1850.] 83 



September 2Uh. 

 Dr. Morton, President, in the Chair. 



After some preliminary business, the Society proceeded to an elec- 

 tion for Vice President, in place of Dr. Griffith deceased, when Dr. 

 Eobert Bridges was elected to that office. 



The Society also elected Dr. T. B. Wilson a member of the Con- 

 chological Committee, to supply the vacancy in that committee occa- 

 sioned by the decease of Dr. Griffith. 



ELECTION. 



Aubrey H. Smith, Esq., of Philadelphia, was elected a Member of 

 the Academy. 



October 1st. 



Dr. Morton, President, in the Chair. 



Dr. Bridges presented a paper entitled " Descriptions of four new 

 species of Crinoidea, from the sub-carboniferous limestone of Iowa and 

 Illinois, collected during the U. S. Geological Survey of Iowa, &c., 

 in the years 18-^8-9. By David Dale Owen, M. D., and B. F. Shu- 

 mard, M. D. ;" being an addition to the memoir by the same authors 

 read at a late meeting of the Academy. The present paper was 

 referred to the committee having charge of the previous portion, viz., 

 Messrs. Conrad, Wilson, and Morton. 



A letter was read from the Secretary of the Lyceum of Natural 

 History, of New York, dated September 27th, 1850, stating, that a 

 parcel containing publications of several scientific societies of Lyons, 

 France, had been received by M. Grex, of NeAY York, for the Academ)'. 



Dr. Bridges read a letter from Mr. George Ord, accompanying the 

 donation of copper plates XX and XXI, of Vol. 4, 1st series, 8vo. of 

 the Journal of this Institution. On motion, the thanks of the Society 

 were unanimously voted to Mr. Ord for his liberal and valuable gift. 



Dr. Leidy read a description of a new species of Ligula (L. sala- 

 mandra?) which on motion was referred to a committee consisting of 

 Drs. Hallowell, Kellar, and Zantzinger. 



Dr. Morton, read the following extract from a letter from A. C. 

 Harris, Esq., addressed to Mr. George R- Gliddon, and dated Alexan- 

 dria, in Egypt, 6th Aug., 1850, in relation to the present existence of 

 the Ibis religiosa, in that country. 



" Upon a large sand-bank opposite to the Casr-el Sayad, I positively saw an 

 Ris on the 20th of last December. I have seen stuffed specimens brought from 

 Sennaar, and cannot be mistaken in the bird. Its shape is that of the Monuments 

 the body is grey, the head and part of the neck black, as also the feathers of 



