dark chesnut-piceous, tibiae and tarsi
reddish brown. 9£ mill. long.

Amara indlstinda. Oval, black, glossed above : frontal lines short, and
slightly impressed : 2 punctures near the margin of the eyes distinct : clypeal
suture indistinct : basal impressions of the prothorax small ; foveolae single and
fine, mesial line fine ; elytra finely striate, 5th and 6th striae obsoletely punc-

October, 1843.] 301

tured, tip slightly sinuate : antennas brownish, with the 3 basal articulations
yellowish testaceous : palpi testaceous, with the middle brown : legs testaceous-
6 mill, long, 2£ wide. Proportionally wider and more brilliant than A. angus-
tata, Say, and differs in outline.

Amara rubrica. Oval, reddish brown, glossy : frontal lines obsoletely im-
pressed, 2 piliferous punctures near the inner margin of the eyes, distinct :
clypeal suture distinct: pronotum nearly rectangular posteriorly, and with the
basal indentations shallow, and sparsely punctured ; fovea? single, somewhat
obsolete ; mesial line fine, crossed by numerous short ruga? ; elytra finely punc-
tate-striate, interstices somewhat convex, tip sinuate. 8 mill, long, 3 wide.

Selenophorus parallelus. Lengthened oval, black, shining : antennse, palpi,
tibia; and tarsi, rufous ; femora darker, or chesnut : head glabrous : posterior
impressions of the pronotum slight, and minutely rugose : elytra slightly sinu-
ate, striate, stria? alternately obsoletely punctured, a row of about 6 punctures
upon the inner edge of the 3d interstice. 8 mill. long. Larger, and narrower
in comparison, than S. ellipticus, with the sides of the elytra more nearly pa-
rallel, and the abbreviated stria? near the scutel, more distinct.

Selenophorus maurus. Lengthened, shining black : head glabrous ; anten-
na? and palpi rufous : pronotum transversely rugulose, posterior impressions
obtuse, minutely punctured, and rugose, mesial line fine : elytra slightly sinu-
ate at tip, finely striate, interstices flattened ; 2d, 5th, and 7th stria?, obviously
punctured : legs dark chesnut. 8 mill. long. Wider than the preceding.

Ophonus mutabilis. Shining black, or reddish brown ; glabrous; feet and
beneath, rufous : antenna? and palpi, yellowish rufous, head with a round obtuse
indentation upon each side, between the eyes : pronotum narrowed behind,
mesial line fine, transverse one distinct ; posterior angles square, basal inden-
tations small, obtuse, minutely punctured, and rugose; fovea? single, short:
elytra profoundly striate, interstices convex, tip slightly sinuate. 9| mill. long.
Var. B. Head and prothorax reddish brown ; beneath and feet, testaceous.

Ophokus opacipennis. Oval, glossy ; chesnut brown beneath, and upon f

the middle and posterior thighs: antenna?, palpi, margin of the labrum, interme-
diate and posterior tibia? and tarsi, and anterior legs, rufous : head with a small
round indentation upon each side, between the antenna? : pronotum much wider
than long, transversely rugulose : with the basal impressions rugose, shallow,
each with a very slight fossula; dorsal lines faint: elytra finely and simply
striate, interstices flat, with a puncture upon the third one ; tip slightly sinuate :
Burface sericeous. 9 mill. long.

Harpalus testaceus. Oval, testaceous; feet and beneath paler, with a yel
lowish tinge ; eyes black ; elytra fuscous, slightly iridescent with bluish ; sides
of the head with a large indentation between the antenna? : pronotum with the
lateral margins and area? of the posterior angles depressed ; basal indentations
obtuse and impunctured ; dorsal impressions obsolete, scutel s .iall : elytra finely
and simply striate; tip slightly sinuate. 9 mill. long.

Harpalus comis. Shining black above, and upon the under surface of

302 [October, 1843.

head ami prothorax ; chesnut brown beneath ; antennce, palpi, and legs yellow-
testaceous; head with a small round indentation at the inner base of the an-
tennae : pronotum widest before the middle, contracted behind, with the angles
slightly obtuse ; basal impressions shallow, somewhat rugulose ; dorsal impres-
sions distinct; lateral margin testaceous: elytra simply striate, slightly sinuate,
margin rufo-piceous towards the tip ; interstices rather flat, third with a faint
puncture. 8 mill, long, 3 wide.

According to Dr. F. E. Melsheimer, this is the Carabus autumnalis of
Knoch, in his father's catalogue, No. 1153, but not the autumnalis of Say.

Harpalus melanopus. Glossy black; frontal impressions distinct; antennse,
fuscous; basal articulation, tarsi, and hairs of the legs, rufous: labrum piceous
with a few rufous hairs ; palpi pitchy-brown, tip testaceous : pronotum as wide
posteriorly as the base of the elytra, and not excurved ; sides slightly rounded
and depressed ; basal impressions large, with the arese of the posterior angle
densely and rugosely punctured; mesial line narrow and entire, transverse ones
obsolete : elytra sinuate, simply and acutely striate ; interstices convex, the third
with a puncture. 13 mill. long.

Hativaivs paradoxus. Black, glossy : antennas ferruginous, tomentose, two
basal articulations glabrous, and with the termination of the palpi, rufous : feet
brownish piceous : indentations between the antennoe large and profound, a disr
tinct transverse impressed frontal line : base of the pronotum contracted, narrowr
er than the base of the elytra, and much punctured, particularly in and near the
large basal indentations: mesial line distinct: elytra sinuate : deeply and acutely
striate ; interstices slightly flattened at base, and becoming convex towards the
tip. 15 mill. long. Probably an Anisodactylus with the preceding.

Stenolophus badipennls. Black, glossy ; elytra testaceous brown, finely and
simply striate, interstices flat, third one with a puncture : head with a double
indentation and impressed puncture upon each side near the antennas, which
are fuscous, with the tip and two basal articulations testaceous, with a black spot
on the posterior side of the first one ; palpi testaceous, basal half of the termi-
nal articulation brownish : pronotum with the extreme edge testaceous, basal
indentations obtuse, and sparsely punctured ; dorsal impressions almost obsolete :
femora very dark brown, discolored with rufous ; tibice and tarsi testaceous.
7 mill. long. Carabus opacus, Mels. Cat. No. 1162, fide Dr. Melsheimer.

Acupalpus rotundicollis. Ovate oblong, shining: head deep black, frontal
indentations small, not distinct ; antennas pale fuscous, two basal articulations,
palpi and feet testaceous: prothorax rufo-testaceous, sides strongly rounded,
truncated posteriorly and deeply emarginate before, with the anterior angles
subacute, and posterior ones obtuse ; basal indentations almost obsolete, mesial
line fine and entire : elytra oblong, dark chesnut, extreme margin and epipleura
rufo-testaceous ; finely striate, rudimental slrise indistinct ; tip obtusely round-
ed : venter blackish. 4 mill. long.

Acupalpus lugubris. Black ; frontal impressions distinct ; antennae pale,
fuscous, or ochraceous, two first articulations, palpi, and feet, testaceous : pro-
notum hardly as wide as the elytra, sides regularly rounded, base truncate, pos-

October, 1843.] 303

terior angles obtuse, anterior ones subacute, basal indentations shallow, dorsal
lines faint, lateral edge obsoletely testaceous ; elytra finely striate, striae not pro-
found ; tip obtusely rounded, and with the lateral margin, obsoletely testaceous
4£ mill. long.

Notaphus poslicum. Dull brassy green above, black beneath ; elytra with a
tinge of brown, punctate-striate, obsoletely, near the tip, posterior half maculate
with testaceous; palpi testaceous, with the ultimate joint brown: antennas and
legs testaceous, two basal articulations of the former paler. 4£ mill. long.

Leja semistriata. Head and prothorax black-bronzed, shining ; antennae,
ochraceous, two basal articulations, palpi and legs, yellow-testaceous ; elytra
very obscure, reddish brown, punctate-striate, striae and punctures obsolete from
near the middle to the tip : beneath blackish. 4 mill long.

Pehyphus planus. Rather flat, black glossy, beneath reddish brown : labrum
piceous, palpi testaceous, tip fuscous ; antennas fuscous, two basal articula-
tions testaceous : pronotum with the basal indentations obtuse, slightly scabrous,
mesial line impressed with a faint round impression, each side, in the middle:
elytra with a bluish reflection, punctate-striate, striae fading on the sides and tip,
sides parallel : feet obscure rufous, middle of the femora sometimes tinged with
brown. 5 mill. long.

Athous pyrrhicus. Testaceous, densely covered with pale greyish fuscous
pile, and numerous impressed punctures : pronotum large, inflated, widest in
the middle, where it exceeds the base of the elytra in width, sides projecting,
not rectilinear, posterior angles acute and short: elytra striate. 21 mill, long
Hab. Alabama, Hentz. Very like A. Pyrrhus, Say, but distinguished by the
swelled prothorax, and shorter antennae. A. longus of Dejean's Catalogue is
probably one of these species.

Chakactes dupliealus. Black, pronotum widely margined with fulvous: ely-
tra fulvous, with the extremity, and a large oval spot near the base, and extending
from the suture to near the outer margin, blackish. 13 mill. long. Dyctiopt.
duplicatus, Hentz MS. resembles rcticulatus, Fabr., but the anterior spot does
not extend across the elytra.

Myctehus scaler. Black ; above olivaceous tomentose, and scabrous with
numerous well impressed punctures ; front with an elevated ridge from the eyes
to the inner base of the antennae ; antennae (darker beyond the middle), mouth,
and legs testaceous ; palpi and tarsi light brown : pronotum with the mesial
line obsolete in the middle, a deep puncture at the posterior edge, towards the
outer margin. 7 mill. long. Hab. Carolina, on flowers in May and June.

Lttta Germari. Head and antennae black, basal articulations of the latter
brownish, front and prothorax yellow, the latter with a small round black spot
on each side of the centre : elytra yellow, 3-fasciate with dark brown, having a
narrow sutural band, and a very wide one narrowed anteriorly, and entirely
surrounded by yellow, a small wedge-shaped band at the inner base : meso- and
metasternum black ; femora and tibiae yellow, tipped with black, tarsi blackish.
13 mill long. Hab. Carolina in July. Cantharis Germari, Hentz MS. Boston
collection, No. 443.

304 [October, 1S43.

Hoplia modesta. Short and wide, ground color black, olivaceous tomentose
above; greenish irised silvery beneath; legs black, with a tinge of testaceous,
hair, and spines, of the latter color ; thighs with a few short silvery hairs. 7
mill, long, nearly 4 wide. Allied to H. Graminicola of Europe, and probably
the modesta of Dejean's Catalogue. Rare in Pennsylvania.

Chljenius LeconteL Wide, surface minutely punctate-granulate, bright
green above, black beneath ; legs and three basal artic. of antennse testaceous ;
tarsi and trophi piceous ; head small, front and clypeus not granulate : pro.
notum very wide, lateral margins of the posterior half nearly parallel, impres-
sions faint, mesial line abbreviated:, elytra punctate-striate, interstices fiat.
18 mill. long. C. Lecontei, Dej. Cat.

Coprobius chalcites. Minutely granulate, shining, reddish brown above,
beneath and legs black ; head with a wide shallow depression at the upper pos-
terior part; posterior half of the dorsal impressed line apparent and very nar-
row. 20 mill. long. Larger than C. volvens, which it closely resembles, and is
probably the chalcites of Dej. Cat.

