Dr. Trask in the Chair.
Eleven members present.
Donations to the Cabinet: Specimens of dried plants, the types of species lately described in these proceedings by Prof. Gray.
Mr. Brewer presented for Mr. Gabb the following paper:
On Cretaceous Fossils from Sahuaripa Valley, State of Sonora, Mexico, discovered by August RémondBY W. M. GABB.Mr. Rémond announced in a letter to me, the discovery of fossiliferous rocks about a league and a half east of Arivechi, Sahuaripa Valley, Sonora, Mexico. The fossils occur in a clay slate, and are in a fine state of preservation. He says: “The shales rest on sandstones, barren of fossils; feldspathic porphyries protrude through them, but no alteration of the beds were observed at the points of contact. Even the lamination of the fossiliferous strata has not been disturbed, and shells are found but a few millimetres from the porphyry.” He adds that the fossil bearing strata may attain a thickness of four or five hundred feet. The shales are overlaid by thick strata of compact blueish limestone. The strata dip to the south-east with an inclination of from thirty to fifty degrees, and form the first range of foot-bills of the Sierra Madre.I have identified the following species on a hasty examination, proving conclusively the cretaceous age of the formation. It is an interesting fact, that the fossils indicate a closer relationship to the eastern deposits than to those of California.Turritella seriatim-granulata Roem. Cardium Tippanum? Con. Chemnitzia (?) gloriosa Roem. Trigonia Evansii? Meek. Neithea quadricostata Sow. Exogyra Texana Roem. Turbinolia Texana Con.
BY W. M. GABB.
Mr. Rémond announced in a letter to me, the discovery of fossiliferous rocks about a league and a half east of Arivechi, Sahuaripa Valley, Sonora, Mexico. The fossils occur in a clay slate, and are in a fine state of preservation. He says: “The shales rest on sandstones, barren of fossils; feldspathic porphyries protrude through them, but no alteration of the beds were observed at the points of contact. Even the lamination of the fossiliferous strata has not been disturbed, and shells are found but a few millimetres from the porphyry.” He adds that the fossil bearing strata may attain a thickness of four or five hundred feet. The shales are overlaid by thick strata of compact blueish limestone. The strata dip to the south-east with an inclination of from thirty to fifty degrees, and form the first range of foot-bills of the Sierra Madre.
I have identified the following species on a hasty examination, proving conclusively the cretaceous age of the formation. It is an interesting fact, that the fossils indicate a closer relationship to the eastern deposits than to those of California.
Turritella seriatim-granulata Roem. Cardium Tippanum? Con. Chemnitzia (?) gloriosa Roem. Trigonia Evansii? Meek. Neithea quadricostata Sow. Exogyra Texana Roem. Turbinolia Texana Con.
President in the Chair.
Fourteen members present.
Rev. Mr. Neri, of Santa Clara, was elected a corresponding member.
Donations to the Cabinet: Volcanic cement, from Sierra County, containing fossil wood; also a magnesian mineral, from a cavity in a quartz vein near Nebraska, Sierra County. Mr. Clayton stated that when found it was gelatinous, semi-transparent, and mixed with loose quartz crystals; but on drying it shrank greatly in bulk and became fibrous, like fine Asbestos. The miners say that it is not uncommon in that locality.
Seeds of a large Melon Cactus, from the Colorado deserts; also seeds of a fine nutritious “bunch grass,” from the dry foot hills near Fresno river, by Mr. J. E. Clayton.
Mr. Brewer stated that he had obtained further information regarding the coal brought before the Academy Feb. 15th, by Prof. Blake. On the authority of J. Ross Browne and another gentleman, he had learned that no coal occurs in the locality near the Colorado River then mentioned, and that the specimens were English coal carried up the river by speculators for the purpose of swindling the public by selling stock in a fictitious coal mine.
President in the Chair.
Nine members present.
Donations to the Cabinet: A piece of sandstone resembling in shape a human foot, by Mr. Ed. Webber.
Donations to the Library: American Journal of Science andArts for March, 1864, from the editors. Observations on the Genus Unio, by Isaac Lea, L.L.D., Vol. 10. How to collect and observe Insects, by H. S. Packard, Jr. Plants of Buffalo, N. Y. and its vicinity, by G. W. Clinton. Bulletin of the Museum of Zoölogy of Cambridge, Mass. pp. 29—60. Report of contributions to the Pennsylvania Relief Association for East Tennessee. Proc. of the Acad. Natural Sciences of Philadelphia from October to December, 1863, and January and February, 1864. Contributions to the Physics, etc. of the Sacramento River, by Thos. W. Logan, M.D., extracted from the Pacific Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 7, 1864,—from the author.
President in the Chair.
Eleven members present.
C. W. M. Smith and Dr. McClure, of Redwood City, were elected resident members.
Donations to the Cabinet: A large crab, from the west coast of Mexico, by G. O. Haller, through Dr. Cooper.
Donations to the Library: Report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1862.
Dr. Trask in the Chair.
Seven members present.
The following paper was received from the author, in accordance with the proposition accepted by the Academy Dec. 7th, 1863.
Descriptions of New Marine Shells from the Coast of California.PART I.BY PHILIP P. CARPENTER, B.A., PH.D.Corresponding Member of the Académies of Philadelphia and California, etc.Warrington, England, May 4th, 1864.The shells to be described in these papers were collected by Dr. J. G. Cooper,for the State Geological Survey of California. Being aware that I was engaged in preparing descriptions of the shells of the Smithsonian collections, to serve as a handbook on the Mollusca of the western coast, and also (at the present time), a “Supplementary Report on the present state of our knowledge of the Mollusca of the west coast of North America,” for the British Association; he has very obligingly transmitted to me such duplicates as could be spared from the State collection for identification.Calliostoma Swainson, 1840.Calliostoma formosumCarp. n. sp. State Collection, Species 615 a.C. t. subelevatá, brunnescens, fusco-purpureo nebulosa, anfr. vii. valde tumentibus, suturis impressis; carinis majoribus in spirâ duabus, gemmatis, interdum brunneo huc et illuc tinctis; serie granulorum minorum prope suturam; serie quartá minimorum inter duas carinas; lirulis basalibus circ. ix., fusco maculatis; interstitiis à lineis incrementi corrugatis; aperturá subquadratá. Long. 0.47, long. spir. 0.34, lat. 0.43, div. 68°.Hab.San Pedro five; San Diego four dead on beach at low water—very rare. It is well distinguished by the two principal necklaces, with smaller rows intercalating. In coloring it resembles C. eximium Reeve, (versicolor Menke, Mazatlan Catal.), from the Gulf of California.Calliostoma splendensCarp. n. sp. State Collection, Species 530 a.C. t. parvâ, latiore, tenuiore; exquisité rufo-castaneo et purpureo, interdum intensioribus, et livido, varie nebulosâ et punctatâ; anfractu primo nucleoso diaphano, granuloso, apice mamillato; dein iv. normalibus, subtabulatis; primo costibus spiralibus ii. acutis, valde expressis, alterâ parvâ suturali; anfr. penult. costis iii. quarum media extantior, superior subgranulosa; anfr. ult. aliis intercalantibus, supra peripheriam v. quarum tertia magis extans; interstitiis à lineis incrementi vix decussatis; costâ circa peripheriam angulatam conspicuâ; basi costulis rotundatis, haud extantibus, peripheriam et axim versus conspicuis, medio sæpe obsoletis; basi nitidâ, subplanatâ; aperturâ subquadratâ, intus carneo-nacreâ, valde splendente: operculo tenuissimo, levissimo, pallido, diaphano, concavo; anfr. circ. x. crebris, parum definitis.Long. 0.23, long. spir. 0.15, lat. 0.24, div. 87°.Hab.Monterey, 20 fms. dredged 2, dead; Santa Barbara, in roots of kelp growing in about 10 fms. 13, dredged in 16 fms. 2, dead; S. B. Island, 2, dead, on beach; Catalina Island, 30-40 fms. 2, alive; San Diego, 1, dead.The specimens here described are probably mature, and are well marked in character. The painting is richly lustrous, of a fleshy nacre inside; outside, of