1887.] natural sciences of philadelphia. 309 



October 4. 

 The President, Dr. Joseph Leidy, in the chair. 

 Seventeen persons present, 



A paper entitled "The Classification of the Post-Cretaceous 

 Deposits." By Angelo Heilprin, was presented for publication. 



October 11. 

 The President, Dr. Jos. Leidy, in the chair. 

 Twenty-two persons present. 



A paper entitled "Prolonged Life of Invertebrates. Notes on 

 the Age aud Habits of the American Tarantula." By Henry C. 

 McCook, D. D. was presented for publication. 



At the meeting of the Botanical Section held September 12th, a 

 paper entitled "Contributions to the Life-Histories of Plants." By 

 Thomas Meehan, was recommended for publication. 



Fossil bones from Florida: Prof Leidy stated that he had 

 recently received for examination, from the Geological Survey in 

 Washington, two barrels and three boxes of fossil bones from 

 Florida. Tliey are labelled as having been collected by L. C. John- 

 son, from Mixson's bone-bed, 10 miles east of Archer, Levy Co., 

 Florida. A note accompanying the collection, states that trenches 

 were cut in the bed to the bottom rock from two and a half to six 

 feet deep, and that the bones were found distributed abundantly 

 without order, through the clay from top to bottom. The bones es- 

 pecially the larger ones, are generally much broken, though the 

 original texture is mostly preserved, and they exhibit no trace of 

 being rolled or water worn. The fractures appear to be entirely 

 acciHental or with no evidence of human action. Some portions of 

 clay in large hollows of several sj^ecimeus exhibit finely commi- 

 nuted bones. The fossils pertain to the same animals previously in- 

 dicated from the same locality in former communications (See the 

 Proceedings, 1884, 118; 1885,32; 1886,11,37.) They consist 

 chiefly of the remains of Rhinoceros proterus, Mastodon floridanus, 

 and Auchenia major. Among them are a number of well preserved 

 molars of the Rhinoceros and Mastodon. Several more character- 

 istic specimens prove that he had formerly committed a blunder in 

 referring the fragment of a tooth, to an extinct boar with the name 

 of Eusyodon maximus (Proc. 1886, 37), which is only part of the 

 lower tusk of the rhinoceros. A tooth from the same locality, 

 sent him by Dr. J. C. Neal of Archer, Florida, indicates a species 