Aphodius lutulentus. Black, somewhat glossy, minutely punctate, elytra
obscurely striate, tarsi testaceous. 7 mill, long, 3 lat. Scarab, lutulentus, Knoch,
in Mels. Cat. Distinct from oblongus, Say, and Germar's name emarginatus
is preapplied. Boston collection No. 743.

Philetjkcs castaneus. Blackish chesnut above, reddish beneath ; head
excavated above, with a tubercle on each side : pronotum minutely punctured,
dorsal furrow large, coarsely punctured, with a tubercle anteriorly : elytra
coarsely punctate-striate, each alternate interstice being smaller ; the rows of
punctures have the appearance of being in pairs. 20 mill. long. Hab. Alabama.
P. castaneus 1 Dej. Cat.

Bothrideres geminatus. Dull testaceous, sometimes dark-brown above :
head scabrous: pronotum with 3 longitudinal ridges upon each side, with a
short one interposed between the inner and second one anteriorly, inner ones
sinuated, leaving an obcordate depression between them posteriorly, in which
are two posterior and one anterior approximate elevations ; elytra with a sutural
and 4 lateral ridges, having a stria upon each side of the base, 5-6 mill. long.
B. geminatus, Dej. Cat

Ichthidion murinum. Slender, dull reddish brown, rough with numerous
deeply impressed punctures, and hirsute with pale ochraceous, which forms
small scattered spots upon the elytra ; mesial line of the vertex and pronotum
distinctly impressed. 10 mill, long 2£ lat. I. murinum, Dej. Cat.

Anthicus bifasciatus. Hirsute, dull testaceous, head brown ; elytra mi-
nutely punctate; tip, and a transverse central band, interrupted towards the
suture and directed backwards, blackish. 3 mill. long. Hab. Penna. Allied to
basillaris, Say.

Anthicds 4-guttatus. Black, punctate-scabrous, hirsute with yellowish ;
elytra with a large round yellowish spot near the base, and another behind
the middle : trophi and tarsi testaceous, antennae darker. 4 J mill. long. Hab.
Penna.

October, 1843.] 305

By permission of the Society, the Committee to whom was
referred Mr. Conrad's paper, read at the meeting of 19th
September, presented a report in favour of its publica-
tion.

Descriptions of a New Genus, and of twenty-nine new 3Eocene, and one
Eocene Fossil Shells of the United States.
By T. A. Conrad.

Carditamera.

C. carinata. Trapezoidal, slightly contracted from beak to base ; ribs about
18, profound, flattened on the back, square, carinated on the posterior margin ;
posterior ribs rounded and the carina obscure or wanting; middle and anterior
ribs about as wide as the interstices ; all the costse with transverse coarse pro-
found wrinkled lines.

Locality. Newbern, N. C.

Compared with C. arata, this species differs, in being less ventricose over the
umbonial slope, in having a carina on the ribs, more distant transverse strise, the
beaks further from the anterior margin, and the posterior side narrower, with a
more oblique posterior margin.

C. protracta. Trapezoidal, elongated, compressed, widely contracted from
beak to base ; dorsal and basal margins nearly parallel ; ribs about 15, the middle
ones triangular and crenated ; posterior ribs rounded and having distant arched
squamose coarse strise ; summit of the beaks scarcely prominent above the
hinge line.

Locality. Patuxent River, St. Mary's Co., Md.

Arca.

A. triquetra. Subtriangular, profoundly ventricose ; umbo very broad and
prominent, beaks remote, profoundly incurved ; disk flattened posteriorly ; ribs
about 30, narrow, not very prominent, square; surface of the valves with coarse
crowded concentric imbricated lines; umbonial slope forming a right angle
with the posterior slope ; cardinal area dilated ; cardinal plate narrow, the teeth
small.

Locality. Cliffs of Calvert, Maryland.

This species differs from A. callipleura in having narrower ribs which are neither
crenated nor longitudinally striated as in that species. The A. callipleura is not
flattened posteriorly on the disk, and the umbonial slope is slightly arched in
the middle, while in the triquetra it is somewhat concave.

Nucuia.

N. liciata. Ovate-acute, ventricose, with about 15 concentric lamelliform
strise ; posterior side much shorter than the anterior ; anterior side slightly re-
curved, with an oblique slight submarginal furrow, causing a slight emargination
of the base near the extremity.

Locality. Cliffs of Calvert, Md.

306 [October, 1843.

Pectunculus.

P. parilis. Orbicular, slightly oblique; height and length equal ; posterior
superior margin obliquely subtruncated ; ribs denned by slightly impressed
narrow radii ; radiating striee minute and obsolete ; marginal teeth prominent.

Locality. Cliffs of Calvert, Md.

Differs from P. carolinianus, in being oblique, narrower towards the beaks,
less convex, and in the much less prominent ribs, &c.

Pecten.

1. P. biformis. Inequivalved; superior valve nearly flat; inferior ventricose ;
ribs 5 or 6, on the umbo, large, convex, with minute reticulated striee; from a
concentric sulcus below the umbo, the ribs suddenly become less prominent,
very wide and composed of fasciculi of smaller irregular ribs; ears equal,
small.

Locality. Petersburg, Va. Mr. Tuofney.

This singular Pecten is allied to P. decemnarius, but the peculiar character of
the ribs is a sufficient distinction. The lower valve, from which the description
is chiefly taken, has large convex ribs above, longitudinally striated, and sepa-
rated by a concentric groove from the numerous small ribs below ; the interstices
have smaller costoe ; young shells have the superior valve frequently slightly
concave.

2. P. tricenarius. Suborbicular; inferior valve convex, ribs 30 to 33, some-
what unequal in size, crossed by minute lines ; sinus of the ear profound.

Locality. Found with the preceding species by Mr. Tuomey.

3. P. vicenarhis. Suborbicular, inequivalved, the superior valve ventri-
cose, the inferior plano-convex ; ribs about 20, somewhat flattened on the back ;
ribs of superior valve narrower and more distant than those of inferior valve ;
surface of both with crowded regular concentric wrinkles; ears equal, moderate
in size; sinus of inferior valve not profound.

Locality. Wilmington, N. C. Mr. Hodge.

Teilina.

1. T.lenis. Subelliptical ; beaks medial ; anterior margin obliquely trun-
cated, the extremity acutely rounded ; dorsal margins equally oblique ; posterior
basal margin obliquely subtruncated; basal margin nearly straight in the middle
and towards the anterior extremity where it is arched ; the extremity consider-
ably above the line of the base ; posterior side with an oblique narrow fold.

Locality. Cliffs of Calvert, Md.

2. T. arctata. Ovate, thin, slightly ventricose along the umbonial slope ;
flattened in the middle of the valve ; dorsal and basal margins parallel ; pos-
terior margin rounded obliquely inwards ; basal margin slightly contracted in
the middle ; beaks slightly prominent ; posterior dorsal margin slightly sinuous ;
surface with concentric prominent acute lines ; cardinal plate rather wide ;
lateral teeth none.

Found in North Carolina, by Professor Mitchell, of Chapel Hill.

October, 1843.] 307

LuCINA.

L. multlstriata. Oval, equilateral, slightly ventricose, with fine prominent
closely arranged concentric and minute radiating lines; disk with two or more
distinct undulations on the inferior half; beaks prominent ; dorsal margins
profoundly declining ; anterior lateral tooth distinct, remote ; inner margin
minutely crenulated; lunule elliptical, slightly impressed. Height one-third of
an inch.

Locality. Wilmington, N. C.

Amphidesma.

A. asquata. Longitudinally oval, convex, with about 17 laminated concentric
stria?; anterior and posterior margins nearly equally rounded ; basal margin
very regularly rounded ; beaks slightly prominent ; one cardinal tooth in the
right valve, and no lateral teeth. Length less than one-third of an inch.

Localities. St. Mary's Co., (Md.) Wilmington, N. C.

Crassatella.

C. turgidula. Oblong-ovate, slightly ventricose ; surface with coarse lines
of growth, and concentric undulations obsolete except on the umbones where
they are strongly marked and wide ; beaks submedial ; umbones flattened ;
anterior dorsal margin straight ; posterior extremity truncated and nearly direct,
more oblique in young shells; basal margin swelling a little anteriorly, posterior-
ly straight to the extremity which is obliquely angulated.

Locality. Calvert Co., Md.

Allied to C. Marylandica, but has less prominent, more flattened umbones,
which are widely and profoundly undulated. It is, also, more ventricose, and
has a more regularly arched basal margin. Young shells of the two species
are widely unlike each other.

Crepidula.

C. splnosa. Oval, ventricose, rather thick, with longitudinal rib-like series
of thick, elevated, foliated, erect spines, and coarse transverse wrinkles ; dia-
phragm sinuous, the margin profoundly sinuous.

Locality. James River, near Smithfield, Va.

Differs from C. cosiata, Morton, in wanting the numerous fine costfc, and in
having fewer, much longer, and thicker spines.

Fulgtjr.

F. rugosus. Pyriform, with rather coarse rugose revolving lines, disposed to
alternate in size, and very distinct numerous lines of growth ; whorls scalariform,
with a tubcrculated carina, the margin of which presents a waved outline, the
tubercles being obtuse ; spire prominent, profoundly channelled at the suture,
the margin of the channel carinated in young shells. Length 3 inches.

Locality. St. Mary's River, Md.

Compared with F. coronatus, this species, when adult, is comparatively
shorter and more inflated, with a shorter spire, much coarser revolving lines,
which with the more numerous, more obtuse tubercles, give the shell a very
different appearance from the coronatus. In an adult specimen of the latter
species there are 13 spiniform tubercles on the body whorl. In the allied species

42

308 [October, 1843.

when adult, there are 17 much less elevated, more irregular, and more obtuse

tubercles.

Buccintjm.

1. B. protractum. Subfusiform, elevated ; with robust, flattened spiral ribs
about as wide as the interstices, both ribs and furrows crossed by distinct promi-
nent longitudinal lines ; aperture long and elliptical ; labrum with short, sub-
marginal prominent lines; beak slightly recurved. Length, one inch and a third.

Locality. Calvert Cliffs, Md.

2. B. lienosum. Obovate, with distant spiral flattened, not very prominent
lines, between which are usually 3 lines, the middle one largest; whorls of the
spire slightly convex ; body whorl ventricose; lines of growth distinct; colu-
mella with two distant plaits, the inferior one at the angle which is prominent.

Length, one inch and two-thirds.
Locality. Calvert Cliffs, Md.

3. B. (PoWia) Jilicatum. Short-fusiform, whorls 5 or 6, sub-scalariform,
with very prominent spiral stria, and one or two intermediate finer lines ; whorls
with longitudinal distant ribs ; aperture rather less than half the length of the
shell; beak short; columella with slightly prominent folds; labrum with acute
prominent lines obsolete on the margin, and extending far within the aperture.

Locality. James River, Va.

Resembles Fusus cinereus of Say, but is much shorter in proportion, and has
more prominent spiral lines ; but the folds on the columella constitute the most
marked distinction.

4. B. sexdentatum. Acutely oblong-ovate, with regular prominent com-
pressed longitudinal ribs, and fine revolving lines, one or two of which, near the
suture are larger and more distinct ; towards the base the lines are more pro-
found ; spire elevated ; volutions 9, with straight sides ; suture impressed ;
aperture about one-third the length of the shell ; labrum with 6 dentiform tu-
bercles within. Length half an inch.

5. B. bilix. Elliptical, thick, with alternated revolving lines crossed by
rugose lines of growth ; spire conical, volutions convex ; one or two towards
the apex longitudinally ribbed ; suture profound ; aperture about two-thirds the
length of the shell ; labrum ribbed within. Length one inch.