a rich orange-chestnut or red, variously laid on a light ground, sometimes with streaks of nacreous purple, often with dots on the ribs. The operculum is extremely thin and transparent.SolariellaSearles Wood, 1843.Solariella peramabilisCarp. n. sp. State Collection, Species 1025.S. t. tenuissimâ, elegantissime sculptâ, lividâ, rufo-fusco pallide maculatâ; anfr. nucl. ii. valde tumidis, lævibus, apice mamillato; dein anfr. norm. iv. tabulatis,suturis fere rectangulatis, supra spiram bi-seu tri-carinatis, carinulis aliis postea intercalantibus; totâ superficie elegantissime et creberrime radiatim lirulatâ, lirulis acutissimis, extantibus, supra carinas subgranulosis, interstitia anfr. primis fenestrantibus, postea decussantibus; basi valde rotundatâ; carinulis circ. v., anticâ granulosâ, sculptâ; umbilico maximo, anfractus intus monstrante, lineis spiralibus circ. iii. distantibus, et lirulis radiantibus à basi continuis, concinne ornato; aperturâ rotundatâ, à carinulis indentatâ, vix parieti attingente, intus iridescente, nacreâ: operculo tenuissimo, multispirali, anfr. circ. x., radiatim eleganter rugulosis.Long. 0.38, long. spir. 0.19, lat. 0.42, div. 85°.Hab.Catalina Island, 30-120 fms. 20, both alive and dead.The nameSolariella, given to a crag fossil (tertiary) species by Searles Wood, which he afterwards reunited toMargarita, is here used as a subgenus, in the author’s sense, forMargaritæwith large crenated umbilicus. This is one of the many instances in which the North Pacific fauna carries out the ideas of the English crag. Unfortunately, the name appears in Add. Gen. I, 431, for a subgenus ofMonilea, with which these shells have only a limited affinity; and, accordingly, the trueSolariellæhave been reconstituted as part ofMinolia, A. Ad. That gentleman, however, fully accords with the present arrangement. TheSolariellæare known fromTrochiscus, and from all forms ofSolariadæ, by the normal (not inverted) nuclear whirls; and from the Solarids, by the nacreous texture.Dr. Cooper’s very lovely species of a very lovely group may possibly prove to be a variety of the Japanese “Minolia aspectaA. Ad.” ms. in Mus. Cuming; but, until more specimens from each district have been compared, it is more prudent to keep them separate. It seems to have exhausted the powers of sculpture on its graceful habitation. Under the microscope, the sharp transverse lirulæ, mounting over the keels, dividing the interspaces, and even ascending the wide umbilicus, are eminently beautiful. Even the operculum is sculptured with delicate waved radiating lines. It has the aspect of an extremely thinTorinia, with a funnel-shaped umbilicus. This is not only bounded by a granular keel, but has three other distant spiral lines crossing the lirulæ. The radiating sculpture is more distant on the upper whirls, where first two, then three keels appear, fenestrated by the lirulæ, which afterwards become much closer, and are sometimes worn away behind the labrum.MargaritaLeach, 1819.Margarita acuticostataCarp. n. sp. State Collection, Species 354.M. t.M. lirulatæsimili; parvâ, tenui, albido-cinereâ, olivaceo-fusco varie maculatâ, seu punctulatâ; anfr. nucleosis ii. lævibus, tumidis, fuscis, apice mamillato; anfr. norm. iii. tumidis, tabulatis, suturis rectangulatis; carinis acutis in spirâ iii., quartâ peripheriali, æquidistantibus; interstitiis spiraliter striatis; in spirâ et circâ basim radiatim creberrime striulatis; basi subrotundatà, lirulis distantibus circ. ix. ornatâ; umbilico magno, infundibuliformi, vix angulato, intus interdum striis spiralibus paucis sculpto; aperturâ subrotundatâ, pariete parum attingente: operculo anfr. paucioribus, circ. vi. suturis subelevatis.Long. 0.18, long. spir. 0.12, lat. 0.19, div. 87°.Hab.Santa Barbara, in kelp-root, 2, dead; Catalina Island, 8-10 fms. 20, some alive; Monterey, 20 fms. 4, dead.This shell might be taken for a delicate form ofGibbula parcipicta, which in painting it exactly resembles. It is known from the VancouverM. lirulataby the three sharp keels on the spire, between which there are no others intercalating, and by the details of sculpture. The patches of color are very variable, sometimes scarcely appearing; and are generally deeper tinted on the keels, giving a false appearance of granulation.Margarita salmoneaCarp. (? var.) State Collection, Species 352.M. t. interM. undulatæetM. pupillæintermediâ; minore, spirâ satis elevatâ; anfr. nucl. iii. purpureis; dein iv. normalibus, colore salmoneo; liris spiralibus in spirâ viii., quarum ii. suturales, minimæ; suturis haud undulatis; interstitiis à lineis incrementi creberrimis, haud elevatis, sculptis; basi lirulis creberrimis, æqualibus, circ. xviii. ornatâ; aperturâ subquadratâ; umbilico minore, angulato: operculo tenuissimo, diaphano, anfr. circ. x. vix definitis.Long. 0.22, long. spir. 0.14, lat. 0.22, div. 80°.Hab.Monterey, 6-20 fms. 5, alive; Catalina Island, 30-40 fms. 2, alive.This shell differs from the commonMargaritaof the Vancouver district (M. pupillaGld. =calliostomaA. Ad.), in its much deeper and salmon-tinted hue; its finer sculpture, absence of decussation, and want of distant liræ round the umbilicus. From the Norwegian specimens ofM. undulatait is known by the absence of sutural waves, and by the finer basal riblets, of which the interstices are minutely sculptured across. The operculum differs from both, in its great thinness and smoothness. Additional specimens may better display its true relations.[10]Liotia Gray, 1842.Liotia fenestrataCarp. n. sp. State Collection, Species 1006.L. t. parvâ, primum subdiscoideâ, postea variante, albido-cinereâ; anfr. nucl. lævibus, planatis, apice depresso; anfr. norm. ii. et dimidio, convexis; clathris validis distantibus circ. xv. radiantibus, et vii. spiralibus, subæquantibus, conspicue fenestratâ; aperturâ circulari, sæpius plus minusve declivi, parieti vix attingente; umbilico maximo, anfractus monstrante; labio, regione umbilicari, sinuato.Long. 0.09, long. spir. 0.04, lat. 0.12, div. 170°.Hab.Catalina Island; beach to 40 fms. 20, dead.This strongly sculptured species varies greatly (in the two specimens sent to the Smithsonian Institution), in the declivity of the mouth and consequent size of the umbilicus, where the labium is, as it were, scooped out.Liotia acuticostataCarp. n. sp. State Collection, Species 519 a.L. t. parvâ, subglobosâ, albâ; anfr. nucl. ii. lævibus, apice satis extante; anfr. normalibus iii., carinis in spirâ maxime extantibus ii., anfr. ult. vi.; suturis subrectangulatis; aperturâ circulari; labro extus parum contracto; labio conspicuo; umbilico haud magno.Long. 0.12, long. spir. 0.06, lat. 0.10, div. 95°.Hab.Catalina Island, 10-20 fms. 4, alive; Monterey, 4, dead, dredged?This pretty little Cyclostomoid species is easily recognized by the sharp revolving keels, and absence of radiating sculpture.AmyclaH. & A. Adams, 1858.Amycla undataCarp. n. sp. State Collection, Species 1067.A. t. parvâ rufo-fuscâ, turritâ, epidermide tenui indutâ; marginibus spiræ subrectis; anfr. nucleosis iv. lævibus, tumidis, apice mamillato; anfr. normalibus v. valde tumidis, suturis impressis; costis radiantibus ix. valde tumidis, latis, antice et postice obsoletis; interstitiis undatis; liris spiralibus acutioribus, distantibus, costas superantibus, secundum interstitia eleganter undulatis, quarum vi.—viii. in spirâ monstrantur; aperturâ ovali, in canalem brevem rectam productâ, intus haud liratâ; labro acuto, labio acuto extanti ad suturam juncto; columellâ planatâ: operculo nassoideo. ?Long. 0.44, long. spir. 0.20, lat. 0.20, div. 45°.Hab.Catalina Island, not rare, 30-40 fm. 10, some alive.The nuclear whirls in this shell resemble a minutePaludina. The only operculum in the specimens sent was broken in extraction, but appeared to be Nassoid. The sculpture consists of elongate knobs swelling in the middle; with spiral lines hanging as it were from pier to pier, as in a suspension bridge. The aperture is somewhat Columbelloid, the inner and outer lips joining at the suture; but neither are lirate within, although they have that appearance from the outside sculpture showing through.[10]Specimens from Monterey, and one from the beach of the Farallone Islands, are intermediate between that described by Mr. Carpenter (Catalina Island specimen) and the northernM. pupilla.J. G. Cooper.
