April, 1846.] 41 



mittee consisting of Messrs. Cassin, Townsend and Wood- 

 house. 



Dr. Morton read a description of two new species of fossil 

 Echinodermata from the Eocene of the United States. Re- 

 ferred to Prof. Johnson, Mr. R. C. Taylor and Dr. Zantzinger. 



Meeting for Business, April 28, 1846. 



Vice President Morton in the Chair. 



The Committee to whom was referred the following paper, 

 read 3d of March last, reported in favor of publication. 



On the Fossil Squalidce of the United States. 

 By Robert W. Gibbes, M. D., of Columbia, South Carolina. 



Upon a careful comparison of the descriptions and plates of the admirable 

 work of Agassiz, u Sur les Poissons Fossiles," belonging to the Library of 

 the South Carolina College, I have identified in my collection a large num- 

 ber of the teeth of Squalides. I have three which I cannot refer to any of 

 his species, and therefore consider them probably new. 



1. Charcharodon megalodon, Agassiz. Eocene, S. C. 



Agassiz refers this to the Miocene, as Lord Enniskillen has a specimen 

 from the "molasse" of Switzerland, and Mr. Charlesworth notices it from 

 " the crag " of England. My finest specimen measures six inches in length, 

 and five across (he root. 



2. Charcharodon rectideus, Agassiz. Post Pliocene, S. C, from Eocene. 

 This measures five inches in length, and four and a quarter inches across 



the base of the root. It was sent to me as found in an excavation on the 

 suburbs of Charleston, for the foundation of a building at the rail road depot. 

 Beds of Post Pliocene underlie that city, and among the shells of that forma- 

 tion these teeth (two) were found. If no mistake occurred, (as my friend 

 had them twelve years,) and they were actually found here, they were pro- 

 bably washed down from the Eocene marl, which is only a few miles off. 

 A. fine C. megalodon was found in the harbor of Charleston, and occasionally 

 other Eocene and Miocene remains are found on the beaches close by. 



I have classed it with my Eocene specimens, as Agassiz, from a specimen 

 in the " Museum d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris," has referred it to this 

 period. He says : " La nature des fragmens attaches a 1' os basilaire d' un 