Locality. James river, Virginia.

6. B.fossulatum. Subovate with numerous impressed alternated revolving
lines; body whorl ventricose; whorls 4 or 5, sides convex ; spire somewhat coni-
cal, with a channel at summit of the volutions, which has a rectilinear slope to
the suture ; columella short ; fold at base of the shell acutely carinated. Length
one inch and a third.

7. B. prseruptum. Ovate-acute, with longitudinal very regular and equal
compressed ribs, and regular revolving raised lines, about 12 on the body whorl,
at base of which is a broad fold with 4 revolving lines on it ; labium reflected ;
columella obliquely truncated at base ; aperture rather more than one-third the
shell's length. Length one-third of an inch.

Cancellaria.
C. corbulu. Short, subovate ; whorls sub-scalariform ; ribs 8 or 9 on the

October, 1843.] 309

body whorl, prominent, flattened laterally, and crossed by prominent alternate
stria?, the larger ones rather distant and elevated ; columella with 3 plaits, recti-
linear; base subumbilicated ; aperture nearly half the length of the shell.
Length, half an inch.
From Maryland.

Oliva.

O. duplicata. Elliptical; spire conical, volutions 5, rectilinear; labrum
about half as long as 'the shell ; aperture less, caused by a thick deposit on the
upper part of the columella, which extends more than half the distance from
the summit of the labrum to the suture ; labrum with a rectilinear margin ;
aperture narrow and somewhat oblique. Length, half an inch.

Locality. Wilmington, N. C. Mr. Hodge.

Ptramidella.

P. arenosa. Subulate, whorls 9 or 10, with rectilinear sides; a deep angu-
lar channel at the suture, minutely crenulated ; channel passing over the mid-
dle of the back of body whorl, and the superior margin carinated ; columella
with 2 plaits, the superior one profound and acute. Length half an inch.

Locality. Suffolk, Virginia.

Fusus.

F. migrans. Fusiform, elongated ; surface with crowded unequal impress-
ed spiral lines, and strong arched lines of growth ; whorls contracted above,
rounded towards the suture ; whorls near the apex longitudinally ribbed ; aper-
ture half the length of the shell ; beak much recurved. Length, three inches
and a half.

Locality. Calvert cliffs, Md.

F. devexus. Fusiform, with obtuse longitudinal ribs, obsolete near the up-
per margin where the whorls are somewhat contracted; ribs on the body whorl dis-
appear just below the angle; above which the whorl is flattened, wide and pro-
foundly declining ; surface with robust, prominent and fine intermediate spiral
lines ; aperture more than half the length of the shell ; beak sinuous.

Locality. Occurs with the preceding species.

Length, two inches.

Voluta.

V. mutabilis. (Fasciolaria mutabilis,) Journ. Acad. Nat. Sciences, vol. vii,
p. 135. Silliman's Journ. vol. xli. p. 136, pi. ii., fig. 7.

Ovuia.

O.iota. Narrow-elliptical, with minute spiral lines towards the base ; inner
margin regularly arched above the middle of the shell, where the aperture is very
narrow, widening a little towards the apex ; aperture gradually expanding from
the middle to the base ; labrum very slightly rounded ; labium reflected.

Length, quarter of an inch.

Locality. Calvert cliffs, Md.

Monobonta.

M. exoluta. Depressed; volutions slightly convex, with revolving lines, most
prominent on the periphery and base; 7 or 8 lines on the base increasing in

310 [October, 1S43.

size towards the umbilicus which is profound ; labrum with a series of minute
short prominent irregular lines on the inner submargin ; tooth at base of colum-
ella small, transverse, somewhat compressed ; beneath is a smaller pyramidal
tooth ; aperture round, more than half the length of the shell. Width nearly
half inch.

Ecphora, (Conrad.)

Shell fusiform, ventricose, with revolving coste ; aperture oval, suddenly con-
tracted towards the base or in the beak, which is reflected ; labrum united with
the labium above ; labium reflected ; margins of the beak so elevated as to form
a profound very oblique channel towards the base of the shell.

Fusus 4-costatus, Say, Journ. A. INT. S. vol. iv.

Kellia,

K. mactroides. (Lepton mactroides.) Fossil shells of Tertiary formations,
p. 19.pl. x. fig. 5.

K.fabagella. Amer. Marine Conch, pi. 11 fig. 3.

ASOMIA.

X.jugosa. Ventricose, subalated, with concentric waved lines of growth ;
ribs irregular, broad, rounded, distant, and some of them with remote, thick,
slightly prominent scales. Height one and a quarter inches.

An Eocene species from the white limestone of S. Carolina, collected by
Edmund Ruffin, Esq. From Mr. Tuomey.

ECHINODERMATA.
Echinus.

E. irnprocerus. Depressed or discoidal, anus suboval; 5 v-form granulated
lines diverge from the anus, about 6 tubercles on each single line ; between
these 2 shorter tuberculated lines; interstices wide and without lines or tuber-
cles ; whole surface minutely granulated; periphery profoundly tuberculated,
the tubercles subequal ; on the base the tubercles are smaller and numerous.
Diameter half inch.

Locality. James' river, near Smithfield, Virginia.

E. philanthropus. Depressed-hemispherical, with closely arranged series of
mammillated radii, about 14 mammillae on each series of the larger radii ; in-
terstices crowded with unequal small tubercles ; at the sutures is a series of
unequally arranged minute pores. Diameter three quarters of an inch.

Locality. Found with the preceding species.

ADDENDA.
Venus.
V. cribraria. Subtrigonal, slightly ventricose, with about 25 concentric
elevated recurved lammelliform ribs, on the inferior side of which are elevated
transverse lines ; lunule cordate, laminated, suture profound; inner margin pro-
foundly crenulated. Length one and a quarter inch. Height one and one-
eighth nearly.

October, 1843.] 311

Locality. Wilmington, N. C; Neuse river below Newborn, N. C.

Resembles somewhat V. punctulata, Val. (Enc. Method, t. 267, p. 4.) of
Florida, but has much more prominent, narrow and more remote ribs. In this
respect it differs also from V. cortinaria, Rodgers.

Plicatuia.

P. densata. Ovate, thick, profoundly and irregularly plicated ; inferior valve
ventricose, its ribs acute, with arched spiniform scales ; cardinal teeth large,
curved, laterally striated, crenulated on the margins; larger cardinal tooth in each
valve slightly bifid, broad ; muscular impressions prominent. Length one inch
and an eighth.

Locality. Cumberland co., New Jersey.

The valves have about 10 folds, and the lower valve closely resembles a varie-
ty of Ostrea virginiana.

CllEPIDULA.

C. densata. Oblong, thick and ponderous, profoundly ventricose, with coarse
lines of growth; umbo very prominent, somewhat compressed; diaphragm
slightly depressed on each side, the margin much contracted, near the middle
angulated ; from the angle to the anterior side rectilinear. Length one inch
and a quarter.

Locality. Natural well, Duplin co., N. C.

Differs from C. costata, Morton, in the profound angular emargination of
the diaphragm, in being proportionally narrower, and without ribs or stris.

STATED MEETING, October 11, 1S43.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Annales des Mines. Quatrieme Serie. Tome 2d, 5"}e Liv.
de 1842. In Exchange.

Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. Vol. 19,
Part 2d ; List of Members for 1843 ; and a portion of the
Proceedings of the Society. From the Society.

A Treatise on some of the Insects of New England, which
are injurious to vegetation. By Thaddeus William Harris,
M. D. 8vo. Cambridge, 1842. From a friend of Science.

312 [October, 1843.

written communications.

An extract of a letter from Dr. Harris, of Cambridge, Mass.
addressed to the Librarian of the Academy, was read, pro-
posing an exchange of duplicate volumes of the Academy's
Journal, contained in the Library of Harvard University, for
other volumes which are wanting :

Whereupon, on motion of the Librarian, it was Resolved,
That the Publication Committee be authorised to present to
Harvard University the numbers of the Journal which are
deficient in the library of that institution.

STATED MEETING, October 24, 1S43.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Gymnothorax in spirits, from the West Indies. From

Mr. Cassin.

A collection of Insects from the neighbourhood of Philadel-
phia. From Mr. S. B. Ashmead, Jr.

A finely prepared specimen of a Balistes from Frying-pan
Shoal, Cape Fear. From Mr. Wm. M. Maull, through
Mr. Ashmead.

Chlorophyllite from New Hampshire. From Dr. Elwyn.

Blue Carbonate of Copper, from Berks County, Pennsylvania.
From Mr. Ashmead.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, No. 26,
Vol. 2d. April and May, 1843. From the Society.

October, 1S43,] 313

American Journal of Science and Arts, Vol. 45, No. 2, Octo-
ber, 1843. From the Editors.

Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, from
January 6, 1841, to June 21, 1843. From the Society.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Mr. John L. Stephens, dated New
York, Oct. 10, 1843, acknowledging the reception of his no-
tice of election as a Correspondent, and of his diploma.

A communication from Mr. Haldeman was read, describ-
ing another new species of Pasimachus, named by him P.
substriatus, which was referred to the Committee on his
former paper.

NEW BUSINESS.

On motion, Resolved, That the Publication Committee be
authorised to present to Charles Lucian Bonaparte, Prince
of Canino, the sixth, seventh and eighth volumes of the Jour-
nal of the Academy.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, October 31, 1843.

Mr. Lukens in the Chair.

The Report of the Corresponding Secretary for the last
month was read and adopted.

The Committee to whom was referred the following de-
scription by Mr. Haldeman, reported in favour of its publica-
tion :

Pasimachus substriatus. Black, somewhat shining ; head with the longi-
tudinal impressions rather indistinct : pronotum smooth, mesial line slightly-
impressed, a subtriangular impression near the external angle, and another
transverse medial one near the base : elytra scarcely striate. 31 millim. long.
Hab. Long Island.

Of the known species, this one bears the nearest resemblance to P. subsulca-
tus, Say. In the collection of Captain Le Conte, to whom I am indebted for
the opportunity of characterising it.

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Vol. I. NOV. AND DEC, 1843. Nos. 32, 33.

STATED MEETING, November 7, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

A very large and fine living specimen of Crotalus durissus
from Benton, Mississippi. Presented by Dr. Goddard.

A collection of Reptilia, in spirits, from Jamaica. From Dr.

C . W. Pennock.
Specimen of Vespertilio rufus, taken 20 miles at sea, off the

Capes of Delaware. From Captain Baker, through Dr.

Blanding.

Gymnothorax , and a species of Tetrodon, from Fry-
ing-pan shoal, and a bottle containing various Crustacea
and fish, from Africa. Presented by Mr. John Cassin.

Animal of a Fasciolaria, an Emys, several Hippocampi, and
a specimen of a large crustaceous animal, from Yucatan.
Presented by Benjamin M. Norman, Esq.

Rhsetizite, from Lincoln county, N. C. From Dr. Blanding.

Full-grown specimen of Platirostra edentula, Leseuer, from

the Ohio, above Pittsburg. From Mr. Philip Lowry, Jr.

43

316 [November, 1843.

written communications.

A letter was read from Dr. John Locke, of Cincinnati,
dated October 21, 1843, detailing some of the peculiarities of
the fossil beds of the cliff limestone of the Miami, river, in
the vicinity of Dayton, Ohio ; and informing the Academy
that Mr. John Van Cleve, of Dayton, was engaged in trans-
lating that portion of the work of Dr. Goldfuss, which related
to our fossil deposits, with the intention of publishing the
same at an early period.