BY PHILIP P. CARPENTER, B.A., PH.D.Corresponding Member of the Académies of Philadelphia and California, etc.
Warrington, England, May 4th, 1864.
The shells to be described in these papers were collected by Dr. J. G. Cooper,for the State Geological Survey of California. Being aware that I was engaged in preparing descriptions of the shells of the Smithsonian collections, to serve as a handbook on the Mollusca of the western coast, and also (at the present time), a “Supplementary Report on the present state of our knowledge of the Mollusca of the west coast of North America,” for the British Association; he has very obligingly transmitted to me such duplicates as could be spared from the State collection for identification.
C. t. subelevatá, brunnescens, fusco-purpureo nebulosa, anfr. vii. valde tumentibus, suturis impressis; carinis majoribus in spirâ duabus, gemmatis, interdum brunneo huc et illuc tinctis; serie granulorum minorum prope suturam; serie quartá minimorum inter duas carinas; lirulis basalibus circ. ix., fusco maculatis; interstitiis à lineis incrementi corrugatis; aperturá subquadratá. Long. 0.47, long. spir. 0.34, lat. 0.43, div. 68°.
Hab.San Pedro five; San Diego four dead on beach at low water—very rare. It is well distinguished by the two principal necklaces, with smaller rows intercalating. In coloring it resembles C. eximium Reeve, (versicolor Menke, Mazatlan Catal.), from the Gulf of California.
C. t. parvâ, latiore, tenuiore; exquisité rufo-castaneo et purpureo, interdum intensioribus, et livido, varie nebulosâ et punctatâ; anfractu primo nucleoso diaphano, granuloso, apice mamillato; dein iv. normalibus, subtabulatis; primo costibus spiralibus ii. acutis, valde expressis, alterâ parvâ suturali; anfr. penult. costis iii. quarum media extantior, superior subgranulosa; anfr. ult. aliis intercalantibus, supra peripheriam v. quarum tertia magis extans; interstitiis à lineis incrementi vix decussatis; costâ circa peripheriam angulatam conspicuâ; basi costulis rotundatis, haud extantibus, peripheriam et axim versus conspicuis, medio sæpe obsoletis; basi nitidâ, subplanatâ; aperturâ subquadratâ, intus carneo-nacreâ, valde splendente: operculo tenuissimo, levissimo, pallido, diaphano, concavo; anfr. circ. x. crebris, parum definitis.
Long. 0.23, long. spir. 0.15, lat. 0.24, div. 87°.
Hab.Monterey, 20 fms. dredged 2, dead; Santa Barbara, in roots of kelp growing in about 10 fms. 13, dredged in 16 fms. 2, dead; S. B. Island, 2, dead, on beach; Catalina Island, 30-40 fms. 2, alive; San Diego, 1, dead.
The specimens here described are probably mature, and are well marked in character. The painting is richly lustrous, of a fleshy nacre inside; outside, of a rich orange-chestnut or red, variously laid on a light ground, sometimes with streaks of nacreous purple, often with dots on the ribs. The operculum is extremely thin and transparent.
S. t. tenuissimâ, elegantissime sculptâ, lividâ, rufo-fusco pallide maculatâ; anfr. nucl. ii. valde tumidis, lævibus, apice mamillato; dein anfr. norm. iv. tabulatis,suturis fere rectangulatis, supra spiram bi-seu tri-carinatis, carinulis aliis postea intercalantibus; totâ superficie elegantissime et creberrime radiatim lirulatâ, lirulis acutissimis, extantibus, supra carinas subgranulosis, interstitia anfr. primis fenestrantibus, postea decussantibus; basi valde rotundatâ; carinulis circ. v., anticâ granulosâ, sculptâ; umbilico maximo, anfractus intus monstrante, lineis spiralibus circ. iii. distantibus, et lirulis radiantibus à basi continuis, concinne ornato; aperturâ rotundatâ, à carinulis indentatâ, vix parieti attingente, intus iridescente, nacreâ: operculo tenuissimo, multispirali, anfr. circ. x., radiatim eleganter rugulosis.
Long. 0.38, long. spir. 0.19, lat. 0.42, div. 85°.
Hab.Catalina Island, 30-120 fms. 20, both alive and dead.
The nameSolariella, given to a crag fossil (tertiary) species by Searles Wood, which he afterwards reunited toMargarita, is here used as a subgenus, in the author’s sense, forMargaritæwith large crenated umbilicus. This is one of the many instances in which the North Pacific fauna carries out the ideas of the English crag. Unfortunately, the name appears in Add. Gen. I, 431, for a subgenus ofMonilea, with which these shells have only a limited affinity; and, accordingly, the trueSolariellæhave been reconstituted as part ofMinolia, A. Ad. That gentleman, however, fully accords with the present arrangement. TheSolariellæare known fromTrochiscus, and from all forms ofSolariadæ, by the normal (not inverted) nuclear whirls; and from the Solarids, by the nacreous texture.
Dr. Cooper’s very lovely species of a very lovely group may possibly prove to be a variety of the Japanese “Minolia aspectaA. Ad.” ms. in Mus. Cuming; but, until more specimens from each district have been compared, it is more prudent to keep them separate. It seems to have exhausted the powers of sculpture on its graceful habitation. Under the microscope, the sharp transverse lirulæ, mounting over the keels, dividing the interspaces, and even ascending the wide umbilicus, are eminently beautiful. Even the operculum is sculptured with delicate waved radiating lines. It has the aspect of an extremely thinTorinia, with a funnel-shaped umbilicus. This is not only bounded by a granular keel, but has three other distant spiral lines crossing the lirulæ. The radiating sculpture is more distant on the upper whirls, where first two, then three keels appear, fenestrated by the lirulæ, which afterwards become much closer, and are sometimes worn away behind the labrum.
M. t.M. lirulatæsimili; parvâ, tenui, albido-cinereâ, olivaceo-fusco varie maculatâ, seu punctulatâ; anfr. nucleosis ii. lævibus, tumidis, fuscis, apice mamillato; anfr. norm. iii. tumidis, tabulatis, suturis rectangulatis; carinis acutis in spirâ iii., quartâ peripheriali, æquidistantibus; interstitiis spiraliter striatis; in spirâ et circâ basim radiatim creberrime striulatis; basi subrotundatà, lirulis distantibus circ. ix. ornatâ; umbilico magno, infundibuliformi, vix angulato, intus interdum striis spiralibus paucis sculpto; aperturâ subrotundatâ, pariete parum attingente: operculo anfr. paucioribus, circ. vi. suturis subelevatis.
Long. 0.18, long. spir. 0.12, lat. 0.19, div. 87°.
Hab.Santa Barbara, in kelp-root, 2, dead; Catalina Island, 8-10 fms. 20, some alive; Monterey, 20 fms. 4, dead.
This shell might be taken for a delicate form ofGibbula parcipicta, which in painting it exactly resembles. It is known from the VancouverM. lirulataby the three sharp keels on the spire, between which there are no others intercalating, and by the details of sculpture. The patches of color are very variable, sometimes scarcely appearing; and are generally deeper tinted on the keels, giving a false appearance of granulation.
