l''"-^ [April, 



arrested from destruction and handed over to scientific investigation, with a 

 promptness that does him credit, what remained to be obtained. The rocks had 

 been taken out for the purpose of making the bed of a turnpike road, and the bones 

 now in possession of the Academy consist of several vertebrce, parts of ribs and 

 two imperfect teeth, which certainly place this animal amono; the Sanrians. 



To these remains, so fortunately preserved, Mr. Lea proposes to give a mature 

 examination, and the curators have placed them under his charge for that pur- 

 pose. When prepared, a description and figures of the important portions of 

 these bones will be submitted by him for publication in the Journal of the 

 Academy. 



Mi. Lea thou^jht it better to adopt a specific name without delay, but deemed 

 it advisable to postpone a generic one, until a further examination shall prove the 

 diagnosis, and then apply a descriptive one. He proposes Pennsylv aniens as the 

 specific name. 



On leave granted, a memorial to the Legislature of Pennsylvania, 

 praying for the passage of an act authorising the completion and pub- 

 lication of the final report of the Geological Survey ai the State, was 

 presented and read. On motion, the same was adopted, and a copy 

 fiigned by the officers of the Academy was ordered to be transmitted 

 to the Legislature now in session. 



Afril 15th. 

 Vice President Bridges in the Chair. 



A letter was read from the Royal Leopoldine Carolinian Academy 

 of Naturalists, dated Breslau, Jan. 21st, 1851, acknowledging the 

 receipt of late Nos. of the Proceedings. 



A letter was read from J. S. Gossler, Esq., dated Harrisburg, April 

 11th, 1851, acknowledging the receipt of the memorial addressed to 

 the Legislature by the Academy on the subject of the State Geological 

 Survey ; also another from the same, dated April 12th, 1851, announ- 

 cing the passage of the law by both Houses authorising the publication 

 of the Eeport. 



Dr. Leidy presented for the inspection of the members a fossil Tortoise from 

 Nebraska Territory, received through Prof. Baird of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 The specimen consisted of four-fifths of the carapace and plastron, the former 

 considerably crushed. In general form it is like the genus Erays. It has been 

 about 7 inches in length, and about 5} in breadth ; its heighth is about 21 inches. 

 An interval of one-eighth of an inch between the costal and marginal plates has 

 been filled with cartilage. The union in the middle line of the sternum from 

 behind to the ento-sternal bone has also been cartilaginous. The outer extremi- 

 ties of the costal plates are alternately broad and narrow as in Testudo. The 

 most remarkable peculiarity of the animal has been the possession of four ac- 

 cessory bones, which do not exist in other genera. These bones give additional 

 support to the carapace. Two are placed anterior to the attachment of the ster- 

 num to the marginal plates, and two posterior. The anterior are nearly straight 