STATED MEETING, November 14, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Bulletin de la Societe Imperiale des Naturalistes de Moscou.

Nos. 2, 3, 4, for 1841 ; No. 1 for 1842, and No. 1, 1843.

From the Society, through Mr. Charles Cramer.
Revue des Fossiles du Gouvernement de Moscou. Par

G. Fischer de Waldheim. No. 2, Fossiles de Terrain

Oolithique. From the Author.
Two tracts : — 1st. Ornithological Observations, by John

McClelland. Calcutta ; and, 2d. On the Materia Medica of

Meywar in India. By Alexander Duncan. Calcutta. From

Dr. Morton.
Remarks on Tides and the prevailing currents of the Ocean

and Atmosphere. By William C. Redfield. From the

Author.
Abstract of a paper read before the American Philosophical

Society, May 29, 1S43, entitled "Descriptions of some new

November, 1S43.] S17

fossil shells from the Tertiary of Petersburg, Virginia." By
Henry C. Lea, of Philadelphia. From the Author.

First Annual Report of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
to the Legislature, under act of March, 1842, relating to
the registry and returns of birth, marriages, and deaths
in Massachusetts. February, 1S43. From Dr. Morton.

Copy of the Constitution and By-laws of the Northern Aca-
demy of Arts and Sciences, at Hanover, N. H.; and second
annual report of the Officers and Students of Dartmouth
College, N. H., for the Academical year, 1843-4. From
the Northern Academy.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from G. Fischer de Waldheim, Vice
President of the Imperial Society of Moscow, dated 7th of
March, 1S43, accompanying the above donation of the So-
ciety's Bulletin.

STATED MEETING, November 21, 1843.

Mr. Phillips in the Chair.
donations to library.

Calcutta Journal of Natural History, conducted by John

McClelland. Nos. 9, 10, 11, and 12. From the Editor.
The following Memoirs on the Law of Storms in India,

presented by the Author, Henry Piddington, Esq.:
Fourth Memoir: containing researches about the Golconda's

storm, or the Typhoon of 22d to 24th of September, 1840,

in the China seas.

Fifth Memoir: being researches about the Madras hurricane
of 16th of May, 1841.

318 [November, 1843.

Sixth Memoir: storms of the China seas from 1780 to 1S41.
Seventh Memoir: On the Calcutta hurricane of 2d and 3d of

June, 1842.
Printed circular from the " Museum of Economic Geology of

India." From Mr. Piddington.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

Two letters were read from Mr. Piddington, dated 28th of
February and 2.5th of March, 1S43, in reference to his Me-
moirs, and requesting of the Academy any duplicates of works
or pamphlets on meteorological subjects in its possession; and
also acknowledging the receipt of the Academy's Proceedings
from the Corresponding Secretary. He likewise solicited at-
tention to the circular of the " Museum of Economic Geo-
logy," a newly-formed institution in India, and proposed ex-
changes with it.

Mr. T. A. Conrad read a paper intended for publication,
entitled " Descriptions of a proposed new genus of Trilo-
bites, and of fifteen new species of Silurian fossils ; and also
of new Tertiary fossils : with observations on the Trenton
limestone, and the lead-bearing limestone of Wisconsin."

Referred to a Committee, consisting of Mr. Phillips, Dr.
Morton, and Mr. R. C. Taylor.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, November 28, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

After receiving some reports, and transacting other prepara-
tory business, the Society proceeded to ballot for Members
and Correspondents, and the following gentlemen were an-
nounced duly chosen :

December, 1843.] 319

MEMBERS.

Samuel Wetherill, of Philadelphia.

Thomas S. Stewart, of Philadelphia.

Joseph P. Hiester, M. D., of Reading, Pennsylvania.

CORRESPONDENTS.

Prof. John Johnston, of Middletown, Connecticut.
Dr. Frederick Melsheimer, of Dover, York county, Penn-
sylvania.
J. W. Mighels, Esq., of Portland, Maine.
Wra. B. Hodgson, Esq., of Savannah, Georgia.

STATED MEETING, December 5, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Observations on the external characters and habits of the
Troglodytes niger, Geoff., by Thomas S. Savage, M. D. ;
and on its organization, by Jeffries Wyman, M. D. From
Dr. Wyman.

Transactions of the Historical and Literary Committee of the
American Philosophical Society. Vol. Hi., Part 1. From
Mr. Samuel Breck.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

The Chairman read an extract from a letter from Prof.
Gray, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, dated 15th of November,
1843, stating that a copy of the Journal of the Academy.

320 [December, IS43

transmitted to Prof. Von Martins, as Secretary of the Bava-
rian Academy, had not been received by the latter, and re-
questing attention to it ; and also containing a portion of a
letter from A. De Candolle, proposing to the Academy an
exchange of its Journal with him for the Memoirs of the
" Societe de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Geneve."

Also, a letter from Mr. Henry Cramer, dated St. Peters-
burg, 1st of May, 1S43, referring to a recent donation for-
warded by him to the Academy, of the Transactions of the
Imperial Mineralogical Society of Russia, and requesting a
copy of the Journal of the Academy for that Society.

Whereupon, on motion of Mr. Phillips, it was
Resolved, That a copy of the Journal be transmitted to the
Imperial Mineralogical Society of Russia.

STATED MEETING, December 12, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO MUSEUM.

Fossil fern impressions, from Pottsville, Pennsylvania. From
Mr. Stephen Taylor, Jr.

Sandstone from the Quarries of Hadjur Silsilis, and Sy-
enite from Syene in Egypt. From Mr. George R. Gliddon.

A small collection of insects from the vicinity of Philadelphia.
From Mr. R. Kilvington.

Two specimens, in spirits, of Pholas truncata, with the ani-
mal attached, from New York Bay. From Dr. J. C. Jay,
of New York.

December, 1843.] 321

donations to library.

Notice of some new works recently published on the nomen-
clature of Zoology. By Augustus A. Gould, M. D. (Ex-
tracted from Vol. xlv., No. 1, of American Journal of
Science.) From Dr. Gould.

Monograph of the species of the genus Pupa found in the
United States. By Augustus A. Gould, M. D. From the
same.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was Fread from the Rev. Adam Sedgwick, dated
Cambridge, England, November 7th, 1S43, acknowledging
the reception of his notice of election as a Correspondent, and
tendering his services in any way conducive to the interests
of the Academy.

VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Dr. Chaloner called the attention of the Society to a number
of very fine specimens on the table of fossil bones of the Mastodon
and Elephant, brought by Mr. S. H.Whipple, from Benton Coun-
ty, Missouri, and forming part of a large collection in his posses-
sion, and now arranged for inspection in this city. A list was
presented by this gentleman, with an estimate of the weight of
the specimens, which he supposed to exceed 2000 lbs., accompa-
nied by the following statement:

"These bones were found in the County of Benton, Missouri,
about one half mile from the river Osage, 70 miles south of the
Missouri river, at Boonville, in north latitude 38° 10', and west
longitude 16° 40'." After adverting to the character of this
portion of the county, which is broken up into ridges and rocky
elevations of considerable extent, with intervening vallies, through
which pass small streams of water, he says : "In one of the val-
lies referred to, just at the point where a fertile bottom is connec-
ted with a more elevated region, is a small marsh, perhaps of an
acre in extent. One half of this marsh is covered by a soil differ-
ent from that composing the marsh itself. This soil appears to

322 [December, 1843.

have been derived from the ground immediately adjoining it,
which is now a cultivated field, but was formerly covered with
oak timber. The field has a gentle slope towards the marsh from
a rocky ridge, composed partly of what appears to be limestone,
in irregular columns, of from 10 to 20 feet elevation above the
surrounding portion of the ridge, and its soil bears evidence of
having been washed from the ridge, and, as has been stated, now
forms part of the upper surface of the marsh. It was under this
deposit, and at the depth of from two to twelve feet, imbedded
in the marsh, that these bones were found, lying in the utmost
confusion, and disorder."

STATED MEETING, December 19, 1843.
Vice President Morton in the Chair.

DONATIONS TO LIBRARY.

Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Vol. i., from 1836
to 1840 ; Parts v. and vi. of same, from 1S40 to 1S42 ; nine
Nos. of Journal of Franklin Institute, and some minor pub-
lications. From Mr. Phillips, in exchange for duplicate
copies of other works from the Library.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS.

A letter was read from Mr. William Oland Bourne, dated
Brooklyn, Long Island, December 15, 1840, accompanying a
printed " Introductory Notice of the Geology of King's coun-
ty," of which he is the author.

Mr, Conrad read a paper containing additional descriptions
of fossils from the Tertiary of Virginia ; intended as an ap-
pendage to his former paper read at the meeting of 21st of
November last. Referred to the Committee appointed on
that paper.

December, 1843.] 323

MEETING FOR BUSINESS, AND ANNUAL MEETING,

December 26, 1843.

Vice President Morton in the Chair.

The Committee, to whom was referred Mr. Conrad's paper,
read November 21st, and the additions thereto read Decem-
ber 1 .9th, reported in favour of publication.

Descriptions of nineteen species of Tertiary fossils of Virginia and North

Carolina,

By T. A. Conrad.

Anomia.

Anoxia Ruffini. Subovate or suborbicular, irregular ; larger valve with
concentric lamins, sometimes obsolete, often closely arranged towards the base,
plicated on the margin ; disk with numerous irregular interrupted radiating fur-
rows and lines ; hinge area wide ; muscular impression very large, ovate-elon-
gated. Height of the largest specimen, two and a half inches.

Locality. Pamunkey river, Kent county, Virginia.

This fine large species was found by Edmund Ruffin, Esq., and I take plea-
sure in dedicating it to a gentlemen distinguished for his science, and his suc-
cessful and enlightened efforts to improve the agriculture of his country.

Arca.

Arca propatula. Rhomboidal, thick and ponderous; posterior side produced ;
sides flattened, slightly concave towards the base; uinbonial slope rounded, rather
elevated ; ribs about thirty-two, square, not profoundly prominent, about equal
in width to the interstices, which have transverse imbricated lines ; ribs largest
about the umbonial slope, very distinct on the posterior slope, which is con-
cave towards the hinge line ; posterior margin oblique, concave, extremity wide-
ly rounded ; summit of umbo moderately elevated, slightly retuse ; cardinal area
wide, with diverging grooves; series of teeth slightly sinuous anteriorly ; teeth
numerous ; at the posterior extremity, the series suddenly becomes dilated, and
the teeth interrupted or tubercular; inner margin crenate, crence profound, and
remote posteriorly. Length, four inches ; height, rather more than one and
one-third inches.

Locality. James river, below City Point. Petersburg, Mr. Tuomey ; Ware
river, Gloucester county, Virginia, Mr. Kuffin.

Perhaps this may prove to be an old specimen of A. arata, Say.

44

324 [December, 1S43.

Arca scalaris. Obliquely rhomboidal, elevated, ventricose, ribs about twen-
ty-three, broad, square, prominent, profoundly and robustly crenate, wider than
the interstices, seven on the posterior slope, prominent; posterior slope flattened ;
umbonial slope angulated ; summit elevated, narrowed ; anterior margin oblique-
ly truncated ; anterior basal margin obliquely subtruncated ; posterior extremity
subangulated ; beaks remote; area with transverse slightly impressed lines;
cardinal teeth irregular, oblique towards the extremities of the hinge line ; within
with furrows corresponding to the ribs ; margin profoundly crenate. Length,
two inches ; height, one and a half inches.