M. t. interM. undulatæetM. pupillæintermediâ; minore, spirâ satis elevatâ; anfr. nucl. iii. purpureis; dein iv. normalibus, colore salmoneo; liris spiralibus in spirâ viii., quarum ii. suturales, minimæ; suturis haud undulatis; interstitiis à lineis incrementi creberrimis, haud elevatis, sculptis; basi lirulis creberrimis, æqualibus, circ. xviii. ornatâ; aperturâ subquadratâ; umbilico minore, angulato: operculo tenuissimo, diaphano, anfr. circ. x. vix definitis.
Long. 0.22, long. spir. 0.14, lat. 0.22, div. 80°.
Hab.Monterey, 6-20 fms. 5, alive; Catalina Island, 30-40 fms. 2, alive.
This shell differs from the commonMargaritaof the Vancouver district (M. pupillaGld. =calliostomaA. Ad.), in its much deeper and salmon-tinted hue; its finer sculpture, absence of decussation, and want of distant liræ round the umbilicus. From the Norwegian specimens ofM. undulatait is known by the absence of sutural waves, and by the finer basal riblets, of which the interstices are minutely sculptured across. The operculum differs from both, in its great thinness and smoothness. Additional specimens may better display its true relations.[10]
L. t. parvâ, primum subdiscoideâ, postea variante, albido-cinereâ; anfr. nucl. lævibus, planatis, apice depresso; anfr. norm. ii. et dimidio, convexis; clathris validis distantibus circ. xv. radiantibus, et vii. spiralibus, subæquantibus, conspicue fenestratâ; aperturâ circulari, sæpius plus minusve declivi, parieti vix attingente; umbilico maximo, anfractus monstrante; labio, regione umbilicari, sinuato.
Long. 0.09, long. spir. 0.04, lat. 0.12, div. 170°.
Hab.Catalina Island; beach to 40 fms. 20, dead.
This strongly sculptured species varies greatly (in the two specimens sent to the Smithsonian Institution), in the declivity of the mouth and consequent size of the umbilicus, where the labium is, as it were, scooped out.
L. t. parvâ, subglobosâ, albâ; anfr. nucl. ii. lævibus, apice satis extante; anfr. normalibus iii., carinis in spirâ maxime extantibus ii., anfr. ult. vi.; suturis subrectangulatis; aperturâ circulari; labro extus parum contracto; labio conspicuo; umbilico haud magno.
Long. 0.12, long. spir. 0.06, lat. 0.10, div. 95°.
Hab.Catalina Island, 10-20 fms. 4, alive; Monterey, 4, dead, dredged?
This pretty little Cyclostomoid species is easily recognized by the sharp revolving keels, and absence of radiating sculpture.
A. t. parvâ rufo-fuscâ, turritâ, epidermide tenui indutâ; marginibus spiræ subrectis; anfr. nucleosis iv. lævibus, tumidis, apice mamillato; anfr. normalibus v. valde tumidis, suturis impressis; costis radiantibus ix. valde tumidis, latis, antice et postice obsoletis; interstitiis undatis; liris spiralibus acutioribus, distantibus, costas superantibus, secundum interstitia eleganter undulatis, quarum vi.—viii. in spirâ monstrantur; aperturâ ovali, in canalem brevem rectam productâ, intus haud liratâ; labro acuto, labio acuto extanti ad suturam juncto; columellâ planatâ: operculo nassoideo. ?
Long. 0.44, long. spir. 0.20, lat. 0.20, div. 45°.
Hab.Catalina Island, not rare, 30-40 fm. 10, some alive.
The nuclear whirls in this shell resemble a minutePaludina. The only operculum in the specimens sent was broken in extraction, but appeared to be Nassoid. The sculpture consists of elongate knobs swelling in the middle; with spiral lines hanging as it were from pier to pier, as in a suspension bridge. The aperture is somewhat Columbelloid, the inner and outer lips joining at the suture; but neither are lirate within, although they have that appearance from the outside sculpture showing through.
[10]Specimens from Monterey, and one from the beach of the Farallone Islands, are intermediate between that described by Mr. Carpenter (Catalina Island specimen) and the northernM. pupilla.J. G. Cooper.
[10]Specimens from Monterey, and one from the beach of the Farallone Islands, are intermediate between that described by Mr. Carpenter (Catalina Island specimen) and the northernM. pupilla.J. G. Cooper.
[10]Specimens from Monterey, and one from the beach of the Farallone Islands, are intermediate between that described by Mr. Carpenter (Catalina Island specimen) and the northernM. pupilla.J. G. Cooper.
President in the Chair.
Nine members present.
Donation to the Cabinet: Specimens of native Sulphur from San Buenaventura, by Mr. Spence.
Donations to the Library: Annual Report of Harvard College, Mass. Report of the Insane Asylum of California. Prospectus of the Santa Clara College. Proceedings of the Essex Institute, Vol. 4, No. 1. American Journal of Science and Arts, May,1864. Public Documents from Senator Conness. Géographie Botanique Raisonée, by Alph. DeCandolle, from the author.
Dr. Cooper stated that he had lately learned from Mr. Gill, of the Smithsonian Museum, that the genusAyresia, lately described in these Proceedings, is identical withChromis, of Cuvier, though notChromisof Richardson, with which Dr. C. had compared it. The name of the fish must therefore be changed toChromis Punctipinnis, Cooper.
Col. Ransom presented, on behalf of Mr. John Wilson of this city, some Indian relics, from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, accompanied by a letter of which the following is an abstract:
The relics consist of part of a foot and hair from different mummies, a string of beads made of bone, with a few of blue stone, also part of a belt and tassel, and a piece of very strong cloth of vegetable material. These were found by Mr. Wilson in a cave situated on the western slope of a very high mountain of the Sierra Madre, which seems almost to hang over the ancient Pueblo of Chiricahui—a name signifying the Mountain of Bones. This Pueblo was occupied by the Spaniards soon after the conquest by Cortez; and from previous traditions it is supposed by the inhabitants that this cave, and another on the opposite side of the valley, had been used as a place of burial by the natives for several hundred years. It is supposed that no bodies have been deposited there for the past hundred and fifty years, and perhaps longer.On visiting the cave, Mr. Wilson found an excavation in the floor made three or four years since by some persons digging for saltpetre-earth, partly filled in, but still several feet deep; and exposed at the sides of this pit were several rows of bodies placed in regular order one above another, in a remarkable state of preservation. They were in a compact position, the knees bent up to the chin, and the face drawn back close to the buttocks, then securely sewed up in the remarkably strong and well-woven cloth here presented, which, on all of the four or five bodies examined, showed the same degree of strength and perfection. Over this was another covering of palm-leaves also sewn closely together. The bodies were dried and shrunken, but retained their form and integuments. Under each body were two small sticks, on which the body was laid on its back, the feet towards the mouth of the cave.The circumference of the cave was about a hundred feet, and the height above the floor, thirty or forty feet.Mr. Wilson and his companions “came to the very decided conclusion,” that the floor of the cave, for a depth of twenty feet or more, was formed of bodies similarly arranged in layers which had been placed there from time to time, as they died, and covered with earth and pebbles from the sides of the mountains. There can be no doubt that a thorough exploration of these relics would reveal very much of the lost history of the Indian tribes of Mexico, and richly reward the labors of the antiquarian. The excellent material of the cloth in whichthe bodies were sewn up, surpassing in texture and strength anything now manufactured in Mexico, is worthy of investigation, as it may still be found valuable for making bags, sails, etc. There was no sign of any embalming substance by which the bodies and cloth could have been preserved, and the only explanation suggested by Mr. Wilson is that it is due to the dryness of the atmosphere, and the saltpetre contained in the earth. He also suggested that the fibres of the cloth may have been derived from the “Maguey,” (Agave Americana) or some allied plant.
