124 proceedings op the academy op 



May 21. 

 The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the chair. 



Thirty members present. 



The following papers were presented for publication : 

 " Notes on Lingual Dentition of certain species of North Ameri- 

 can Land Shells." By Thos. Bland and Wm. G. Binne}*. 



" On a new California Pulmonata." By John G. Cooper, M. D. 



Prof. Cope called attention to the anterior curvature of the 

 horn in the common deer Cariacus virginianus, and said it was a 

 point of interest to determine whether the true axis or beam was 

 curved forwards or not. On comparison with the Cariacus ma- 

 crotis of the plains, it was found that the true beam was partly 

 erect and was branched (as already shown by Baird) while an 

 anterior snag was directed forward, marking exactly the curved 

 line of the axis of the C.virginianus. The curvature of the latter 

 was then shown to be due to the predominant development of 

 this large anterior snag, and the partial suppression of the true 

 beam. 



He then exhibited a spike or second 3'ear's horn of the C. vir- 

 ginianus, and alluded to the occasional occurrence of permanent 

 spike-horned deer in the Adirondack region of New York. He 

 said Alexander B. Lamberton, a gentleman who had spent much 

 time in that region, confirmed the statements that had been made 

 as to their existence, but said that they were rare. He then ex- 

 hibited a pair of simple beams or spikes of three feet in length, 

 which had been taken from a black-tailed deer (0. macrotis) shot 

 within three miles of the Kansas Pacific R. R. in Kansas. They 

 had evidently belonged to an adult animal, and were the first ex- 

 amples of spike-horned deer of that species which had been re- 

 corded. 



Prof. Cope further remarked that observation on varieties and 

 variation was at the basis of a true system of creation, and that 

 while it was often necessary for the sake of systematic clearness to 

 unite many varieties under one specific head, we did not in this 

 way escape their recognition and study. He said that the neces- 

 sary exactness of systems had concealed from many the fact as 

 well as the meaning of variation. 



There were and had been for years two schools of naturalists, 

 whose modes of treating natural history subjects were quite 

 different. In reference to these modes, they might be called 

 the technical and natural schools. As, however, the claim of the 

 latter to better appreciation of natural affinities and classifica- 

 tions appeared to him to be doubtful, he thought theA r had 

 better be called the pseudo-natural school, while the so-called 