Locality. Petersburg, Virginia. Mr. Tuomey.

Allied to A. incongrua, Say. The description applies to the left valve only,
as the opposite one has not yet been found.

Ctrena.

Ctrena densata. Subtriangular, thick, convex, with robust lines of growth ;
anterior margin obtusely rounded ; basal margin profoundly and regularly curved
to the posterior extremity, which is subtruncated, direct, and greatly above the
line of the base ; beaks central, summits elevated ; teeth large, robust, very pro-
minent, three in one valve, and two in the opposite ; middle tooth of the right
valve bifid ; lateral teeth elongated, robust, anterior tooth truncated, suddenly
deflected at the extremity ; posterior tooth distant. Length, one and a half
inches ; height, one inch and seven-eighths.

Locality. Vicinity of Petersburg, Virginia. Mr. Tuomey. Rare.

Mactra.

Mactra triquetra. Triangular, thick, ventricose ; anterior margin obtusely
rounded; posterior margin obliquely truncated ; extremity angular; anterior
and basal margins regularly curved : posterior basal margin obliquely truncated,
and the disk slightly flattened above ; umbonial slope forming a right angle
with the posterior depression ; beaks slightly remote, central, summits profound-
ly elevated ; lateral teeth robust; fosset small, ovate. Length, one and a quar-
ter inches ; height one inch.

Locality. Vicinity of Petersburg, Virginia.

I found a single perfect valve of this species, which is much larger and pro-
portionally shorter than M. congesta, and differs especially in the beaks being
distant from the hinge margin.

Venus.

1. Venus capax. Cordate, suborbicular, ventricose, with concentric lamel-
liform prominent lines ; posterior margin curved, extremity truncated, direct,
and remote from the line of the base ; basal margin profoundly curved ; lunule
dilated, cordate, defined by a groove, and not distinctly impressed ; inner margin
finely crenulated.

Locality. Pamunkey river, Kent county, Virginia. Mr. Tuomey.
This shell is of a more rotund, tumid form than any of the species allied to
V. mtrcmaria, and much more capacious ; the lunule is shorter and wider.

2. Venus permagna. Subtriangular, cordate, profoundly ventricose, thick
and ponderous, with coarse concentric recurved rib-like lines, elevated, closely

December, 1843.] 325

arranged, and lamelliform on the sides; lunule cordate, elongated, defined by a
deeply impressed line ; posterior side subcuneiforrn, extremity obtusely rounded
or subtruncated ; cardinal plate broad: muscular impressions large; margin
strongly crenulated. Length, seven inches.

V.permagna, Foss. of Tert. Formations, p. 9.

Locality. Neuse river, below Newbern, North Carolina. Miocene ?

This is perhaps the largest Venus known : it is remarkably rough and pon-
derous. In outline it approaches V. Rileyi, but it is greatly more ponderous
and ventricose. The usual size is about four and a half inches in length.

Artemis.

Artemis elegans. Lentiform, regularly convex, with strongly marked rather
distant impressed concentric lines ; on the posterior side these are closely ar-
ranged and profound, forming prominent recurved lines, which become acute or
lamelliform towards the posterior margin; posterior hinge margin elongated,
slightly convex, oblique; lunule cordate, deeply impressed. Height, two and a
half inches; length, two inches and seven-eighths.

A. elegans. Fossils of Tertiary Formations, p. 30.

Locality. Neuse river, below Newbern, North Carolina. Miocene.

This beautiful shell is allied to A. concentrica, but is readily distinguished by
its stronger remoter stria, by its convexity of disk, and its more robust anterior
cardinal teeth ; the posterior teeth are less oblique, forming a wider space be-
tween them and the anterior teeth. The posterior hinge margin is not so elong-
ated, in proportion, as in the concentrica.

I found this and the kindred species recent on Mullet Key, at the entrance
of Tampa Bay, and, fortunately, specimens of the young of both, which show a
marked difference in specific character.

Loripes.

Loripes elevata. Suborbicular, elevated, thin, ventricose, smooth, not oblique;
beaks medial; hinge margins very oblique ; posterior margin truncated, direct,
very regularly rounded towards the base ; anterior basal margin obliquely trun-
cated ; cardinal plate thin, arched, with an elongated channel anteriorly ; cardi-
nal teeth profoundly diverging. Length, nine-sixteenths of an inch ; height,
the same.

Locality. Neuse river, below Newbern, North Carolina. Miocene1?

Proportionally more elevated than Loripes americana (Mysia,) thinner, not
oblique like that species, and very distinct.

Solex.

1. Soien directus. Linear, straight, except towards the summit, where it
is slightly recurved, gradually widening from the hinge downwards ; basal mar-
gin rounded slightly towards the posterior extremity ; anterior margin obliquely
truncated, not reflected ; cardinal teeth, one in the "right valve, compressed, in
the opposite valve, two, the superior one very small and near the extremity, the
other somewhat distant, elevated, robust, slightly recurved. Length, four
inches.

Locality. Neuse river, below Newbern, North Carolina. Miocene 1

326 [December, 1843.

I am doubtful of the geological age of the three fossils above described, as we
know not the group among which they occur.

2. Soles ensiformis. Linear, slightly curved, gradually narrowed from
the middle to the posterior extremity, which is subcuneiform ; anterior margin
obliquely subtruncated. Length, three inches.

Locality. St. Mary's river, Maryland. Miocene.

TcHRITELLA.

Turritella hipertlta. Turrited, thick ; suture profoundly excavated; whorls
flattened, divided nearly in the middle by a deeply impressed revolving line,
margined on each side by a fine impressed line ; inferior volutions carinated at
base; lines of growth oblique, meeting at an angle at the groove in the middle
of each volution. Length, ; width, seven-eighths of an inch.

Locality. Vicinity of Petersburg, Virginia. Mr. Tuomey.

This large species is very distinct from all others, and remarkable for the pro-
found channel between the whorls.

ScALARIA.

Scalaria procera. Subulate, turrited, volutions scalariform, contracted in-
feriorly, with obsolete revolving impressed lines : ribs thick, elevated, reflected,
distant, with sharp triangular reflected aculeii on the shoulder of each volution;
base with a revolving interrupted carina; aperture longitudinally obtusely oval.

Length, ; width of body whorl, nearly half an inch ; three volutions

from the base measure one inch.

Locality. Vicinity of Petersburg. Mr. Tuomey.

Pleurotoma.

Pleurotoma multisecta. Turrited, with closely arranged deeply impressed
revolving lines, and longitudinal robust prominent ribs; superior portion of each
whorl destitute of ribs, with minute revolving lines, and a sharp revolving slight-
ly undulating carina margining the suture; aperture elliptical, rather more than
one-third the length of the shell. Length, one and one-eighth of an inch; greatest
width, three-eighths of an inch.

Locality. Vicinity of Petersburg. Mr. Tuomey.

BuCCINUM.

Buccinum harpuloides. Ovate, ventricose, with alternated revolving raised
lines, and longitudinal slightly oblique rather distant narrow elevated ribs: spire
scalariform, volutions five; base of the shell with an acute oblique carina; aper-
ture half the length of the shell ; columella profoundly concave, with a promi-
nent fold or carina on the angle formed by the obliquely truncated base ; a slight
protuberance near the superior extremity of the aperture; margin of labrum
nearly straight, suddenly rounded inferiorly. Length, one inch ; width, five-
eighths of an inch.

Fusus 7

Fusus 1 cannabinus. Fusiform ; whorls six or seven, with longitudinal
rounded costae, and revolving prominent alternated lines finely wrinkled trans-
versely; spire somewhat scalariform, elevated ; suture undulated; body whorl

December, 1S43.] 327

abruptly rounded at base; beak short, subperforate, tortuous ; aperture with the
channel rather less than half the length of the shell ; labrum with eight short
dentiform prominent strice within. Length, one inch and a quarter.

Locality. Petersburg, Virginia. Mr. Tuomey.

Closely resembles Fusus cinereus, Say, but the whorls are more scalariform,
and the body whorl much shorter and more abrupt at base ; the beak narrower
and more tortuous.

Terebra.

Terebra curvilirata. Subulate, whorls with a revolving impressed line be-
low and near the suture; beneath this line the whorls are convex; ribs longi-
tudinal, curved, acute, dislocated by the impressed line ; revolving lines minute,
crowded, obsolete ; columella sinuous. Length, one and a quarter inches.

Locality. St. Mary's river, Maryland.

Differs from Cerithium dislocatum, Say, in wanting the distinct revolving
lines, and the small dislocated portion of the ribs are not of a tubercular form ;
the aperture is longer and narrower.

POLYPARIA.

TtTRBINOtlA.

Ttjrbiuolia pileolus. Obtusely obconical, slightly compressed, periphery
with an oval outline ; lamellce smooth, of equal thickness, united to an elliptical
centre; between each plate is one, sometimes two, short irregular lamellae,
either free or united to the base of the larger rays. Length, nearly half inch,
diameter, half inch.

Locality. Pamunkey River, Kent Co., Virg. Mr. Tuomey.

ECHINODERMATA.

Spatahgus.

Spatangus orthonotus. Ovate, convex-depressed ; truncated at each end,
more elevated anteriorly than posteriorly ; dorsal line of the suture a little ele-
vated, and curved gradually to the mouth on the anterior half; on the posterior,
straight to the margin and parallel to the base ; canal very wide and slightly
impressed on the back, margined by an obtuse carinated line and slight furrow ;
on the periphery the canal is deep and angular; ambulacra rapidly expanding
from the extremities towards the dorsal suture ; pores disunited ; in the middle
of the back a slight furrow crosses obliquely each of the anterior ambulacra at
its termination ; base plano-convex; anus large and remote from the margin;
granulations on the back minute and very closely arranged, in the canal much
larger and unequal in size ; base with large tubercles, becoming gradually
smaller and more closely arranged towards the margins. Length, two inches
and three-eighths ; diameter, two inches and an eighth ; height, one inch and
an eighth.

Locality. Near Coggins' Point, James River, Virginia. Mr. Tuomey.

328 [December, 1843.

Observations.

In 328 species of organic remains already described, independent of minute
and uncertain forms, 43 have been found in a recent state; and when to these
are added numerous very small shells which are found in every careful examina-
tion of marl from the various localities, the percentage of recent species may be
pretty accurately estimated at about 11 or 12 per cent. This result I have ob-
tained by a careful exploration of the fossilliferous beds, and two visits to the
shores of Florida and Alabama to procure recent forms for comparison with
those of the Miocene strata. The last trip furnished three recent shells before
known only in the fossil state.

Several species described in the preceding pages I obtained during a recent
excursion to Petersburg, Virginia, at the kind invitation of Mr. Tuomey. In
the course of a few hours examination of the marl in the vicinity in three or
four days, I collected about 100 distinct species. This locality is peculiarly
interesting, being the western limit of the Miocene, having a considerable eleva-
tion above tide, and based on granite, it is the spot in which to search for the
estuary and fresh water shells of the Miocene period. Mr. Tuomey has already
found an extinct Cyrena, and a univalve not very unlike* Paiundina sub-
purpurea, (Say,) whilst I discovered a species of Cerithium, identical with a
shell which I found last spring inhabiting oyster beds in the Manitee river,
near its junction with Tampa Bay. It is about the size and nearly resembles
C. trilineatum, figured in Kiener's work.

The elevation of the Petersburg Miocene is considerably more than 100 feet
above tide, and as the rise decreases towards the sea, it is probable that the pri-
mary rocks continued to be uplifted even after the era of the Miocene ; indeed
how can we otherwise account for the elevation of fossilliferous beds, even of
those of the Post-Pliocene period ?