The relics consist of part of a foot and hair from different mummies, a string of beads made of bone, with a few of blue stone, also part of a belt and tassel, and a piece of very strong cloth of vegetable material. These were found by Mr. Wilson in a cave situated on the western slope of a very high mountain of the Sierra Madre, which seems almost to hang over the ancient Pueblo of Chiricahui—a name signifying the Mountain of Bones. This Pueblo was occupied by the Spaniards soon after the conquest by Cortez; and from previous traditions it is supposed by the inhabitants that this cave, and another on the opposite side of the valley, had been used as a place of burial by the natives for several hundred years. It is supposed that no bodies have been deposited there for the past hundred and fifty years, and perhaps longer.
On visiting the cave, Mr. Wilson found an excavation in the floor made three or four years since by some persons digging for saltpetre-earth, partly filled in, but still several feet deep; and exposed at the sides of this pit were several rows of bodies placed in regular order one above another, in a remarkable state of preservation. They were in a compact position, the knees bent up to the chin, and the face drawn back close to the buttocks, then securely sewed up in the remarkably strong and well-woven cloth here presented, which, on all of the four or five bodies examined, showed the same degree of strength and perfection. Over this was another covering of palm-leaves also sewn closely together. The bodies were dried and shrunken, but retained their form and integuments. Under each body were two small sticks, on which the body was laid on its back, the feet towards the mouth of the cave.
The circumference of the cave was about a hundred feet, and the height above the floor, thirty or forty feet.
Mr. Wilson and his companions “came to the very decided conclusion,” that the floor of the cave, for a depth of twenty feet or more, was formed of bodies similarly arranged in layers which had been placed there from time to time, as they died, and covered with earth and pebbles from the sides of the mountains. There can be no doubt that a thorough exploration of these relics would reveal very much of the lost history of the Indian tribes of Mexico, and richly reward the labors of the antiquarian. The excellent material of the cloth in whichthe bodies were sewn up, surpassing in texture and strength anything now manufactured in Mexico, is worthy of investigation, as it may still be found valuable for making bags, sails, etc. There was no sign of any embalming substance by which the bodies and cloth could have been preserved, and the only explanation suggested by Mr. Wilson is that it is due to the dryness of the atmosphere, and the saltpetre contained in the earth. He also suggested that the fibres of the cloth may have been derived from the “Maguey,” (Agave Americana) or some allied plant.
Dr. Cooper remarked that the condition of the foot was very similar to those of the Indian Mummy presented to the Academy by Dr. J. B. Stout, January 21st, 1856, and which had been dried by the action of the air, while protected from the weather by a cedar canoe inverted over another containing the body. That was in the moist climate of Shoalwater Bay, north of the Columbia river, and Dr. Cooper who was present at the time the body was removed by Capt. Russell in 1854, was a witness of the fact that no preservatives had been found with it. He also stated that the Indians of the vicinity could not tell how long it had been there, though certainly not a hundred years.
President in the Chair.
Eleven members present.
Donations to the Cabinet: A box of fossils from Eureka, Humboldt Bay, by Dr. Chamberlin. Fossils from Catalina Island, by Mr. J. E. Clayton.
Donations to the Library: Silliman’s Journal for July, 1864, by the Editors. A Description of Adiantum Jordani, C. Muell of Halle, by R. Jordan, of Halle, Prussia.
President in the Chair.
Three members present. Mr. Miller as a visitor.
Donations to the Cabinet: California Mosses, lichens and liver-mosses, by Mr. H. N. Bolander.
Vice-President, Dr. Eckel in the Chair.
Nine members present. Prof. B. Silliman, Jr., Dr. Eichler, and Mr. Ehrenberg as visitors.
Donations to the Cabinet: A specimen of a wild cherry from Catalina Island, by Mr. J. E. Clayton. A collection of plants from Washoe, by Mr. Bloomer.
Prof. B. Silliman remarked that in his recent visit to Arizona, east of the Mohave, he had seen what he presumed were the morains of former glaciers on the eastern flanks of some of the mountain ranges. They consist of rudely stratified materials both angular and round, mingled confusedly together and forming terrace-like spurs or embankments radiating outwards from the curved range and appearing to have been left there by glaciers, though no glacial polishing and scratching of the rocks could be seen as in the Sierra Nevada opposite Mono Lake and elsewhere. These evidences of glaciers in Arizona were nearly under the 35th parallel of latitude, and he believed that no evidence of glacial action had before been observed on the Pacific slope at a point so far south.
Prof. W. P. Blake observed that this was certainly the first observation upon glacial phenomena in Arizona, and that he had noted evidences of former glaciers in the Sierra Nevada, as far south as the Tejon Pass, lat. 35°, where there were large blocks of granite deposited for miles beyond the opening of the valley.
Prof. Silliman described the peculiar character of the outcrops of the veins in the regions of the El Dorado Cañon. He found that nearly all vestiges of the sulphurets wereremoved from the outcrops, while they abounded below. The outcrops gave little indication of the metal-bearing character of the veins. He had observed as he believed, at least three distinct periods of volcanic activity in that region of the Colorado and Mohave, two of which periods were sub-aqueous, and the last sub-aerial. The lava-streams generally appeared to have been poured out after the face of the country had already assumed its present form. The volcanic outflows though extensive had not materially modified the topography of the country.
Mr. Ehrenberg stated that the copper ores in the vicinity of La Paz, and Mineral City, Arizona, were generally argentiferous, sometimes giving results by assay as high as $200 per ton. The ores beyond that district did not appear to contain much. The quicksilver ore at the Eugenie vein contained both silver and copper.
Doctor Behr presented the following paper:
Notes on Californian Satyrides.BY HERMAN BEHR, M. D.Chionobas Nevadensis.Boisduval,in litteris.A few specimens of this new and as yet undescribedChionobas, were caught by Mr. Lorquin, the discoverer of the species, and named by Dr. Boisduval. Not possessing a single specimen of this rare species, I am not able to give a diagnosis, and have only an indistinct recollection, that the species bore most resemblance to theGerontogeic, Ch. Tarpeja, a Siberian species that has also been found on the summit of the Appenines, in Italy, but that in size it is superior to anyChionobasknown to me.Satyrus StheneleBoisd.Is rather common near San Francisco, where it is found in June. Only one generation annually.Satyrus SylvestrisEdwards.Edwards’ description shows very clearly the marks by whichS. Sylvestriscan be recognized fromS. Sthenele. This species is found on grassy hills thinly covered with live-oak, where its habits show a very marked difference from those of its relations, by preferring the underside of oak branches to any other seat, whileStheneleandBoopisalmost exclusively settle on the ground.Satyrus BoopisBehr.Sthenele similis at limbus non tesselatus, sed linea transversa distincte partitus et fœminæ ocelli alarum superiorum in fascia dilutiori positi. Alae subtusdimidiatæ pars radicalis brunnea, marginalis grisea, marginem versus brunnescens. Utraque marmorata, halone ocellorum in alis anticis solo excepto dilutiori et concolori.ThisSatyrusis the biggest of our Californian species, the male being nearly double the size of the female ofS. Sylvestris. I find thisSatyrusin July in Contra Costa, on the hills as well as on the plains. In regard to the diagnosis of these three closely allied species, I would mention, that the presence or absence of one or two more or less distinct eye-marks, on the upper or under side near the anal angle of the hind wings, is of no diagnostic importance.S. ArianeBoisd.I confess I can not find any constant mark of difference between this species andS. Alope,Nephele, andPegala, however different at first glance their forms may appear. I am very much inclined to consider them local aberrations of one far spread species, that gradually slopes fromS. PegalaFabr., throughS. ArianeBoisd. toS. NepheleandS. AlopeFabr., in a similar way as the GerontogeicP. EgeriaL. looks very different from its African formP. XiphiaFabr., with which, nevertheless, it is insensibly united by its intermediate formP. Meone.All my Californian specimens agree perfectly with Dr. Boisduval’s diagnosis ofS. Ariane; with the exception of one that approaches toS. Pegala, by its having only one eye-mark on the upper side of the anterior wings, but differs by the entire absence of the wide rusty band on the same. The specimen was among several undoubtedS. Ariane, caught near Mono Lake, by Prof. Brewer, of the State Geological Survey. Besides