1887.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 121 



April 26. 



Mr. Charles Morris in the chair. 



Twenty-three persons present. 



The following letter was read : 



Board of Trustees of the Building Fund, 



Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 



April 25, 1887. 

 Dr. Jos. Leidy, 



President of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 



Dear Sir: 



I have the pleasure to inform you that in conformity with a 

 recommendation of the Council and requisition of the Academy, the 

 title of the land on the west side of Nineteenth Street between Race 

 and Cherry Streets, -with the buildings erected thereon, heretofore 

 held in trust for the society, has been lawfldly conveyed in fee 

 simple to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; and 

 that the deed has been duly recorded and deposited in the fire-proof 

 of the Academy. 



I am very respectfully, 



Yr. Obt. Servant, 



W. S. W. Ruschenberger, 



Chairman Trustees of Building Fund. 



Ovo-viviparous Generation in Tropidonotus. Professor Heilprin 

 presented the following communication, dated April 15, 1887, from 

 Mr. H. C. Young, of the Philadelphia Custom House, referring to 

 a water-snake shot by that gentlemen some fourteen years ago, at a 

 locality about three miles above Salem, N. J. "Upon examining 

 the snake (which was almost as thick as my fore-arm) I found it 

 contained considerable of a bunch which I supposed to be something- 

 it had swallowed, but upon cutting it open I found it contained small 

 snakes in a bag, each one in a separate division formed as it were by 

 a twist in the bag. I took them out and found there were 33 of 

 them of different sizes a number of the smaller ones having a portion 

 of an egg attached to them, which they appeared to be absorbing, 

 the larger ones having had already absorbed theirs. I was then 

 convinced that while the land-snakes lay eggs in the earth to be 

 hatched by the heat of the sun, the young of the water-snake are 

 actually hatched in the belly of the mother." Prof. Heilprin stated 

 that the snakes had been presented by Mr. Young to the Academy, 

 and on examination proved to be Tropidonotus sijoedon. The case 

 demonstrated beyond a question of doubt that the species was ovo- 

 viviparous. 



Prof Henry A. Ward, of Rochester, was elected a correspondent. 



The following were ordered to be printed : 9 