It is an interesting fact that the Miocene estuaries were inhabited by two
species of bivalves, now extinct, of the same two genera which still occur in simi-
lar situations in Florida and Alabama, that is at the confluence of rivers and bays,
where the water is nearly fresh. These genera are Gnathodon and Cyrena,
both of the family Ctrenad.tj. The extinct Gnathodon has a considerable
resemblance to the recent species, but the Cyrena is widely different from the
living shell. These fossils are frequently water-worn, always with disunited
valves, and appear to have been transported. Occasionally a specimen occurs
not in the least abraded, a circumstance which indicates the vicinity of the
Petersburg deposits to the mouth of a river. The strata occur in a meadow,
and consist of blue marl of a sandy texture, often intermixed with small gravel,
and of ferruginous sand, full of shells ; there is here also a proportion of gravel,
of rounded quartz, occasionally of large size. Water-worn fragments of
bivalves are abundantly intermingled with entire shells, and many species occur
with connected valves. This is particularly the case with the burrowing shells,
as Panopoea, but also, though less frequently, with the large Venus tridacnoides,
Crassatella undulata, Astahte concentrica, Cytherea albaria, two species
of Chama, and even two species of Ostrea are not uncommon ; but there is
nothing like an oyster bed in these strata which might indicate shoal water. The

• P. glaber, (Terbo glaber, Lea.)

December, 1843.] 329

proportion of oysters to the other bivalves is about the same which the dredge
furnished at the mouth of Cape Fear river, N. C. at the depth of 8 fathoms.

"With the many interesting bivalves of Petersburg I found a valve of the
beautiful

Pholadomya abrupta.

which Deshayes has referred to Panopoea. I carefully removed the marl from
the hinge, in order to ascertain if there was an erect curved tooth as in Pan-
opcea, but the hinge proved to be destitute of any kind of tooth or process, and
closely resembles that of the recent Pholadomya. Two characters, therefore,
remove this shell from the genus Panopcea,- the pearliness of the substance and
the absence of a cardinal tooth. A true panopoea is never pearly, any more
than a Unio is ever otherwise.

Observations on the Lead Bearing Limestone of Wisconsin, and descriptions
of a new genus of Trilobites and fifteen new Silurian fossils.

By T. A. Conrad.

As the galeniferous limestone of Wisconsin and Galena has attracted the
attention of our most distinguished Geologists, who have endeavored to assign
its relative position in the scale of formations, I hope it may not be deemed pre-
sumptuous if I endeavor to assist in settling a question of so much importance.
The difficulty has hitherto arisen from the scarcity and obscurity of characteris-
tic fossils, which is now in a great measure removed. Some years since I had
the pleasure of examining a series of organic remains collected by Richard C.
Taylor, Esq. at the lead mines in Wisconsin, and then distinctly recognized the
species which belong to the Trenton limestone of New York, a rock which, in
my first report on the Geology of New York, I showed to be an independant
formation, and entirely distinct from any above or below it. Since then I have
proved its occurrence at Cincinnati, in Ohio, and at Carlisle and Bedford
Springs, Pennsylvania. In these remote localities the fossils are generally the
same species, and the group of a unity which admits not of doubt or ambiguity.

The specimens found by Mr. R. C.Taylor are chiefly from the limestone below
the lead, and consist of Bellerofhron bilobatus, (Sowerby.)

There are also specimens of fossiliferous limestone from Cassville, Wisconsin,
of the same age, containing a Trenton limestone species of Orthis, like C. callac-
tis, a Naculite, occurring also near Middleville, N. Y., Belleuofhron bilo.
batus, a Strophomena like Orthis alternata, Sowerby, a common shell in the
New York Trenton limestone, and an Orthis resembling O. tcstudinaria, still
more abundant in the same rock.

In the same collection are carboniferous fossils, in limestone and in chert, from
St. Genevieve, Missouri. The species consist of a large Bellerophron,
three species of Productus and one of Atrypa, all of which are found only in
the carboniferous or mountain limestone.

I am indebted to the liberality of Mr. Stephen Taylor, who has recently re-
turned to this city from Mineral Point, Wisconsin Territory, for an opportunity

330 [December, 1843.

to investigate some organic remains of more than ordinary interest, which that
gentleman procured at the lead mines. Accompanying these are specimens of
fossiliferous limestone, shells, and fragments of Trilobites in beautiful relief
upon the surface, and so familiar and characteristic, that at the first glance I
recognized the Trenton limestone of New York. The most prominent of these
fossils consist of the trilobites, Ceratjrcs pleurexanthemus,Is<yvEivs gigas, and

Ill23nus ,• and of the shells, Strophomen a sericea, Phragmoljtes

compressus, and Bellerophron bilobatus. With these are a large Cytherina,
known also to occur in the Trenton limestone of New York: the Terebra-
tula (Atrypa) Schlottheimii of Von Buch, and some beautiful new species of
bivalves. The limestone is very compact, replete with shells and favosites, of
a light color, inclining to drab, and it immediately underlies the rock in which
the galena occurs, as Mr. Taylor informs me. Many of the fossils are loose
and exceedingly well preserved, having apparently come from a soft limestone
shale.

In examining, a few years since, some specimens of limestone brought from
Galena, by the late lamented Nicollet, and which he informed me, was ihe rock
immediately below the lead-bearing strata, I recognized the group of fossils
which characterize the Trenton limestone, but Mr. Nicollet was unable to pro-
cure any organic remains from the overlying rock, which might furnish a clue
to its geological age. Mr. Taylor has fortunately obtained this desirable object,
in Wisconsin, having discovered not only well preserved fossils, in the lead-bear-
ing formation, but even shells and remains of crinoidea replaced by the
sulphuret of lead. There is particularly the cast of a large Turritella com-
posed entirely of this mineral, and a specimen of Pleurotomaria anguluta,
which is a limestone cast, with the upper part of the spire of galena, and from
fragments yet remaining between the caste and matrix, it is evident that the
shell itself had been replaced by the sulphuret of lead. These two shells are
not uncommon in the Trenton limestone of Lewis county, New York. The
Turritella I have never known to occur in any other formation but the Phuro-
tomaria I found also in the Salmon river, or Pulaski shale, near Rome, Oneida
county. Mr. Taylor has likewise a crinoidal column, almost wholly replaced
by galena: it has distant very prominent rings or ridges, and is a species which
has been observed in the Trenton limestone of New York.

From the evidence it is clear that the limestone of Galena, Illinois, and of
Mineral Point, Wisconsin, in which the lead occurs, is certainly not of more
recent date than the Pulaski and Lorraine shales of New York, and the cara-
doc sandstone of Great Britain : but I believe it will prove to be an upper mem-
ber of the Trenton limestone formation.

Mr. Taylor has also a specimen of Trenton limestone, precisely similar to
that of Galena and Mineral Point, which was found in Wisconsin, 40 miles
N. E. of Galena.

There is a specimen of the sulphuret of lead, among the cubes of which is
imbedded a single valve of Strophomena, very thin and silicified.

Mr. Taylor brought the Pentamerus oblongus, Catexipora escharoides,
and C. labyrinthica, which were found together on one of the hillocks or
« mounds," as they are termed in Wisconsin. These two fossils, when associ-

December, 1843.] 331

ated, characterize the upper part of the Caradoc sandstone, (Clinton group of
New York.)

The lead-bearing rock is a buff colored granular limestone, and contains
the following species of organic remains, all of which have been found in the
Trenton limestone, except the two printed in italics : —

U?iivalves. Bivalves.

Inachus pervetus, Con. Orthis testudinaria.?

Pleurotomaria angulata, Sowerby. Delthyris ■

Turritella Strophomena sericea.

Coral.
Cyathophyllum profundum, Con.

There is also the post-abdomen of an undetermined trilobiteand various forms
of crinoideal vertebrae.

In the Trenton limestone of Mineral Point, the following species of organic
remains were collected by Mr. Taylor : —

Shells. Shells.

Cyrtoceras marginalis, Con. Orthis disparilis, Con.

Orthoceras annellus, Con. perveta, Con.

Phragmolites compressus, Con. tricenaria, Con.

Turritella — ■ — — bellarugosa, Con.

Pleurotomaria angulata, Sowerby. subequata, Con.

Bellerophron bilobatus, Sow. Atrypa (Tereb.) Schlottheimii, (Von

Euomphalus triliratus, Con. Buch.)

Inachus pervetus, Con. Nuculites, 2 species.

Subulites elongata.

Crustacea.

Delthyris

Strophomena sericea, Sow. Ceraurus pleurexanthemus, Green.

deflecta, Con. Isotelus gigas, Dekay.

recta, Con. Thaleops ovata, Con.

Orthis testudinaria 1 Cy therina fabulites, Con.

Thaleops.

Capite lunato, trilobato, oculis distantibus, eminentissimis, non reticulatis ;
trunco 10-articulato, valde trilobato ; lateribus expansis, medio angulatis ; costis
integris ; post-abdomine trilobato, minimo ; costis nullis.

Ovate, profoundly trilobed, lateral lobes wider than the middle lobe ; buckler
lunate, with very remote oculine tubercles, not reticulated ; abdomen with 10-ar-
ticulations ; ribs without grooves and not alternated in size ; outer half of lateral
lobes suddenly depressed ; post-abdomen without ribs or grooves and profoundly
trilobed.

This genus is remarkable for the great width of the buckler, and the very
prominent laterally projecting smooth oculine tubercles. It differs from Bumas-
tus in being profoundly lobed, and in having the side lobes as in Asaphus much

45

332 [December, 1843.

wider than the middle lobe. From Illaenus it may be distinguished by its
ovate form, want of reticulated eyes, the width of the lateral lobes, and the
profound lobes of the tail.

The genus Thakops characterises the Trenton limestone formation of the
Lower Silurian group.

Thaleops ovata. Obtusely ovate, surface minutely punctate; head very wide,
lunate, involuted ; eyes very prominent, rounded, smooth, placed on a line with
the angle in the middle of the side lobes; ribs flattened, smooth, without a bor-
der at the extremities where they are rounded and not expanded; post-abdomen
with the middle lobe convex, rounded and well defined at the extremity ; inferior
margin obtusely rounded. Length two-thirds of an inch: width of buckler
three-quarters of an inch.

Locality. Mineral Point, Wisconsin, (blue limestone quarry,) Mr. Taylor.

This rare trilobite may be studied as well in Mr. Brano's excellent model, as
in the natural specimen. It is probably a rare fossil that few naturalists will be
able to procure, and for this reason we would recommend the model to those who
are desirous to have a knowledge of the genus.

Wherever many entire trilobites are found, a very quiescent state of the
waters wherein the rock which contained them was deposited, may be inferred
from the abundance of scattered bucklers and post-abdomens, which occur in other
strata where there is no evidence of violence on any of the delicate shells accom-
panying them ; the articulations of the abdomen were therefore held together by
a frail ligament, whilst the post-abdomen although ribbed in many species, was
in all composed of an inarticulated crust and thus is almost always preserved en-
tire in the rock.

CRUSTACEA.

Cytherina.

Cytherin a fabulites. Ovate, reniform, smooth, with a slightly concave or
truncated cardinal margin, the extremities of which are angulated; end margins
rounded. Length, half an inch.

Locality. Mineral Point, Wisconsin, (Trenton limestone.)

SHELLS.

STROPHOMENA.