the above mentioned locality, I received specimens from San Diego and Santa Cruz. Near San Francisco the species is wanting.As toS. StheneleandS. Sylvestris, I entertain no doubts regarding their rights as distinct species, butS. Boopisbeing only distinguished by the absence of the series of eyes on the under side of the hind wings fromS. Nephele, may, perhaps, prove a local variety or aberration of that most polymorphous and far spread speciesS. Alope. In the mean time, until the connecting forms are found, I consider it to be specifically distinct.CoenonymphaHubner.C. Galactina. Boisd.I consider this species as identical withC. CalifornicaDbld. At least I find in a long series of specimens, no point whereCalifornicaends andGalactinabegins.C. Galactina, according to Boisduval, exists also in Kamtschatka. In California it is one of the commonest species of Diurnals, and is found in the most different localities, in several generations throughout the year. There exists a secondCœnonymphain some sequestered valleys of the Northern Sierra, that approaches in its coloration, the EuropeanC. Pamphilas. I have onlyseen one pair of this species, and not possessing it, I can not give a diagnosis. It may be that it is identical withC. Inornata, Edw., orC. Ochracea, Edw., or some other Northern species.Extratropical America is not rich inSatyrides, if compared to the same latitudes in Europe or Asia, and California is especially poor.Europe.California.Arge,——Erebia,——Chionobas,Chionabas,Satyrus,Satyrus,Pararga,——Epinephele,——Cœnonympha,Cœnonympha.There are seven European genera, each of them represented by a whole series of species connecting different types. In California there are only three of which none is known to contain more than four species.The Atlantic States add some tropical genera to the three genera already obtained in California, viz.:NeonymphaHubner,HyphthimaHubner,DebisDbld., andCalistoHubner. The genusCalistoseems to be confined to subtropical North America; the genusNeonymphaspreads in numerous species through the tropics of America, and trespasses only in a few species theCancer;Hyphthimais found in many species in the tropics of the Old World, and it is a very curious circumstance, that one species of this essentially Gerontogeic genus should be found in the Southern States. But the two American species of the genusDebis, are even more interesting, for all other species of this genus, are confined to the Indian Archipelago.The metamorphoses of theSatyrides, are only with difficulty to be investigated.They feed as far as they are known, on Monocotyledoneous plants, the extra-tropical ones, with one exception perhaps, exclusively on Graminaceous plants. The Caterpillars shun the sunlight and hide themselves in the grass. Some of them bury themselves in the daytime in the ground and feed only at night. The tropical species feeding on Scitaminaceous, Aroideous plants, palms, and arborescent grasses, sport the shady thickets of tropical forests, in whose twilight depths, most of the species are also found in their imago state. Other ones like some of theMorphonides, and even someNymphalidesof the tropics, spend their days hidden under the luxuriant foliage of primeval forests and begin their flight only after sunset.In a most interesting treatise on the characteristics of the insect fauna of the “White Mountains,” by Samuel H. Scudder, (Boston Journal, Vol. VII, Part IV), I find the description of the Caterpillar ofChionobas Semidea, Edw., with a notice that it was found on Lichen. This would prove a most remarkable exception, as all the otherSatyridesfeed on Monocotyledoneous plants. Nevertheless, larvæ of Artic types are generally polyphagous, and adapted to some degree, to accommodate themselves to circumstances, and so I would not entertain any doubts about the feeding plant of theChionobas, if it werenot for the circumstance that Mr. Scudder confesses that he did not succeed in bringing the Caterpillar, with Lichen, to perfection. Perhaps the Caterpillar fed on grass, or perhaps someCarex, and was only, by some accident, compelled to crawl to the lichen-covered stone, where that gentleman found it. I hope to hear very soon about this most interesting object, for I consider the discovery of the metamorphoses of one insect, a more valuable fact than the diagnoses of ten new species, of which we do not know more than the external appearance.
BY HERMAN BEHR, M. D.
A few specimens of this new and as yet undescribedChionobas, were caught by Mr. Lorquin, the discoverer of the species, and named by Dr. Boisduval. Not possessing a single specimen of this rare species, I am not able to give a diagnosis, and have only an indistinct recollection, that the species bore most resemblance to theGerontogeic, Ch. Tarpeja, a Siberian species that has also been found on the summit of the Appenines, in Italy, but that in size it is superior to anyChionobasknown to me.
Is rather common near San Francisco, where it is found in June. Only one generation annually.
Edwards’ description shows very clearly the marks by whichS. Sylvestriscan be recognized fromS. Sthenele. This species is found on grassy hills thinly covered with live-oak, where its habits show a very marked difference from those of its relations, by preferring the underside of oak branches to any other seat, whileStheneleandBoopisalmost exclusively settle on the ground.
Sthenele similis at limbus non tesselatus, sed linea transversa distincte partitus et fœminæ ocelli alarum superiorum in fascia dilutiori positi. Alae subtusdimidiatæ pars radicalis brunnea, marginalis grisea, marginem versus brunnescens. Utraque marmorata, halone ocellorum in alis anticis solo excepto dilutiori et concolori.
ThisSatyrusis the biggest of our Californian species, the male being nearly double the size of the female ofS. Sylvestris. I find thisSatyrusin July in Contra Costa, on the hills as well as on the plains. In regard to the diagnosis of these three closely allied species, I would mention, that the presence or absence of one or two more or less distinct eye-marks, on the upper or under side near the anal angle of the hind wings, is of no diagnostic importance.
I confess I can not find any constant mark of difference between this species andS. Alope,Nephele, andPegala, however different at first glance their forms may appear. I am very much inclined to consider them local aberrations of one far spread species, that gradually slopes fromS. PegalaFabr., throughS. ArianeBoisd. toS. NepheleandS. AlopeFabr., in a similar way as the GerontogeicP. EgeriaL. looks very different from its African formP. XiphiaFabr., with which, nevertheless, it is insensibly united by its intermediate formP. Meone.
All my Californian specimens agree perfectly with Dr. Boisduval’s diagnosis ofS. Ariane; with the exception of one that approaches toS. Pegala, by its having only one eye-mark on the upper side of the anterior wings, but differs by the entire absence of the wide rusty band on the same. The specimen was among several undoubtedS. Ariane, caught near Mono Lake, by Prof. Brewer, of the State Geological Survey. Besides the above mentioned locality, I received specimens from San Diego and Santa Cruz. Near San Francisco the species is wanting.
As toS. StheneleandS. Sylvestris, I entertain no doubts regarding their rights as distinct species, butS. Boopisbeing only distinguished by the absence of the series of eyes on the under side of the hind wings fromS. Nephele, may, perhaps, prove a local variety or aberration of that most polymorphous and far spread speciesS. Alope. In the mean time, until the connecting forms are found, I consider it to be specifically distinct.
I consider this species as identical withC. CalifornicaDbld. At least I find in a long series of specimens, no point whereCalifornicaends andGalactinabegins.C. Galactina, according to Boisduval, exists also in Kamtschatka. In California it is one of the commonest species of Diurnals, and is found in the most different localities, in several generations throughout the year. There exists a secondCœnonymphain some sequestered valleys of the Northern Sierra, that approaches in its coloration, the EuropeanC. Pamphilas. I have onlyseen one pair of this species, and not possessing it, I can not give a diagnosis. It may be that it is identical withC. Inornata, Edw., orC. Ochracea, Edw., or some other Northern species.
Extratropical America is not rich inSatyrides, if compared to the same latitudes in Europe or Asia, and California is especially poor.
There are seven European genera, each of them represented by a whole series of species connecting different types. In California there are only three of which none is known to contain more than four species.
The Atlantic States add some tropical genera to the three genera already obtained in California, viz.:NeonymphaHubner,HyphthimaHubner,DebisDbld., andCalistoHubner. The genusCalistoseems to be confined to subtropical North America; the genusNeonymphaspreads in numerous species through the tropics of America, and trespasses only in a few species theCancer;Hyphthimais found in many species in the tropics of the Old World, and it is a very curious circumstance, that one species of this essentially Gerontogeic genus should be found in the Southern States. But the two American species of the genusDebis, are even more interesting, for all other species of this genus, are confined to the Indian Archipelago.