1. Strophomena deflecta. Semi-oval ; superior valve slightly concave,
deflected at the angles, the other valve reflected ; radii very closely arranged,
prominent, subequal, minutely crenulated ; inferior valve slightly depressed in
the middle ; cardinal area wide ; superior margin of the concave valve rather
elevated. Breadth, half an inch.

Locality. Ibid, (Trenton limestone.)

2. Strophomena recta. Semi-oval, with angulated slightly prominent
hinge extremities; radii strongly defined, numerous, minutely crenulated; su-
perior valve flat, with a prominent umbo ; inferior valve depressed, with a wide

December, 1843.] 333

mesial furrow : cardinal area of the valves equal. Breadth, rather more than
half an inch.

Locality. Ibid, (Trenton limestone.)

Resembles the preceding, but differs in the equal hinge areas, in being much
more compressed, in having a proportionally longer hinge line, with more an-
gulated extremities, &c.

Orthis.

1. O. disparitis. Semi-circular, with about twenty-eight prominent round-
ed regular ribs ; larger ralve rather prominent in the middle ; the sloping sides
flattened ; middle rib bifid ; lesser valve slightly concave, somewhat depressed
or furrowed in the middle, the termination slightly contracting the base ; lateral
margins regularly rounded inwards from the angular extremities of the hinge;
cardinal area wide. Length, one-fourth of an inch ; breadth, one-third of an
inch.

Locality. Ibid, (Trenton limestone.)

2. 0. perveta. Transversely oval, wider than the length of the hinge line;
valves slightly ventricose, subequal, with numerous prominent radiating rounded
striae, bifurcated on the umbo ; larger valve ventricose in the middle, with a
slight central depression ; sides somewhat depressed ; the opposite valve flatten-
ed towards the base, and depressed to correspond with the elevation of the other
valve, forming a sinuous margin when viewed in profile ; base truncated ; su-
perior lateral margin obliquely truncated, rounded inferiorly. Length, one-third
of an inch ; breadth, nearly half an inch.

Locality. Ibid, (Trenton limestone.)

3. 0. tricenaria.. Semi-oval, with about thirty prominent very regular
rounded ribs; larger valve ventricose ; summit elevated; the dorsal margins
subrectilinear, very oblique; lesser valve flat or slightly concave in the middle ;
cardinal area very wide ; apex of the larger valve profoundly elevated above that
of the opposite valve. Length, three-fourths of an inch.

Locality. Ibid, (Trenton limestone,) Lower Silurian.

4. 0. bellarugosa. Semi-oval ; valves nearly equally convex ; lesser valve
with a mesial subangular furrow ; ribs prominent, linear, with unequal bifurca-
tions ; disks with numerous concentric prominent subsquamose wrinkles ; apex
of larger valve not much elevated above that of the opposite valve; cardinal area
rather wide. Length, less than half an inch.

Locality. Ibid, (Trenton limestone.)

5. O. subequata. Semi-oval ; valves ventricose, subequal ; lesser valve with
a slight subangulated mesial furrow ; larger valve prominent in the middle, with
flattened sides; radiating striae fine, closely arranged, unequal, rounded, cardinal
area rather wide ; apex of larger valve prominent, not profoundly elevated above
the opposite beak ; the dorsal margins concave. Length, half an inch.

Locality. Ibid, (Trenton limestone.)

EtJOMPHALUS.
E. triliratus. Discoidal ; volutions margined by a profound channel and a
carinated line and with a wide concave furrow from this line to the carinated

334 [December, 1843.

periphery ; margin truncated, direct, tricarinated ; disk and base with sharp
prominent transverse sinuous lines. Length, one-third of an inch.
Locality, Ibid, (Trenton limestone.)

Cyrtoceras.

C. marginalis. Rapidly increasing in size from the apex ; the portion with-
out septa straight on the inner margin ; septa closely arranged and slightly sinu-
ous ; siphuncle marginal. Length of fragment, four inches; greatest breadth,
one and seven-eighths of an inch ; at the smaller end, where it is broken off,
half an inch.

Locality. Ibid, (Trenton limestone.)

This species does not appear to have been greatly involuted ; about twenty-
five septa remain. It is a cast in compact limestone.

Orthoceras.

O. annellus. Elongated, tapering, with very prominent, not approximate,
acute slightly sinuous transverse ribs, with very fine crowded profoundly wrink-
led longitudinal lines; siphuncle submarginal. Length of fragment, one inch
and a half ; breadth, half an inch at the larger end ; three-eighths of an inch
at the opposite end.

Locality. Ibid, (Trenton limestone.)

Inachus.

I.pervetus. Flattened above and sloping slightly inwards; periphery angu-
lated ; from the periphery to the base slightly convex and sloping inwards; base
acutely rounded or subangulated. Breadth, one inch and one-third : greatest
diamt'er, one-third of an inch.

Locality. Ibid, (Lead-bearing limestone.)

TtJRRlTELLA.

T. . Turritted ; whorls six or seven ; profoundly convex ; rapidly

increasing in size from the apex. Length, three inches.

Localities. Mineral Point, Wisconsin, Lewis county, New York. (Trenton
limestone.)

This species occurs in casts, and is the largest shell of a turritted form yet
known in the Silurian system of this country.

CRINOIDEA.

Pentremites.

P. truncata. Subovate, or cylindrical ; ambulacra narrow, convex, with dis-
tinct numerous rather fine transverse lines; scapula concave, with carinated
margins ; base truncated, sides slightly convex, the lower half nearly direct.
Length, five-eighths of an inch ; breadth, half an inch nearly.

Locality. Edwardsville, Madison county, Illinois.

This species differs from all others that are published in the truncated base,
the points of the ambulacrce being on a line with the centre of the pelvis, inde-
pendent of the elevation of the alimentary canal.

December, 1813.] 335

POLYPARIA.

Cyathophyllum.

C.profundum. Conoidal ; base incurved, single, acutely pointed ; longitu-
dinal lines obsolete ; interior profoundly excavated, with a thin erect margin ;
lamellffi rough, very prominent, alternated with a short intermediate finer one.

Locality. Mineral Point, Wisconsin, (Lead-bearing limestone.)

The Recording Secretary then read his Annual Report,
which was ordered to be published in the Proceedings.

REPORT

OF THE
RECORDING SECRETARY
For the year 1843.

In the Report, which a twelvemonth since, in accordance with the estab-
lished rule of this Institution, it became my duty to present, it was the design
throughout to place before you a candid statement, embracing t very circum-
stance which it was believed would tend to give an encourageing view of
its condition at that time, and of its future prospects.

A review of its proceedings for the present year will furnish conclusive
evidence that we have continued reason to be gratified with its position and
success.

At home and abroad, its members, correspondents, and friends have
given ample proof of their zeal and interest in its welfare. The contribu-
tions to its Library and Collections have equalled those of former years ;
its usefulness has been thereby increased, and the field for investigation
and the study of the Natural Sciences enlarged. In all the departments
this has been the case, as the following summary will show :

In Geology and Mineralogy there have been received twenty-three do-
nations from the following: Drs. Burrough ; Morton; Elwyn ;
Blanding; Lafon ; Goheen, of Liberia,"Africa; D. D. Owen, of
New Harmony, Indiana; Fussell, of Indiana; B. B. Brown, of
St. Louis; Professors Forchey, of Natchez, and H. D. Rogers; and
from Messrs. French and Demestre, of New Orleans; Codwise,
of St. Croix; J. Cassin ; S. B. Ashmead ; VV. S. Vaux ; G. R.
Gliddon ; Marsh ; Land ; Lessig, and Stephen Taylor, Jr.

In Ornithology, eight donations, from Dr. G. Watson, and Messrs.
J. Cassin; Baird, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania; J. G. Strain,
U. S. N. ; J. Dundas, and Miss Percival, of Philadelphia.

In Zoology, three donations, by Mr. Cassin, and Dr. Wm. Blanding.

In Entomology, ten donations, by Drs. Watson, Owen, and Blanding;
and Messrs. Kilvington, Ashmead, Cassin, and Strain.

In lcthyology, six donations, by Dr. J. Carson ; and Messrs. Cassin,
W. B. Maull, and Philip Lowry, Jr.

In Herpetology, seven donations, by Messrs. James Read ; W. S. Vaux;
J. G. Strain; B. M. Norman, of New Orleans; and Drs. Go-
heen; C. W. Pennock; and P. B. Goddard.

336 [December, 1843.

In Helminthology, one donation, by Mr. William G. Burke.

In Conehology, seven donations, by Messrs. J. G. Anthony,*of Cin-
cinnati ; C. M. Wheatley, of New York ; Dr. J. C. Jay, of do. ;
Professor Forchey ; Mr. Thomas Beasley, of New Jersey ; and
Messrs. Ashmead and Cassin.

In Osteology, two donations, by the Messrs. Baird, of Carlisle, and
Dr. Goheen.

In Botany, five donations, by Messrs. J. N. Nicollet ; P. A. Browne;
Mr. Codwise, of St. Croix; Mrs. Wm. S. Biddle, of Phila-
delphia, and Dr. Goheen.

The most interesting- and valuable accession to the Museum during the

it

year has been that of an articulated skeleton of an adult male Chimpan-
zee, Troglodytes niger, Geoff., received from Dr. S. M. E. Goheen, of
Liberia, Africa, and one of the Correspondents of this Institution. The
skeleton is deficient only in the sternum, the two patellae, and some of the
smaller phalanges of the feet and hands. For these, similar bones of a
young human subject have been substituted, so that the specimen appears
perfect.

I have the satisfaction to state that during the last season the interest in
the Entomological department has been revived, and that to several
sources, but especially to our fellow members, the Messrs. Ashmead, Mr.
Kilvington and Dr. Watson, is the Academy indebted for a considerable
accession of native insects. For a long period, little or no effort has been
made in this department. The valuable collection presented to the Aca-
demy by the late Mr. Say has been entirely lost or destroyed, and the
beautifully arranged and costly cabinet of Drs. McMurtrie and Pickering
has very nearly shared the same fate. Of other minor donations the bare
fragments can be found. Various plans have been resorted to, in the hope
of preventing these losses, but hitherto without success. Under such dis-
couragements, it is not surprising that this department should have been
neglected of late. To the donations mentioned, have been added the best
and most perfect specimens selected from the collection of Drs. McMurtrie
and Pickering, and all have been carefully disinfected by exposing them to a
high temperature for many hours. A new method for preserving them
from future injury has been adopted, which it is believed will be effectual.

The collection of Reptilia, during the last summer has been removed from
the Hair to the room on the ground floor, and now occupies the cases
formerly containing the collection of crania belonging to Dr. Morton.
The members must have observed great improvement in the new
arrangement of the specimens, which have been greatly increased in
number, and each one carefully examined, the bottles and jars contain-
ing them refilled with alcohol, and new labels added. In fact, the extent
and value of this collection could not previously be properly appreciated.
It will now bear comparison with any in this country.

The large and fine collection of Birds in skin, possessed by the Academy,
has been thoroughly overhauled, and the imperfect specimens, or which
had sustained injury from insects, have been removed, and the rest disin-
fected by exposing them to a high temperature in a large copper apparatus
provided for the purpose. The collection is now in the best order for
mounting or exchange.

December, 1S43.] 337

The accessions to the Library have exceeded those of the year previous.
They consist of one Folio; eleven works in quarto form, including the
Memoirs and Transactions of learned Societies ; sixty-five octavos and
duodecimos, including Journals, Annals, Bulletins, &c; and seventy-two
productions in pamphlet form, or in numbers, consisting of Reports, Pro-
ceedings of Societies, addresses, discourses, memoirs, &c. To these are
to be added several manuscripts, charts and engraved copper plates. Of
the whole number contributed, twenty-nine have been derived from Socie-
ties, ksixty-three from Members, and the remainder, amounting to sixty-
seven, from correspondents, authors, editors, &c.

The papers read before the Society, and published in its Proceedings
between the 1st of January and 1st of November of the present year, aie
four in number. The first is by Mr. William Gambel, of this city, and
contains descriptions of some new and rare birds of the Rocky Mountains
and California, the tour of which he has recently made. The second is
from the Messrs. Baird, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and describes two new
species of Tyrannula, from Cumberland county, Pennsylvania. The third by
Mr. Haldeman, is entitled a "Catalogue of the Carabideous Coleoptera of
South Eastern Pennsylvania, and descriptions of new North American
species of Coleoptera :" and the fourth paper entitled " Descriptions of a new
genus, and of twenty -nine new Miocene, and one Eocene fossil shells of
the United States," is contributed by Mr. T. A. Conrad.

The publication of the Proceedings has been regularly continued during
the year. It has now attained sufficient bulk to authorise the Committee
to bring the first volume to a close with the coming number. On the first
of November last, two years and seven months had elapsed since the first
number was commenced, and in that period 311 pages of matter selected
from the minutes of the meeting have been issued, or an average of about
120 pages annually. As every care is taken in the style and execution of
this periodical, to render it worthy of the Institution whence it emanates,
and a considerable expenditure is therefore incurred, it is proposed to give
here a condensed summary of the contents of the present volume, as far as
published, in order that some idea may be formed of its merits and utility.

Its first and most obvious advantage is in being a medium for commu-
nicating to the scientific public discoveries and observations at short
intervals of time, and thus often enabling the claim to priority to be
securely established. There have been, with this view, offered to the So-
ciety, and printed either entire or in part in its Proceedings, during the
period above mentioned, upwards of thirty original papers on scientific
subjects, the titles and authors of which are as follows:

By Dr. S. G. Morton, two papers, viz., " Descriptions of several new
fossil shells from the cretaceous deposits of the United States," and "De-
scriptions of two new species of fossils from the lower cretaceous strata of
New Jersey." By Mr. T. A. Conrad, three papers; "Descriptions of
three new species of Unio from the rivers of the United States ;" " De-
scriptions of twenty-six new species of fossil shells from the medial ter-
tiary of Calvert Cliffs, Maryland," and " Descriptions of a new genus,
and of twenty-nine new Miocene, and one Eocene, fossil shells of the
United States." By Professor Johnson, two papers; "An examination
and analysis of coal from Arauco, Chili;" and " On the relation between
the coal of South Wales and some Pennsylvania Anthracites." By Mr.
Phillips, three papers; "Descriptions of two new American species of

33s [December, 1843.

Helix ;" " Memorandum of dates of publication of papers in the early
numbers of the Journal of the Academy," and "On the nomenclature of
Natural Science." By Mr. Haldeman,the following papers: "Descrip-
tions of new species of Cyclas ;" several on new species of Cypris; "De-
scriptions of two new fresh-water shells of the genera Amnicola and
Physa;" "of another new species of Cyclas;" "of a genus of Sterel-
mintha ;"" of two species of Entomostraca, and two Hydrachnae;" "of
a new Daphnia;" several on changes of nomenclature in Natural History;
a " Catalogue of the Carabideous Coleoptera of South Eastern Pennsyl-
vania, and descriptions of new species of North American Coleoptera;"
and " Description of a new species of Pasimachus." By Dr. Halloweil,
a paper describing a new species of Chamaeleon from Africa. By Dr.
Benj. H. Coates, a paper on "The natural alliances of the genus Cecido-
myia." By Peter A. Browne, Esq., a portion of a paper containing stric-
tures on terms used in vegetable physiology. By Mr. William Gambel,
" Descriptions of some new and rare Birds of the Rocky mountains and
California." By the Messrs. Baird, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, "Descrip-
tions of two new species of Tyrannula from Cumberland county, Pennsyl-
vania." By Professor Locke, of Cincinnati, "Observations on Crypto-
lithus tesselatus." By J. Hamilton Couper, of Georgia, " A description
of the strata in which were found the valuable fossil bones and shells
from the Brunswick Canal," presented by him to the Academy. By Dr.
Clapp, of New Albany, Indiana, a paper in reference to the geological
equivalents of that vicinity, and of those of the falls of the Ohio. By
Miss Morris, of Germantown, " Observations on the development of the
Hessian fly." By Messrs. Audubon and Bachman, " Descriptions of
new species of North American Quadrupeds;" and by Dr. Ravenel, of
Charleston, " Descriptions of several new fossil Scutellae."

The communications made before the Society in a verbal form, and re-
corded in the Proceedings, are even more numerous, and contain much in-
formation on important and interesting facts in natural science. The
limits to which this Report is necessarily restricted, will only admit
of the mention of the names of those gentlemen who have most largely
contributed to this portion of the Proceedings. There are — from Dr.
Morton, six communications ; from Prof. Johnson, twenty ; Prof. Rogers,
five ; Mr. S. S. Haldeman, four; Dr. B. H. Coates, three; Mr. Phillips,
two ; Dr. George C. Leib, three : Dr. Chaloner, four ; Mr. Joseph A. Clay,
one; Dr. Blanding, one; Dr. Bridges, two; Prof. Bailey of West Point,
one; Mr. Quimby, two ; Dt. Goddard, five; Mr. George R. Gliddon,
two ; Dr. Elwyn, one ; and from Dr. Owen, of New Harmony, two.

This publication also records for the period mentioned, 219 donations to
the Museum of the Society from 110 individuals; and 281 donations to
its Library, 68 of which are from Societies, and 213 from individuals.

Another most important advantage derived from it is in its general dis-
tribution to foreign and domestic Societies and Correspondents. Nearly
one hundred and fifty copies of each number as it appears are sent, not
only in every direction throughout the Union, but to various sections of
the globe, and a correct knowledge of the character and standing of this
Institution is thus widely diffused. 1 have transcribed from the Memo-
randum Book of the Corresponding Secretary, the following list of Socie-
ties receiving copies of the Proceedings, either regularly or as opportunity
offers :

Royal Society of London ; Botanical Society of London ; Zoological

December, 1S43.J 339

Society of do. ; Linnean Society of do. ; L'lnstitute Royale de France ;
Ecole Royale des Mines, at Paris; Societe Entomologique de Paris; The
Royal Society of Edinburg ; L'Academie Royale des Sciences, Stockholm ;
L'Academie Royale des Sciences et Belles Lettres, Brussels ; Academia
de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid ; L'Accademia Reale delle Scienze, Turin ;
Societe Imperialedes Naturalistesde Moscou; Royal Academy of Sciences
of Berlin; Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg; Royal Academy of
Sciences of Munich ; Royal Botanical Society, Ratisbon; Asiatic Society
of Bengal ; and the Egyptian Society at Cairo.

The domestic Societies are as follows :

American Philosophical Society; Franklin Institute; Philadelphia
Athenaeum ; Albany Institute ; New York Lyceum of Natural History ;
Natural History Society of Boston ; National Institute at Washington ;
Franklin Society of Providence, Rhode Island ; U. S. Naval Lyceum at
Brooklyn ; and Northern Academy of Arts and Sciences at Hanover, New
Hampshire.

Letters of acknowledgement of the reception of the Proceedings by these
Societies, and by numerous Correspondents, are constantly read before
you.

In short, the reputation of this Institution has been greatly enhanced
since the adoption of this mode of publishing periodically an account of
its Transactions, and the propriety of its continuance cannot be ques-
tioned.

Three alterations in the By-Laws have been made during the present
year. The first reduces the amount of the Initiation fee from $10 to $5,
and the second reduces the amount of a life subscription from $80 to §50.
Both of these alterations have been in contemplation for a length of time,
but no action determined on until within the last few months, when the
expediency and even necessity of adopting them were so obvious as not to
admit of longer delay. The third alteration requires of Correspondents
residing within the United States, elected after the 31st of January, 1843,
a small diploma fee. This is a measure which the Society is justly en-
titled to adopt, and is only in accordance with the usage of most Institu-
tions of a similar character. The demand has been cheerfully complied
with in every instance where the receipt of his notice of election has been
acknowledged by a Correspondent.

Between the 1st of January and the 1st of December of this year the
Academy has added eleven new Members and twenty-one Correspondents
to its list. Of the latter, twelve reside in the United States, and nine
are foreign. The number of members elected is nearly double the average
of the three preceding years.

The finances of the Academy are in a most favourable condition, as the
Report of the Treasurer will show. The right of way to a small portion
of the lot in the rear of the building, was disposed of in the early part of
the year for the sum of $660, to the holders of the adjoining property.
The offer was an advantageous one to the Academy, and was promptly ac-
cepted by it. A heavy ground rent held by the original owners of the lot
on which this building is erected, has been recently paid off by the next
purchaser. This is a source of some gratification to the Academy, as re-

46

340 [December, 1843.

lieving it from a possible contingency which might involve its interests in
some degree. By the prudent management of the Treasurer, the Institu-
tion has been enabled to meet all its ordinary annual expenses, and some
new arrangements for the coming year proposed by him, will, if carried out,
materially lessen its remaining obligations, which, although now compa-
ratively light, still prevent that entire appropriation of its annual income
to the general purposes of the Institution, which is so ardently desired
by all its members.

All which is respectfully submitted by

Hall of the Academy, December 26th, 1843.

W. S. Zantzinger,
Recording Secretary.

The Report of the Treasurer was read, and referred, as
usual, to the Auditors for examination.

NEW BUSINESS.

Professor Johnson offered the following resolutions, which
were unanimously adopted :

Resolved, That the extended and valuable Report of the
Recording Secretary, presented this evening, contains the
most gratifying evidences of the prosperity of this Institution,
and of the assiduous devotion of the Secretary to his various
duties.

Resolved, That the thanks of the Society be presented to
the Recording Secretary for his labour in preparing this Re-
port, and that the same be referred to the Committee on the
Proceedings for publication.

Mr. Phillips offered the following resolution, which was
also unanimously adopted :

Resolved, That the thanks of this Society be presented to
Mr. George W. Carpenter, for the ample and gratifying re-
port of the financial concerns of the Institution presented this
evening, and for his assiduous and successful attention to the
trust confided in him.

The Society then proceeded to an election for Officers for
the ensuing year. The tellers appointed by the chairman
announced the following result:

December, 1843.] 341

PRESIDENT.

William Hembel.

VICE PRESIDENTS.

John Price Wetherilf,
Samuel George Morton, M. D.

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY.

Walter R. Johnson.

RECORDING SECRETARY.

Wm. S. Zantzinger, M. D.

TREASURER.

George W. Carpenter.

LIBRARIAN.

Alfred L. Elwyn, M. D.

CURATORS.

Wm. S. Vaux,
Samuel Ashmead,
John Cassin,
Gavin Watson, M. D.

AUDITORS.

William S. Vaux,
Robert Pearsall,
Robert Bridges, M.D.

COMMITTEE OF PUBLICATION.

A. L. Elwyn, M. D.,
T. A. Conrad,
Edmund Draper,
John Simmons,
William S. Vaux.

The following gentlemen were elected Correspondents of
the Academy:

Mr. John Van Cleve, of Dayton, Ohio.
Prof. James Hall, of Albany, New York.
And
Daniel Keyser, of Philadelphia, a Member of the same.

UH IflflH F