The metamorphoses of theSatyrides, are only with difficulty to be investigated.
They feed as far as they are known, on Monocotyledoneous plants, the extra-tropical ones, with one exception perhaps, exclusively on Graminaceous plants. The Caterpillars shun the sunlight and hide themselves in the grass. Some of them bury themselves in the daytime in the ground and feed only at night. The tropical species feeding on Scitaminaceous, Aroideous plants, palms, and arborescent grasses, sport the shady thickets of tropical forests, in whose twilight depths, most of the species are also found in their imago state. Other ones like some of theMorphonides, and even someNymphalidesof the tropics, spend their days hidden under the luxuriant foliage of primeval forests and begin their flight only after sunset.
In a most interesting treatise on the characteristics of the insect fauna of the “White Mountains,” by Samuel H. Scudder, (Boston Journal, Vol. VII, Part IV), I find the description of the Caterpillar ofChionobas Semidea, Edw., with a notice that it was found on Lichen. This would prove a most remarkable exception, as all the otherSatyridesfeed on Monocotyledoneous plants. Nevertheless, larvæ of Artic types are generally polyphagous, and adapted to some degree, to accommodate themselves to circumstances, and so I would not entertain any doubts about the feeding plant of theChionobas, if it werenot for the circumstance that Mr. Scudder confesses that he did not succeed in bringing the Caterpillar, with Lichen, to perfection. Perhaps the Caterpillar fed on grass, or perhaps someCarex, and was only, by some accident, compelled to crawl to the lichen-covered stone, where that gentleman found it. I hope to hear very soon about this most interesting object, for I consider the discovery of the metamorphoses of one insect, a more valuable fact than the diagnoses of ten new species, of which we do not know more than the external appearance.
Prof. Wm. P. Blake presented the following papers:
Note on a large lump of Gold found on the Middle fork of the American River.BY PROF. WM. P. BLAKE.In July last, a mass of gold nearly free from quartz, was taken out of a placer on the Middle Fork of the American River, about two miles above Michegan Bluffs. It weighed, as taken out, 187 ounces troy, and sold for $17.50 per ounce, netting the finder $3,272.50. In melting, a loss of six ounces was experienced. There was a further loss to the purchaser, from the poor quality of the gold, the assay return of which I have not yet been able to obtain. The ordinary gold of the claim is worth $17.50. It is a singular fact, often remarked by dealers, that the large lumps of gold are almost always poorer in quality than the smaller ordinary grains from the same placers.
BY PROF. WM. P. BLAKE.
In July last, a mass of gold nearly free from quartz, was taken out of a placer on the Middle Fork of the American River, about two miles above Michegan Bluffs. It weighed, as taken out, 187 ounces troy, and sold for $17.50 per ounce, netting the finder $3,272.50. In melting, a loss of six ounces was experienced. There was a further loss to the purchaser, from the poor quality of the gold, the assay return of which I have not yet been able to obtain. The ordinary gold of the claim is worth $17.50. It is a singular fact, often remarked by dealers, that the large lumps of gold are almost always poorer in quality than the smaller ordinary grains from the same placers.
Note on the Fossil remains of the Horse and Elephant, mingled, at Mare Island, San Francisco Bay.BY PROF. WM. P. BLAKE.The entire lower jaw and teeth of a horse, the fragments of which I exhibit to the Academy, were taken by me from the face of the shore cliff of Mare Island, together with broken pieces of bones of other large quadrupeds. The teeth of anElephashad been found in the same place, a few weeks before, by Mr. Brown, the Naval Engineer, by whom my attention was directed to the place. The fossils occur in a stiff sandy loam, which rests on the eroded surface of the Tertiary or Cretaceous beds below. Near the surface is a layer of oyster shells, apparently an upraised bed, most of the shells being entire. The fact that the Horse and Elephant roamed together over our hills and plains, at the dawn of, or before the human period, is certainly not without interest.
BY PROF. WM. P. BLAKE.
The entire lower jaw and teeth of a horse, the fragments of which I exhibit to the Academy, were taken by me from the face of the shore cliff of Mare Island, together with broken pieces of bones of other large quadrupeds. The teeth of anElephashad been found in the same place, a few weeks before, by Mr. Brown, the Naval Engineer, by whom my attention was directed to the place. The fossils occur in a stiff sandy loam, which rests on the eroded surface of the Tertiary or Cretaceous beds below. Near the surface is a layer of oyster shells, apparently an upraised bed, most of the shells being entire. The fact that the Horse and Elephant roamed together over our hills and plains, at the dawn of, or before the human period, is certainly not without interest.
Ammonites or Ceratites from Oregon Bar, Middle Fork of the American River.BY PROF. WM. P. BLAKE.The specimen which I exhibit to the Society this evening, is from the collection of J. J. Spear, of this city. It was kindly loaned to me by that gentleman for examination. Not wishing to risk the specimen, by sending it to a paleontologist at the East, I had it photographed, and sent a copy to F. B. Meek, Esq., of Washington. It is not possible to determine from the specimen, whether these fossils are new or not, or even, whether they areAmmonitesorCeratites. They appear to be not unlike the fossils described by Dr. Trask, under the name ofA. Chiceonsis, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Cal.; but it is not safe to identify them, without the septæ can be clearly made out.There are several casts in an argillaceous, somewhat micaceous slate. This locality is about 15 miles from Coloma. It is not certain, whether the specimen was taken from the slates in place, or broken from a loose mass.
BY PROF. WM. P. BLAKE.
The specimen which I exhibit to the Society this evening, is from the collection of J. J. Spear, of this city. It was kindly loaned to me by that gentleman for examination. Not wishing to risk the specimen, by sending it to a paleontologist at the East, I had it photographed, and sent a copy to F. B. Meek, Esq., of Washington. It is not possible to determine from the specimen, whether these fossils are new or not, or even, whether they areAmmonitesorCeratites. They appear to be not unlike the fossils described by Dr. Trask, under the name ofA. Chiceonsis, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Cal.; but it is not safe to identify them, without the septæ can be clearly made out.
There are several casts in an argillaceous, somewhat micaceous slate. This locality is about 15 miles from Coloma. It is not certain, whether the specimen was taken from the slates in place, or broken from a loose mass.
Mr. Moore presented the following paper:
On Brushite, a new mineral occurring in Phosphatic Guano.BY GIDEON E. MOORE, PH. B.In the spring of the present year, I received through the kindness of Wm. E. Brown, Esq., of Mare Island, in this State, a specimen of a mineral discovered by him in a cargo of phosphatic guano, at Camden, N. J. The locality from which it was derived, is not known, and though letters of enquiry have been sent to the parties to whom the cargo was originally consigned, no reply has been received up to this date. The texture and appearance of the guano would, however, point to some one of the Caribbean Islands, and more particularly, to the Island of Sombrero, as its probable source. It is very probable that the mineral may be recognized among the crystallized products occurring in other guano deposits.In the specimen in my possession, the mineral occurs filling seams in the guano, varying from ⅛ to ¼ of an inch in width. The matrix itself is of the variety known as rock guano. It possesses an oolitic structure and a brownish white color, interspersed with small spots of pure white.The mineral is in the form of small but very perfect and brilliant crystals with a cleavage in the direction of their greatest length, nearly equal to that of selenite; the laminæ, being also slightly flexible, as in the case of the latter species. Hardness, 2.25 (Moh’s scale). Specific gravity, 2.208, (mean of two determinations). Color, yellowish white. Transparent. Lustre, vitreous splendent, inclining to pearly on the cleavage faces.When heated in a closed tube before the blowpipe, it whitens and gives offwater, at an incipient red heat. In the platina forceps, it fuses with intumescence, at about 2. of Von Kobbell’s scale, tinging the flame with the peculiar green characteristic of phosphoric acid. The button formed by fusion, crystallizes on cooling, showing numerous brilliant facets. Readily soluble, even in coarse crystals, in dilute nitric and hydrochloric acids.A qualitative analysis, revealed the presence of Lime, Phosphoric acid, and water, with barely discernable traces of Magnesia and Alumina.The quantity of mineral at my disposal was very small, scarcely exceeding one gramme in weight. In each of the following analyses, the water was determined in 0.2 grammes, the remaining 0.3 grammes being employed in the determination of the Lime and Phosphoric acid. The results were as follows:1.2.Lime32.6532.73Phosphoric acid41.5041.32Water26.3326.40100.48100.45These figures agree exactly with the composition of the neutral tri-basic phosphate of lime (2 CaO., H O, P O₅), with the addition of four equivalents of water of crystallization, (2 CaO, H O, P O₅ + 4 aq.) viz.:2 CaO56.26=32.59P O₅71.36=41.34H O9.00}=26.074 Aq36.00}172.62100.00In the polarizing microscope, the mineral shows a vivid succession of colors. A sample has been sent to Prof. J. D. Dana, who has kindly undertaken the study of its crystallographic characters, and I hope, in a short time, to be able to communicate the results of his investigations to the Academy.It is with very great pleasure, that I dedicate this species to Prof. Geo. J. Brush, of Yale College, to whose unwearied zeal and efficient labors, American Mineralogy stands so deeply indebted.
BY GIDEON E. MOORE, PH. B.
In the spring of the present year, I received through the kindness of Wm. E. Brown, Esq., of Mare Island, in this State, a specimen of a mineral discovered by him in a cargo of phosphatic guano, at Camden, N. J. The locality from which it was derived, is not known, and though letters of enquiry have been sent to the parties to whom the cargo was originally consigned, no reply has been received up to this date. The texture and appearance of the guano would, however, point to some one of the Caribbean Islands, and more particularly, to the Island of Sombrero, as its probable source. It is very probable that the mineral may be recognized among the crystallized products occurring in other guano deposits.
In the specimen in my possession, the mineral occurs filling seams in the guano, varying from ⅛ to ¼ of an inch in width. The matrix itself is of the variety known as rock guano. It possesses an oolitic structure and a brownish white color, interspersed with small spots of pure white.
The mineral is in the form of small but very perfect and brilliant crystals with a cleavage in the direction of their greatest length, nearly equal to that of selenite; the laminæ, being also slightly flexible, as in the case of the latter species. Hardness, 2.25 (Moh’s scale). Specific gravity, 2.208, (mean of two determinations). Color, yellowish white. Transparent. Lustre, vitreous splendent, inclining to pearly on the cleavage faces.
When heated in a closed tube before the blowpipe, it whitens and gives offwater, at an incipient red heat. In the platina forceps, it fuses with intumescence, at about 2. of Von Kobbell’s scale, tinging the flame with the peculiar green characteristic of phosphoric acid. The button formed by fusion, crystallizes on cooling, showing numerous brilliant facets. Readily soluble, even in coarse crystals, in dilute nitric and hydrochloric acids.
A qualitative analysis, revealed the presence of Lime, Phosphoric acid, and water, with barely discernable traces of Magnesia and Alumina.
The quantity of mineral at my disposal was very small, scarcely exceeding one gramme in weight. In each of the following analyses, the water was determined in 0.2 grammes, the remaining 0.3 grammes being employed in the determination of the Lime and Phosphoric acid. The results were as follows:
These figures agree exactly with the composition of the neutral tri-basic phosphate of lime (2 CaO., H O, P O₅), with the addition of four equivalents of water of crystallization, (2 CaO, H O, P O₅ + 4 aq.) viz.:
In the polarizing microscope, the mineral shows a vivid succession of colors. A sample has been sent to Prof. J. D. Dana, who has kindly undertaken the study of its crystallographic characters, and I hope, in a short time, to be able to communicate the results of his investigations to the Academy.
It is with very great pleasure, that I dedicate this species to Prof. Geo. J. Brush, of Yale College, to whose unwearied zeal and efficient labors, American Mineralogy stands so deeply indebted.
President in the Chair.
Seven members present.
Prof. Rudolpho H. Philippi, of Santiago, was duly elected an honorary member, and Mr. W. B. Ewer, of this city, a resident member of the Academy.
Donations to the Cabinet: A box of shells, containing 120 species, from Panama, by the Smithsonian Institution. Another box, marked C. S. L., containing 86 species of shells.
Donations to the Library: Smithsonian Contribution to Knowledge, Vol 13. Nachrichten von der Georg-Augusts-Universität of Göttingen, Nos. 1 and 2, 1863. Verhandlungen der R. R. Zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. Jahrgang 1863 Hefte I, II, III, IV von Bd. XIII. Verhandlungen des Natur’h Vereins der Preuss. Rheinlande und Westphalens 20str. Jahrgang, Bog. 1-10 und Bog. 11-43, 1863. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol 5, 1863. Glossaria Linguarum Brasiliensium, von Dr. C. F. Phil. von Martius, Erlangen 1863. Monographie der Oestriden von F. Brauer, 3 vol. Ofversicht of R. Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar. Stockholm, 1860, 1861, 1862. Sitzungsberichte der K. Bavarian Acad. der Wissenschaften zu München 1863, Hefte I, II, III, und doppelheft IV, 1863. Rede von J. Freiherrn von Liebig 1865. Proceedings of the Royal Horticult. Society, 1863. Hypsometrie von Mähren und östr. Schlesien, von Carl Koristka Brün, 1863. Abhandlungen der Math-phys. classe der K. Bayer. Acad. der Vissenschaften Abtheil. 111, Bd. 9, 1863. Von dem Rechts Zustande unter den Ureinwohnern Brasiliens von Dr. von Martius. Jahrbuch der Geol. Reichsanstalt, Bd. 13, Nm. 2, 3, 4, 1863. Eilfter Jahres-Bericht des Wiener Vereins, 1861. Zwölfter Jahres-Bericht des Wiener Vereins, 1862. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps Académiens Förhandlingar, Bd. 3, 1859, Bd. 3, 1860, Bd. 4, 1861. Nederlandsch. Meteorol. Yaarboek, 1862. Annals of the Lyceum of Nat. History of New York, Vol. 7, 1862, Vol. 8, part I, 1863. Der Zoolog. Garten Frankfurt, Jahrg. 4, Nrs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Jahrg. 5, Nr. 1. Bericht über einige im Niederen Gesenke und im Hartzgebirge ausgeführte Höhenmessungen, Wien, 1861. Das Geograph. System der Winde von Dr. M. H. F. Prestel Emden, 1863. Mémoires de l’Acad. Imp. des Sciences de St. Petersbourg, VII Série, Tome 4, No. 10 et 11, Tome 4, feuilles 26 à 36, Tome 5, feuilles 1 à 8.
Dr. Winslow, a former member of the Academy, was introduced by Mr. Boynton, and made some interesting remarks upon his travels in South America.
President in the Chair.
Eight members present.
Mr. Hinsmann and Baron Thurlow as visitors.
Donations to the Library: A supplement to the Terrestrial air-breathing Mollusks of the U. S., by W. G. Binney.
Prof. Brewer gave an account of recent explorations in the Sierra Nevada, by the party connected with the State Geological Survey. The exploration extended from Kern River to the Yosemite Valley, and was peculiarly rich in scientific results. The crest of the chain is very high; along the whole of this distance, the high peaks, rising to above 13,000 feet, the culmination being between the sources of the Kern and Kings Rivers, where there are a number of peaks over 14,000 feet, and one about 15,000 feet in height. Along the whole of this, there are abundant traces of glaciers, some of the morains of which are truly gigantic, far surpassing anything else of the kind yet found in the State. The cañons of all the principal streams are very deep and abrupt.
The Big Trees or Sequoias, were found over a large area, extending perhaps 25 miles along the western slope, along the tributaries of the San Joaquin, Kings, Kaweah, Tule and Kern Rivers. The amount of snow in this part of the sierras, is apparently very much less than usually occurs.
Prof. Wm. P. Blake, read the following: